June 2023 - Page 3 of 3

THE SAGA OF THE OOKPIK PARTY BARGE

Published on June 7, 2023 in Okanagan/Penticton/Uncategorized by Brian Wilson

by George Bergson

In May 1964 a new pleasure craft was constructed in Penticton next to the Yacht Club on Okanagan Lake, at a cost of $200,000. This all steel, rectangular, barge-like vessel was christened “Ookpik” by then 1964 Peach Queen-Elect, Fyfe Rutherford, on June 14th, 1964.
Ookpik was then shoved into the lake by three bulldozers. Owners Hans Rodewoldt and Stephen Pilott (Okanagan Cruisers Ltd.) were extremely proud of their new 250 passenger capacity vessel painted a bright red, white and blue. It was powered by twin ford diesel engines with a total of 250 horsepower and capable of 11 knots top speed.
Ookpik had a dance floor and stage on the main deck and a 1000 square foot observation deck above, featuring live entertainment; at least that was the plan. An ad in the Penticton Herald of June 30, 1964 stated Ookpik was to make daily four-hour cruises at eight knots, but never made its maiden voyage in 1964. Laid up for the winter, she was beached in a storm just before Christmas. Vandals then re-christened it “Toothpik.”
Ownership had passed to Norm Edwardson of N.E. Construction. He was ordered by city council to have it moved off the beach by March 20, 1965 and beat the deadline by one day. Now moored just north of the Sicamous, on June 24th, 1965, the newly christened Okanagan Pilot swung in her mooring and came to within inches of striking the Sicamous.

Okanagan Pilot operated in service during the summers of 1965 through 1967. Ads for the vessel touted “dining, dancing with two cruises departing daily at 3:30pm and 8:30 pm, departing from the foot of Martin Street.” During the approach to the Martin Street dock on Sunday morning, Aug. 1967 at 12:25am, fire started in the wiring system in the engine room, but was quickly extinguished by Engineer H.C. Roadwolbt, and the 150 passengers disembarked safely.
In Feb. 1968 the Okanagan Pilot was seized under a writ ordered by the Workman’s Compensation Board but was ‘bailed out’ by one of the owners.
The 1968 season saw the Okanagan Pilot operated as a nightclub called “Popeye’s Place” moored near the government wharf at North Beach Marina. The operating license was granted by city council under very strict rules due to residents’ previous complaints of noise. “Popeye’s Place” did become the Okanagan’s first nightclub and the world’s only floating “A Go-Go.”

The Okanagan Pilot broke from her moorings on April 11th, 1970 and floated around in the lake for sometime before being boarded and anchors dropped. Later she was towed in and moored at the city wharf, but city council wanted her removed.

As late as January 1973, a pair of Lethbridge, Alberta business men tried to get city council’s approval to restart the Okanagan Pilot as a dining and dance facility for the 1973 season. If approval was obtained, they would purchase the vessel from its owners in Prince George, B.C.
The last reference to Ookpik comes from the Herald Aug. 1, 1975. The City, claiming she was an eyesore and a danger to the public, made many attempts to get the owner, Kerr Holdings of Quesnel to remove it.
When all else failed, the city secured an order and had it towed to Greata Ranch. She sat there for several years until towed to Kelowna and dismantled for shipping to Mica Dam for timber reclamation.
Whether she actually reached that destination is a mystery. Rumor has it that she is still in service as a freight barge on the McKenzie River.

WHAT DOES THE OPENING OF VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AND VERNON AIRFIELD HAVE IN COMMON?

Published on June 5, 2023 in Okanagan/Vancouver by Brian Wilson

You could possibly blame the creation of Vancouver Airport on a snide comment by world renowned aviator Charles Lindbergh. In 1927, Charles Lindbergh turned up his nose at an invitation to include Vancouver in his North American tour to mark his epic New York to Paris flight because ‘there was no field fit to land on’. But there is more to it……….

