Greenwood (British Columbia)

Greenwood, population 665 (2016), is a small city in the West Kootenays, of British Columbia, Canada. It is the smallest incorporated city in Canada.

Understand
Greenwood is a city in south central British Columbia along the Canada-US border. It was incorporated in 1897 and used to be one of the principal cities of the Boundary Country smelting and mining district. It was incorporated as a city originally and has retained that title despite the population decline following the closure of the area's industries.

History
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, a general store, a livery stable, two assay offices, a mining broker, an opera house, and a dozen other establishments. Greenwood became an incorporated city in 1897. The population climbed to 3,000 by 1899 and a railway called the Columbia and Western Railway reached Greenwood from the east. In 1899 a fire struck Greenwood which gutted several businesses.

The BC Copper Company smelter began operation in 1901, servicing ore from the Mother Lode Mine and other mines in the area. 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 boom had passed and Greenwood's population was 1,500. At the end of World War I, the demand for copper dropped, and by 1918 the copper market was dead, and the smelter in Greenwood lay idle. The following year it closed down permanently. The collapse of the smelters led to close of mines around the vicinity of Greenwood. Greenwood was on the decline after this period.

By car
Greenwood is located along the Crowsnest Highway (Highway 3), west of Grand Forks,  east of Osoyoos, and  east of Vancouver.

By bus

 * On Fridays, offers a return trip between Grand Forks and Greenwood. Reservation required by the day before.
 * On Tuesdays offers Health Connections trips between Rock Creek and Grand Forks with stops in Midway and Greenwood. Reservations must be made by the day before. The trips are open to all members of the public, but as "Health Connections" trips, people traveling to medical appointments receive priority for reservations.
 * On Tuesdays offers Health Connections trips between Rock Creek and Grand Forks with stops in Midway and Greenwood. Reservations must be made by the day before. The trips are open to all members of the public, but as "Health Connections" trips, people traveling to medical appointments receive priority for reservations.

Nearby
Midway is 10 minutes west of Greenwood. It gets its name for being located midway between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It is also home to Mile Zero of the Kettle Valley Rail Trail, a popular wilderness cycling trail which follows the rail bed of the old Kettle Valley Railway.



Nearby
Rock Creek is 25 minutes west of Greenwood. It is a former gold rush village located along the Kettle Valley Rail Trail.



Buy
The main street of Greenwood, Copper Street which also carries the Crowsnest Highway, has some small shops in its small downtown area.

Rock Creek
Rock Creek is 25 minutes west of Greenwood. It is a former gold rush village located along the Kettle Valley Rail Trail.