Vancouver, the largest city in British Columbia and the third largest city in Canada, is a sea port in British Columbia’s southwest corner sitting at the foot of the Coast Mountain range. Much of Vancouver is built on a peninsula surrounded by water.
Downtown Vancouver sprawls out from Granville and Georgia Streets. North America’s second largest Chinatown stretches along Main Street and three blocks of Pender between Gore and Carrall Streets.
The central peninsula is the commercial heart of the city where office towers, shopping centers, condos and hotels view for views. At its northern reach, the stylized sails on the roof of Canada Place just into the harbor. West Georgia is the main artery through city center. Howe Street north of Georgia is the city’s financial heart, home to the Vancouver Stock Exchange. South of Georgia, between Hornby and Howe, the Vancouver Art Gallery fronts Robson Square and Arthur Erickson’s glass-enclosed Law Courts. Granville around Robson is a pedestrian mall with fashionable stores, movie theaters, clubs and concert halls. The eastern end of Georgia Street, near the coliseum-shaped Vancouver Public Library, is the theater and stadium district.
Gastown is the historic core of Vancouver, and is the city’s earliest, most historic area of commercial buildings and warehouses. The Gastown historic district retains a consistent and distinctive building form that is a manifestation of successive economic waves that followed the devastation of the Great Fire in 1886, the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1887, the Klondike Gold Rush and the western Canadian boom that occurred prior to the First World War. The Byrnes Block embodies the sudden influx in investment capital that flowed into Gastown based on the certainty of growth promised by the arrival of the transcontinental railway. This building, and the Ferguson Block located across the street, are among the oldest extant buildings in Vancouver that are still standing at their original location; only the relocated Hastings Mill Museum building is known to predate them.
The Byrnes Block is the site of the Alhambra Hotel, located on the upper floor, a representation of the area’s seasonal population in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Hotels provided both short and long-term lodging, serving primarily those who worked in the seasonal resource trades such as fishing and logging. Many of these hotels had combined functions of commercial services on the ground floor and lodging rooms on the upper floors, which contributed to the lively street life in Gastown. The Alhambra Hotel was opulent in its time, contrasted with the numerous cheap wooden hotels built in the area before and after the 1886 fire. As the city grew and building materials became more readily available after the arrival of the railway, it was quickly expanded in a series of additions until it reached its present form.
1690 Matthews Avenue – This stately mansion was built in 1910 for William Lamont Tait, a Scottish-born businessman involved in lumber and real estate after his arrival in BC. This Queen Anne mansion with its grand entrance, round turrets, stained-glass windows, and large brackets uses various materials. The building was converted in 1994 to Canuck Place, BC’s pediatric palliative care provider for children with life-threatening illnesses and the families who love them. The goal of this specialized care is to enhance the comfort and quality of life for both the child and their family. It is achieved through the combination of active and compassionate therapies. Palliative care strives to support children and families by assisting them in fulfilling their physical, psychological, social and spiritual goals while remaining sensitive to personal, cultural and religious values, beliefs and practices.3637 Hudson Street – Tudor style3470 Osler Street – dormers3688 Osler Street – dormers, recessed entrance way3733 Osler Street – Tudor style, round room3690 Selkirk Street – two-story pillars with balcony above, bay window3689 Selkirk Street – A.E. Tulk House Rosemary – This 1915 Tudor Revival English Manor was built for lawyer and whiskey baron Edward Tulk who named it after his only daughter Rosemary. From 1947 to 1994, the house was owned by The Order of the Convent of Our Lady of the Cenacle who operated it as a retreat.36 West Cordova Street – Lonsdale Building – built 1889207 West Hastings Street at Cambie Street – Dominion Building – When it opened in 1910 it was the tallest building in the British Empire; it was Vancouver’s first steel-framed high-rise at 53 meters (175 feet). It was built to house the Dominion Trust which later became the Dominion Bank.The famous Gastown clock on Water Street, designed and built by R. L. Saunders, is the world’s first steam power clock. This clock is located at the western boundary of the old Granville townsite, known as Gastown. In 1870, the shore of Burrard Inlet was only a few yards north of this point. Through the early 1900s, Gastown was the commercial center of Vancouver. By the 1960s, it had become the center of Vancouver’s “Skid Road.