Vancouver airport runways - historical photos
The city of Vancouver purchased land on Sea Island for aviation purposes, to replace its original grass Aero-club airstrip at Minoru Park. Construction began in April 1930 on a single, 730-metre runway and a small wood-frame administration building crowned by a control tower.
Back in 1927, the government of Canada had signed an Order-in-Council to develop flying clubs. These clubs needed at least 30 members who were either already licensed pilots or interested in becoming trained as pilots. The members were required to invest in an aerodrome and workshop area and, in return for this investment, would receive two light aircraft.
Not surprisingly, the plan was met with considerable enthusiasm from the Canadian flying public. To promote the clubs and to increase the interest in aviation, clubs began hosting “Air Pageants” – with aerobatic displays and offering ‘barn storming’ rides. One of the major events was the Trans-Canada Air Pageant. It spanned the period July to September of 1931. Pilots from the Royal Canadian Air Force and from various flying clubs flew across Canada providing aerial shows to nearly one-third of a million members of the public.
Vancouver promised the Aero Club that they would be ready so on July 22, 1931, Vancouver Airport officially opened its doors, boasting the first hard-surfaced runway in Canada. During the 1930s the airlines operating at the airport included Canadian Airways, Wells Air Transport, Alaska Washington Airways, United Airlines and Trans Canada Airlines.

The Aero Club’s Beginnings

In the early 1920’s, Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Air Force veterans met socially from time to time in the Vancouver area, but attempts to form a permanent organization did not crystallize until April 1, 1924, when the Air Force Club of B.C. was formed with Major A.D. Bell-Irving as president. Members of the club got in little flying time as the club did not own an airplane. The club was reorganized in December 1927, as the Aero Club of British Columbia (Vancouver Branch).
Following the club’s formation, the club received a De Havilland moth from the Department of National Defense on the understanding that the club would provide a surety bond for $10,000. The bond was guaranteed by General J.W. Stewart and H.O. Bell-Irving. At this time, the club also acquired another DH moth. These two aircraft, G-CAKH and G- CAKK , of wood and fabric construction were in constant use until 1930 when they were replaced by two Fleet biplanes of metal construction and fabric covered. At about the same time as the Moths were acquired, the club had obtained two Eagle rock biplanes. The Fleet airplanes and two or three other Fleets subsequently added to the club’s stable of aircraft and had an active career over the next decade. They proved to be very sturdy and were considered ideal training airplanes.

The Trans-Canada Air Pageant in the Okanagan

The earliest community airport in the Thompson-Okanagan was at Vernon, B.C. In 1929, The Vernon City Council put forward a bylaw for the purchase of land for an airfield. $4500 was put aside for land on Mission Hill, where the army camp is today, to construct a runway. The Department of Air Transport awarded a license on February 10th, 1930.
The only problem was the highway to the south. That was quickly alleviated by the Provincial MLA K.C. McDonald who assisted in moving the road away from the hazard area.
Soon after the completion of the airfield, the local Board of Trade made plans for an air show. The Vancouver International Airport was to open in July and information came to Vernon that the Trans-Canada Air Pageant and the Aero Club of B.C. would land in Vernon on July 7th, 1931. When over 20 planes landed for refueling and a little barnstorming for cash, the pilots were canvassed by early Vernon fliers, Fred Galbraith and Lowell Dunsmore to sign up for a long-distance air race and events at the strip. Almost all of the Aero Club members agreed to come back.

After fueling and thrilling the crowd in Vernon with barnstorming, the pilots took off for the Rutland airstrip and did it all over again.
Cliff Renfrew and a few others had formed an aero club in Rutland in 1928, and had several Gypsy Moths flying at this time. The Air Pageant was well received by hundreds of locals excited to view and fly.
Four pilots flew as far as Penticton and landed in the field west of town. Two went as far as Oliver but did not land for some reason. It was a thrill nevertheless.

Vernon Air Races

With the success of the Pageant, the Board of Trade set in motion plans for a major event to include air races for September 30th and October 1st.
The Long-distance race began in Vancouver in the morning and was won by lone woman flyer Lana Kurtzer of Seattle, in her Aeromarine-Klem mono-plane. A total of 19 aircraft arrived that day to the delight of the entire population.
The success of the air show and its events of pylon races, balloon bursting, bombing, dogfighting, parachute drops and much more, was so huge that the event was held over until the 4th.

