Author

Brian Wilson - page 3

Brian Wilson has 49 articles published.

BOUNDARY TREATY CENTENNIAL 1846-1946

in Boundary/First Nations by

 

Before the completion of the Hope-Princeton Highway, it was normal for auto travelers going to the coast from the Okanagan, to take the American route through Osoyoos to Highway 90. It wasn’t any farther than going through Kamloops on Highway 1.
The border was unmarked, no walls or fences. We knew the border crossing people as they were our neighbours.


The 49th parallel was chosen as part of a negotiation between the governments of America and Great Britain, referred to as the “Oregon Treaty”. In 1846, to quash 20 years of aggressive claims to the territory encompassing Montana to Washington, including BC from the 54th parallel, a true border was agreed to.
George M. Meir, Minister of Education for BC, put this all in perspective: “Oregon Territory was then largely a vast, uninhabited wilderness, valued primarily as a fur preserve by the traders of both countries. Thanks to the organizing genius of the Hudson’s Bay Company, British interests were for many years predominant. Time, however, was working on the side of the United States. A tide of settlement was sweeping across the great American plains which found no parallel in the adjacent British territory. Eventually it reached the shores of the Pacific Ocean and became a deciding factor in solving the question of disputed national sovereignty. Nor must it be forgotten that for both Great Britain and the United States there were larger issues involved, more significant, perhaps, than the mere possession of the thousands of square miles which eventually comprised the states of Washington, Oregon, Montana and Idaho, and the province of British Columbia.
There is however, an even greater significance to the event we commemorate. It brought to a close a period of protracted negotiations that from time to time promised to become fruitful of increasing controversy and tension. The respective claims of Great Britain and the United States to the territory were often ably, though vigorously, expounded. Despite the fact that Oregon Territory was remote, that its great natural resources were practically unknown and unexploited, for a time public sentiment became so inflamed that recourse to war was frequently referred to as a possible, if not probable, means of settling the dispute, Yet in the end an amicable adjustment was reached. In both countries, the real strength of public opinion was arranged against a belligerent policy. The treaty was founded on a basis of neighbourliness, and laid the foundation for future Canadian-American relations in this westernmost part of the continent that has been preserved from that day to this.
Admittedly, the relations of Canada and the United States since that day have many times been troubled, but they have never been strained beyond the point of peaceful adjustment. Our joint problems have all been faced and solved in the light of a realm that springs from the knowledge that whilst we are two peoples, we are one family.”

 

The Boundary Treaty Centennial drew caravans of goodwill from all sections of the Okanagan Valley. They motored to the international border at Osoyoos and Omak on the overcast Sunday afternoon of June 16th. Decorated cars and floats, veteran groups, school bands, and native Chiefs in full regalia, ebrated the unveiling of a monument by Dr. R.R. Laird, MLA for Similkameen, and J.V. Rogers, Mayor of Wenatchee.


The event combined speeches of celebration from Women’s Institutes, Legion groups and awards to both country’s high school students. The most notable participation was from the Colville First Nation and the Inkameep First Nation in the declaration of brotherhood officiated by Chief Narcisse Baptiste George, and Chief Jim James.

Canadian Navy Captain Clarence King DSO, DSC recently retired to Osoyoos, with Chief Jim James of the Colville Nation.

The native Chiefs spoke at length of the original treaties of the last century that allowed them to continue to be one nation that could travel unimpeded across the border. Chief George noted that Chief James was his cousin as they shared a great-great-grandfather who worked as a packer for the Hudson’s Bay Company and introduced the French language to the Okanagan peoples.

Our border today is marked in most places of B.C. with only a slash on the mountains. It is maintained now by highly technical satellite imaging.

WHERE THE HECK IS SEYMOUR CITY?

in Shuswap/The Arts by

“This is an outline of the history of the settlement at the head of Shuswap Lake, first known as Seymour City and later as Seymour Arm.” Bill Allison, 1979.



