Two noteworthy Sheep Creeks exist in West Kootenay.
Seaton might be the most obscure townsite in the Slocan. You won’t find it mentioned in any history book.
Sayward on Vancouver Island and the former West Kootenay townsite of Sayward were both named after lumber magnate William Parsons Sayward.
The earliest reference to the future townsite of Sandon was in a letter by John Morgan Harris, dated May 19, 1892.
Sandon, the West Kootenay’s greatest ghost town, was named after Sandon Creek, in turn named for prospector John Sandon.
On July 8, 1910, the Nelson Daily News carried the first in a series of ads for the “First sale of lots in the Salmon Rapids townsite.”
Salmo is the Latin form of salmon and takes its name from the Salmon River (now Salmo River) that flows through it.
In 1892, prospector Mike Grady found hot springs bubbling out of holes in the rocks two miles up a mountainside from Upper Arrow Lake.
Last week we saw that Rossland was originally known as Thompson, after Ross Thompson, who pre-empted a homestead on the future city’s site.
The area where Rossland sits was first called kEluwi’sst or kmarkn by the Sinixt First Nation, who knew it as a good area for huckleberries.
Rosebery, on Slocan Lake, was originally known as Wilson Creek, the body of water that flows through it.
Robson honors BC’s ninth premier, John Robson (1824-92), although he never saw his namesake town.
Ritaville was only ever mentioned once but it’s notable as one of the few local places named after a woman.
The origin of Riondel’s name is no mystery, but its pronunciation has been controversial for generations.
Rhone, a former railway siding four miles west of Westbridge, was first mentioned in the Kelowna Record of June 10, 1915.
Retallack is another place in the Valley of the Ghosts along Highway 31A between Kaslo and New Denver known by several names.
Remac is a compound name taken from the principal locators of the Reeves MacDonald mining properties.
According to Kootenay Outlet Reflections, Queens Bay “received its name before 1883, when the Ainsworth Mining Camp opened.”
Procter was named for entrepreneur Thomas Gregg Procter (1862-1913), but his name was often misspelled Proctor.
Is it Procter or Proctor? The answer is simple but the explanation is complicated.