THE KETTLE VALLEY RAILWAY AND SKAHA LAKE

Published on June 1, 2023 in Uncategorized by Brian Wilson

Between 1920 and 1923, the KVR upgraded rail facilities to Dog Lake and the south Okanagan. After World War One, there was a need to look to the boundary and possibly a USA connection for expansion.
The KVR built a two-track barge slip on Kruger property, part of the Penticton Indian Band cut-off lands. Construction of a similar slip was built at Okanagan Falls. The MV York was able to utilize these slips to haul 6 rail cars including engine and caboose on a barge on the lake until 1931.
The rails continued down the valley as far a Haynes Junction, just south of Oliver Townsite where it serviced a fruit packinghouse.
Oliver was in its infancy and needed the KVR to assist in the transport of much of the supplies needed to construct the big syphon for the irrigation project. Oliver also welcomed access to rail cars to haul ore from the last few claims above the town at Fairview. A sawmill sprung up at Oliver as well.
This was the total of KVR service to the south lands until 1931 when rails were completed on the west side of the lake.
From 1923 to 1931, the rail cars were pulled about by a single locomotive from Haynes to the Falls.
CPR and the Dominion Research Station encouraged growers to grow cash crops that could ripen while in transit, as this form of transport didn’t arrive overnight. Onions, tomatoes, peppers and melons were planted between the young trees successfully.
A fond recollection names the train from Oliver prior to 1931 as “Cantaloupe Annie”.

This is the only photo in our archive showing the barge slip at Okanagan Falls. It was built very close to the little government wharf used by the community for those years prior to a good road from Penticton.

The slip needed to be on the east side of the rock outcrop bordering the mouth of the river, to protect against the build up of flotsam during freshet.
The completion of the track on the west side of Skaha Lake enabled a huge expansion of existing agricultural processing plants from Kaleden to Oliver.

The photo above shows oil cars parked on the old barge access track at Okanagan Falls, after the track was completed around the lake.
In 1945, the tracks were completed to Osoyoos.
Northwood Lumber Mills moved from Penticton to Okanagan Falls in 1970 and CPR extended service with a spur into the mill. They ran lumber trains to the coast until the fall of 1988. All traffic ceased in 1989. Thanks to Joe Smuin for information for this article.

THEATER BY STARLIGHT ON SKAHA BEACH -1953 TO 1960

Published on June 1, 2023 in Penticton/The Arts by Brian Wilson

In the midst of a typical steamy summer in Penticton, the Parks Board leased a section of Skaha Beach Park to a professional theatre group from Vancouver. The Lancaster Troup that had been involved with Theatre Under the Stars brought their talents to the citizens of Penticton. Local supporters and potential thespians assisted the troupe with the construction of the stage on the sand. They opened July 24th with “Lover’s Leap”.
But it was not without controversy:
Penticton Herald June 24, 1953:
Opposition to location of the Lancaster Company’s Theatre Under the Stars at Skaha Lake was voiced by Mrs. R. B. White who appeared before City Council Monday.
Mrs. White explained that she had nothing against the theatre, or the company, but she did think it was the wrong location.
“I think residents of the area should have been consulted,” Mrs. White told council, “but already there is a big hole in the sand and scaffolding erected.”
The parking problem was Mrs. White’s main concern. She told council very definitely that she would not stand for conditions such as existed for two years running when a carnival was held in that location.
Assured by Acting Mayor Haddleton that council had only approved the theatre in principle so that residents would have opportunity to voice their objections and had referred the matter to the town planning commission. Mrs. White wondered if council had a policy in respect to the park in which the theatre is to be located.
“I think that park is one of our best tourist attractions if left in its natural slate,” she said.
Acting Mayor Haddleton assured Mrs. White that every effort would be made to have orderly parking and Mrs. White appeared resigned if not fully satisfied. Later the proposed issue was presented to council and then referred back to the parks board. At a meeting held Tuesday between the parks board and company officials, the matter was finalized and the Lancaster Company is now in business in Penticton.
Mrs. White was also concerned over litter being scattered at the beach and she suggested that receptacles should be installed at the various drive-ins and concessions.
She spoke regretfully of council’s decision to retire senior employees. “I know most of them and they are fine men and workers,” she said. “I’d like to compliment them.”
Mrs. White concluded her remarks by quietly passing along a box of cigarettes to the city clerk, a gesture of good will which was appreciated during the four hour sitting by the aldermen, civic officials, and the press and radio.
Acting Mayor Haddleton promised that Mrs. White’s suggestions would be carefully considered and that council would certainly pay tribute to its senior employees.
In regard to parking, Alderman F.C. Christian did not see any serious difficulties arising, citing the rowing regatta last year which attracted large numbers as an example.
Penticton Herald July 8, 1953:
Proposed leasing of park land at Skaha Lake to the Lancaster Theatre Company, not yet formalized, prompted close scrutiny of the Municipal Act and both council and parks board learned that under the Act, the parks board has no authority to lease park property.
Opinion of the city solicitor is that the Act is far from clear in its definition of authority, but that apparently authority rests with the City Council, although council must have the approval of the parks board.
Both groups are anxious to have this situation remedied. The parks board and council believe that an elected parks board should have the power to enter into short-term leases which has been the practice up to now.
Council now proposed to submit a resolution at the forthcoming UBCM convention seeking amendment to the Municipal Act to provide the parks board with the authority to enter into short-term leases. In the meantime to comply with the Act, a by-law is being prepared which will set up a council committee, along with three bona fide property owners who could enter into leases for park property.

