Celebrating 3,000 years of history in the Slocan Valley
By Contributor
Slocan City’s past is being brought to life with the installment of historic signage throughout the village, thanks to the efforts of the Slocan Valley Historical Society. Created for the Society by Ian Fraser, the first four sign panels will be on display at a community event from 2-4 p.m. on Sunday, July 9th at the Gazebo on the Slocan lakefront. Author Joy Kogawa will be in attendance to dedicate signage that addresses the Japanese-Canadian internment period in the Valley from 1942 to 1946.
“The signs tell the stories of key landmarks, events and our pioneers,” says Rory Lindsay, the Society’s president. “Our mandate is to preserve and promote the history of the Valley and we think this is a great project to educate the public about our rich history.”
The signage is part of a walking tour and will be eventually be mounted on kiosks throughout the village close to where the stories happened. The Society hopes the project will be a source of pride for Slocan residents as well as a draw for visitors.
The event follows an open house at the Slocan Narrows archaeological site near Lemon Creek where Dr. Nathan Goodale will share their discoveries with the public. Information sessions with Dr. Goodale, followed by a small group tour of the site, will be offered approximately every twenty minutes between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. To access this event, park at the Lemon Creek trailhead on the Slocan Valley Rail Trail and allow twenty minutes to walk to the site.
“We’re encouraging people to come up to Slocan after they’ve toured the Lemon Creek site. This is an opportunity to gain insight into more than 3,000 years of our history in a single day,” said Lindsay.
The Slocan Valley Historical Society is grateful to the many sponsors of this project:
- BC|Canada 150
- Columbia Basin Trust
- Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance
- Village of Slocan
- Columbia Power
- FortisBC
- Valley Voice
- Sockeye Enterprises
- Slocan Village Market
- Mountain Valley Station
- Harold Street Cafe
- Lemon Creek Lodge
- artsVest
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