Blog & News

A local history book 20 years in the making will be launched at the Silvery Slocan Museum in New Denver on Saturday, Oct. 4, at 1 p.m.

The King of Sandon: Murder, Myth, and the Man Behind B.C.’s Greatest Ghost Town is a full-length biography of John Morgan Harris, a mining magnate with a secret past and a complicated legacy.

Local historian and journalist Greg Nesteroff traces Harris’ life from rural Virginia, where he was born into a family of slaveholders, to northern Idaho, where he risked life and liberty to make a name for himself.

Harris arrived in the Slocan in early 1892, as part a wave of prospectors lured by a silver rush, and bought a promising mining claim that turned into his bonanza. While other tycoons spent their fortunes on mansions in urban areas, Harris built an entire city in the wilderness as a monument to himself. He owned the townsite, its principal buildings, power plant, and waterworks.

He was nicknamed the King of Sandon, but his subjects didn’t always see his rule as benevolent. He was frequently in court defending his interests, and one dispute over a mining claim dragged on for years before finally reaching the Privy Council.

When Sandon’s fortunes declined as the mines in the area played out, Harris refused to leave, even as his town crumbled around him. Although new life teased occasionally, his optimism that the city would boom again was never fully justified.

During the book launch, Nesteroff will present a slideshow and explain the book’s long genesis, including his trips to Harris’ birthplace and burial site in Virginia.

“I became interested in Johnny Harris because so many myths were associated with him,” Nesteroff explains. “While some things were said about him that were false, I was surprised that some of the most unlikely things turned out to be true.”

The book lays bare Harris’ darkest secrets and also looks at how, following his death, Sandon nearly faded from existence, only to be discovered by others determined to save what was left.

The book includes 237 photos and illustrations as well as eight specially-created maps. The King of Sandon is available for pre-order on the book’s companion website, kingofsandon.com, which also contains source notes, photo galleries, interviews, and many other special features.

The book will be available in stores throughout the West Kootenay following the launch.

Nesteroff will also speak on the book at the Slocan Valley Historical Society annual general meeting on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 1 p.m. at the W.E. Graham school library in Slocan.

The City of Castlegar has demolished the Pioneer Arena, an ice surface built over several years in the 1950s and '60s. The arena was marked for closure in 2016 but kept going until 2024. Medical offices and a housing project are earmarked for the site.

Read more at MyKootenayNow.com.

The City of Trail has torn down its earliest hospital, dating to 1896. The building was later a hotel and nurses residence. Demolition continues on an adjacent building from the 1940s that was once the C.S. Williams clinic. Both buildings have been vacant since the mid-1990s. The city would like to redevelop the downtown lots, although there is no specific plan yet.

Read more at MyKootenayNow.com.

Members of the Trail Smoke Eaters and Moscow Selects line up at the Cominco Arena before a crowd of more than 5,000 on Jan. 27, 1960. (Courtesy Trail Historical Society)

One of the most memorable games in Trail’s hockey history had the RCMP on high alert due to its potential “off-ice intrigue,” according to a story in the latest issue of The Hockey News by BCHF director Ron Verzuh.

Read more at MyKootenayNow.Com.

A book about Larry Kwong, who became the NHL’s first player of Asian descent has been shortlisted for a Canadian Children’s Book Centre Award.

The Longest Shot: How Larry Kwong Changed the Face of Hockey is one of five books nominated for the Sharon Fitzhenry Award for non-fiction. The winner will be announced Oct. 27 in Toronto.

Co-author Chad Soon is a director with the BCHF and the book was previously named second runner-up this year in the BCHF’s historical writing awards.

Read more at MyKootenayNow.com.

The City of Greenwood has decided to sell its historic West Kootenay Power substation, saying it has fallen into disrepair. The city acquired the building in 1997, but plans to do something with it have never succeeded. They are hoping private interests may be able to save the landmark.

Read more at MyGrandForksNow.com.

BURNABY, BC — The Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre is proud to announce the opening of "Beautifully Broken – Kintsugi by Naoko Fukumaru," an exquisite exhibition that explores the ancient Japanese art of kintsugi, or "golden joinery." The exhibit will run from October 14, 2025, to February 21, 2026, with an opening reception on Saturday, October 11, 2025, from 3:00-5:00 PM.

