The history and cultural traditions of the Princeton area reach back thousands of years through the heritage of the Similkameen First Nation, a branch of the Interior Salish.
It's colourful past includes fur traders trekking the Hudson's Bay Company Brigade Trail, intrepid pioneers settling the land, cattle ranchers, prospectors and minors, lumber men, railway builders and one notorious bank robber.
The Upper Similkameen Indian Band is one of seven bands that form the Okanagan Nation Alliance. Members live throughout the region with many concentrated on reserve lands around Hedley (38km/24mi east). The band office is located in Keremeos (67km/42mi east).
Aboriginal Pictographs
For thousands of years the Similkameen people mined ochre from red striped mountainsides. They traded the precious pigment as far south as Navaho territory and as far east as the lands of the Blackfoot people on the Prairies. At home, ochre was the primary ingredient in the paint used for creating the incredibly well preserved pictographs seen on many rock faces around the region.
Snaza'ist Discovery Centre
Today, the Similkameen Indian Band has several commercial enterprises including forestry and an excellent heritage attraction that bridges two cultures. In nearby Hedley beneath the mountain they call Snaza'ist (sna-za-ee-st), which translates as "striped rock place," the Snaza'ist Discovery Centre tells the story of mining from ancient ochre extraction to the days of hard rock gold mining.
The centre is also the base for tours to the Mascot Gold Mine.
Trails and Settlement
Alexander Ross briefly explored the region in 1812, but it was the establishment of the Canada-US border in this region in 1846, that forced the Hudson's Bay Company to find alternate routes for its fur brigades, which had been using the Columbia River route south of the border. They blazed the Brigade Trail.
Dewdney Trail
In 1861, the 720km/447mi Dewdney Trail, built to secure British control of the territory north of the border in the face of an influx of American prospectors and miners, reached Vermillion Forks (later Princeton). This trail eventually morphed into Highway 3.
Cattle Ranching
John Fall Allison came prospecting in 1858. He married a local aboriginal woman, Nora Yakumtikum, and established a cattle ranch. His second wife, Susan, became an important character in local history.
Mining
Mining for coal, copper, gold and even platinum played a decisive role in the development of the Princeton area from the last quarter of the 19th Century into the mid-20th century. The inevitable boom and bust of mining communities left a number of ghost towns like Granite Creek, Blakeburn and Allenby.
Among the thousands of miners who came to try their luck in the rivers and hard rock mines were a large number of Chinese who set up their own camps.
Railways
The Great Northern Railway reached Princeton in 1909 followed by the Kettle Valley Railway (KVR) in 1915. Visitors can explore the tunnels and trestles of this railway heritage by hiking or mountain biking the Trans Canada Trail, which follows the KVR line.
Forestry
Mines, new towns and railways all demanded huge quantities of timber. Forestry inevitably became an important economic engine and remains so today.
Princeton Museum and Historic Walk
Visitors can touch on all these elements of Princeton's past, including the name change that honoured a 19th century Prince of Wales, at the Princeton Museum. Among its excellent exhibits are fascinating fossils found locally and the Joe Pollard rock collection.
Princeton Visitors Guide
The Princeton Visitors Guide also contains a map of the town's historic walking tour. Stroll the heritage-themed downtown streets and take in the historic murals, plaques on buildings of interest and the one-lane timber bridge.
Princeton and the Arts
Princeton supports a thriving arts community with a concert society, artists, quilters, writers and a lively music scene. Fans of traditional music like fiddle tunes, sea shanties and Celtic ballads can hear them all at the annual Princeton Traditional Music Festival, held in August.
Staff at the Princeton Visitor Centre can provide details on what's happening around town and point out routes to nearby ghost towns. The centre also stocks brochures on the museum, heritage sites and the town's historic walk.
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