The first settlement there in 1865, was a supply and outfitting point of men going to the gold rush strike in the Big Bend of the Columbia River and it was also the end of navigation for the steamboats. There were two trails to the Big Bend; one went up Ratchford Creek to the Columbia River, and one went over the Cotton Belt plateau.
In the early 1900’s, a land development company called the Seymour Arm Estates acquired a large tract of land on the Arm which they divided into five, ten, and fifteen acre orchard sites, then advertised the land for sale all over Canada, the United States and Britain. They encouraged people to buy land and get rich growing fruit. Of course, they led people to believe all you had to do was plant the trees and sit around in the shade and watch the fruit grow ripe and profitable. However, this was far from the truth as the land at Seymour Arm was covered with debris and large tree stumps which had to be removed. This land clearing was a slow and costly business. The company brought in large steam donkey engines to pull the stumps and pile them in large piles to be burned.


The Seymour Arm Estates had borrowed money to develop their land from the Dominion Trust Company and all went well until the President shot himself and it was found that the Trust Co. was bankrupt. This ended the Seymour Arm Estates’ plans and they were placed in receivership. The settlers found that there was a large mortgage on all the property which they could not pay nor did they have the money to hire lawyers to try to get the title to their land. There were a few who managed and lived there for many years, but most of them left as there was no work except temporary work in the logging camps.


When I was a boy my father sometimes took me to watch the powerful logging machines at work. It really was an exciting experience to watch these steam engines pull these tree-length logs three to four feet in diameter through the woods. The men who operated these steam donkeys were masters of their art and as a boy, it was exciting to watch the men unloading these machines from the barges they brought them in on. They would move these big machines ahead on the barge until they were ready to tip over, then yank the throttle wide open and they would leap onto the beach. They would have a team of horses roll the cable from the first donkey out to its length and anchor to a tree. The others would attach their cable to the one ahead so when the first donkey pulled itself ahead, it would pull the cable of the second donkey out and then it would pull itself up to the first donkey and so on until they reached their work point. I think my greatest ambition as a boy was to be a donkey puncher, as the men who operated them were called. In the winter they used a lot of horses when logs could be hauled on the snow on large, two-runner sleighs, called sloops. The roads were watered to create ice roads so two horses could move large loads. They used another team called a snatch team to start the load moving
Al Bass was the first permanent settler at Seymour Arm and lived in a log cabin on the east side of the lake which still bears his name as “Bass Point”. The settlement four miles down from the head of the lake was named Albas after him. He was well past middle age when I first remember him, but was a very interesting man to know. He started life out as a trapper and hunter in the Mississippi River Valley in the days when your life was always in danger and several times he was robbed of everything but the clothes he had on, and in one occasion, nearly starved to death before reaching the nearest settlement. He followed the advance of the white man across the United States to California, taking in all the gold rushes, travelling either on horseback or with the wagon trains used before the railroads were built. His main interest in his life had been prospecting for gold, but he had apparently never been lucky enough to make any great deal of money from it. The Klondike was the only gold rush he missed and I have often wondered why. Bass knew Buffalo Bill and a lot of notable men of those days, including some notorious outlaws. I often wondered if Sam Bass, the outlaw killed by a Texas Ranger, was his brother. He was one of the most interesting men I knew to talk to.
My father, George Allison, first lived up on the bench from the lake and planted an orchard there but a few years later he built a summer home down near the lake but when winter came my mother did not want to move back to the original home, so the summer home was enlarged and we lived there for quite a few years. Then we moved onto the Gillis property and as the original Gillis house had burned down, my father built a large house there which also caught fire and burned down. Then he built a smaller log house and a few years later he moved on to a homestead on the south side of Daniels’ Bay. Then my mother became very ill and needed to be near a doctor so they moved to Kamloops where they have both passed away.
When I left public school at Seymour Arm I went to Calgary to live with my uncle and aunt and took a two-year course in steam engineering. But when I had finished that, the law would not allow anyone under twenty-one to be in charge of a steam plant of any kind except on the railroad. I worked at several other jobs and in 1928 went to work for the C.P.R. as an engine watchman, but when the depression began in late 1929 I was out of a job. So I went back to Seymour Arm until 1940 when the war began. Then I went back to work on the railroad as a fireman and later as an engineer and retired off the Canadian in 1973.
The hotel at Seymour Arm was being built by Forest Daniels when my father arrived and he worked on it until it was finished. The hotel was operated by Bert Freeman and his wife Laura for some time, including my mother when the Granby Mining Co. was doing exploration work at the Cottonbelt mine. It was deserted for many years and was about ready to collapse when new people decided to restore it and operate it in the 1960’s and now looks as good as when I first remember it.
But the most outstanding bit of history, is the Collins Mansion. The 13-room home was built by Charles John Collings, who came to Canada from England in 1910. The Collings were English people: father, mother, and two sons, Carl and Guy.
I believe that Mr. Collings, a very famous watercolour painter whose works are in tions at the Vancouver Art Gallery, Banff’s Whyte Gallery and other private collections, was looking for a remote property where he could paint and where his sons could farm.
It is said that the Collings lived in a tent for a year while a big house was being built.