†In the early 1970s, it was rehabilitated to its former stature. The success of its rehabilitation was the result of cooperation between many parties working together to beautify the streets.2 Water Street – 1887 – Peckinpah Restaurant – The Byrnes Block is a two-story, Victorian Italianate commercial brick building, with a later addition to the south located across a narrow passageway. It is situated on Maple Tree Square at the irregular intersection of Alexander, Powell, Water and Carrall Streets in the historic district of Gastown. The Byrnes Block is one of the oldest buildings in Vancouver located on its original site. Features include: trapezoidal floor plan, flat roof, two-story height, elaborate pedimented window hoods and surrounds on the second floor, projecting cornice with alternating large and small eave brackets, and an elaborate arched corner pediment, masonry construction, including painted brick cladding with flush-struck mortar joints on two main facades and common red brick cladding on rear facades, large rectangular storefront windows on the ground floor enabled by the use of cast iron columns; elongated double-hung 1-over-1 wood-sash windows on the second floor of the two main facades.1 Water Street – “Gassy Jack†– 1830-1875 – John Deighton was born in Hull, England. He was an adventurer, river boat pilot and captain, but best know for his “Gassy†monologues as a saloon keeper. His Deighton House Hotel, erected here on the first subdivided lot, burned in the great fire of June 13, 1886. Here stood the old maple tree under whose branches the pioneers met in 1885, and chose the name Vancouver for this city.401 Main Street – Carnegie Public Library with two-story Ionic columns, dome and cupola
118 Nicola Street – William O. Ellis House – W.O. Ellis was a local pharmacist and active community member. He built his home on tree lined Nicola Street in 1929. It has many features typical of the Arts and Crafts style, but it is also looking forward to architectural trends popularized in the 1930s. The cream-colored stucco, green window boxes, and red steps are the original colors.223 Nicola Street – The style of this home is typical of the 1910 period in Kamloops and is best described as anti-Victorian in sentiment. It was built in 1909. The overall shape is rectangular and right-angled. Adornment is kept to a minimum. Homes like this can be found scattered throughout Kamloops and were generally owned by small businessmen or railway officials.226 Nicola Street – S. B. Brooke House – This English style cottage was built in 1940 by C.N.R. Conductor Bernard Brooke (aka ‘Babbling Brooke’) and his wife Ruby, after their home at 1426 Lorne Street burned to the ground. Mrs. Brooke and her two children escaped into the -20°F weather at midnight with only their overcoats and nightclothes. The fire brigade’s efforts were hampered by the extreme cold and a broken fire hydrant. Mr. Brooke returned home to find that his wife had narrowly escaped the flames, as the front door had jammed, making her exit difficult. In 1942, C.N.R. Engineer, Archibald Legg and his new bride Janet Darlington purchased this home. The couple were former neighbors in the 800 block Battle Street when both became widowed. Sadly, Archibald Legg was killed in 1948, in a train wreck near Lytton, and Janet remained in the house until 1970. The architecture of this stucco house is unique in the Kamloops area. The steep pitched, double peaks at the front of the house are repeated once at the rear. These details were labor intensive, but add greatly to the appeal of the home inside and out. This four-bedroom cottage has only one bathroom; however, an upstairs bedroom features the original built-in vanity sink. Chamber pots were probably a necessity as one of the resident families had seven children.255 Nicola Street –Sacred Heart Cathedral – Sacred Heart Cathedral was built in 1921 to replace a wood frame church which had burned. Interesting architectural features include stained and leaded glass windows, red brick with white stone accents, columns, balustrade, a tower, and dome.822 Nicola Street – Charles and Clara Hirst built the first house on this block in 1912 in the popular classic box style. The house was subsequently bought by Robert McCall in 1921 who was elected the Police Commissioner in 1926. The house has been extensively restored to its original condition with clapboard siding, v board soffits, wood rafter fascia, and leaded glass panel windows.868 Nicola Street – Royal Dayton Bell House – This late Craftsman style house was built just before the outbreak of World War II by R.D. Bell. Bell was a contractor and carpenter, and given the quality of this house, he probably built it himself. The outside of the house is sided in double rows of cedar shingles. The verandah is getting smaller, as was typical of this period, but it is still a comfortable size by today’s standards and features a wide top railing and slender columns with decorative moldings. Pretty window boxes complete the cottage-like quality of the house.875 Nicola Street – This Bungalow style house was built in 1944. The exterior has original plaster stucco siding, wood soffits and fascia, multi-pane wood frame windows and a scallop frame to accent the front side.115 Tranquille Road – c. 1909-1910 – The Wilson House is a one-and-one-half-story wood-frame house influenced by the Gothic Revival style and connected with William Stewart Wilson, a local farmer, businessman and politician, and the first Chairman of the Village of North Kamloops. The house has a steeply-pitched side gabled roof and side bay window, a central gabled wall dormer, and a full-width open veranda.
