Welcome to more about the Kootenays. In the 1970's I lived for about eight years in Kaslo BC, on the shore of Kootenay Lake about 55 km from Nelson. Kaslo is a fascinating little town and has provided many gifts including a livelihood as an artist / designer. It's also the fictionalized setting for a series of linked short stories one of which I published to this blog in September. Below you can visit Kaslo in an article I wrote for Western Living Magazine back in 1980. I think the published version is probably shorter and more to the point, but if you have the time, join me on a ramble through historic Kaslo town. (Brackets indicate asides in present time.)
WALKING THROUGH KOOTENAY YESTERDAYS
Kaslo, B.C. may someday rank with Ontario’s Stratford or Pennsylvania’s Williamsburg as an historic town that made the past a functional and attractive part of the present. Known for it’s beautiful scenery, it’s historic mining past and exceptional sports fishery, the village of Kaslo graces a river delta with old and new.
Historically, the Kootenay Lake foreshore accommodated rugged adventurers who had followed the lure of mining riches. The discovery of silver, lead and zinc in the 1880’s drew thousands of hardy men and women. Communities such as Kaslo became boom towns overnight, providing services and entertainment to the mining industry.
So stunningly beautiful even early residents recognized Kaslo's unique landscape and likened the setting to Switzerland. For many years Kaslo was publicized as the Lucerne of North America.
This was also the era of the famous paddlewheel steamers, long white boats as much a part of Kaslo as the mining, banking revelry and decorous Sunday mornings.
Names such as the Bonnington, Kuskanook, Nasookin and Moyie spell degrees of ship-board luxury combined with an essential transportation link to the outside world. Freight boats stained with mineral dust, coal and smoke shared Kootenay Lake with the luxuriously appointed S.S. International and others where elegant passengers dined fashionably in the chandeliered main salon.
Such elegance and sense of fashion were also much a part of life in Kaslo itself. World-renowned visitors left surprisingly familiar signatures in hotel guest books – John Jacob Aster, Oscar Wilde, and the Song Bird of Norway, Jenney Lind.
Energized by money and hope Kaslo bustled with activity, sheltering more than five thousand seekers after the new El Dorado.
Building, businesses and home rose in Victorian gingerbread splendour with hints of European Renaissance grandeur. Dance halls and saloons, muddy streets and boardwalks echoed with the sounds of a town on the move.
Eighty girls are said to have served the needs of mining men at the infamous theater Comique, and twenty-four saloons poured refreshments into the parched throats of carpenters, miners, loggers and businessmen.
Barbers and café cooks outnumbered schoolteachers, and religious leaders were hard pressed to maintain their own stability, let alone that of a feverishly scrambling mining community.
But Kaslo soon went the way of mining towns throughout the Kootenays. With the decline of mineral values after the First World War, quieter days arrived, and for some years agriculture provided the chief source of income and attention.
Indeed Kaslo and the surrounding bench lands were so successfully cultivated, that during the mid 1920’s Kaslo became the Cherry capital of the World, producing a quality of fruit that rivaled the Okanagan.
Unfortunately, the cherry industry too began to fail when a blight hit the trees in the 1940’s and the fruit declined to commercially unsuitable.
By 1960 Kaslo had become a near ghost town. Deserted buildings, empty windows and barricaded doorways were a common sight. Two newer buildings presented merely unfinished shells. The small population of six hundred survived on jobs with the government, local school, hospital and Provincial Highways Department. Little outfits with more a sense of independence than a sense of economics continued to work the mines.
Today Kaslo is undergoing a rebirth as city folks look to the country for opportunities no longer available in urban centres. Small businesses and new ventures are popping up regularly. Far from being a ghost town, Kaslo is experiencing the pangs of rapid growth, with thirty-five new building starts in 1978, new by-laws and new pressures on antiquated community services. (Speaking of antiquated services, during a particularly cold snap while I lived there, most of the water pipes in Lower Kaslo froze. In the process of getting the water flowing again, the town discovered that water pipes had been installed in a very haphazard fashion, including through the foundation of one house into another.)
But enthusiasm for small town life continues unabated as old-timers and newcomers assess how much Kaslo has yet to offer. Where once “letting things go” was as much as anyone could expect, there is now a sense of renewed purpose. Paint tins and ladders mark many a house front and piles of sheet-rock indicate hope for ragged interiors.
The current trend, which often sees a potential restoration project in every old building, began a mere ten years ago.
