A researcher in B.C. says the first Sikh temple in North America was likely built in the province’s East Kootenay region.
Colleen Palumbo, who studied old census records as part of her research, says the gurdwara was established in a repurposed storage house at a sawmill in Golden, B.C., around 1905.
Palumbo has researched the gurdwara’s history since retiring as executive director of the Golden Museum and Archives two years ago. Her research is part of a Punjabi Canadian Legacy Project (PCLP) program to support local museums’ research on Sikh Canadian history, and her findings were published on the Golden Museum website in February.
They’re also featured in the Haq and History travelling exhibition set up by the
