Country Canada Time zone PST (UTC-8) Elevation 670 m Population 1,139 (2011) | Region West Kootenay Incorporated 1946 Area code(s) 250 / 778 / 236 Area 244 ha Local time Wednesday 9:44 AM | |
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Weather 4°C, Wind SE at 5 km/h, 90% Humidity | ||
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.
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Map of Salmo, BC, Canada
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
Since 1998, the community of Salmo has hosted the Shambhala Music Festival every August.
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.