1.7 miles west of Greenwood
In this wilderness of rugged mountains, ore was first found in the late 1880’s. Further prospects led to the building of a large smelter by the BC Copper Co. From 1901, copper, gold and silver poured from its furnaces. Fed by the great Motherload Mine, it employed 400 men. The collapse of inflated war-time copper prices forced closure in 1918.
In 1893, Greenwood was no more than a collection of miners' cabins situated in between a number of scattered mineral deposits. Ore was first discovered here in 1885, but it was of low grade and there was no way to transport it out of the mine. As a result, five years went by before any claims were made.
The mines started production in 1899 when the Canadian Pacific Railway extended its line from Trail. Greenwood's population grew rapidly to 2,500, and two smelters were opened - one at Boundry Falls and one at the local site. At its peak in 1907, the city and district had a population of 7,000.
By the end of World War I, there was no more work in the mines as the accessible ore was gone. The smelter closed in 1918 and big companies, such as Granby and BC Copper, also left in search of more profitable mines. As a result, Greenwood's population dropped to 300 by 1930. Later, during World War II, the town served as an internment camp for some of the Japanese population moved inland from the coast.
Today Greenwood boasts being BC's smallest incorporated city and takes pride in its many heritage buildings which include elegant homes of the late 1890s, brick commercial structures along Highway 3, the provincial courthouse and the brick Post Office with its distictive tower and which still retains its originial interior fittings and decor. Little remains of the smelter except its distinctive brick chimney which is a landmark for all passing through Greenwood and the black, glossy slag heaps nearby. Visitors are welcome to explore the smelter site which is called Lotzkar Park.