Regarding the Lancaster Theatre Company lease, a public hearing will be held in the council chambers next Monday at 7pm. A letter from Mrs. White, published in the letter column of this paper of which a copy was sent to Council, will be considered at this hearing.
The hearing is necessitated because of the proposed five-year tenure of the parks property to be leased to the company, although council is not obligated to act on the opinions expressed at the hearing.
THE LETTER –
The Editor,
As longtime residents of Penticton, and as taxpayers for the past 17 years, we would like to bring to the attention of your readers an item in the “legal” column of your paper regarding leasing of park property. The following questions might be worth consideration: From personal experience we know that it is very difficult for local service clubs and organi-zations to obtain use of parks for activities, yet a commercial organization can obtain a lease for a large section at a nominal rental.
We understood that a removable building was to be erected and what appeared to be the stages from Queen’s Park were brought out to Skaha Lake park. Since then a very permanent building has been built round them. Who owns this building, and who is paying for this construction?
If the building remains on the park for the entire year, is the city to receive rent for twelve months, or only for summer months?
Will the upkeep of the building be a matter for the parks board or the leasee? Who is to be the judge of the amount of painting and repairs necessary each year?
Plus has any consideration been given to the fire hazard represented by an empty frame building standing in a grove of large trees in a very windy section of the city miles from the fire hall and fire hydrants? Can large sections of our city parks be leased just as easily? For the information of the citizens of Penticton we feel these questions should be answered.
Mr and Mrs. V. “Jack “ White
Penticton Herald July 15, 1953:
Opposition of some residents at Skaha Lake to renting park land to the Lancaster Theatre Company for Penticton’s Theatre Under the Stars failed to influence City Council on Monday and, with full approval of the parks board, three of whom were present, the lease renting the 7,200 square feet of land, adjacent to the Skaha Lake tennis courts, was given final reading.
The lease gives the Lancaster Company possession of the theatre site until September 3 this year with option of renewal to and including 1958, from June 23 to September 3 each year.
OBJECTIONS AIRED
The company will pay $35 a week rental this year, with the parks board taking an extra bite if the lease is renewed, provision is being made for payment to the board of three-and-a-half percent of theatre revenues over and above $1,000 in future seasons.
The leasees are obliged to keep the area clean, not to extend performances beyond midnight and, if so requested by the parks board, to remove all buildings and fences and level off the site at the end of each season.
Objection to granting of the lease was voiced by Mrs. R. B. White and J.V. White, with Dr. D. C. Boyd and C. L. Sharp supporting Miss Monica Dudley of the Lancaster Theatre Company in advocating the granting of the lease.
Mr. White, as did Mrs. White, emphasized that he was not objecting to the theatre but to its location. He questioned how far leasing of public parks was going to go.
CATTLE CORRAL
