Housed in repurposed buildings including old hotels, mining structures, and lodges.
During World War II, Slocan City (often simply called Slocan) served as one of several internment sites in the West Kootenay region. By the end of 1942, the town held approximately 595 internees, who were housed in repurposed buildings including old hotels, mining structures, and lodges. The town’s existing infrastructure allowed the government to quickly accommodate families, though living conditions were often cramped and severe.
Strategically located in a former mining town, Slocan City functioned not only as an internment site but also as a key transfer and processing hub. Many internees arrived here from Hastings Park in Vancouver and other staging areas before being relocated to camps deeper in the Slocan Valley, including Bay Farm, Popoff, and Lemon Creek. The town thus played a central role in the forced relocation system, acting as both a holding area and a logistical center for the government’s wartime operations.
After the war, in 1946, Slocan City became a departure point for many Japanese Canadians who were “repatriated” or deported to Japan, a deeply complex and controversial element of government policy. For those families, this marked not only the end of their internment in Canada but also the forced separation from their homes, communities, and belongings.
Today, little physical evidence remains of Slocan City’s internment history, but its legacy is preserved through commemorative efforts including many interpretive plaques located throughout the town. One of the most significant commemorations is the Japanese Cemetery Monument, erected in the 1940s by the Slocan Buddhist Mission Society. This monument honors the internees who died while in the town and were cremated there. Through such markers, as well as archival records and personal stories, Slocan City’s role in this chapter of Canadian history is remembered for both the injustices endured and the resilience of the Japanese Canadian community.
