Ghost Towns of British Columbia

With Sandon beginning to boom in the 1890s, every silver prospector wanted to get in on the prosperity. Less than a kilometre and a half south of Sandon along Carpenter Creek, a community named Cody was established. Many thought at the time Cody – named after Henry Cody, a prospector from the Ainsworth district - would not only rival Sandon but even surpass its neighbor to the north. Cody was served by the K & S Railway and in the beginning prospects looked bright.

Above and right: There are only a few buildings still standing at Cody but area historians are still hoping to have them preserved.
Photos by Johnnie Bachusky.

The Noble Five Mining Company built a concentrator at the site. A total of 70 would work for the company at the concentrator, flume and tramway. By 1895, the company sold 200 lots, and businesses quickly established themselves, including the two-story Cody Creek Hotel, which could accommodate 60 miners, a general store and a dry goods business. At the same time, two other hotels were completed and another four in the planning stages.

One of Cody’s pioneer hotels near the stage of collapse in 2000.
Photo by Johnnie Bachusky.

The town also had a livery, blacksmith shop and three laundries. Two years later Cody would open a post office and have a population of about 150 permanent citizens. That was the pinnacle of Cody’s success. In 1901, the post office closed and by 1910 the town site was deserted.

Above and right: The haunting ruins of Cody’s mine concentrator.
Above and right: Photos by Johnnie Bachusky.

Below: The Cody town and mine sites are today littered with debris, from collapsed residences to mining equipment and accessories.
Below: Photos by Johnnie Bachusky.

Nearly a century later, Cody is a complete ghost town. The ruins of the Noble Five concentrator can still be seen, as well as an assortment of other decaying buildings.