All of the materials were brought in by boat, and then transported by horse and wagon, and everything was built by hand.
As an artist he had earned enough so the sons never had to go out to work, though they did so for short periods, but most of their lives were spent continuing to build an old style English home under their father’s supervision, complete with beautiful landscaping and lots of flowers. It still is a beautiful place and so it should be having been almost a lifetime’s work for the two men.
The original house was small and built from cedar logs stood on end on a wooden foundation. Some years later they built a two-storey addition more than twice the size of the original house and it was built on a cement foundation. In Guy’s last years he built another addition to the back of the newer part of the house. It was a beautiful billiard room. The family also had a large grand piano in the living room as both Mr. and Mrs. Collings were pianists. This large piano was built into the house so the only way it could be taken out would be to take it to pieces or take the end wall out of the living room. The living room also had a large home-made stone fireplace and a lot of ornaments that Mr. Collings had brought from various parts of the world. One of those was a music box that was gifted to the Collings from former U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt. This amazing music box played the big huge steel discs, so when I would go over there the one song that the boys just loved to play was “Listen to a Mockingbird”. The huge steel things would play that in a trill that this music box made it sound so incredible it almost brought tears to your eyes.
Charles Collings’ son Guy lived in the house the longest, and when he passed away the house was passed down to his good friend John Rivette.
The last time I visited Guy, the old part of the house was in very bad shape as the wooden foundation had rotted away and as it was built right on the ground, there was no way to repair it but to tunnel under it and remove enough earth to make a working space under it. Guy was in his seventies by that time and said that he did not feel he could do anything with it.

SIR THOMAS AT SUMMERLAND

in Okanagan/Summerland by

Summerland Inspected
By David Gregory

In the year 1900, the Canadian Pacific Railway made the decision to acquire 10,000 acres of land in the Interior of British Columbia to grow fruit for their new C.P.R. hotels. By 1901, after an extensive search, two properties were short-listed. The Kamloops proposal was dropped because of questionable water reliability. The Trout Creek property, in the centre of the Okanagan Valley, was also dropped because there wasn’t enough acreage; only 4,000 acres. So the C.P.R executive abandoned the idea. But C.P.R. President Sir Thomas Shaughnessy (1853-1923) decided to personally proceed with the acquisition of the Trout Creek property.
Shaughnessy created the Summerland Syndicate to purchase Barclay’s Trout Creek cattle ranch. By August 1902 the sales agreement between George Barclay and the Summerland Syndicate was completed.
Shaughnessy immediately created the Summerland Development Company. Shaughnessy owned almost all of the company shares and voting was based on one vote per share. His company built the water system, the road system, the electrical system (first community in the Okanagan) and his company assisted with the telephone system. Shaughnessy moved quickly. In the Fall of 1902, his company built the Summerland Hotel.
Sir Thomas Shaughnessy had been president of the C.P.R since 1899, and each year he conducted a national inspection tour of C.P.R. properties. Some described this tour as the “dreaded white glove inspection tour.” Shaughnessy insisted on quality and cleanliness of C.P.R. services. In 1903, Summerland was added to his annual inspection tours.


