Across an area rich in history and natural beauty, the region's Aboriginal populations continue to leave an indelible mark on life and landscape.
The region's First Nations inhabitants share a common background, language and culture.
Collectively referred to as the Interior Salish, the Okanagan, Secwepemc (Shuswap), and Naklakapmuk (Thompson) were semi-nomadic, moving between seasonal hunting and fishing grounds before settling into pit houses for the winter.
Groups of up to 30 inhabited these circular pit houses, known as kekulis. See one of these remarkable structures and learn more about the Interior Salish culture at the Secwepemc Museum & Heritage Park near Kamloops, or at the Nk'Mip Desert Cultural Centre near Osoyoos.
European Arrival
Aboriginal populations were progressively affected by waves of European explorers, pioneers and immigrants. Best known among these travellers may be Simon Fraser who, in 1808, explored and mapped BC's Interior for the North West Company. In 1812, the company established a fur-trading post on the site of present-day Kamloops; it was the region's first non-native settlement.
Over the next few decades more Europeans arrived to trade and work the land. The trickle swelled into a flood with the discovery of gold in the Cariboo Chilcotin region in the late 1850s. Seemingly overnight, gold rush boomtowns sprang up to serve prospectors travelling through the area, heading north to the goldfields. For a taste of gold rush-era roadhouse life, visit Historic Hat Creek Ranch near Cache Creek.
Savouring the Fruits of Land and Labour
With the arrival of Father Charles Pandosy to the area, a new idea was planted to explore the region's natural bounty. Father Pandosy was an Oblate missionary who founded the region's first Roman Catholic mission in 1860. Later he established the region's first school. Along with fellow Oblate mission priests, he planted BC's first vineyard and apple orchard in Kelowna. You can still tour this fully restored 0.8-ha/2-ac mission.
During the 1890s, the area's wide open cattle ranges were soon transformed to beautifully manicured orchards. Today, wine and orchard fruit are vital industries in the Thompson Okanagan. Vineyards and orchards, including North America's first Aboriginal winery in Osoyoos, are scattered throughout the valley, with popular wine and fruit festivals held throughout the year. The region is also blessed with near-perfect conditions for growing all types of fruit including apples, peaches, cherries and apricots.
Thompson Okanagan wines regularly win international awards and the industry is experiencing unprecedented growth. Most area vineyards and orchards welcome visitors for tours and tastings.
Doukhobor Culture
Unique to this part of the province, Doukhobors, a pacifist sect that sought to escape persecution in Russia, settled around Grand Forks between 1909 and 1913. Surrounded by a fertile agricultural valley the Doukhobors settled here because of the promise of self-sufficiency on the land. Their influence is evident everywhere from restaurants that serve borscht and other Russian cuisine to the Mountainview Douhkobor Village and the Doukhobor flourmill.
Railways and Resource Development
If the Thompson Okanagan's history is the story of discovery and rapid development, the transcontinental Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) was a major key to the area's expansion.
The railway, which ran through Kamloops, was completed in 1885. A branch line from Sicamous to Okanagan Landing soon followed. By 1893, CPR had also launched steamboats on Okanagan Lake and created the conditions for the region's second economic boom. The Thompson Okanagan region began to urbanize rapidly and survey work for yet another railway, the Kettle Valley Railway, began in 1910. Built to connect the Kootenay region to the coast of BC through the southern Okanagan, it was 525km/326mi long and traversed near-impossible terrain with trestles and tunnels. It was said to be the most expensive railway built anywhere in the world.
Today the old Kettle Valley Railway rail bed serves as a scenic recreational trail popular with hikers and cyclists. The trail begins in the town of Midway, which is also home to the Midway CPR Station & Kettle Valley Museum.
Since the late 19th century, mining has been a major industry in the region, an important source of placer gold, copper and coal over the years. But time and technologies change; the former coal mining towns of Granite City and Blakeburn are now ghost towns, and some of the region's most sought-after minerals are industrial minerals. You can still visit the region's ghost towns via the Dewdney Trail, which starts in Princeton.
Canada's Smallest City
Greenwood (population 625) is Canada's smallest city. People come to see its buildings and structures of note, its historic sites and to take driving tours around the area to glimpse its mining and railroad heritage. In 1998, Greenwood was selected to represent the fictitious town of Amity Harbor in the Oscar-nominated film, Snow Falling on Cedars, which dealt with the experience of Japanese-American WWII internees. In reality, Greenwood was once the location for one of these internment camps and the local population was suddenly bolstered by the influx of 1,000 internees during World War II. After the war, many internees returned and made Greenwood their home, permanently transforming the character of the tiny city.
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