245 St. Paul Street – Stuart Wood School – 1907 – It is a three-story school, with a full-height basement, with a symmetrical facade in the Neo-Classical style. It is clad in red brick, has a broad hip roof, front and rear gabled projections, and parged string courses. The architecture conveys a sense of permanence and order and demonstrates the Romanesque Revival style in its massive masonry construction and round-arched windows. There are arched transoms above the three central windows on the third floor. The Classical Revival is evident in the pedimented portico, classical columns, and arched fanlight window above the central entrance. The large sash windows were characteristic of contemporary school design, arranged to take advantage of natural light and ventilation. It has been in continuous use as a school for over a century.603 St. Paul Street – This Classic Box style house built in 1911 was popular at the beginning of the twentieth century. There are numerous examples throughout the older sections of the city. Typically, it has clapboard siding, v board soffits and wood rafter fascia. Because this house has been used for commercial use many of the original windows and doors have been replaced to meet modern building codes.619 St. Paul Street – Herbert and Florence Davies House – This home is a classic example of the Craftsman style house in Kamloops. It was built in 1924 during one of the greatest economic boom times in Kamloops’ history. The first owners were Herbert and Florence Davies. Herbert Davies was a contractor, so it is very likely he built this house himself. As a contractor, Herbert was well-known for his work on the city hall addition in 1913, as well as houses at Seventh Avenue and Dominion.715 St. Paul Street – This is one of a dozen identical houses built in this block by an English contractor between 1913 -1923. Craftsman in style this house was built in 1913. It has v board soffits, wood rafter fascia, broad weather board siding and wood frame widows. The verandah has four square pillars that is common to this style and the front door is original.673 Battle Street – The ‘Ideal’ house was built in 1912 by Edwin and Alice Walkley. Mr. Walkley was the owner of the Small and Dobson Cement Plant in BC Fruitlands on the North Shore. The plant manufactured concrete building blocks which were used to build many basements in Kamloops. Walkley introduced a molded hollow block to Kamloops called ‘ideal’ blocks which he used to build this house and one at 467 St. Paul Street. The hollow shape was meant to replace the need for insulation. In fact, the house was cool in the summer, but too cold in the winter. Each block was hand-made by Walkley in the backyard using several molds with different patterns on the facing. The blocks were sun-dried before being set into place. The overall style of the house is very similar to the wood frame, two story four-square houses of the same era with attic dormer windows found throughout Kamloops.48 Battle Street West – a Roy Burris House – Roy Burris was a member of the famous Kamloops medical family. He had this house built in 1911. It is very similar in style and age to 179 Battle Street West and shares many of the same architectural features. Its long, low verandah is typical of the bungalow style developed by the British in India to keep out the hot, piercing rays of the sun. The verandah boasts the square columns with decorative trim and bay windows typical of the era. The original cedar shingle siding on this house was spared the unfortunate ‘modernizing’ stucco facelift that so many houses in the neighborhood fell victim to in the 1940s and 1950s. Cedar siding is a distinguishing characteristic of early Kamloops houses. The windows still have their original glass panes.101 Battle Street West – A. Galloway House – When this house was built in 1928, it was considered ultramodern and very forward looking. The red mansard roof, red brick steps, plate glass windows, dormers, window boxes and small front porch with a “Greek porch†roof are all original features. Archibald Galloway owned a pharmacy in Kamloops for many years. He also successfully ran as a City Councillor and was director of many community organizations.133 Battle Street West – Frederick E. Young House – When this house was built in 1910, it was surrounded by sweeping property which stretched south and east for several lots. The owner, Frederick Young, was owner and publisher of the Kamloops Standard newspaper. A tennis court, croquet area, gazebo, and a stable located at 76 Nicola Street West were part of the property. The two-story house has an expansive wraparound verandah accessed by a broad flight of stairs, wide leaded glass windows, two circular windows above the front door, sturdy tapered columns, Craftsman style mill work, exposed rafter ends, and an attic dormer.
Kamloops is a city in south central British Columbia in Canada, located at the confluence of the two branches of the Thompson River near Kamloops Lake.
The first European explorer, David Stuart, arrived in 1811; he was sent out from Fort Astoria, a Pacific Fur Company post; he spent a winter there with the Secwepemc people. He and Alexander Ross established a post there in May 1812, “Fort Cumcloups”.
The rival North West Company established another post, Fort Shuswap, nearby in the same year. The two operations were merged in 1813 when the North West Company officials in the region bought out the operations of the Pacific Fur Company. After the North West Company’s forced merger with the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1821, the post became known commonly as Thompson’s River Post, or Fort Thompson, which over time became known as Fort Kamloops.
After the fur trade arrived in 1812, Kamloops became the crossroads for horse-drawn pack trains. In the years that followed, Kamloops’ reputation as a bristling locality for trade and commerce was greatly broadened by the gold rush of the 1850s, among other things. Following the arrival of the first permanent ranchers was the railway which came through in 1893; Kamloops continued to be the resting stop for the weary travelers. Kamloops has continued to grow since then with cattle ranching, forestry and mining.
The gold rush of the 1860s and the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway, which reached Kamloops from the West in 1883, brought further growth.
Pulp, plywood, veneer, cement, and a copper mine are industries in Kamloops. The Royal Inland Hospital is the city’s largest employer. Thompson River University serves a student body of 10,000.
Hope is located at the confluence of the Fraser and Coquihalla Rivers. Hope is at the eastern end of the Fraser Valley, and is at the southern end of the Fraser Canyon.
The history of European settlement in the town of Hope is linked with the history of the Hudson’s Bay Company and the partnership between the company surveyors and First Nations in establishing a brigade trail through the mountains to Fort Kamloops. When gold was discovered in the Fraser Canyon in 1858, miners from across the continent flocked to British Columbia to seek their fortune in the mountains and creeks. Two years later gold was discovered in the Cariboo and miners migrated further north to seek riches in the area around Barkerville. In order to facilitate the movement of miners and supplies north, and gold south, the government built the Cariboo Wagon Road which allowed merchants and prospectors to travel faster and hopefully more safely.
The Fraser River has been the greatest source of food for the Sto-lo people who formed permanent settlements along the river. Simon Fraser came down the river in 1808. Hudson’s Bay forts such as Hope (built in 1848-49) and Yale gave the Sto-lo access to a wider variety of trade goods, such as steel tools, cooking pots, and guns.
