Ainsworth Hot Springs
|
Ainsworth aka: Ainsworth Hot Springs |
|
|---|---|
| Village | |
 |
|
_location_map.svg)
 Ainsworth
|
|
| Coordinates: 49°44′00″N 116°54′33.91″W / 49.73333°N 116.9094194°WCoordinates: 49°44′00″N 116°54′33.91″W / 49.73333°N 116.9094194°W | |
| Country |
 Canada
|
| Province |
 British Columbia
|
| Region | Kootenays |
| Regional District | Central Kootenay |
| Founded | May 31, 1883 |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 30 |
| Time zone | PST (UTC-8) |
| Postal code | V0G |
| Area code(s) | 250 |
| Highway | Highway 31 |
| Waterway | Kootenay Lake |
Ainsworth or Ainsworth Hot Springs is a historic village on Kootenay Lake in British Columbia, Canada and has a population of 50.
Founded on May 31, 1883, it is the oldest surviving community on Kootenay Lake.
Ainsworth is located on Highway 31, 11 miles (18 km) north of Balfour and 12 miles (19 km) south of Kaslo, British Columbia.
Today, Ainsworth Hot Springs and the Cody Caves are a popular destination for tourists and spelunkers.
The founder of Ainsworth was George Ainsworth, a steamboat captain from Portland, Oregon, who, with his father John, had already made a fortune operating sternwheelers on the Columbia River. On May 31, 1883, George Ainsworth received a Crown Grant of 166 acres (67 ha) at what was originally Hot Springs Camp. He named the land Ainsworth in honour of his family. Upon hearing of the discoveries of silver-lead ore in the Kootenays, the brothers had travelled to British Columbia from Idaho via Bonners Ferry. Ainsworth grew into a town in 1884 when, "A.D. Wheeler landed there" with the first general store "started by G.B. Wright in the fall of 1888."
From 1884, the mountains above Ainsworth were alive with mining activity and prospectors had staked nearly every inch of ground from the townsite to the glacial summits. By 1889, several mines were in operation - such as Number One, Skyline, Little Donald and Krao. Among the prospectors was roadbuilder Gustavus Blin Wright, who had built part of the Old Cariboo Road. However, like many others, Wright would have no luck. Then in 1891, Eli Carpenter and John Seaton left Ainsworth for their mining claims, but returned after several futile weeks of searching. They returned to town by a route that took them over Payne Mountain, where they discovered ore samples worth CN$170 to $240 a ton. Carpenter's and Seaton's discoveries would be the catalyst for the Slocan Silver Rush and the region would become known as the "Silvery Slocan".
...
Wikipedia