Mr. White also wanted to know if the buildings, being public buildings, should be fireproofed and he asked if they were going to be taken down each fall – “They look permanent to me,” he said.
Mrs. Dudley asked Mr. White what objections he had to the buildings remaining on the site and received the answer from Mr. White. “They are not very nice buildings.
Mrs. R. B. White then stood up to say, “It is nothing but a cattle corral. If the buildings stay there through the winter they’ll be playgrounds for children. It is the only piece of land in the town that can be made a decent park,” she declared.
The bark fence was termed an “eyesore” by Mrs. White, and, she asserted, “Everybody is laughing at it.”
Mrs. Dudley said the company was prepared to take the fence down at the end of the season, but Mrs. White remained firm in her opinion. “It is a park,” she said, “and should not be rented to anyone.”
Dr. Boyd drew attention to the service clubs in the city which had got behind the company and whose members had volunteered their labor to building of the theatre. “The theatre is a tremendous tourist attraction,” Dr. Boyd declared.
To Mr. White’s statement in the letter published in last week’s Herald, that the rent was only nominal, Dr. Boyd declared it far from a nominal sum and beyond that, he said, the company paid $120 for a trade license.
Mr. White wanted to know why the bandshell at Gyro Park wasn’t rented to the company. “Why lease a natural park?” he asked.
Dr. Boyd then disclosed that efforts had been made to secure the Gyro Park bandshell, “Which would have made things easier,” but the parks board would not agree to use of the bandshell.
Alex McNicoll, speaking for the parks board, stated that, “The board was trying to act in the best interest of all the citizens of Penticton and not of any selected area.”
CITY’S TRAGEDY
Alderman F. C. Christian came out flatfooted for the theatre. “The tragedy in Penticton is that private houses have been allowed to be established on our shorelines,” he said.
“Public use should be ahead of private use. Groups have been discouraged in the past and Penticton has lost by it. I can’t see anything wrong with this theatre which is providing excellent entertainment. I can’t see any validity to these objections.”
Mrs. White conceded that there seemed to be no parking problem, such as she had feared.
Alderman Wilson Hunt joined the discussion to suggest that the buildings should be made presentable and some landscaping done. “A raw building in the middle of the lot is not my idea of beauty,” Alderman Hunt said.
Assurance was given that steps would be taken along the lines suggested by Alderman Hunt and the hearing was closed.
Later, with the bylaw up for final reading, Alderman J. G. Harris expressed some concern over the apparent change from the original intent of temporary structures. He questioned who would be responsible for cleaning up if the buildings were left standing and if the company did not take up the option in January.
General opinion, however, was that the lease gave adequate powers to the parks board.
In regard to parking the city engineer was instructed to keep an eye on the situation and was instructed, if necessary, to provide for parking on only one side of the street in the theatre area.
Penticton Herald July 15, 1953:
An audience of over 50 people braved the rain Monday evening to see the Company’s presentation of “Hay Fever” in the Theatre by Starlight at Skaha Lake.
Starting tomorrow the company presents “George and Margaret,” the cast which will include Sheila Reed, of the Penticton Players’ Club.

