Kaslo is a village on the west shore of Kootenay Lake in the West Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia. A member municipality of the Central Kootenay Regional District, the name derives from the adjacent Kaslo River. One travel writer regards it as the "Little Switzerland of Canada." Before European arrival, the area was home to the semi-nomadic Kutenai (Ktunaxa) and Lakes (Sinixt) tribes. Settlers came and used it as a sawmill site in 1889, but soon after Kaslo expanded as a result of the silver boom of the late 19th century. It retains much of the historic atmosphere from its earlier mining days. The economy of Kaslo today is based mainly on the forestry and tourism industries.

Mining

Kaslo was an important centre for shipping silver ore from mines in the area. In 1895, it became the eastern terminus for the Kaslo and Slocan Railway. Kaslo's fortunes faded after the end of the silver rush, and the widespread collapse of mining activity following World War I, but the growth in fruit farming and logging partially offset this decline.

Community

After the 1891 townsite survey, building lots were marketed. Kaslo was incorporated as a city on August 14, 1893, making it the oldest incorporated community in the Kootenays. Destroyed by the 1894 flood, the townsite was rebuilt. At the time, the population was about 3,000. The Kaslo Kootenaian, a newspaper established in 1896, existed until 1969. The settlement was re-incorporated as a village on January 1, 1959.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Kaslo had a population of 1,049 living in 526 of its 583 total private dwellings, a change of NaN% from its 2016 population of 968. With a land area of 3.01 km2, it had a population density of in 2021.

National historic Sites

Kaslo is home to two National Historic Sites of Canada:

Attractions

Japanese internment

In 1941, Kaslo was selected as one of many sites throughout BC for the internment of Japanese Canadians. 964 Japanese Canadians were relocated to Kaslo in 1942, before being moved to New Denver in 1946.

Television

Kaslo has been featured on the historical television series Gold Trails and Ghost Towns (season 2, episode 2). Kaslo was also featured in the 1995 film Magic in the Water, starring Mark Harmon and Joshua Jackson, as well as in Tougher Than It Looks, starring Glenn Erikson in 2017.

Climate

Kaslo has a humid continental climate (Dfb) or an inland oceanic climate (Cfb) depending on the isotherm used.

Notable People