Salmo, British Columbia

Salmo is a village municipality in the West Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia, Canada. It is located in the Salmo River Valley, surrounded by the Selkirk Mountain range.

Salmo
Village
The Corporation of the Village of Salmo[1]
Salmo's welcome sign
Location of Salmo
Salmo, British Columbia (Canada)
Coordinates: 49°11′39″N 117°16′40″W
CountryCanada
ProvinceBritish Columbia
RegionWest Kootenay
Regional districtCentral Kootenay
Incorporated1946
Government
 • Governing bodySalmo Village Council
Area
 • Total2.44 km2 (0.94 sq mi)
Elevation
670 m (2,200 ft)
Population
 (2016)[2]
 • Total1,141
 • Density466.2/km2 (1,207/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC−08:00 (PST)
Area code(s)250 / 778 / 236
Highways Hwy 3
Hwy 6
WaterwaysSalmo River
WebsiteOfficial website

Situated at the junction of the Crowsnest Highway and Highway 6, Salmo is about a 30 minute drive from the communities of Castlegar, Nelson, and Trail. Salmo is the western terminus of the Salmo-Creston highway constructed in the late 1950s (now Highway 3) as a shortcut to avoid the long route north to Nelson and crossing Kootenay Lake by ferry between Balfour and Kootenay Bay.

Originally known as Salmon Siding (named for the original name of the Salmo River, i.e. the Salmon River), the village was founded as a small mining town near the Nelson and Fort Sheppard Railway during a gold rush in 1896. The name of the town was changed to Salmo to avoid confusion with other places with similar names. When dams were created along the Columbia River in the 1960s and 1970s, Salmo's fish stocks were depleted.

It is a quiet community with numerous outdoor activities including hiking, fishing, biking, golfing and skiing.

Shambhala Music Festival
Great Northern station at Salmo

Since 1998, the community of Salmo has hosted the Shambhala Music Festival every August. In 2017, the festival celebrated its 20th anniversary.

Television

Salmo was featured on the historical television documentary series Gold Trails and Ghost Towns (season 3, episode 1). Salmo people were also featured on the show Canadian Pickers (season 2, episode 7).

Radio

Like the library, CFAD-FM is a volunteer community radio station. It began broadcasting as a developmental Community Radio Station on October 11, 2008 at 92.1 FM in Salmo, British Columbia.[1]

On May 2, 2012, Salmo FM Radio Society received approval from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to operate an English language FM community radio station to serve Salmo on the frequency of 91.1 MHz.

References
  1. "British Columbia Regional Districts, Municipalities, Corporate Name, Date of Incorporation and Postal Address" (XLS). British Columbia Ministry of Communities, Sport and Cultural Development. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  2. "Census Profile, 2016 Census - Salmo, Village [Census subdivision], British Columbia and British Columbia [Province]". Statistics Canada. Government of Canada. November 29, 2017. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
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