Penticton's culture and history includes the fur trade, cattle ranching, fruit growing and a key position as transportation hub for the South Thompson Okanagan.
But thousands of years before Hudson's Bay Company fur traders first trekked the Brigade Trail through the Okanagan Valley, the Okanagan First Nations lived here as successful hunter/gatherers.
Okanagan Nation
The Penticton Indian Band (PIB) is one of seven member bands of the Okanagan Nation Alliance. With reserve lands adjacent to the city, the PIB is an integral part of the community. The city's name is actually derived from the word "snpintktn," commonly translated from the Interior Salish language of the Okanagan People as "a place to live forever" or "a place to live year-round."
The PIB operates the En'owkin Centre, a developing cultural, educational and ecological centre on the Penticton Indian Reserve where the public is welcome to attend exhibitions and events. Band members also own and operate Coyote Cruises, providing rentals and shuttle service for floating the Okanagan River Channel. See First Nations artifacts at the Penticton Museum.
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European Settlement
Fur traders regularly trekked through the Okanagan Valley from the early 1800s. Settlement began in the 1860s, sparked by the Cariboo Gold Rush when cattlemen driving their herds north to the mining camps realized the potential of the valley's abundant bunchgrass and accessible water. The first non-native resident was Tom Ellis, an Irishman whose cattle ranching empire eventually encompassed much of the South Okanagan. He is credited with laying the groundwork for present day Penticton.
Transportation Centre
Penticton's strategic location at the foot of Okanagan Lake made it a natural transportation hub. During the days when water was the most effective mode of travel, the growing settlement was the southern port for steamers plying the lake. Capture a sense of that era aboard the SS Sicamous, the luxurious sternwheeler that made the run from Penticton to Okanagan Landing (Vernon) from 1914 to 1935. The ship is now a museum and anchors the Okanagan Inland Marine Heritage Park on the shores of Okanagan Lake.
Kettle Valley Railway
One of the displays in this museum within a museum is a scale model of the Kettle Valley Railway, considered one of the engineering marvels of the age of railway building. Penticton was headquarters for much of the construction between 1910 and 1915. The population swelled and some of the gracious homes along Lakeshore Drive date back to this period. Until the last passenger train rolled into Penticton in 1964, the city was a key stop on the line.
Learn more about Penticton's early days through interactive displays at the Penticton Museum.
Penticton Arts & Culture
Penticton supports a lively cultural community. The Okanagan School of the Arts draws developing artists. Private galleries carry the work of local artists and artisans and the Penticton Art Gallery presents exhibitions of both local and international work in its bright, open viewing spaces. Expect to see art all over the city in traffic circles, public parks, coffee shops, wineries and downtown on summer Saturday mornings at the Penticton Farmers' Market.
The performing arts scene is also jumping in Penticton. Catch the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra at the Cleland Theatre or a live stage production by one of Penticton's active theatre groups. They perform in the intimate Orchard House Theatre and the Cannery Stage, a unique setting in a renovated fruit canning plant. For big name performers, check the line-up at the 5,500-seat South Okanagan Events Centre, which is also home of the BC Hockey Hall of Fame and the Penticton Vees Junior A hockey team.
Staff at the Penticton Visitor Centre can provide details on what's happening around the city. The centre also stocks brochures on museums, historic sites and galleries.
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