Keremeos is located in the beautiful Similkameen Valley in the Southern Interior of British Columbia. Keremeos’ main industries are horticulture, agriculture, ranching, and wine making. Soft fruits such as apples, cherries, and peaches as well as vegetables are grown in the dry warm climate.
Princeton lies just east of the Cascade Mountains. The Tulameen and Similkameen Rivers converge here. The area’s main industry has been mining of copper, gold, coal, and some platinum.
Gold was found on Nickel Plate Mountain in 1898 in Hedley. The ore was rich but it had to be extracted from the host rock by crushing and chemical treatment.
Wood Carving – Hope, British ColumbiaRoyal Canadian Mounted Police Service Dog “Chip†was killed in the line of duty near Hope on September 13, 1996 while protecting his partner and friend Constable Doug Lewis.RCMP Service Dog “Chip”The Fraser River – The past saw fur traders, the gold rush of 1858, and early settlers. The present sees waters teeming with migrating salmon and a highway and railways confined to the gorge carved by the river. The Fraser River, beautiful, bountiful, and powerful flows in the pattern of our future.“Standoff†Wood CarvingMan inside trunk with bear and fish aboveEagle, wolf, bear carvingRotary International carving – man holding fish, and fish on benchCarver Pete Ryan 1996681 Fraser Avenue – Christ Church – 1861 – This white clapboard, Gothic Revival-styled Anglican Church with leaded glass windows first ministered to gold rush prospectors.A Labyrinth consists of a single meandering pathway that leads from the entrance to the center and back out again. In the Christian tradition, it is a place where one can experience a spiritual walk with our creator. It provides a time for private meditation, a time to pray and talk to God.Two-story house with balconies on both storiesGothic two-story homeQueen Anne style with turret and wraparound verandaYellow broomEarly January 9, 1965 a huge landslide occurred and destroyed about three kilometers of the Hope-Princeton Highway. The slide, consisting of more than 46 million cubic meters of earth, rock and snow, crashed down in seconds from the 2,000-meter-high mountain ridge.Princeton Town HallHedley – From the heart of this mountain, men took $47,000,000 in gold. In 1904 Hedley boomed with the opening of the mill in town and the Nickel Plate Mine on the mountaintop. The nearby Hedley Mascot Mine, on a claim of less than an acre, mined a fortune. In 1955 the gold, silver and copper ore were exhausted.Hedley Trading PostKeremeos – villageKeremeos – mountainKeremeos – mountainDriving on the highway from Hedley to Hope, British Columbia
Penticton is a city in the Okanagan Valley of the Southern Interior of British Columbia situated between Okanagan and Skaha Lakes.
In 1866, Tom Ellis, the first European settler in Penticton, built his ranch house. Tom and his wife Wilhemina raised their family, planted Penticton’s first fruit trees and established his 30,000-acre cattle ranch. The Penticton Hotel was established in 1892 by Ellis, who positioned it around the local government area, and its first road: Front Street. The sidewalks on the street were made from wood, with coal oil lamps being introduced to the sidewalk.
Four Shatford brothers moved to the Okanagan from Nova Scotia and were influential in the area. W.T. Shatford bought out the Ellis Estate and formed the South Okanagan Land Company in 1905; he became rich. Lytton became a senator when Robert Borden was Prime Minister and the Senator Shatford School was named after him. Large dams were built on the upper reaches of the Ellis and Turnbull Creeks creating a gravity-fed irrigation system needed to develop the area into the “Garden of Eden.â€
Horses were instrumental in opening up the interior by carrying goods over the Brigade Trail. Stagecoaches and wagons followed with railways and boats came into use after that. Herds of wild horses roam freely in the hills.
558 Ellis Street – P.D. McDonald House – 1912 – rusticated concrete block house – cross-gabled with exposed beams, symmetrical, four square porch posts with Ionic detailing, broken pediments, paired double-hung windows, central entry, wide overhanging eaves, Dutch style chimney pots570 Martin Street – 1911 – shingle style with a cross-gable form, flared eaves and a prominent pedimented gable; the full front porch has square shingled porch posts; the windows are double hung; the continuous wall covering is of square cut shingles1201 Fairview Road – Art Moderne style – 1940 – flat roof, rounded corners, groupings of windows, smooth stucco surface, coping at the roof line984 Fairview Road – 1922 – 1½ story saddle-notched log house – The Beatons bought it within five years of construction and lived in it for seventy-five years. Bertie Beaton was a member of a pioneer family who arrived in 1906 and ran the Penticton Hotel; her husband worked for the Kettle Valley Railway. It has a deep front porch, wide steps, low-pitched side-gabled roof, rooftop shed dormer, and the fireplace was constructed with cobbles from Shatford Creek.494 Young Street – 1913 – Keyes House – 1½ story Late Victorian cottage with steeply pitched paired gables and a shingled gable truss – The use of a variety of surface materials including shingle and lap siding is typical of Queen Anne Revival architecture. Robert Grey Keyes was a member of City Council.230 Orchard Avenue – 1938 – The Tupper Residence – Art Moderne – smooth stucco finish, curved corners and horizontal bands, flat roofs, curved concrete steps, wraparound multi-paned windows, recessed entrance158 Eckhardt Avenue East – Penticton High School – 1913 – Neo-Georgian style, three brick bays, raised basement, Romanesque central entrance arch with arched windows above, hipped roof, deeply articulated dentil courses, roof-top cupola696 Main Street – Penticton United Church – 1929 – Gothic Revival stone and stucco – square tower, stained glass windows, arched windows and doorways100 Main Street – Penticton Court House – 1949 – Art Deco-Moderne style196 Penticton Avenue – Sutcliffe Residence – 1912 – Queen Anne Revival style220 Manor Park Avenue – Leir House – 1929 – vernacular architecture, stone cladding, dominant entrance porch and stairs – thirteen bedrooms to accommodate the eleven Leir childrenThe S.S. Sicamous, a steel-hulled stern wheeler, rests on the southern shores of Okanagan Lake in downtown Penticton. It is 200 feet long and was quite luxurious. From 1914 to 1936 she made daily runs between Penticton and Okanagan Landing at the north end of the lake carrying up to 250 passengers plus mail and freight.
