Winlaw

Coordinates: 49°36′59″N 117°34′04″W / 49.61639°N 117.56778°W / 49.61639; -117.56778
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Winlaw
Winlaw is located in British Columbia
Winlaw
Winlaw
Location of Winlaw in British Columbia
Coordinates: 49°36′59″N 117°34′04″W / 49.61639°N 117.56778°W / 49.61639; -117.56778
Country Canada
Province British Columbia
RegionSlocan Valley, West Kootenay
Regional districtCentral Kootenay
Area code(s)250, 778, 236, & 672
Highway Hwy 6

Winlaw is an unincorporated community adjacent to Winlaw Creek (commonly called Cedar Creek) on the east side of the Slocan River in the West Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia.[1][2] The locality is on BC Highway 6 about 20 kilometres (12 mi) south of Slocan, and 49 kilometres (30 mi) north of Castlegar.

Name origin[edit]

Initially called Winlaws or Winlaw's Siding, John Brown Winlaw relocated his portable sawmill from Lemon Creek. The earliest mention of the place, which comprised little more than a boxcar for a section crew, was in 1900.[3]

Railway[edit]

The Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) added this Columbia and Kootenay Railway (C&K) siding to the timetable in 1902.[3] In February 1903, a brakeman sustained fatal injuries after falling under the wheels of a slowing passenger car.[4] Two months later, a mudslide some distance north pushed a passenger car and the track into the river.[5] A week later, two miles north of Winlaw, a loosened rail derailed four loaded freight cars of a mixed train, causing the fourth wreck in two weeks in that vicinity.[6] A year later, a succession of mudslides created a four-day closure[7] and initially took out 91 metres (300 ft) of track.[8] In 1905, a passenger train derailed.[9]

The erection of a section house in 1918[10] suggests a section crew was not permanently based prior to this time. In 1927, three railway cars derailed.[3]

The stop was 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi) northeast of Lebahdo and 8.2 kilometres (5.1 mi) southwest of Perrys.[11]

The final passenger service was in 1959, and the line closed to all traffic in 1993.[12]

Train Timetables (Regular stop or Flag stop)
Year 1905 1909 1912 1916 1919 1929 1932 1935 1939 1943 1948 1953 1955 1958 1960
Ref. [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [11] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26]
Type Flag Flag Flag Flag Flag Regular Regular Regular Regular Regular Regular Regular Regular Regular Nil

Winlaw lies on the Slocan Valley Rail Trail.

Forestry[edit]

In 1900, the Winlaw sawmill began operations.[27] A 1904 fire destroyed thousands of dollars-worth of company logs.[28] Enhancements over the years[27] developed into a 13,716-metre (45,000 ft) daily capacity mill, employing about 40 workers, plus 50 loggers.[29] This was one of the few mills that operated through the winter.[30] In 1911, J.B. Winlaw bought another mill at Duck Creek (Wynndel ),[31] intending to transfer some of the machinery from his Winlaw operation. The next year, fire completely destroyed his original mill, but the timber in the yard was spared.[27] In 1914, a further fire razed the rebuilt sawmill,[32] and milling operations appear to have ceased at this time.

A claim that the mill once stood at the site of the present elementary school seems suspect. BC interior sawmills were mostly erected between a river and railway line. Prior to modern road transport, raw logs arrived via river and finished lumber left via rail. The school site was bought in 1920 from G.A. Hird, a rancher.[33]

Early community[edit]

Unable to secure a teacher for the 1902–03 year,[34] the school opened the following year.[35] J.B. Winlaw was the inaugural postmaster 1903–1916.[36]

In 1910, a new bridge was built across the river.[37] In 1913, a new wagon road northeast to Perry's Siding was completed.[38] In 1916, a new wagon road southwest to Lebahdo was under construction.[39]

By 1918, a general store existed.[40] In early 1923, a new one-room school building was completed.[41] The next year, a garage opened.[42]

From 1930, Winlaw was a stop on the daily Nelson–New Denver Greyhound bus route.[43]

The population, which was largely farmers, was about 180 by 1918,[40] 258 by 1927,[44] and 304 by 1943.[45]

Doukhobors[edit]

In 1916, the Doukhobors established a brick factory immediately to the north,[46] which was soon abandoned because the clay proved unsuitable. Called Kirpichnoye (brickworks in Russian) or Claybrick officially, the rural community had become part of Winlaw by the 1960s.[3][47]

Freedomites[edit]

Various incidents linked to the Freedomites:
1947: Attempted arson of school.[48]
1952: Fire razed general store and residence.[49]
1953: Fire consumed two buildings and three residences.[49]
1961: Winlaw hall, a residence, and an automobile torched.[50]
1962: CP track dynamited and fire destroyed over 30 residences.[51]

Back-to-the-land movement[edit]

The back-to-the-land movement began during the late 1960s with new arrivals into the 1980s.[52] The Slocan Valley was the focal point for BC.[53] The various communes flourished 1968–1973.[54] The New Family formed a commune on timbered land above Winlaw, buying 16 hectares (40 acres) in 1968 and 65 hectares (160 acres) the following spring.[55] They created the Paradise Valley Nursery.[56] Ventures by other individuals included Robert's Restaurant south of Winlaw, a meeting place for the alternative community that served natural foods.[57] A community cemetery was established.[58] In 1982, the Slocan Valley Watershed Alliance was founded, which sponsored the FLOW (For Love of Water) conference in 1984. Watershed activists from all over the province attended the Winlaw event.[59] In 2008, the alternative school relocated from Vallican.[60]

