Sandon is probably one of the most popular ghost towns in the entire province of British Columbia. It’s a must-do for any fan of historic places so we knew we would love it and we finally made it here to see for ourselves.

Sandon is nestled in the Selkirk Mountains, about 13km east of New Denver in the Slocan Valley.

Sandon’s history can be traced back to two prospectors: Eli Carpenter and John Seaton. In 1891, while initially searching for silver together, they eventually split up for their return journey. It was during this time Carpenter found what became known as the Payne vein. Seaton staked his own claim for what became the Noble Five Mine. By 1892, Sandon was founded to support all the prospecting and mining taking place in the area. The valley proved to be a rich source of silver, lead, and zinc, with the area becoming known as “The Silvery Slocan”.

By 1898, Sandon was officially incorporated as a city, boasting modern amenities and a population of around 5000, although some sources go as high as 10,000.

Sandon’s boomtown status was short-lived. On May 3, 1900, a devastating fire tore through the town’s commercial district, destroying around 50 buildings. Although some rebuilding took place, silver prices were already on a downward trend. Combined with labour disputes and rising operational costs, many investors chose to take their money elsewhere. This marked the beginning of the end for Sandon as a thriving western mining town.

Sandon was serviced by two competing railways: the Kaslo & Slocan (K&S), backed by the Great Northern Railway, and the Nakusp & Slocan (N&S), operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway. The fact that two rival lines built spur routes into a remote, dead-end valley was virtually unprecedented—highlighting Sandon’s immense importance during the height of the silver boom. The K&S had a more direct approach from the east, while the N&S came from the west and faced steeper grades and more challenging terrain, particularly near Sandon.

Both railways faced infrastructure challenges due to steep terrain, fires, and frequent washouts. As silver prices declined and road transportation gained prominence, both lines reduced service. The Kaslo & Slocan Railway ran its last commercial train from Sandon in 1908. While the exact date of the Nakusp & Slocan Railway’s final operations into Sandon is unclear, service declined steadily through the mid-20th century and was effectively ended by the 1955 flood.

Carpenter Creek flooded in 1955 and wiped out many of the remaining buildings and, what the creek didn’t take, was soon removed by looters and souvenir seekers. Today a few buildings remain, the most impressive being the old Town Hall, which was built in 1900, likely as part of the post-fire reconstruction. Like many municipal buildings of that era, it served many purposes — town hall, jail, fire hall, and courthouse. Today it houses The Prospector’s Pick, which functions as Sandon’s visitor centre and gift shop.

Also remaining is the Silversmith Power and Light station, which uses the water from Carpenter Creek to turn a Pelton wheel which in turn runs an original Westinghouse generator built to Nikola Tesla’s 60Hz AC specifications and has been in operation since 1897. While originally built to power the Slocan Star Mine, today it feeds into the BC Hydro power grid, bringing electricity to Sandon as well as New Denver and others.

Today, Sandon isn’t just about the remnants of a mining boom town—it’s also home to a fleet of mid-20th century Brill trolley buses. These electric buses were built by Canadian Car and Foundry under license from ACF-Brill Motors Company of Philadelphia. From the late 1940s through the early 1980s, they formed the backbone of Vancouver’s public transit system.

Destined for the scrap heap, Hal Wright—Sandon’s caretaker—stepped in and relocated 13 of them to the town in 2001. The plan was to refurbish the buses and eventually distribute them to transit museums. Of course, that kind of restoration takes serious funding, and the buses have remained in Sandon ever since, becoming a tourist attraction in their own right.

And, of course, we have to add a couple of bonuses to our visit — we drive further up the valley to see the site of the ghost town of Cody and then we visit the often overlooked Sandon cemetery too.

SOURCES:

Click to access PF887712.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaslo_and_Slocan_Railway

https://explorenorth.com/library/bus/brill_buses-vancouver.html

Ghost Town Mysteries: The old trolley buses of Sandon, B.C.