Kintsugi is a 500-year-old tradition of repairing broken ceramics by mending them with Urushi lacquer and powdered gold. Instead of hiding the damage, this technique highlights it, celebrating the unique history of the object and the passage of time.

Vancouver-based artist Naoko Fukumaru uses this practice as both a craft and a meditative process. Her work offers a powerful metaphor for personal healing, suggesting that like broken pottery, our own cracks and imperfections can become a beautiful part of our story.

Fukumaru's art respects the traditional materials and methods of kintsugi while also pushing its boundaries with instinctive and innovative techniques. Her unique approach redefines what restoration can mean, connecting history and emotion in works that are both raw and radiant.

This exhibition invites viewers to reflect on what it means to be beautifully broken—and to find strength and beauty in the imperfect.

The exhibit opens on October 14th and runs until February 21st. Learn more here.

The Okanagan Historical Society (OHS) is thrilled to announce its Centennial Celebration, taking place on Saturday, September 20, 2025, at the Mary Irwin Theatre. This landmark event marks 100 years of preserving and sharing the stories of the Okanagan region.

Doors open at 6:00 pm, welcoming guests with a variety of dessert selections, a cash bar, book sales, a silent auction, and the opportunity to meet and mingle with history lovers from across the valley. The evening's formal program begins at 7:00 pm, featuring cowboy poetry by OHS member Ken Mather, special acknowledgements, and a compelling keynote address from Chief Clarence Louie of the Osoyoos Indian Band.

Chief Louie will present on the theme "From Cowboys and Indians to Reconciliation," offering timely reflections on regional history, Indigenous leadership, and the ongoing journey toward truth and reconciliation. "This event is both a celebration of our shared past and a call to continue working together toward a more inclusive historical understanding," said Lois Marshall, President of the Okanagan Historical Society. "We are honoured to welcome Chief Louie and our many friends and supporters as we mark this important milestone."

The OHS, incorporated in 1925, is one of British Columbia's oldest organizations dedicated to preserving local history. In addition to publishing an annual historical report since the end of the Second World War, the Society supports a wide variety of heritage-based projects, preservation initiatives, and public events. It frequently collaborates with museums, archives, and other heritage-focused organizations throughout the region. Today the Society operates through seven active branches located in Salmon Arm, Armstrong-Enderby, Vernon, Kelowna, Summerland, Penticton, and Oliver-Osoyoos.

Tickets for the Centennial Celebration are $25 for OHS members and $40 for non-members and are available now at www.theboxoffice.ca/upcoming-events/centennial-celebration. OHS members must obtain a coupon code from their local branch to access the member rate. To find your local branch contact, visit www.okanaganhistoricalsociety.org/branches.php.

In addition to the evening celebration, attendees are invited to the OHS Annual General Meeting, which will take place from 2:00 to 4:00 pm at the Okanagan Regional Library - Kelowna Branch. The AGM is free and open to the public.

The BC Archives is currently closed due to a labour action.

The union the represents BC Archives workers, the BC General Employers Union (BCGEU), has been on strike since September 2nd. Please check the BC Archives website for more information regarding closures.

The fall edition of British Columbia History is on its way to your mailbox and your inbox. Ken Mather is the guest editor this time. He’s the editor of Okanagan History, the annual report of the Okanagan Historical Society.

Stories include:


 • syilx Okanagan Nation Salmon Restoration: A case history of bringing back a species on the verge of extinction, by Okanagan Nation Alliance

• BC Tree Fruits Cooperative, by Susan McIver

• The Legend of Larry Kwong and His Legions, by Chad Soon

• Okanagan Women’s Voices: sylix and settler writing and relations, 1870s-1960s, by Jeanette Armstrong, Lally Grauer, and Janet MacArthur

• The Founding of the Okanagan Historical Society, by Ken Mather

• A History of Change: From the Dominion Experimental Farm to the Summerland Research and Development Centre, by Jessie L. MacDonald

• Too Many Apples: Sun-Rype Products Ltd., by Sharron J. Simpson

• Plankster Play to Tourist Industry: Skiing the Okanagan, 1920s-1960s, by Linda Peterat

Plus our regular columnists William A. White, Mark Forsythe, and Dalys Barneys!

Click here to order this issue or to subscribe.