Ghost Town - Sandon

In the 1890s, Sandon sprang into existence as Canada’s richest silver mining community. The frenzied rush and wild speculation that surrounded Sandon equalled the magnitude of the great gold rushes. Millions of dollars in silver, lead and zinc were taken out in the first half of the twentieth century. Before the bubble burst, Sandon had grown to a city of 5,000 with 29 hotels, 28 saloons, banks, 2 railways and dozens of stores and businesses.

One of city’s unique features was a boardwalk built over top of Carpenter Creek which was flumed right down the middle of a downtown street! Sandon’s decline began in 1899 with a long series of labour problems, followed in 1900 by a devastating fire in the downtown area. Although rebuilding did occur, Sandon never again reached its former prominence. Declining metal prices and the exhaustion of several of the major mines caused Sandon to eventually become a near ghost town. 

Today you can see the original city hall built in 1900, and some historic homes. The Sandon museum is open mid-June to mid-September, seven days a week.