Greenwood is a small city in south central British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

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It was incorporated in 1897 and was formerly one of the principal cities of the Boundary Country

Boundary Country

The Boundary Country is a historical designation for a district in southern British Columbia lying, as its name suggests, along the boundary between Canada and the United States. It lies to the east of the southern Okanagan Valley and to the west of the West Kootenay. It is often included in...

 smelting and mining district. It earned "city" status and has retained that stature despite the population implosion following the closure of the area's industries. It is therefore "Canada's Smallest City", as it styles itself. It is located along Highway 3 near Rock Creek

Rock Creek, British Columbia

Rock Creek is an unincorporated settlement in the Boundary Country of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Located at the confluence of the Kettle River with the eponymous Rock Creek, site of the Rock Creek Gold Rush of 1860, the community also lies at the junction of British...

 and Grand Forks

Grand Forks, British Columbia

-Schools:Schools in the region are operated by School District 51 Boundary which has its main office in Grand Forks but also serves Midway, Greenwood, Beaverdell, and Rock Creek....

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The town is served by Greenwood Elementary School

Greenwood Elementary School

Greenwood Elementary is a public elementary school in Greenwood, British Columbia part of School District 51 Boundary....

 which covers grades 4-7. Students attend Midway Elementary School for grades K-3. Following grade 7 local students attend Boundary Central Secondary School

Boundary Central Secondary School

Boundary Central Secondary is a public high school in Midway, British Columbia part of School District 51 Boundary....

 in nearby Midway

Midway, British Columbia

Midway is a village located in southern British Columbia in the West Kootenay region.It is located 13 km west of Greenwood and 51 km east of Osoyoos along Highway 3.-History:...

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In 1942, 1200 Japanese Canadians

Japanese Canadians

Japanese Canadians are Canadians of Japanese ancestry, and are mostly concentrated on the west coast, and central Canada, especially in and around Vancouver and Toronto. In 2006, there were 98,900 .- Generations :...

 were sent to Greenwood as part of the Japanese Canadian internment

Japanese Canadian internment

Japanese Canadian internment refers to confinement of Japanese Canadians in British Columbia during World War II. The internment began in December 1941, following the attack by carrier-borne forces of Imperial Japan on American naval and army facilities at Pearl Harbor...

. Greenwood was one of the filming locations for the film Snow Falling on Cedars

Snow Falling on Cedars (film)

Snow Falling on Cedars is a film directed by Scott Hicks. It is based on David Guterson's novel of the same title. It was released in 1999 and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography.-Plot:...

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Greenwood is the location of Jolly Jack Thornton's legendary lost gold mine. Local historian Bill Barlee

Bill Barlee

Neville Langrell Barlee is a Canadian politician who was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia as a New Democrat in 1988...

has written about Jolly Jack's lost mine. The location of the mine was never found. The Greenwood local museum has written records of Jolly Jack.

Henry Morgan's lost mine is located somewhere around Greenwood. The mine is thought to have been at the headwaters of Boundary Creek, although it has never been found. Local historian Garnet Basque has written about Morgan's lost mine.

Early Years

In 1886 several mining claims had been staked in a narrow gulch ten miles north of the mouth of Boundary Creek. The ore was high in copper. Ten years later more claims had been staked in the area. These claims gave rise to the city of Greenwood. In 1895 a merchant named Robert Wood erected a log store and named the region Greenwood. By 1896 there were three hotels, general store, livery stable, two assay offices, mining broker, opera house, and dozen other establishments. Greenwood became an incorporated city in 1897. The population climbed to 3,000 by 1899 and a railway called Columbia and Western Railway reached Greenwood from the east. In 1899 a fire struck Greenwood which gutted several businesses. By 1891 the BC Copper Company built a smelter to treat the ore from the Mother Lode Mine. Greenwood was the supply center for surrounding camps such as Providence, Copper, Deadwood, Wellington, Central, Skylark and others. The city became the seat of government for the Boundary with one hundred firms in the business district. Greenwood had a newspaper called the "Times" by 1906 another paper called the "Greenwood Ledge". By 1910 the gold boom had passed and Greenwood's population was 1,500. In 1918 the copper market was dead. The smelter in Greenwood lay idle in 1918 and by the following year had closed down. The collapse of the smelters led to close of mines around the vicinity of Greenwood. Greenwood was on the decline after this period.