The Kelowna town site was laid out in 1892, and by 1898 the community growing on the shores of Okanagan Lake began to show that it would become a permanent settlement. As people came so did the traveling missionaries and students of both the Presbyterian and Methodist churches. Kelowna is the largest community in the Okanagan Valley.
The Okanagan Sunflower is the official floral emblem of Kelowna. It is one of the longest blooming wildflowers, providing abundant splashes of bright yellow on the hillsides in early spring. The plant is drought tolerant; it’s completely edible and was used by the First Nations peoples as a food source. Its large yellow flowers reflect the sunny Okanagan skies and the hot summer climate.
The service industry employs the most people in Kelowna. In summer, boating, swimming, water skiing, windsurfing, fishing, golfing, hiking and biking are popular. In winter both Alpine and Nordic skiing are favorite activities at the nearby ski resorts. Kelowna produces wines that have received international recognition. Vineyards are found around and south of the city where the climate is ideal for the many wineries. Kelowna is the home of Sun-Rype, a popular manufacturer of fruit bars and juices.
Many prominent people played a part in Kelowna becoming the city it is today and many of them made their homes on Marshall Street. The W.J. Marshall family was one of the very early families to settle here and their home is at 1869. R.B. Staples owned the Beaverdell Silver Mine and was also prominent in the fruit industry; their home is at 1812.
781 Bernard Avenue – The David Leckie (successful businessman and civic leader) House was built in 1906 in the late Queen Anne style. A tall gable on the right is balanced by a dormer on the left. There is narrow horizontal wood siding and a semi-circular porch with a balustrade above.806 Bernard Avenue – Jessie Willard Hughes House – 1933 – Colonial Revival style – J.W. Hughes planted the first commercial vineyards in 1926 and he exported gladioli and peony bulbs.830 Bernard Avenue – James W. Jones (Mayor, Conservative MLA) – 1912 – Queen Anne style, hipped roof with dormer, classic foursquare, wraparound pillared veranda, narrow horizontal wood siding865 Bernard Avenue – James Bacon Knowles (jeweler and watch maker) house built in 1907 – hipped roof, wood frame construction with double-beveled wooden siding, wooden trim and details.870 Bernard Avenue – William Hughes-Games house – 1936 – is a Vernacular Cottage with a cross-gabled roof. There is an arched opening to a recessed entry.757 Lawrence Avenue – George Arthur Meikel House – 1910 – Dutch Colonial style – gambrel roof831 Lawrence Avenue – Howard E. Atchison House – 1931 – Tudor Revival style with half-timber detailing on stucco, gable roof truncated at the peak857 Lawrence Avenue – Dougald McDougall (civil engineer in fruit industry) House – 1922 – California Craftsman Bungalow – gable roof with deep eaves and exposed rafters, deep porch868 Lawrence Avenue – William Harold Hunter McDougall (fruit grower and exporter) House – 1909 – Vernacular Cottage style966 Lawrence Avenue – Munson House – 1911 – Victorian Foursquare with hipped roof, gabled dormer and covered porch – Robert Munson was a sawmill worker.987 Lawrence Avenue – Renwick House – 1912 – Queen Anne style – altered from the original – turret, bay window, dormers1001 Lawrence Avenue – Second Knowles House – 1913 – J. B. Knowles was a jeweler and civic leader. Dutch Colonial Revival style – gambrel roof228 Lake Avenue – This house was the home of Harold Pettman and his family. Harold and his brother Charles ran Pettman Brothers Grocery until 1966 when Harold became Manager of the Okanagan Federated Shippers. This 1½ story wood frame house was built in 1941 during the wartime. It is in Cape Code style. It has a cross-gabled roof, and a concrete foundation. There is horizontal siding on the first story and vertical siding with polygonal ends on the upper half-story. A small gabled roof supported with brackets covers the front entrance.1922 Abbott Street – John Francis Fumerton and Annie Maria brought their family to Kelowna in 1916 where he established a men’s clothing, dry goods and shoe store. This 1½ story wood frame house was built in 1933 on the corner of Abbott and Vimy. With its picturesque roof line and casement windows, this Storybook cottage is a romantic representation of traditional domestic ideals. It has a steeply-pitched cross-gabled roof with gabled projections, its original glazed front door and semi-circular concrete front entrance steps.1858 Abbott Street – 1937 – Moderne style – streamlined, flat parapet roof, stucco and horizontal banding and cladding, multi-sash windows with narrow trim, curved walls, asymmetrical facade, canopy over entrance
Vernon is a city in the Okanagan region of the southern interior of British Columbia. Named after Forbes George Vernon, a former Member of the Legislative Assemblyof British Columbia who helped found the famed Coldstream Ranch nearby.It is the oldest city in the Okanagan Valley and celebrates its history and heritage with the larger-than-life display of twenty-six murals painted on the walls of its downtown buildings.
