Boundary Falls in Kootenay Boundary, British Columbia — Canada’s West Coast (North America)
Boundary Falls Smelter
B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0), November 15, 2016
1. Boundary Falls Smelter Marker
Although prospectors like "Jolly Jack” Thorton worked this area during the 1860s, Boundary Falls was not settled until the 1890s, when a new breed of miners flooded the district. Surrounded by mining properties, the Boundary Falls Smelter (also called the "Sunset Smelter") was built by 1901 and it was 'blown in' by June of 1902. Setbacks such as high operating costs, coke shortages, financial difficulties, and low copper prices eventually took their toll. By 1907 the smelter was permanently closed, and the facility and the camp of Boundary Falls passed into oblivion. Today, only slag piles remain as mute testament to the former existence of this short-lived smelter.
Caption: The Sunset Smelter at Boundary Falls. Greenwood Museum photo
Erected by Province of British Columbia.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1901.
Location. 49° 2.362′ N, 118° 42.271′ W. Marker is in Boundary Falls, British Columbia, in Kootenay Boundary. Marker is at the intersection of Crowsnest Highway (Provincial Highway 3) and Boundary Smelter Road, on the right when traveling east on Crowsnest Highway. Marker is on a frontage
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 5 other markers are within 18 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Copper Street (approx. 4.6 kilometers away); Greenwood Smelter (approx. 4.7 kilometers away); Midway (approx. 6.4 kilometers away); Kettle Valley Railroad (approx. 6.7 kilometers away); Eholt (approx. 17.2 kilometers away).
Also see . . . Boundary Falls, B.C. Sunset Smelter. In-depth history of the smelter and the companies that owned it. (Andrew Phillip Chernoff blog, posted Aug. 8, 2013) (Submitted on February 24, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
B.C. Department of Mines via B.C. Archives I-55689 (public domain), circa 1905
2. The Sunset Smelter
The Standard Pyritic Smelting Co. built the furnace but, struggling financially, sold it to Montreal & Boston Copper Co. Ltd. just before the smelter was "blown in" in June 1902.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 1, 2022. It was originally submitted on December 10, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 217 times since then and 51 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on December 10, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 2. submitted on February 24, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
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