had swooped in earlier, next scavenged what remained, before targeting the nearby ghost towns. Local historian Bill Barlee believes the flood deposited 10,000 coins along the bed of Carpenter Creek, because the main street of Sandon was built over the creek, and any items under the boardwalk would have washed into it. Japanese internment Sandon was one of the West Kootenay internment camps housing Japanese Canadians removed from the BC coast during World War II. The 953 internees, who co-existed peacefully with the then 50 residents, both occupied and rehabilitated the dilapidated largely empty buildings. However, the harsh winters prompted an early camp closure and relocation to New Denver. Present community The few remaining permanent citizens and newcomers to Sandon have fought to prevent total loss of the remnants. Hal Wright, who arrived in the 1970s, assumed the role of unofficial caretaker. Since that time, he has bought much of the vacant land from the government, and worked with volunteers to preserve the remaining pioneer buildings, such as the city hall, the Silversmith Powerhouse and several original residences. The restored Slocan Mercantile General Store has a heritage designation. The site draws over 60,000 visitors a year. One of the biggest tourist attractions is about 20 heritage Brill trolleybuses shipped from Vancouver in the early 2000s. Appearing more like a junkyard, the fleet includes some decommissioned by Calgary Transit in 1975 and sold to BC Transit, which cannibalized them for parts. Plans to create a viable heritage site have stalled owing to a lack of provincial funding. In the interim, Sandon's preservation rests on volunteers and visitor donations. In 2018, the community hosted the Valley of the Ghosts one day Music Festival. Television Sandon was featured on the historical television series Gold Trails and Ghost Towns, Season 1, Episode 1. Notable Sandonites Sandon was the birthplace of hockey Hall of Fame member Cecil "Tiny" Thompson. See also Silver rush Footnotes References May, Dave. Sandon: The Mining Centre of the Silvery Slocan, Self Published. 1983. Pellowski, Veronika. Silver, Lead and Hell: The Sandon Story. Prospector's Pick Publishing. 1991.Sandon of the Silvery Slocan'', 27 minute 1973 film, Sandon Canada DVD. External links Sandon's Social & Cultural History Sandon documentary film Ghost towns in British Columbia Populated places in the Slocan Mining communities in British Columbia Former cities in British Columbia World War II internment camps in Canada