The Okanagan people settled around the city’s two lakes, Okanagan Lake and Swan Lake, obtaining seasonal sources of food. Fur traders camped in Vernon as it started to develop in 1863, following a gold discovery at the Cherry Creek, Monashee Mountains, Mission Creek and east side of the Okanagan Lake. Vernon was home to many cattle ranches and fruit orchards.
Vernon expanded after the Canadian Pacific Railway was opened in the Okanagan and Shuswap regions in 1891. The stern-wheeler S.S. Aberdeen was launched by the Canadian Pacific Railway for use on Okanagan Lake in 1893 connecting Vernon to Penticton at the south end of Okanagan Lake, and points between.
Chase is located at the outlet of Little Shuswap Lake which is the source of the South Thompson River. Chase Creek, which drops over three small waterfalls before flowing through the town, enters the South Thompson just below the lake’s outlet. The main industries in Chase are forestry and tourism.
The town was named after a flamboyant character named Whitfield Chase, an American from New York State. After originally coming to Canada during the 1858 gold rush he settled in the area in 1865. He was the first non-native settler that farmed and raised a family, in what was then called, The Shuswap Prairie.
Sorrento is on the south shore of Shuswap Lake, 28 kilometers west of Salmon Arm and 80 kilometers east of Kamloops. You can fish in the lake, enjoy water sports and boating, and view scenic landscapes.
Salmon Arm is located on Shuswap Lake midway between Calgary and Vancouver on the Trans-Canada Highway. It has the longest curved wooden wharf in North America which draws tourists from around the World.
By 1904, Salmon Arm had acquired a reputation for having an excellent fruit harvest. The local businessmen grew fruit as a main export, sending it to the larger, more populated towns that surrounded it.
Vernon – 3302 27th Street – Beairsto Elementary School was known as Central School when it was built in Vernon in 1909. The brick building was three stories high with an auditorium on the third floor. A north wing in stucco was added in 1939 and a south wing was added in 1946. Harold K. Beairsto was principal from 1925 to 1961; when he retired the name of the school was changed to honor him. Beairsto Elementary School is still operating as a school and is the center for Vernon’s elementary French Immersion program. The main entrance is accentuated by a Georgian arch and the Mansard roof is topped by an octagonal cupola and framed by large chimneys.Vernon – 3001 27th Street – Vernon Law Courts – This second court house for Vernon was designed by T. Hooper and was started in 1910. It was built in the Classical Revival style of local granite from a quarry at Okanagan Landing. The first court case was heard in 1914.Vernon – 2203 30th Avenue – This impressive Queen Anne house features and octagonal tower, fish scale shingles, deep eaves and bay windows. The Campbells were long-established furniture dealers.Vernon – 2301 32nd Avenue – The steeply pitched Mansard roof of the Mohr House permits full use of the attic. It was built in 1893 for a wood-turner at Smith and Clerin’s Sawmill.Vernon – 2003 37th Avenue – C.B. Lefroy, rancher, later notary public and realtor had this home built in 1905. The hip-on-gable roof and highly decorated barge boards in the gable ends create a picturesque cottage-like effect. At one time the house was part of Miss Le Gallais’ School for Girls founded in 1913. Miss Topham-Brown, who came to Vernon in 1917, worked here as housekeeper, cook, games coach and drawing instructor prior to opening her own studio. She was an enthusiast supporter of the arts until her death in 1974.Chase – Shuswap LakeSorrento – Shuswap Lake taken from Caen Road Community ParkSalmon Arm – Salmar Classic Theatre was built in 1949 using a Quonset design which was developed during World War II. It is circular in shape and constructed of corrugated steel sheets bolted together into a half circle arch form.Salmon Arm – 20 Hudson Avenue NE – The old Courthouse, constructed in 1930, is a two-story brick and stucco building with gable dormers and half timbering. It has an arched entryway and portico, decorative eave brackets and carved barge boards.Salmon Arm – 20 Hudson Avenue NE – The Municipal Hall is a one-story brick building with a gable roof, gable dormers and a brick chimney.Salmon Arm – 70 Hudson Avenue NE – The Post Office, completed in 1937, is a one-story flat-roofed brick building with a raised stepped parapet in an Art Deco style including arched Palladian windows. The Post Office moved to a new location in 1974; the building was used as a library for nearly twenty years and now houses the Shuswap Art Gallery. Salmon Arm – 251 5th Street SE – Skeleton House was built in 1912. Bob Skelton was Manager of the Salmon Arm Cooperative Creamery and the city mayor. It has a large gabled roof with lower-sloped “skirts†at the eaves. There are two gable-roofed dormers (one front, one back) each with the same lower-sloped eave details as found on the main gable.Salmon Arm – 721 Harris Street – The M.M. Carroll House was built in 1909 and is an excellent example of pre-First-World-War bungalow design. Carroll was a plumber, tin-smith, undertaker and theater owner. It has a gable roof with dormer extensions at the top level; the windows are double hung and have upper lite multi-panes. The front verandah has bevel-sided half walls with cased posts, moldings and curved cased beams.Salmon Arm – 720 Harris Street – The Collier House is a 1½ story cross-gabled house in the low Craftsman bungalow style. There are knee braces supporting the gable end eaves.Salmon Arm – 680 Harris Street – The Lyman House was built about 1908 in the Dutch Colonial style.Salmon Arm – The wharf is one of the iconic features of Salmon Arm.
