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.[3] The village is regarded as the "Little Switzerland of Canada."[4]
Kaslo
| |
|---|---|
| Village of Kaslo[1] | |
| |
| Motto:
Industry Progress Wealth
| |
  Kaslo Location of Kaslo in British Columbia Show map of British Columbia Kaslo Kaslo (Canada) Show map of Canada | |
| Coordinates: 49°54′48″N 116°54′41″W / 49.91333°N 116.91139°W / 49.91333; -116.91139 | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | British Columbia |
| Region | Kootenays |
| Regional District | Central Kootenay |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Suzan Hewat |
| • Governing body | Kaslo Village Council - Molly Leathwood - Robert Lang - Erika Bird - Matthew Brown |
| • MP | Rob Morrison (CPC) |
| • MLA | Brittny Anderson (NDP) |
| Area | |
| • Land | 3.01 km2 (1.16 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 591 m (1,939 ft) |
| Population
(2021)[2]
| |
| • Total | 1,049 |
| • Density | 348.7/km2 (903/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−08:00 (PST) |
| Postal code span |
V0G 1M0
|
| Area code | 250 / 778 / 236 |
| Highways |
 Hwy 31A |
| Waterway | Kootenay Lake |
| Website | kaslo |
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.
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.[5]
After the 1891 townsite survey, building lots were marketed.[3] 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.[5][6]
The Kaslo Kootenaian, a newspaper established in 1896,[7] existed until 1969.[8] The settlement was re-incorporated as a village on January 1, 1959.[6]
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 8.4% from its 2016 population of 968. With a land area of 3.01 km2 (1.16 sq mi), it had a population density of 348.5/km2 (902.6/sq mi) in 2021.[2]
Kaslo is home to two National Historic Sites of Canada:
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.[5]
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,[10] as well as in Tougher Than It Looks, starring Glenn Erikson in 2017.
Kaslo has a humid continental climate (Dfb) or an inland oceanic climate (Cfb) depending on the isotherm used.
| Climate data for Kaslo | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 9.4 (48.9) |
15.6 (60.1) |
18.5 (65.3) |
27.8 (82.0) |
36.7 (98.1) |
34.4 (93.9) |
37.8 (100.0) |
36.5 (97.7) |
33.9 (93.0) |
23.9 (75.0) |
16.7 (62.1) |
10.6 (51.1) |
37.8 (100.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 0.8 (33.4) |
3.2 (37.8) |
8.0 (46.4) |
13.5 (56.3) |
18.3 (64.9) |
21.6 (70.9) |
25.4 (77.7) |
25.4 (77.7) |
19.7 (67.5) |
12.0 (53.6) |
4.7 (40.5) |
0.4 (32.7) |
12.7 (54.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −2.1 (28.2) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
3.4 (38.1) |
7.6 (45.7) |
12.0 (53.6) |
15.4 (59.7) |
18.5 (65.3) |
18.3 (64.9) |
13.5 (56.3) |
7.4 (45.3) |
1.7 (35.1) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
7.7 (45.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −4.9 (23.2) |
−4.3 (24.3) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
1.7 (35.1) |
5.7 (42.3) |
9.2 (48.6) |
11.5 (52.7) |
11.2 (52.2) |
7.2 (45.0) |
2.7 (36.9) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
−4.8 (23.4) |
2.7 (36.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −27.2 (−17.0) |
−26.1 (−15.0) |
−21.7 (−7.1) |
−12.8 (9.0) |
−6.1 (21.0) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
2.8 (37.0) |
2.2 (36.0) |
−6.1 (21.0) |
−10.6 (12.9) |
−22 (−8) |
−31.1 (−24.0) |
−31.1 (−24.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 105.8 (4.17) |
60.4 (2.38) |
72.9 (2.87) |
62.4 (2.46) |
60.9 (2.40) |
76.9 (3.03) |
56.0 (2.20) |
44.4 (1.75) |
56.7 (2.23) |
65.9 (2.59) |
112.8 (4.44) |
110.5 (4.35) |
885.6 (34.87) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 46.7 (1.84) |
39.3 (1.55) |
60.6 (2.39) |
60.7 (2.39) |
60.9 (2.40) |
76.9 (3.03) |
56.0 (2.20) |
44.4 (1.75) |
56.7 (2.23) |
65.6 (2.58) |
85.5 (3.37) |
44.8 (1.76) |
698.0 (27.48) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 59.2 (23.3) |
21.1 (8.3) |
12.3 (4.8) |
1.7 (0.7) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.3 (0.1) |
27.4 (10.8) |
65.7 (25.9) |
187.6 (73.9) |
| Source: [11] | |||||||||||||
Kaslo travel guide from Wikivoyage
