Say Ahoy to History
Over 5,000 Photographs, as well as maps and architectural plans.
The Archives holds material pertaining to the history of Kaslo and surrounding area; the City of Kaslo records (1893-1958) including correspondence and administrative records; Kootenay Lake sternwheelers, in particular, the SS Moyie; and the archives of the Langham Japanese Canadian Project. The Archives was originally formed in 1987 from material that had been collected on the S.S. Moyie as part of a local history museum.
ARCHIVE INFO
ADDRESS
312 – 4th Street
Kaslo, B.C.
The Kootenay Lake Archives is situated at in the Old Jail in the basement of the Kemball Memorial Centre.
ARCHIVES HOURS
The archives is open all year except statutory holidays.
Mondays: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Thursdays: 9:00am – Noon
Please call 250-353 – 3204 to make an appointment
ARCHIVE SERVICES
Archive Holdings
In addition to maps and plans, original newspapers, some audio and video tapes, and over 5,000 photographs, holdings include information on Kaslo area schools, the 54th Kootenay Battalion, ceremonies and celebrations in Kaslo (1892-present), forestry, fruit cultivation, mining, some personal papers, and some records of local businesses and organizations.
Research / Research Assistance
On receiving your request, volunteer staff spend up to one-half hour researching a particular subject or preparing documents or photographs for delivery. After a one-half hour of research, we will, with your permission, charge a small hourly fee. We will give you an idea of what is likely to be available.
We offer research in a number of areas including genealogy, historical personalities, Kaslo property, local history, area mining and Kootenay Lake sternwheelers. Our scope of collection includes an area extending from Ainsworth to Kaslo and north to Gerrard. We also have some materials on ghost towns including Sandon, Retallack and Three Forks. When your request extends beyond our area of collection, we will be happy to direct you to another Archive in the region.
If you have a large amount of research or an ongoing project that requires time, we are happy to provide instructions on how to use the Archives and obtain the information you need. Drop by anytime to speak to one of the volunteers.
Property Search
For a small fee, we perform property searches on lots in Kaslo using City of Kaslo tax roll records from 1894 to 1959 and other information when available. As the condition of some of these documents is poor, we are unable to allow visitors to browse these records alone. Please contact us for further information.
Photograph Reproductions
We recently digitized over 80% of our historical photographs, allowing us to offer digital reproductions at affordable prices. We are working on developing our database to better enable searches of the collection by keyword and subject. Come in to browse the collection.
VOLUNTEERS WELCOME
The Kootenay Lake Archives is operated by volunteers. We have a number of ongoing projects that require committed individuals to succeed.
If you feel you would like to spare a few hours a week to the Archives please contact the Archives and let us know about your interests. We need people to do research, search land titles, enter data, accession new acquisitions or just help out in any way they can.
We are also interested in speaking to high-school students interested in developing computer and database skills on projects involving the digitization of our collection, especially those thinking of a career in library or archival sciences.
ARCHIVE DONATIONS
We are always interested in donations of materials that fit into our collection policy. Please contact us before submitting material for donation.
For Donation Drop Off Call: 250-353-3204
Or, see our Donations Page.