New Denver
New Denver | |
|---|---|
| The Corporation of the Village of New Denver[1] | |
_(2).jpg) | |
  New Denver Location of New Denver in British Columbia | |
| Coordinates: 49°59′29″N 117°22′19″W / 49.99139°N 117.37194°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | British Columbia |
| Region | Slocan Valley, West Kootenay |
| Regional district | Central Kootenay |
| Founded | 1892 |
| Incorporated | 1929 |
| Government | |
| • Governing body | New Denver Village Council |
| • Mayor | Leonard Casley |
| • CAO | Md. Ashraf Alam |
| Area | |
• Total | 0.87 km2 (0.34 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 560 m (1,840 ft) |
| Population (2016) | |
• Total | 473 |
| • Density | 543.7/km2 (1,408/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (PST) |
| Area code(s) | 250, 778, 236, & 672 |
| Highways |  Highway 6  Highway 31A |
| Waterways | Slocan Lake |
| Website | newdenver |
New Denver is a village in the Central Kootenay region of British Columbia, Canada at the mouth of Carpenter Creek, on the east shore of Slocan Lake, in the West Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia. The village is 47 kilometres (29 mi) west of Kaslo on Highway 31A, and 47 kilometres (29 mi) southeast of Nakusp and 32 kilometres (20 mi) northeast of Slocan on Highway 6.[2]
Name origin
In 1892, the town was mostly called Slocan City or Slocan for about a month, Eldorado City or Eldorado for about seven months, and New Denver since. However, these names were used interchangeably for months.[3] Furthermore, the place may have been known as Carpenter Creek townsite after its founding in 1891.[4]
Appearing about the same time as the Slocan community at the foot of the lake, it is unclear why the latter prevailed in keeping the name. Until the government survey in mid 1892, the place was a squatters camp for miners.[3] Named for El Dorado, the legendary city of gold, the surrounding mines were hoped to bring comparable prosperity. On discovering the mines were silver deposits, the name changed to reflect the famed silver mines of Denver, Colorado.[5]: 187
History
New Denver was an early service center for mines and the nearby mining towns. It could be reached by boat, and a stagecoach ran every two days to Nakusp, and every four days to Nelson.[6] In 1895, Denver Canyon became a stop on the former Nakusp and Slocan Railway. The settlement was incorporated as a village in 1929.[7] After the decline in mining, forestry became the economic base, and tourism in more recent times.
Japanese internment during World War II
One of nine West Kootenay internment centres for Japanese Canadians during World War II (following removal from the BC Coast), by 1942 the camp held 1,505 Japanese Canadians, who built 275 shacks in a fruit grove known as the "Orchard."[8] Other internment centres in the Slocan region were nearby at Slocan City, Lemon Creek, Rosebery, Kaslo and Sandon.
New Denver's Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre is dedicated to the history of the 27,000 interned Japanese Canadians, and is a National Historic Site.[9]
Doukhobor residential school
For decades Freedomites refused to send their Doukhobor children to school. After multiple warnings, the government forcibly removed such children from their families. Operating 1953–1959, about 170 children, aged 7–15, passed through the New Denver facility but attended the public school. Although parents were allowed twice-monthly visits, most chose instead to speak to their children through the wire fence.[10]
Zincton resort controversy
In May 2020, New Denver resident David Harley, owner of Valhalla Pure Outfitters, proposed building a 55-acre "world-class, all-season, backcountry-oriented" resort called Zincton between New Denver and Kaslo.[11] Those promoting Zincton claim the resort will create jobs and do much to remedy economic and social decline in the area.[12] The proposed site is in a critical wildlife corridor connecting Goat Range and Kokanee Provincial Parks and is also prime grizzly bear habitat; opponents fear the resort's negative ecological impact.[13] Of the 3000 emailed comments received by British Columbia's Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development regarding Zincton, 2300 opposed building the resort.[14]
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, New Denver had a population of 487 living in 248 of its 304 total private dwellings, a change of 3% from its 2016 population of 473. With a land area of 0.87 km2 (0.34 sq mi), it had a population density of 559.8/km2 (1,449.8/sq mi) in 2021.[15]
Communications
The town is notable for its resistance to mobile phones. In a 2008 referendum, many citizens voted against the introduction of cellular telephone service.[16] Despite this, on 20 July 2010, Telus Canada began installation of a cell phone facility in the heart of the village, with many citizens peacefully protesting the installation.[17]