Residents had set a precedent in 1957 when they banded together under the auspices of the Kootenay Lake Historical Society to preserve the S.S. Moyie. In that year her owners, the Canadian Pacific Railway decommissioned “The Last of the Sternwheelers.” The Moyie never built up a head of steam again. Rather than watch tolerantly as she was either burned or left to rot, the Kootenay Lake Historical Society raised the money to beach the Moyie, creating a museum and historic site.
This past year the S.S. Moyie received long overdue recognition. The National Parks and Historic Sites Branch of the Government of Canada commemorated her with all due pomp and circumstance.
The S.S. Moyie is a good place to start, if you would like to survey Kaslo today and walk in gentle strides past other monuments of Kootenay and Kaslo Pioneer history.
This remarkable example of the sternwheel era is located at the end of Front Street, one and a half blocks off Highway 31A which passes through the heart of town. Parking should be no problem in this area.
Visitors are welcome aboard the Moyie from the 15th of April to the 15th of October during the hours of 10 am to 4:30 pm. The boat has been carefully preserved and provides a stationary trip in the romantic age of steam. Numerous artifacts, photographs and books are available, and a curator is aboard to answer questions or regale visitors with stories both apocryphal and true. The curator and the S.S. Moyie also act as Kaslo’s Tourist Information Centre, sponsored by the local Chamber of Commerce. (For a winter in the 70's, a team of us worked on the Moyie to catalog the artifacts and historic photos, fascinating project that inspired this article and a series of historical drawings.)
At the stern of the boat, you’ll find two other historic curiosities. The small log building has been preserved as an example of a typical prospector’s cabin. Note it’s tiny size and simplicity.
The second building closer to the road is a Post Office that was in use at Mirror Lake, three miles south of Kaslo until 1965. This tiny building is said to be the smallest self-contained post office in the world. (I think every community seems to have one of these!)
Across the street there’s a recently renovated brick structure. The ‘1896 Building’ as it’s popularly known, blatantly proclaims its construction date. It’s one of the older structures to utilize brick. Through a long and varied career the ‘1896 Building’ served as a bakery, apartment house, church and, in later years languished as an unhappy derelict. In 1976, new owners stripped the interior and façade, and restored the building to its present functional attractive place in the community. (A nicely updated suite at the back of the building with all modern conveniences, was home for me for a number of years.)
Proceeding west up Front Street, the next notable structure is the present Farmer’s Institute Building. The original owner’s name and business can still be read on the elaborate lintel – “Byers – Drygoods,’ and above the second attached storefront, ‘Geigerich – Hardware.’ One part of the original store sold drygoods with a men’s wear operation. Drawers and display cases towered to the high tin ceiling. Constructed during Kaslo’s heyday in the late 1890’s, this building has been eyed by several restoration enthusiasts.
From your vantage point in front of the Farmer’s Institute you can pick out a number of buildings that remain from the boom years. Immediately across the street are the former Fletcher’s Saloon and a confectionery that has undergone numerous changes. The Building Supply across the lane to your right is an original building too and will be undergoing renovation shortly to restore some of its historical flavour. The restaurant next door is much changed but note the authentic cornice that remains unaltered.
From this point, you can cross Front Street and walk south toward the Village Hall built in a busy year, 1898. This building’s stately bulk is visible as soon as you turn in that direction. Viewed from almost any angle it appears to be the epitome of the small town, town hall. From white clapboard siding to Romanesque bell tower, the building conveys a chunky, determined architectural air. Rescued from imminent demolition ten years ago, it has become the first project of the Kaslo Restoration Society. The original architect’s plans for the hall have fortunately been preserved. Copies are on view in the lobby of the building. If your interest in the past is keen, why not join the Restoration Society? Membership forms are available at the clerk’s office within. The interior is worth a visit in any case, especially the third floor courtroom.
On the corner diagonally across from the Hall stands St. Andrews United Church built in 1893. The church hall is a recent addition.
The flood of 1894 destroyed much of lower Kaslo only a short time before an equally disastrous fire leveled the business district. These early years were rife with disaster as a newspaper account of the flood day indicates. “…The house went over with a crash, and was carried down the river in splintered pieces, scarcely two boards remaining together. Below the Mayor’s house was that occupied by Mr. Bongard. Here, too, the bank was rapidly worn away, and it also toppled over into the current and was carried down almost whole until it rested against the outer end of the jam….”
During this terrible flood, fears were constantly expressed that the raging torrent would sufficiently wear away the north bank of the river to undermine buildings such as the United Church. Fortunately the bank held, but a new channel broke through closer to the lake. If you walk past the church toward the present river channel, watch for the gravel bank that cuts below the church hall. You’ll understand how close Kaslo came to losing this religious landmark.
