New Denver was built to service the mines at Sandon. The ore from the underground mines there was of sufficient grade and quantity to require the labour and services of several thousand men.

They hauled the ore out in backpacks. They filled horse-hides with ore and dragged them down steep trails. They loaded mules with bags of ore. And in the days before the railway came to town, they loaded the ore, in bags, onto a sternwheeler for transport to the railhead in Slocan.

The old wharf is gone, but you can walk along the edge of the lake and see signs of it. The view of the glacier across the lake hasn't changed much

since then, and our main street is still pretty much the same too. New Denver is, somewhat, a museum of buildings and artifacts from the old mining days.

Thankfully we don't need to put up with the smoke and noise of those old mining days. Today we enjoy the quiet location here on the shore of Slocan Lake. Deer are often seen along the lake and the screeching of the eagles will remind you that there is still wilderness at the edge of our town.

Home, Guesthouse, Recreation, Retirement, Water, Map
  • Post Office
  • Hospital with Intermediate
    Care Facility
  • Digital telephone exchange, with inter-community fibre-optic connections
  • ADSL high-speed internet service
  • Credit Union with ATM
  • RCMP Detachment
  • 3 Churches
  • Primary and
    Secondary School (K-12)
  • 9-hole Golf Course
  • Boat Moorage
  • Reading Centre
  • Grocery Store
  • Natural Food Store
  • Convenience Store
  • Hardware Store
  • Liquor Store
  • Service Station
 Toll-free telephone service to Nelson and Nakusp (and a choice of 5 internet providers).

One of the most under-rated attributes to life in New Denver is the lack of biting insects. People here leave doors and windows open in the summer (without screens). People sit out at picnic tables, actually picnicing at all times of day. Couples stroll down 6th Avenue in the evening with bare arms. You can actually enjoy yourself in the out-of-doors, after the sun goes down, even out on the lawn. No itchy bites.

You may scoff at the significance of the above statement. If you do, you are very likely not a Canadian. Or, if you are a Canadian, you haven't seen much of your country. Biting insects are the stuff of legend in this country, and any self-respecting Canadian has a few hyperbolic mosquito stories up his or her sleeve. But don't come to New Denver for any of those stories. Because the surrounding terrain is so steep, there is no stagnant water for the little buggers to breed in, so we count our mosquitos here on one hand.