Climate
| Climate data for New Denver | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 10.6 (51.1) |
14 (57) |
21 (70) |
27.2 (81.0) |
33.5 (92.3) |
35.5 (95.9) |
38.5 (101.3) |
37.2 (99.0) |
35.5 (95.9) |
24 (75) |
18.3 (64.9) |
11.5 (52.7) |
38.5 (101.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 0.5 (32.9) |
2.9 (37.2) |
8.1 (46.6) |
13.9 (57.0) |
18.9 (66.0) |
22.4 (72.3) |
26.1 (79.0) |
25.9 (78.6) |
19.8 (67.6) |
11.5 (52.7) |
4.3 (39.7) |
0.2 (32.4) |
12.9 (55.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −1.7 (28.9) |
−0.3 (31.5) |
3.6 (38.5) |
8 (46) |
12.5 (54.5) |
16.1 (61.0) |
19.1 (66.4) |
18.9 (66.0) |
13.9 (57.0) |
7.5 (45.5) |
2 (36) |
−1.9 (28.6) |
8.1 (46.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −4 (25) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
2 (36) |
6 (43) |
9.6 (49.3) |
12 (54) |
11.8 (53.2) |
7.8 (46.0) |
3.5 (38.3) |
−0.4 (31.3) |
−4 (25) |
3.3 (37.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −23.5 (−10.3) |
−21 (−6) |
−15.6 (3.9) |
−7.2 (19.0) |
−2 (28) |
2.2 (36.0) |
1.1 (34.0) |
1.7 (35.1) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
−11 (12) |
−23.5 (−10.3) |
−28.9 (−20.0) |
−28.9 (−20.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 100.8 (3.97) |
57.1 (2.25) |
62.7 (2.47) |
61.6 (2.43) |
66.1 (2.60) |
84.2 (3.31) |
60.8 (2.39) |
54.9 (2.16) |
55 (2.2) |
70.1 (2.76) |
105.2 (4.14) |
94.2 (3.71) |
872.6 (34.35) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 43.1 (1.70) |
36.8 (1.45) |
54.8 (2.16) |
60.8 (2.39) |
66 (2.6) |
84.2 (3.31) |
60.8 (2.39) |
54.9 (2.16) |
55 (2.2) |
69.8 (2.75) |
86.1 (3.39) |
39 (1.5) |
711.5 (28.01) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 57.6 (22.7) |
20.3 (8.0) |
7.9 (3.1) |
0.7 (0.3) |
0.1 (0.0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0.3 (0.1) |
19.1 (7.5) |
55.2 (21.7) |
161.1 (63.4) |
| Source: [18] | |||||||||||||
Flora and fauna
2019 saw a drastic increase in New Denver's native roof rat population. The Norwegian rat was introduced to the area the same year and is thought to have arrived by transport truck from other regions.[19] Council members blamed the infestation on local gardening and composting practices.[20]
Notable people
- Aubrey Nealon (born 1971), film and television director, producer and writer
- David Suzuki, Canadian geneticist, broadcaster and author, was among those interned here during the Second World War.
References
- ^ "British Columbia Regional Districts, Municipalities, Corporate Name, Date of Incorporation and Postal Address" (XLS). British Columbia Ministry of Communities, Sport and Cultural Development. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
- ^ "New Denver". www.ourbc.com.
- ^ a b "Nelson Star, 26 Mar 2016". www.nelsonstar.com.
- ^ "Nelson Star, 2 Apr 2016". www.nelsonstar.com.
- ^ Akrigg, G.P.V.; Akrigg, Helen B. (1986). British Columbia Place Names (3rd, 1997 ed.). Vancouver: UBC Press. ISBN 0-7748-0636-2.
- ^ "1894 BC Directory". www.bccd.vpl.ca.
- ^ "New Denver (village)". BC Geographical Names.
- ^ "New Denver Internment Camp". www.heritagebc.ca.
- ^ Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre. Canadian Register of Historic Places.
- ^ "Forced Doukhobor Schooling". www.doukhobor.org.
- ^ Harley, David. "Zincton: Expression of Interest" (PDF). ww2.gov.bc. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
- ^ Zincton Farms (14 November 2021). "Op-Ed: Zincton Balances the Past with the Future". The Nelson Daily. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
- ^ Blackshaw, Nikki. "Press Pause, Let's Plan: Provincial petition launches in response to Zincton". thewildconnection.ca. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
- ^ McMurray, Jan (30 July 2020). "About 3000 comments received on Zincton proposal" (PDF). Retrieved 8 December 2021.
- ^ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), British Columbia". Statistics Canada. 9 February 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
- ^ Metcalfe, Bill. "Why a Little BC Town Wants to Banish Cell Phones", "The Tyee", 2008-03-13.
- ^ "TELUS going live with 3G+ network in New Denver, BC on September 7th". MobileSyrup. 3 September 2010.
- ^ "Calculation Information for 1981 to 2010 Canadian Normals Data". Environment Canada. Archived from the original on 14 June 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
- ^ Shafer, Timothy (7 October 2019). "Rat problem potentially plagues Slocan Valley village; could be sign of bigger problem". Retrieved 4 January 2021.
- ^ "New Denver battling influx of rats". 26 November 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
External links
- Official website
New Denver travel guide from Wikivoyage
49°59′30″N 117°22′17″W / 49.99167°N 117.37139°W
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