This last August, I visited the site of the Pilot Bay Smelter for the first time. It is curious that it took me so long to wander through this local bit of industrial history, despite the fact that it is visible from the Main Lake ferry.
Below is a panorama taken on the site showing the smoke stacks (one partially hidden among the trees to the left) and some houses across the Smelter Bay at the old townsite.
However, the timing of this posting is really driven by the recent location of the second image: an Alex J. Garner painting showing the smelter in 1896. It is reproduced here with permission. The painting is based upon a picture, a copy of which is available from the BC Archives. The patches of snow suggest an early–March image.
These and other images appear on the Kootenay Lake website page: Pilot Bay Smelter.