Penticton Herald July 29, 1953:
“Young Wives’ Tale” Brings Comedy Back to Local Starlight Theatre Three local actresses will be featured in the Lancaster Theare Company play next week when the Theatre by Starlight group once again turns to comedy for its weekly presentation.
Tonight is the last night for the romantic drama, “The Shining Hour” and tomorrow will see the curtain rise on, “Young Wives’ Tale” by Ronald Jean.
Rosemary Myerhoff, who appeared with the company in “Hay Fever” makes her second appearance, this time as Eve. Joyce Leir will play the part of Nurse Blott and Margaret Dewdney is cast as the unnamed German woman.
Beginning this week, the Lancaster Company is providing transportation to Skaha Lake. Each evening at 8:15 a free taxi service
will leave from the corner of Wade Avenue and Main Street and be in operation to return patrons to the starting point after the show.
Theatre by Starlight continued success on the beach at Skaha Park through 1960.

In 1964, Jim Onley joined with Penticton Summer Theatre and built an outdoor stage in Riverside Park where Loco Landing is today, and continued the venue for several years.

This article shows the continuous questions of the use of Skaha Park by private enterprise. As it was then is still pertinent today.
I want to thank Glenda Emerson for her research with the Herald microfilm files. Editor

A SPECULATIVE OVERVIEW OF INDIAN RESERVE NO. 2

Published on June 1, 2023 in Uncategorized by Brian Wilson

an essay by Brian Wilson with assistance of David Gregory

I think there is a story to be told of the disappearance of Indian Reserve No. 2. It seems to have been cut back between 1900 and 1906, and is a shadow of it’s previous mass.

Let’s do a little digging into the past: William G. Cox began his duties to Governor Douglas as magistrate of Rock Creek, and 1861 he had to deal with an uprising of miners and Natives. It seems a miner named Cherbart had been murdered by a young native of the Colville band. Although Cox had no jurisdiction on the U.S. side of the border, the young man was retrieved and subsequently hanged without trial. The Okanagans, led by Chief Silhitza protested the lynching by the American miners and the fact that Cox was powerless to charge the whites with any crime. Silhitza travelled to the Oblate Mission on Mission Creek and had the Priest write a letter to Governor Douglas outlining the out-of-control violence against Natives in the Okanagan. He writes “that is what rouses the anger of all the Okanagan tribe which has already taken up arms. I tried to quiet the insurrection by assuring them that I have recourse to your kindness, persuaded as I am that you will give Mr. Cox instructions on the subject.” When questioned by Douglas, Cox just shrugged it off, reporting that everything was “satisfactory”. The shooting and lynching continued and native life was changed forever.
Cox was not finished with the Okanagans having to report many more violent problems over two years. In every case the final outcome was frontier justice. Cox failed to have any effect on relations with natives and whites. Douglas finally took him away from the magistrate job and made him Assistant Commissioner of Lands and Works, answering to Colonel Moody. Cox then reported to the north of Okanagan Lake to deal with an armed insurrection of natives against miners. Moody charged him with marking out a “reserve” as defined by the Indians themselves. Cox had a lengthy interview with Chief Silhitza which ended in a satisfactory agreement for a reserve encompassing most of the head of the lake from Swan Lake to the Kamloops trail. Cox was sent off to do the same for the other Tribes of the Okanagan Nation.

Silhitza drew up a reserve for himself in N’kwala (Nicola Valley) and moved off hoping all was well. But then disaster struck. The Okanagans were decimated by a small pox outbreak in 1862/63. The many deaths seriously affected the population and their ability to govern themselves and it wasn’t long before white settlers began gnawing away at the reserves.
John Carmichael Haynes replaced W. G. Cox as the Queen’s representative in the Okanagan Valley in 1862. Haynes was appointed to the Legislative Council in 1864 and commissioned as a Justice of the Peace as well as Collector of Customs. From his office in New Westminster he dealt with numerous complaints from good British immigrants. They complained that the Natives of the Okanagan had garnered all the best agricultural land and weren’t using it for anything but grazing. Haynes agreed that the reserves were far too large for the diminished population and he would authorize disposal of lands with compensation. Colonial Secretary Birch stepped into the fray and ordered Haynes to dispossess the Indians without compensation as the reserves were “out of proportion”.
Haynes was given an awesome level of power to deal with all issues of government in the south interior, near lordly, somewhat medieval. Judge Haynes arrived via the newly completed Dewdney Trail in 1865 to meet with surveyor J. Turnbull. They met with Chief Tonasket and travelled to Penticton to see Tom Ellis, local cattle rancher. Turnbull did his best to map out the new boundaries as instructed by Haynes and to the disgust of Chief Tonasket. Tonasket can be credited for the retention of the best bottom lands for the Bands but the reserves on the lake were reduced to a shadow of the former acreage and common grazing lands were removed completely.

