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Interior view of the Royal Cafe, Kaslo, ca. 1900
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| Title | Interior view of the Royal Cafe, Kaslo, ca. 1900 |
| Photographer | Unknown |
| Date | ca. 1900 |
| Notes | Caption on mount: Interior view of "Royal Cafe, " Kaslo, B.C. Scheel and Bradford, Proprieters
Scheel may be a misspelling of Schiell.
Filed in British Columbia--General |
| Contextual Notes | It was logging, not mining, that brought the first settlers to the isolated town site of Kaslo, on the North Arm of Kootenay Lake. G. O. Buchanan and brothers George & David Kane staked timber claims in 1889 and 1890 at the mouth of the Kaslo River. Reports of mining activity to the west of Kaslo encouraged the Kanes to subdivide part of their timber lease into town lots. By the spring of 1893, Kaslo's population had swelled to approximately 3000, including the usual boom-town transients. Kaslo was formally incorporated as a city on August 14, 1893.
The year 1894 was a year of disaster for Kaslo. Fire, flood and gales came in succession. In February, half the city's commercial district was destroyed by fire. By early June, rising floodwaters had inundated the entire city east of Third Street. On June 3, a storm with hurricane-force winds destroyed between 60 and 70 houses, two hotels, the jail and several other two-story buildings. The next day, the river overflowed its banks, destroying more homes. One of the casualties was the Mayor's residence. Today, the Kaslo River runs south of its original course because of the ambitious efforts of the citizens after the 1894 flood.
With the completion of the Kaslo & Slocan Railway (K&S) in 1895, Kaslo was linked to the rich mines of the Silvery Slocan, sparking renewed economic growth.
In the early 1900s, Kaslo became a noted fruit-growing community. Kaslo's apples and cherries were recognized as the finest in the world at a number of international competitions. The cherries are said to have been as large as plums. The city fathers even planted cherry trees on the boulevards. Regrettably, a plant disease has made Kaslo cherries a thing of the past.
Until 1926, the only access to Kaslo from Nelson was by water. This marine heritage is showcased at the S.S. Moyie National Historic Site.
Like other towns in the Valley of the Ghosts, Kaslo became an internment centre for Japanese-Canadians during World War II. The Langham Hotel, today a cultural centre and museum housed 78 internees. The New Canadian, the Japanese-Canadian newspaper serving all Canadian internment communities, was published in Kaslo. |
| Subjects (LCTGM) | Cafes--British Columbia--Kaslo; Restaurants--British Columbia--Kaslo; Interiors--British Columbia--Kaslo; Dining tables; Chairs |
| Subjects (LCSH) | Royal Cafe (Kaslo, B.C.) |
| Location Depicted | Canada--British Columbia--Kaslo |
| Digital Collection | Alaska, Western Canada and United States Collection
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| Order Number | AWC0707
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| Ordering Information | To order a reproduction, inquire about permissions, or for information about prices see: http://www.lib.washington.edu/specialcollections/services/reproduction-info |
| Repository | University of Washington Libraries. Special Collections Division |
| Repository Collection | Canada Photograph Collection. PH Coll 393 |
| Object Type | Photograph |
| Digital Reproduction Information | Scanned from a photographic print using a Microtek Scanmaker 9600XL at 100 dpi in JPEG format at compression rate 3 and resized to 768x600 ppi. 2004. |
| Restrictions | For information on permissions for use and reproductions please visit UW Libraries Special Collections Reproduction & Use page
http://content.lib.washington.edu/sc-use.html |
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