Greenwood, British Columbia

City of Greenwood
—  City  —
Location of Greenwood in British Columbia
Coordinates: 49°05′24″N 118°40′39″W
Country	Canada
Province	British Columbia
Region	Boundary Country
Regional district	Kootenay Boundary
Incorporated	1897
Government
• Governing body	Greenwood City Council
• Mayor	Colleen Lang
Area
• Total	2.52 km2 (0.97 sq mi)
Elevation	770 m (2,530 ft)
Population (2006)
• Total	625
Time zone	PST (UTC-8)
Highways	3
Website	City of Greenwood

Greenwood is a small city in south central British Columbia. It was incorporated in 1897 and was formerly one of the principal cities of the Boundary Country smelting and mining district. It earned "city" status and has retained that stature despite the population implosion following the closure of the area's industries. It is therefore "Canada's Smallest City", as it styles itself. It is located along Highway 3 near Rock Creek and Grand Forks.

The town is served by Greenwood Elementary School which covers grades 4-7. Students attend Midway Elementary School for grades K-3. Following grade 7 local students attend Boundary Central Secondary School in nearby Midway.

In 1942, 1200 Japanese Canadians were sent to Greenwood as part of the Japanese Canadian internment.

Television and Media

Greenwood was featured on the historical television series Gold Trails and Ghost Towns, Season 2, Episode 1.

Greenwood was one of the filming locations for the film Snow Falling on Cedars.

Lost Mines

Greenwood is the location of Jolly Jack's Lost Mine. Local historian Bill Barlee has written about Jolly Jack's lost mine. The location of the mine was never found. The Greenwood local museum has written records of Jolly Jack.

Henry Morgan's lost mine is located somewhere around Greenwood. The mine is thought to have been at the headwaters of Boundary Creek, although it has never been found. Local historian Garnet Basque has written about Morgan's lost mine.

Early Years

In 1886 several mining claims had been staked in a narrow gulch ten miles north of the mouth of Boundary Creek. The ore was high in copper. Ten years later more claims had been staked in the area. These claims gave rise to the city of Greenwood. In 1895 a merchant named Robert Wood erected a log store and named the region Greenwood. By 1896 there were three hotels, general store, livery stable, two assay offices, mining broker, opera house, and dozen other establishments. Greenwood became an incorporated city in 1897. The population climbed to 3,000 by 1899 and a railway called Columbia and Western Railway reached Greenwood from the east. In 1899 a fire struck Greenwood which gutted several businesses. By 1891 the BC Copper Company built a smelter to treat the ore from the Mother Lode Mine. Greenwood was the supply center for surrounding camps such as Providence, Copper, Deadwood, Wellington, Central, Skylark and others. The city became the seat of government for the Boundary with one hundred firms in the business district. Greenwood had a newspaper called the "Times" by 1906 another paper called the "Greenwood Ledge". By 1910 the gold boom had passed and Greenwood's population was 1,500. In 1918 the copper market was dead. The smelter in Greenwood lay idle in 1918 and by the following year had closed down. The collapse of the smelters led to close of mines around the vicinity of Greenwood. Greenwood was on the decline after this period.

See Also

• Boundary Creek Times