The South Okanagan Valley is located at the northernmost tip of the upper Sonoran Desert system which starts in Mexico and extends through North America as the Great Basin. Because of the low rainfall and a very sandy soil, desert plants grow in the region. Osoyoos is surrounded by hills blanketed in sage and pine forest. The valley sides and bottomlands have orchards that produce the earliest fruit in Canada as well as great wines. Early agricultural production in the Okanagan-Similkameen region was focused mainly on cattle ranching as the local environment was well suited to cattle grazing and provided beef to expanding communities.
Ranching in the Okanagan Valley got its start in the 1860s when Osoyoos customs officer Judge John Carmichael Haynes levied duties on the herds of cattle that were being driven from the United States to the Cariboo gold fields. Many of the cattle drovers could not afford to pay these duties, and thus paid Haynes with cattle. Haynes kept some of the cattle for himself, and sold some to other early settlers.
Until the construction of the Kettle Valley Railroad in 1915, the cattle had to be herded over the treacherous mountain trails in order to reach the markets. Once the K.V.R. was constructed, the cattle had only to be driven to Penticton, where they were loaded into boxcars and shipped to the meat processing plants in Vancouver. The ranching process was facilitated further in 1943, with the establishment of the first stockyard in Okanagan Falls.
Osoyoos means “a place where two lakes come together.†In 1811 the first white men in their search for furs came here and established a fur trading post. Cattle ranching, mining and lumbering followed. In 1907 the first commercial fruit orchard was planted because it was the warmest place in Canada. The community nestles along Lake Osoyoos which is twelve miles long and at an elevation of only 912 feet above sea level.
With its orchard setting, lakes and mountains, the likeness to the county of Spain is apparent. This sparked the community to adopt a Spanish theme.
The Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre celebrates the precious cultural heritage of the Osoyoos Indian Band and explores their desert landscapes. The site is fifty acres of sage grasslands and ponderosa pine forest. The name NK’MIP (Inkameep) means “gateway or doorway to the bottom of the lake system.†The Inkameep lived off the land, lakes and rivers. They hunted, fished and grew crops and gave thanks to the ‘Great Spirit’ for the seasons and the bounty they shared. The Osoyoos Indian Band was a trading nation and developed trade with bands farther north in the Okanagan Valley and the Colville Band in Washington.
Nk’Mip Cellars became a reality under the leadership and vision of Chief Clarence Louie. His tenacity as an entrepreneur is upheld by his passion for his people and their place within the Canadian economy. Sam Baptiste, General Manager of Inkameep Vineyards is recognized as one of the best wine growers in this British Columbia region.
A kinetic sculpture pays homage to the Okanagan First Nation of the areaNk’Mip Desert Cultural CentreMountain SheepWolf howling, bear belowSoopalallie (also called soap berries) are berries gathered from May to July and whipped with water into “Indian ice creamâ€, a pinkish-white froth resembling beaten egg whites. Jinxed people drank a brew of soopalallie and wild raspberries to change their luck.Antelope Brush is a member of the rose family. The Okanagan People used this plant as a detoxifying cleanser. The branches were used to make hot fires during winter camping trips. The shrub is an important browse plant for deer and bighorn sheep. Chipmunks, ground squirrels and mice eat its seeds.Harry in front of the Ponderosa PineThe desert was in bloom for us – not too hot when we were there. Long Leaved Phlox – Growing among the sagebrush, phlox is the longest blooming native spring flower. The showy pink to white flowers appear in April and last through mid-June. The Okanagan People used this plant for treating anemia in children.Spotted Lake is located on Highway 3 and is sacred to the Okanagan First Nations People. The peculiar blue, green and yellow spots on the surface of the lake are formed from high concentrations of minerals and salt as the water level evaporates and drops.
Lockport is a small community in Manitoba located twenty-eight kilometers north of the city of Winnipeg. The community is a part of both the Rural Municipalities of St. Andrews (west of the river), and St. Clements (east of the river). Lockport is an ancient settlement, predating European history by thousands of years. It is one of the oldest known settlements in Canada. Flocks of the North American White Pelican are often seen.
The Red River Floodway joins the Red River just north of the dam. The bridge and locks at Lockport (completed in 1910), submerged the St. Andrews Rapids (a natural obstruction to the south) in order to make the Red River navigable through to Lake Winnipeg.
We enjoyed lunch at the Half Moon Restaurant.
