海角大神

The remote city of Nelson, in British Columbia, boasts on its website that it 鈥渉as been called the prettiest small town in Canada.鈥澛燱ith over 350 buildings lovingly restored to reflect the city鈥檚 founding in 1897 during a silver rush, Nelson attracts its fair share of artists seeking refuge in its charm and movie directors looking for the quintessential 鈥渟mall town鈥� as a backdrop.

That restoration work also drew our photographer Melanie Stetson Freeman for this photo spread while I was on a larger reporting trip in the area. She admits that she was聽underwhelmed at first.聽Downtown Baker Street, set amid the dramatic Selkirk Mountains and glacier-fed Kootenay Lake, is as charming as any Main Street can be, but many designated 鈥渉eritage鈥� homes are spread out, mixed into the surrounding neighborhoods. This lends Nelson a feel of authenticity, Melanie came to see through her lens. It鈥檚 not a preserved tourist attraction but a living, breathing place with an evolving history that has also drawn 海角大神 pacifists from Russia, known as Doukhobors, and Americans who sought to avoid the Vietnam War draft.

Melanie鈥檚 favorite building is the one that housed P. Burns and Co., once the largest meatpacking company in western Canada. She points to the artistry of a sculpture of a cow鈥檚 head that is featured above the 鈥�1899鈥� engraving at the entrance 鈥� a three-dimensional聽adornment rarely seen on facades today.聽鈥淵ou can tell this used to be an affluent town because of the intricate carvings and decorations鈥� on many buildings, she says. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 build them like this anymore.鈥�

Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff

NICE TO MEAT YA: A sculpture of a cow鈥檚 head is featured above the entrance to a building that housed P. Burns and Co., once the biggest meatpacking company in western Canada.

Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff

ONE FOR THE AGES: Bealey Block is the oldest confirmed commercial structure on Baker Street. It was built in the 1890s and restored nearly a century later.

Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff

SILVER STAR: Nelson, as seen from Gyro Park, is set amid the dramatic Selkirk Mountains. The city was founded in 1897 during a silver boom.

Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff

MAIN ATTRACTION: Baker Street, the main commercial street in downtown Nelson, is filled with designated 鈥渉eritage鈥� buildings that have been lovingly restored.

Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff

GOLDEN OLDIE: The Bank of Montreal, a High Victorian building with Italian influences, was constructed in 1899. It features terra-cotta inlays with the bank鈥檚 insignia.

For more visual storytelling that captures communities, traditions, and cultures around the globe, visit聽The World in Pictures.