Returning to the Village Hall, turn west up C Avenue. This quiet treed street is much as it appeared seventy years ago, and provides a reasonably accurate idea of older residential Kaslo. Several house on this street are of special note. The large white house on your left has been renovated recently. Built in the late 1890’s as a gentleman’s club, this house still outwardly retains much of its original architectural flair. Though sadly a cupola has been lost to the modern taste for cleaner lines.
Opposite and slightly further west is a quaint, neat little house that does not belong in Kaslo at all. Designed by a California architect for a Mr. S. H. Green, it failed to provide anything akin to adequate northern insulation. The attractive entrance porch has long been closed in against the Canadian cold. This interesting home is presently undergoing a renovation / restoration at the hands of its current owners.
Lastly, the house on your left at the head of the street is another fine example of Kootenay Victoriana. Build about 1900 by George Buchanan, a Kaslo gold commissioner, it has suffered few alterations other than the inevitable ravages of time.
Now turn north along 4th Street toward the lake. The first building on your right is one of the oldest houses in Kaslo. It appears in some of the earliest photographs of the town. It has been attractively renovated and is now operated as a whole food store with food displayed and sold in bulk, just as it was eighty years ago.
Continue walking north to B Avenue which is also Interprovincial Highway 31A. You are now standing at the corner of a very interesting historical project that is highly regarded not only in Kaslo, but also nationally. This is the Langham building that has had a long, varied and well-documented career.
Built in 1893, the Langham survived the turbulent years of the silver boom as a rooming house and office building. The Bank of British North America operated a branch in this three-story structure from 1897 and onward for some years and Knapp’s Bottling Works churned out beverages in the rear of the building beginning about 1900. Accountants, land speculators and others occupied Langham office space over the years.
When the mining boom slowed to a halt, the Langham was left with empty rooms and musty offices. By the early 1940’s the building had become another derelict, only to be briefly revived to accommodate citizens of Japanese descent forced inland by the misfortunes of World War II. In later years, the sagging, neglected Langham was condemned as a public building and slated for demolition. The fortunes of the Langham changed in 1974, when the formation of the Langham Cultural Society focused energy and concern on the preservation of the Langham with the ultimate objective of creating a cultural centre for the Kootenays. The successful achievement of that goal stands before you, a symbol of both incredible dedication and Kaslo’s renewed interest in her past and cultural future.
It wasn’t an easy task. The Langham required massive effort to return to even a minimum of structural integrity. Leveling the building was the first chore of the Society followed by the re-laying of the first floor. Then lathe and plaster had to be stripped away floor-by-floor and room-by-room. When the Lanham finally stood level and bare to the studs, the long tedious job of installing drywall began. At her ‘level’ best, the Langham could not be returned to the square, and every board and frame had to be cut to fit on the spot.
(I had a hand in this restoration. My job involved working with a team underneath the building to place and operate hydraulic jacks in the most critical corner, the corner that now rests more or less level with 5th Street and A Avenue. A damp, dirty and I suppose dangerous job, though that didn’t occur to me at the time. After the restoration I had my studio and gallery space in the Langham. In a moment of entrepreneurial enthusiasm, I also opened a second enterprise in the Langham, Kaslo Office Services. As usual, the idea was sound but management material I was not. Happily Kaslo Office Services survived me and operated for a number of years under different ownership on Front Street.)
You are most welcome to visit the restored Langham Centre. An attendant will gladly show the highlights of the professionally equipped theatre, the large bright gallery area and the two upper floors of studios and offices.
Note the awards display in the administrative area. In 1977 the Langham Cultural Centre received the National Heritage Canada Award and the Park and Tilford Trophy for Community Beautification in recognition of outstanding workmanship and community dedication.
For those with the energy walk up the hill to your left into what is known as Upper Kaslo. This walk will afford an excellent view of Kaslo Bay and the western slope of the Purcell Mountains.
On the crest of the hill on the south side of the street, is another and perhaps Kaslo’s best remaining example of Victorian grandeur. This beautiful house has lost little through the years. In fact, age has added a sweep of foliage that wraps the house in gracious summer coolness.
From this point wander freely through Upper Kaslo or return to the S.S. Moyie as weather and your legs dictate. Wherever you go, walk slowly and let your mind and inner sight turn back the clock. Perhaps you’ll even hear the sounds of Kootenay yesteryears. Was that the steam whistle of a sternwheeler arriving, or today’s children playing? In Kaslo you can never be entirely sure.
Copyright 2015 Dianne Bersea cspwc afca
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