South along River Road is St Andrews Church and Rectory. The Church is the oldest operating church in Western Canada. Kennedy House, also located on River Road, was built by Captain William Kennedy in 1866.
3 St. Andrews Road – Parish Church of St. Andrew – established 1828 – The church was built in 1844-49 in the Gothic Revival style. The walls were constructed from local limestone from the river bank. St. Andrew’s Church is the oldest church in continuous use in Western Canada.River Road – The Kennedy House – Eleanor called it “Maple Grove†– cobblestone house built in 1866 with large windows, French doors, and modified Gothic gables. Eleanor and William lived here with their children William and Mary. William farmed and kept a trading store on the adjacent north lot. The Kennedy House, in the Rural Municipality of St. Andrews, was built in 1866 for Captain William Kennedy using stones quarried from the Red River banks at nearby St. Andrews Rapids. The Gothic Revival style of the Kennedy House is architecturally distinctive, compared to the other old stone houses built in the Red River Settlement, which reflect Georgian influences. By contemporary Eastern Canadian or British standards Kennedy House was simple and unadorned. By Red River Settlement standards, however, it was very fashionable. William Kennedy (1814-1890) was an Arctic explorer, missionary, and a Hudson’s Bay Company employee. He was born at Cumberland House on the Saskatchewan River in April 1814, the son of Alexander Kennedy, a Hudson’s Bay Company Chief Factor, and an aboriginal woman, Agathas Margaret (Mary) Bear. When he was thirteen, he was sent to Orkney for his education. In 1836 he entered the employ of the Hudson’s Bay Company and was stationed on the Ungava Coast. He left the Company’s service in 1848 and went to Canada West where he engaged in his own business, and began to lobby for the expansion of Canada into the north-west. As a lad at Cumberland House he had met Sir John Franklin, and in 1850 he offered his services to Lady Franklin to help in the search for the Franklin expedition. He commanded two of the Franklin search expeditions and discovered the Arctic passage known as Bellot Strait. He was the first to use dogs and sleds from an exploring ship. In 1853, he presented a paper on these adventures to the Royal Geographical Society in London, England, and wrote a book entitled A Short Narrative of the Second Voyage of The Prince Albert in search of Sir John Franklin. In 1856, with George Brown’s support, he resumed his efforts to link the Red River Settlement and Canada West by a northern route. About 1860 he settled at Fairford, on Lake Manitoba, as an Anglican missionary and teacher to the Indians. In 1861 he settled at St. Andrew’s on the Red, where he was for a time employed by the Hudson’s Bay Company as a storekeeper at Lower Fort Garry. He was an early advocate of a railway to Hudson’s Bay. About 1859, he married Eleanor E. Cripps and they had two children. Crippled by rheumatism for most of his remaining years he lived a very retired life at St. Andrew’s. He died at his home on January 25, 1890.St. Andrews Lock and DamHalf Moon Restaurant MuralSt. Nicholas Ukrainian Orthodox Church at Gonor – The history of the St. Nicholas Parish begins in the year 1896-1897 when immigrants from Bukowina, Ukraine settled in the Gonor district. The Gonor district was already established by a Jesuit Missionary, called Father de Gonnor, who through his efforts, assisted la Verendrye, the explorer, and some years later, the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1877. As the Ukrainian settlers emigrated to Canada, one of the terminal depots was in East Selkirk, and from this point they traveled and walked to settle along the bank of the Red River in the Gonor district. Faith, physical strength, and hope, were their assets, and the church and religion were very important in the lives of these early pioneers. They desired a church building where they could open up their hearts to God. These early settlers made plans for the construction of the first church in 1904. The church and belfry were made of logs, which were brought in from the area. In April 1944, both the original church building and manse were destroyed by an accidental grass fire. The original belfry containing the bell from Bukowina was saved and is still in use today. The present church is about 1,100 square feet in area, is built of lumber and it is in the form of Byzantine architecture. Mr. Anton Prychun, a resident of Tyndall, Manitoba, was the master builder. All labor, with the exception of the head carpenter and painter, was provided free of charge. The church was painted and decorated in the following manner: The ceiling has sky-blue oil paint spangled with white stars. The dome has cherubim angels on and between clouds on a sky-blue background. The altar is painted in a similar manner. The walls are a cream color and a border is stenciled in a Ukrainian motif throughout the church. The Ikonastos consists of the picture of Jesus crucified at Golgotha, the Last Supper, and the twelve apostles and is painted and decorated in the Eastern Ukrainian Greek Orthodox style.6297 Henderson Highway – Ukrainian Parish of Catholic Holy Trinity, St. Clements – 1952 – Around 1890, a large influx of Ukrainian settlers was emigrating to Canada which led to the establishment of Ukrainian Catholic parishes. The first Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church was started in 1899, in the traditional Byzantine, rite style, in the form of a cross. The current church of brick and stucco structure, with its two radiant stainless-steel domes, which could be seen from miles around, was built 1952-1953.5635 Henderson Highway – St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Narol was founded in 1911 by immigrants from the Brody area in Galicia. Like most Rusins/Western Ukrainians, these pioneers had been Greek Catholic in their homeland, which at that time belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Upon their arrival in Canada, the people reunited with the Orthodox Church of their forebears, becoming a part of the Russian Orthodox Mission.
