Sandon was a going concern before the turn of the last century but as was the case with a lot of boomtowns, it didn't last long. Of course the multiple slides, fires and washouts didn't help matters any. Because building space was at a premium in the steep valley, the two meandering creeks were diverted into a large covered flume and the town was built right over top of it. Sanitation was also a big concern with nearly 8,000 residents, 29 hotels, 3 breweries, 3 sawmills, 2 newspapers, 2 banks, a hospital, several bordellos and many assorted shops and stores. So someone devised that if they cut a trapdoor into the flume towards the bottom of town all the waste would just be carried away. That worked wonderfully for Sandon, not so much for New Denver which is situated at the mouth of the creek on the edge of Slocan Lake, the eventual depository for Sandon's waste.
