Salmo, British Columbia
Encyclopedia
Salmo is a village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in the West Kootenay
West Kootenay
West Kootenay was a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It was formed along with East Kootenay from a redistribution of the old Kootenay riding, which was one of the province's original twelve.- Demographics :...
region of southeastern 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...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is located in the Salmo River Valley, surrounded by the Selkirk Mountain
Selkirk Mountains
The Selkirk Mountains are a mountain range spanning the northern portion of the Idaho Panhandle, eastern Washington, and southeastern British Columbia. They begin at Mica Peak near Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and extend approximately 320 km north from the border. The range is bounded on its west,...
range.
Situated at the junction of the Crowsnest Highway
Crowsnest Highway
The Crowsnest Highway, also known as the Interprovincial or, in British Columbia, the Southern Trans-Provincial, is an east-west highway, in length, through the southern parts of British Columbia and Alberta, providing the shortest highway connection between British Columbia's Lower Mainland and...
and Highway 6, Salmo is about a 30 minute drive from the communities of Castlegar
Castlegar, British Columbia
Castlegar is the second largest city in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia, Canada. It is located within the Selkirk Mountains at the confluence of the Kootenay and Columbia Rivers. It is a regional trade and transportation centre, with a local economy fueled by forestry, mining and tourism...
, Nelson, and Trail
Trail, British Columbia
Trail is a city in the West Kootenay region of the Interior of British Columbia, Canada.-Geography:Trail has an area of . The city is located on both banks of the Columbia River, approximately 10 km north of the United States border. This section of the Columbia River valley is located between the...
. Salmo is the western terminus of the Salmo-Creston highway constructed in the late 1950s (now Highway 3) as a shortcut to avoid the long route north to Nelson
Nelson, British Columbia
Nelson is a city located in the Selkirk Mountains on the extreme West Arm of Kootenay Lake in the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Known as "The Queen City", and acknowledged for its impressive collection of restored heritage buildings from its glory days in a regional silver rush,...
and crossing Kootenay Lake
Kootenay Lake
Kootenay Lake is a lake located in British Columbia, Canada and is part of theKootenay River. The lake has been raised by the Corra Linn Dam and has a dike system at the southern end, which, along with industry in the 1950s-70s, has changed the ecosystem in and around the water...
by ferry between Balfour
Balfour, British Columbia
Balfour, also known as Balfour Bay, is an unincorporated community in British Columbia, located about northeast of the city of Nelson and located at the juncture of Kootenay Lake with its West Arm....
and Kootenay Bay
Kootenay Bay, British Columbia
Kootenay Bay is an unincorporated community, ferry landing and former steamboat landing on the east side of Kootenay Lake, located on the bay of the same name. The ferry, operated by BC Ferries, crosses the lake to Balfour, and forms a link in BC Highway 6, which leads east from Balfour to nearby...
.
Originally known as Salmon Siding (named for the original name of the Salmo River
Salmo River
The Salmo River is a tributary of the Pend d'Oreille River in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The Salmo River is part of the Columbia River drainage basin, being a tributary of the Pend d'Oreille River, which flows into the Columbia River....
, i.e. the Salmon River), the village was founded as a small mining town near the Nelson and Fort Sheppard Railway
Nelson and Fort Sheppard Railway
The Nelson and Fort Sheppard Railway is a historic Canadian railway that operated in the southern interior of British Columbia.The N&FS connected the city of Nelson with the International Boundary at Waneta, near Trail. The line was acquired by the Great Northern Railway in 1898.-History:The...
during a gold rush
Gold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
in 1896. The name of the town was changed to Salmo to avoid confusion with other places with similar names. When dams were created along the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
in the 1960s and 1970s, Salmo's fish stocks were depleted.
It is a quiet community with numerous outdoor activities including hiking, fishing, biking, golfing and skiing.
Shambhala Music Festival
Since 1997, the community of Salmo has hosted the Shambhala Music FestivalShambhala (music festival)
Shambhala is an annual electronic music festival held during the first week of August at the Salmo River Ranch in the West Kootenay mountains of British Columbia...
every August.