News and media

NEWS, REVIEWS, & RECOGNITION
The King of Sandon is the winner of the BC Historical Federation’s Community History Prize! It was presented on May 30 in Vancouver during the BCHF awards gala. I am seen below at left with Dr. Lorne Hammond, the convener of the BCHF book awards.

(Chelsea Brown/BC Historical Federation)

In presenting the award, Hammond said:

The book tells the story of Sandon, its founder and the mystery surrounding him, the events after his death, and the town’s decline and slow erosion into BC’s most famous ghost town. Researched both in and outside the province, the author tells the story of the creation of a resource town and looks behind the myths. It is also about the creation of another community, that of a ghost town. The third community is the Sandon of the mind and its hold on those who sought to preserve it. Unusually, this narrative also demonstrates how important individual and community actions are when government support fails. We usually get heroic rescue stories. This is not about that. This is about ‘Well, now what do we do?’ And they do. It’s a remarkable book.

I am the third person associated with the Arrow Lakes Historical Society to win this award, after Bruce Rohn for SS Minto: The Arrow Lakes’ Longest Serving Sternwheeler, and Kyle Kusch for Our Coloured Past: The Arrow Lakes in the Age of Colour Photography. Ellen Schwartz also won it in recent years for Galena Bay Odyssey as did Peter Smith for Silver Rush: British Columbia’s Silvery Slocan 1891–1900. So West Kootenay-related books have been well represented.

Read the Nelson Star’s story about this award here ; the Valley Voice's story here (page 25); and Quill and Quire’s story here.

The King of Sandon was also a finalist for the Foreword Indies, in the category of Biography (Adult Nonfiction). See the list of august competitors here. These awards recognize the best in independent publishing and are presented by Foreword reviews.

Click here to read a review of the book in the Summer 2026 issue of British Columbia History.

NEW TO THE WEBSITE

1896-97 correspondence Over 400 pages mailed to Johnny Harris and the Reco Mining and Milling Co., now held by the Silvery Slocan Museum.
23 bits of Johnny Harris miscellanea A collection of items deleted from The King of Sandon, mostly because they were too tangential.
St. Elmo Davis In 1897, Johnny hired his first cousin to be superintendent of the Reco mine, despite no obvious experience.
Johnny Harris and the McAllisters Tragedy befell a woman from Wallace, Idaho, who came to visit Sandon in 1921.
Were Johnny’s grandparents cousins? A closer look at a claim made about the Smith family tree.
Johnny’s business card A rare piece of ephemera from circa 1896-1911 sold on eBay for $120 Cdn.
Amy and Annie Egan A mother and daughter with whom Johnny had a personal and professional relationship. What became of them?
Johnny Harris’ cars Of Johnny’s three vehicles, one was wrecked, one is still with us, and the fate of another is unknown.
W.E. Harris vs. striking miners Johnny’s brother and his slaughterhouse were threatened during the 1892 Coeur d’Alene miners’ strike.
Wallace’s lost cemetery A nearly forgotten burial ground features in the story of Johnny Harris’ fatal mistake.
On the naming of Glenara How did the mansion that Johnny bought in 1897 get its name?
W.E. Harris, cattle rustler Johnny’s brother got in trouble in Montana in 1889.
When did Johnny Harris arrive in Wallace, Idaho? Turns out it was a bit later than I thought.

MEDIA

Click here for the news release announcing the book’s arrival.
Click here to see photos from the official launch on Oct. 4 at the Silvery Slocan Museum in New Denver!
Click here to read a story by Corrina Mae of the Valley Voice about the book and the launch (page 23).
Click here for an account of the launch in the UpDraft (page 5).
Click here to read a story by Bill Metcalfe of the Nelson Star about the book and the launch.

Click here to read an excerpt in The Tyee.

Click here to listen to an interview I did about the book with Chris Walker on CBC Daybreak.
Click here to see photos of the Nelson launch at the Capitol Theatre on Jan. 13, 2026.
Click here to listen to an interview I did with my distinguished colleague Wayne Kelly of Summit FM.