Later community[edit]

Services include a grocery store/gas bar/post office, a bakery/cafe, herbal apothecary, an organic food market, three licensed restaurants, and a golf course. Paradise Valley Lodge[61] and Karibu Park Cottages & Campground offer visitor accommodation.[62] Other amenities are a hardware store, Vallican Whole School (private), Winlaw Elementary School, a fire department, and an ambulance station. In 2016, the elementary school was threatened with closure.[63] The West Kootenay Transit System Route 20 stop is at Winlaw bridge.[64] The census population was 297 in 2016, 294 in 2011,[65] and 288 in 2006.[66]

Notable people[edit]

Footnotes[edit]

  1. ^ "Winlaw (community)". BC Geographical Names.
  2. ^ "Winlaw Creek (creek)". BC Geographical Names.
  3. ^ a b c d "Castlegar News, 28 Dec 2017". www.castlegarnews.com.
  4. ^ "Daily News, 11 Feb 1903". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 4.
  5. ^ "Slocan Drill, 3 Apr 1903". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 1.
  6. ^ "Daily News, 10 Apr 1903". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 1.
  7. ^ "Slocan Drill, 22 Apr 1904". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 1.
  8. ^ "Slocan Drill, 15 Apr 1904". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 1.
  9. ^ "Slocan Drill, 24 Feb 1905". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 4.
  10. ^ "Daily News, 17 Sep 1918". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 5.
  11. ^ a b "1935 timetable". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 10 (TT 70).
  12. ^ "Slocan Valley Rail Trail history". www.slocanvalleyrailtrail.ca.
  13. ^ "1905 timetable". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 62 (43).
  14. ^ "1909 timetable". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 78 (45).
  15. ^ "1912 timetable". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 92 (TT116).
  16. ^ "1916 timetable". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 159 (TT126).
  17. ^ "1919 timetable". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 183 (TT116).
  18. ^ "1929 timetable". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 31 (TT113).
  19. ^ "1932 timetable". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 471 (TT158).
  20. ^ "1939 timetable". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 128 (TT158).
  21. ^ "1943 timetable" (PDF). www.streamlinermemories.info. p. 48 (TT158).
  22. ^ "1948 timetable". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 47 (TT158).
  23. ^ "1953 timetable". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 47 (TT134).
  24. ^ "1955 timetable". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 47 (TT134).
  25. ^ "1958 timetable". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 713 (TT121B).
  26. ^ "1960 timetable". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 27.
  27. ^ a b c "Daily News, 7 Jun 1912". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 1.
  28. ^ "Slocan Drill, 19 Aug 1904". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 4.
  29. ^ "Daily News, 3 Jan 1909". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 22.
  30. ^ "Daily News, 30 Nov 1910". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 1.
  31. ^ "Creston Review, 31 May 1912". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 1.
  32. ^ "Daily Building Record, 21 Aug 1914". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 1.
  33. ^ "Daily News, 13 Mar 1920". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 5.
  34. ^ "Public Schools Annual Report 1902–03". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 45 (C46).
  35. ^ "Public Schools Annual Report 1903–04". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 97 (Axxx).
  36. ^ "Postmasters". www.bac-lac.gc.ca.
  37. ^ "Daily News, 4 Nov 1910". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 2.
  38. ^ "Daily News, 2 Sep 1913". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 2.
  39. ^ "Daily News, 14 Sep 1916". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 5.
  40. ^ a b "1918 BC Directory". www.bccd.vpl.ca.
  41. ^ "Daily News, 3 Jul 1922". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 2.
    "Daily News, 5 Jan 1923". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 5.
  42. ^ "Daily News, 7 May 1924". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 4.
  43. ^ "Daily News, 17 Jul 1930". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 2.
  44. ^ "1927 BC Directory". www.bccd.vpl.ca.
  45. ^ "1943 BC Directory". www.bccd.vpl.ca.
  46. ^ "Daily News, 17 Jun 1916". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 9.
  47. ^ "Kirpichnoye". www.doukhobor.org.
  48. ^ Cran 2003, p. 194 (186).
  49. ^ a b Cran 2003, p. 196 (188).
  50. ^ Cran 2003, p. 198 (190).
  51. ^ Cran 2003, p. 199 (191).
  52. ^ Gower 1990, pp. 13, 15 (6, 8).
  53. ^ Gower 1990, p. 44 (37).
  54. ^ Gower 1990, p. 72 (65).
  55. ^ Gower 1990, p. 68 (61).
  56. ^ Gower 1990, p. 85 (78).
  57. ^ Gower 1990, p. 121 (114).
  58. ^ Gower 1990, p. 122 (115).
  59. ^ Gower 1990, p. 143 (136).
  60. ^ "Nelson Star, 12 Feb 2017". www.nelsonstar.com.
  61. ^ "Paradise Valley Lodge". www.paradisevalleylodge.com.
  62. ^ "Karibu Park Cottages & Campground". www.karibupark.com.
  63. ^ "Nelson Daily, 15 Jun 2016". www.thenelsondaily.com.
  64. ^ "TT Route 20". www.moovitapp.com.
  65. ^ "2016 Census". www12.statcan.gc.ca.
  66. ^ "2011 Census". www12.statcan.gc.ca.
  67. ^ "Arrow Lakes News, 24 Feb 2021". www.arrowlakesnews.com.

References[edit]