SPROAT MAP 1877

The Okanagans rose up in discontent until armed rebellion was imminent. Their case impossible to ignore. Haynes’ reserves proved unworkable and were never gazetted.
Gilbert Sproat was named sole commissioner of the Joint Indian Reserve Commission in 1877, and in his short tenure (1880) he layed out the reserves for the Okanagan Tribes, based on the inherent need for grazing, fishing and forestry.
It seems at this point that Penticton Indian Band along with other bands in the valley were satisfied with the results. Penticton claimed five reserves: the west side reserve No. 1, the forest reserve No. 2, the Summerland reserve No. 3, the grazing reserve No. 4 and the Okanagan Falls fishing reserve No. 5.
My research shows that Tom Ellis would not have any of it. Ellis, along with Haynes and his railway syndicate to the south, depended on the grazing of cattle from Okanagan Mountain to the border. Reserve No. 2 lands were claimed by them.
As related in her book, Kathleen Ellis writes that her father proceeded to fence the “east benches”. There would have been only one reason to invest in a fence of this magnitude and that was to diminish the claims of the Penticton Band. Right or wrong he moved to keep them out.
Judge Haynes died in 1888 and Ellis purchased the Haynes estate. It was important to keep it all intact to satisfy the investment syndicate.
Green’s Map of 1906 above shows clearly just how little of Reserve No. 2 remained. Originally Reserve No. 2 comprised 1,427 acres and Ellis took 1,107 of them. This map was produced one year after Ellis sold all his holdings to Okanagan MLA Lytton Shatford and his three brothers.
The Shatfords immediately began selling farming lots and ranches to British immigrants and remittance men at huge profits.
Lytton Shatford’s Southern Okanagan Land Co. lobbied the McKenna-McBride Commission in 1916 to have the remaining 320 acres of Reserve No.2 deleted and reverted to the Crown. There are few records from that era to confirm this research.
In 1982, Penticton Indian Band was compensated $14.2 million for some of the loss.

This article contains research readily available in public archives.

COMMERCIAL BOAT TRAFFIC ON SKAHA LAKE

Published on June 1, 2023 in Penticton/Uncategorized by Brian Wilson

William Jessop Snodgrass was a City Councilor in La Grande, Oregon, in the heart of Union County.

He ran a grist-mill, a mercantile, a freighting business, a steamship line, and had warehouses for miles along the Columbia. He had run for State Senator several times as well as being the Republican candidate for State Treasurer. He owned shares in The Columbia River and Blue Mountain Railway Co. which was to be absorbed by James Hill’s Great Northern in 1885. He was a vocal supporter of the Empire Builder, J.J. Hill and sat as a valued member of his railway syndicate.
When he arrived on the south shore of Dog Lake in 1892, his first thought was to build a boat. The only steamer running on Dog Lake at the time was Louis Holman’s little scow “Miramichi”.
Bill Snodgrass instantly entered into a partnership with Mr. Holman and Dr. Robert Mathison, the valley dentist. They became known as the “Dog Town Syndicate” and they set out to place the little engine from the Miramichi into a nicer hull built in Penticton, that they called the “Jessie”. But that wasn’t big enough and in 1893 they enlisted the Fireman from the S.S. Aberdeen, M.E. Cousins to build a sternwheeler at Okanagan Landing with a shallow enough draught to operate in the river oxbows between Penticton and Dog Lake. They named her the “Fairview” for obvious reasons, and she was captained by Louis Holman. At 55 feet long, she had constant problems in the narrow, shallow swamp of the Okanagan River; and when a she collided with a snag that demolished the wheelhouse and cast the captain overboard, it was decided to plead with the Government for help. Bill Snodgrass was given a $1500 Federal contract to remove snags from the Okanagan River in 1893.

This could be the Fairview but is unidentified

Snodgrass was doing so well with his steamboats, his general stores and his dray service that he wanted a really nice boat for his real estate investors to enjoy. When the “Fairview” caught fire in 1898, he ordered the “Maude Moore” from Ontario and put the engine from the “Fairview” into her. (Steam engines were very rare and expensive in the interior and Mr. Cousins seemed to be a bit of a genius in getting them to run after all kinds of disasters.) The “Maude Moore” turned out to be a real peach of a boat and the envy of all that sailed on her. When J.M. Robinson sailed on her in 1905, he made Mr. Snodgrass an offer he couldn’t refuse and ownership changed hands. She sailed between Summerland and Naramata for many years.

