From its colorful past to its present day status as a resort town, Ainsworth, in "Kootenay Country," British Columbia, bears distinction as being the oldest village on Kootenay Lake.
A remote location, plummeting silver prices and a fire should have spelled the death knell for the small settlement, but Ainsworth did not meet the same fate of other mining towns in the West Kootenay region. While places such as Cody, Sandon, Three Forks, and Retallack became ghost towns, Ainsworth hung on.
Mining and Sternwheelers
Ainsworth's past has shaped its present
When a steamboat captain by the name of George Ainsworth heard tell of silver-lead ore in the West Kootenay region, he traveled northward from the U.S. In the early 1880s, he received a land grant of 166 acres in an area known as Hot Springs Camp and staked out a townsite in 1883.
By 1884, prospecting activity was at an all-time high and ground had been staked from the lakeshore to the summits. Mines such as as Krao, Keyline, and Gallager were in full-swing. At one point, one million tons of ore waited on the dock for shipment. {1}
Optimism knew no bounds. The local paper, Hot Spring News, reported: "John A. Retallack, late owner of the Kaslo-Slocan Railway, is firm in the belief that the future of Ainsworth is as bright as a new-minted 20-dollar piece." {2} Buildings sprang up quickly and Ainsworth, B.C. became a lively place with hotels, brothels and saloons serving the public.
Ainsworth was accessible by packhorse and served by the sternwheelers SS Nelson and later, SS City of Ainsworth. These vessels traveled up and down Kootenay Lake, providing transportation to and from the isolated community and bringing in food and supplies.
The boom did not last. The Payne claim at nearby Sandon in 1891 impacted Ainsworth and, after 1893, Ainsworth fell into a decline. A few short years later, in 1896, a fire razed the town, destroying thirteen hotels and most of the buildings.
The village struggled through the Great Depression and by the 1950s mining was once again in the forefront--until silver prices dropped.
Ainsworth's True Treasure
"There's 'gold' in them thar hills"
In the early years, prospectors scoured the hills around Ainsworth looking to make their fortune but, in the end, the natural mineral springs (and a pool built for the miners in the 1920s) would play a pivotal role in the survival of Ainsworth and chart a course for its future.
The waters were an abundant geothermal resource and proved to be the real "mother lode." Subsequent decades saw further development (of the pool area and an opening that miners had tunneled out and abandoned upon discovering hot water) and the emergence a modern resort offering pools, cave, lodgings and fine dining. This endeavor preserved Ainsworth and prevented it from fading into obscurity.
Ainsworth Today
Something old, something new
Ainsworth, B.C., first town in the West Kootenays, has survived and earned its place on the map. Today the village attracts visitors from around the world, who come to enjoy Ainsworth Hot Springs Resort, one of British Columbia's premiere commercial hot springs.
Sources:
- Basque, Garnet, West Kootenay The Pioneer Years, Heritage House Publishing Company, 2009
- " SS City of Ainsworth " Sternwheelers of Kootenay Lake, Touchstones Nelson, Museum of Art and History, 2009
- Barlee, N.L., West Kootenay: Ghost Town Country, Canada West Publications, 1984
- Downs, Art, Pioneer Days in British Columbia, Vol 4, Heritage House Publishing Company, 1979 {1} P. 119, {2} P. 117
- Mackie, Norm, "Ainsworth History," Travel British Columbia
Further Reading:
- Carlyle, William A. B., Report on the Slocan, Nelson and Ainsworth Mining Districts in West Kootenay, British Columbia, Reproduction, Nabu Press, (August 17, 2011)
- Turnbull, Elsie G., Ghost Towns and Drowned Towns of the West Kootenay, Heritage House Pub Co Ltd (June 1989)
Nearby Attractions:
Cody Caves: One of B.C.s Best-Known Cave Systems
Melody Rhodes - M. Rhodes is author of the Bedbug Books. She's been published in Canada, U.S. U.K. & NZ and has won awards for her poetry/prose.
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