Peter J. Smith The Silvery Slocan
Historic Slocan wharf during the silver rush

British Columbia · 1891–1900

Stories from the
Silvery Slocan

The mining camps, people, fortunes and conflicts that shaped one of British Columbia’s most remarkable silver rushes.

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A region transformed

Silver brought the world to the Slocan.

In the 1890s, mining camps such as Sandon, Three Forks and Whitewater flourished alongside New Denver, Silverton, Slocan City, Kaslo and Nakusp.

Prospectors and miners arrived from Idaho, Montana and other mining centres. Capital followed from Spokane, Seattle, Vancouver and investment centres around the world. Falling silver prices, labour conflict and the Klondike gold rush eventually ended the boom, but its legacy remains.

Books by Peter J. Smith

Two histories of the silver rush

Mining Camp Tales of the Silvery Slocan book cover

Published by Heritage House · 2025

Mining Camp Tales of the Silvery Slocan

A History of British Columbia’s Silver Rush

A vivid, expanded history of the Slocan silver rush, combining stories of the camps, their residents and the forces that shaped the region. The book includes substantial new material and a comprehensive index.

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Reviews:The British Columbia ReviewBC StudiesCanada’s History
Silver Rush book cover

Self-published · 2020 · Out of print

Silver Rush: British Columbia’s Silvery Slocan, 1891–1900

The award-winning first book documenting the region’s explosive growth and decline.

Winner of the 2020 BC Lieutenant Governor’s Community History Award
Reviews:Nelson StarThe British Columbia Review

The mining district

Explore the historic Slocan mines

A period map of the Cariboo, Yale and Kootenay gold and silver districts captures the scale of the rush and the density of claims around New Denver, Sandon and the surrounding valleys.

Historic map of Slocan mines
Peter J. Smith at a mine site above Silverton in the 1970s

About the author

Peter J. Smith

Born and raised in Victoria and on the Saanich Peninsula, Peter moved to the Slocan in the mid-1970s. A breakfast at New Denver’s Newmarket Hotel sparked a lifelong interest in the region’s history.

He later became part owner of a mining claim south of Silverton. With a post-graduate degree in Folklife Studies from the University of Leeds, he worked for many years in British Columbia’s civil service and retired in 2011 as Director of the province’s Information Access and Records Service Delivery Division.

He lives in Ladysmith, British Columbia.

Contact

Two Daughters Publications

For inquiries about Peter’s work, research or publications.

Twodaughters@shaw.ca
263 Dogwood Drive
Ladysmith, BC V9G 1T3
Canada