Snodgrass needed another freight boat with the burning of the “Fairview” so he sold the “Jessie” and used the money from both boats to build the sternwheeler “Greenwood” on the same design as the “Fairview”. But fire is the great equalizer, and she too burned.
W.J. Snodgrass’s plan for Okanagan Falls is another story, a story that crowns him the “Lord” of Dogtown. Bill left the area heartbroken after the death of his son, John, from a burst appendix. He chose to return to La Grande, Oregon without fulfilling his dreams and he died from a stroke October 14, 1909.

THE CPR STERNWHEELER KALEDEN AND THE MV YORK

The York was originally destined to replace the tug “Victoria” on Trout Lake, north of Kootenay Lake during the Lardeau gold rush of the 1890’s. How she came to run on Dog Lake is quite a story.
Her 88-foot hull was pre-fabricated at Bertram Iron Works in Toronto in 1900, and shipped in pieces by train to Okanagan Landing, west of Vernon. She was re-assembled and launched on January 18, 1902. Here are her statistics: she was 138 tons gross, 88 feet long by 16 feet wide, with a draught of just over 4 ½ feet. She was a twin tunnel screw-drive with a wood burning two-cylinder 12.9 horsepower steam engine.
The York was originally captained by Joe Weeks, but that was short lived when he took over the Aberdeen in 1904, then the Sicamous in 1922 where he remained. Capt. Reid then took the helm of the York.
Originally the sternwheeler S.S. Kaleden (launched on July 3rd, 1910), was to service the route from Kruger’s Landing to Dog Town (Okanagan Falls). She was 94 feet long by 18.4 feet wide with a 4.6 ft draught. Even with her shallow draught, she just couldn’t navigate the oxbows between Okanagan Lake and Dog Lake. The York was called in to assist each and every attempt at navigation with the S.S. Kaleden. It is rumoured that the Kaleden only made one successful trip to the Falls and was never able to repeat it.
So, for the early inhabitants of Kaleden and Okanagan Falls, it was small boats or overland for all their freight. This continued until the Great War ended.
The York could only navigate the river during high water, so during the freshet of 1921, the S.S. York was transferred to Dog Lake to service the fruitland developments springing up around the Lake.
CPR chose to provide railcar barge service to the south rather than complete the rail line around the lake. A rail slip for a small barge was built at Kruger’s landing and another close to the Falls. The York pushed this barge and four railcars to the various landings. The wharf at Kaleden was not railed so fruit and goods were handled by hand carts. The York could push the barge directly onto the shore for deliveries to farms without wharves.

MV York on Skaha in winter Kruger’s Landing CPR Wharf 1930

The S.S. York continued to be a welcome sight on Skaha Lake until the KVR was completed around the lake in 1931. She was technically the property of the Kettle Valley Railway, having been sold to the corporation for $20,000 in 1920. She was taken out of service in 1932 and sold. She was dismantled and shipped to Nakusp but never reassembled. An era had ended.

THE SMALL BOATS OF SKAHA LAKE

After the fiery demise of the “FAIRVIEW” and the “GREENWOOD” and the sale of the “MAUDE MOORE”, there was a short gap in providing lake service to Dog Lake communities.
The lower wagon road around the lake was dependant on the weather and continual maintenance. Many trips to the southern mines had to turn off and go the over the sand hill track to Twin Lakes and through Willowbrook to Fairview. This was a day longer with fewer changes of teams along the way.

The Mallard at Okanagan Falls Wharf 1914

In 1909, James Ritchie purchased C.N. Higgins yacht “MALLARD” to haul freight to his new subdivision at Marron Creek that he called “Kaleden”. It was natural for him to change the name to the “KALEDEN”. It was simply good advertising.
By 1911, Kaleden was in financial trouble so Ritchie sold the “KALEDEN” to J. Fraser-Campbell and Seaman Hatfield (Kaleden Postmaster). The little boat was slow and heavy and proved difficult in the oxbows. They soon sold her and purchased a forty-foot gas launch, the “CYGNET”.

The Cygnet The Mallard II

These enterprising partners established the South Okanagan Transportation Company and in 1914 launched “MALLARD II”. This little 32-foot, gas driven tunnel screwdrive yacht was much faster and made several trips a day on the lake. The “MALLARD II” was sold in 1920 to Bassett’s Freight Lines and moved to Osoyoos Lake.

June 2023 - page 3