Halcyon Hot Springs, British Columbia

Halcyon Hot Springs, 1908, F.A. Bucholz photog.

Halcyon Hot Springs, originally Halcyon Hotsprings, also known simply as Halcyon, was a hot springs resort and spa located on the east side of Upper Arrow Lake, between Galena Bay and Nakusp, in the Kootenay Country of British Columbia, Canada. Halcyon Mountain nearby to the northeast derives its name from the resort.

History

The springs were well-known to the Sinixt and Ktunaxa peoples, who fought over ownership of the springs and of the Arrow Lakes region in general.

The name Halycon was conferred by Robert Sanderson, a steamboat captain who staked a mineral claim here and opened the first hotel in 1894, in reference to that word's meaning of contentment (see halcyon). The springs attained a worldwide reputation and water from them was bottled for export, reaching customers in London. When the local mining rush ended and steamboat traffic stopped, the hotel changed hands a number of times and became rundown. In 1924, British Army Brigadier-General Dr. Frederick Burnham, who was a surgeon, revamped the hotel as a sanatorium. In 1955, the hotel burnt to the ground, taking with it the life of Dr. Burnham. The site was abandoned due to lack of road access, although a resort has since been rebuilt.

See also

• List of hot springs
• List of ghost towns in British Columbia