1904 INSPECTION
Lord Shaughnessy arrived in Summerland on Sept. 22, 1904. Many of the CPR executives accompanied him to Summerland. Several members of the tour had Summerland orchard homeowners included Sir Thomas Shaughnessy, Sir William Whyte, Sir Edmund Osler, R.B. Angus, Sir Edward Clouston, Sir Herbert Holt and Charles Hosmer. Other prominent citizens included Sir George Drummond, Henry Cambie, Richard Marpole and prominent Vernon Bank of Montreal manager, G.A. Henderson.


1907 INSPECTION
This tour was a special event for Summerland. The Council proclaimed a half-day municipal holiday, Shaughnessy Day, October 18th, to celebrate his visit. Shaughnessy was met at the C.P.R wharf by the Summerland Brass Band and a large group of cheering citizens. The community also had a display of fruit and other farm product. This tour included C.P.R. executives, R.B. Angus, Sir Edmund Osler, Sir Herbert Holt, W.D. Matthews, Sir William Whyte, Richard Marpole, Captain Gore and G.J. Bury. This display of fruit was the origin of Summerland’s Fall Fair, which by 1909 became an important annual event.


1908 INSPECTION
For this tour, C.P.R. executives included Sir Edward Clouston, Sir Herbert Holt, Sir Edmund Osler and R.B. Angus. Accompanying the C.P.R. executives on this tour was provincial horticulture commissioner R.M. Palmer. This tour also included visits to Vernon and Kelowna. According to the Victoria Daily Colonist, “Mr. Palmer is of the opinion that the fruit output of the part of the Okanagan visited will increase to such an extent during the next two years as to render it necessary to augment the transportation facilities.” He suggested that railway barges would improve efficiency. In 1908 Vernon had approximately 3,800 acres of fruit, Kelowna about the same and the Summerland/Penticton area had over 5,000 acres.

    

Summerland Hotel

1910 INSPECTION
Historically, this tour was the most important. Through the efforts of Shaughnessy’s Summerland Development Company, Summerland was now the most prosperous community in the Okanagan Valley. According to the government’s 1909 land assessments, Summerland was valued at $1,060,000, Coldstream: $934,618, Penticton: $845,955, Kelowna: $840, 660 and Peachland: $305, 200.
The S.S. Okanagan arrived at the Summerland wharf with the Shaughnessy party. With Sir Thomas were two of Shaughnessy’s daughters, Sir William Whyte, R.B. Angus, Sir Herbert Holt, Sir Edward Clouston, Charles Hosmer, Mr. Switzer, Captain Gore and T. Kilpatrick.
R.B. Angus had participated in each tour of Summerland. In 1910 he was 79 years old. Summerland representatives included Summerland Reeve R.H. Agur, and Agricultural president Charlie J. Thomson. The site of the second Fall Fair (then called the Apple Show) was at the Okanagan Fruit Union’s new packing-house at the C.P.R wharf. The Fall Fair was scheduled to coincide with the Shaughnessy visit. For the event, a new apple developed by L.D. McCall was named ‘Shaughnessy Red”. There were 450 entries into the Fair. Winners included Summerland orchardist Frank Osler for his ‘fameuse’ apple (Sir Edmund Osler’s brother). During the visit, Shaughnessy presented J.M. Robinson with a cheque for $600; a token of appreciation for his assistance with the development of the community.
Sir Thomas Shaughnessy was pleased with the progress of the community. So, in 1910, his Summerland Development Company sold the road, water and electrical systems to the District of Summerland.
Shaughnessy continued to conduct his national inspection tour until 1916 when eye sight began to fail. That year was also the last tour for 85 year old R.B. Angus. Angus kept ownership of his Summerland orchard home until his death in 1922.

2009 INSPECTION
One hundred years after Sir Thomas Shaughnessy officially opened Summerland’s first Fall Fair, his grand-daughter, the Honourable Brigid Shaughnessy, opened Summerland’s 2009 Fall Fair. She donated a new trophy, the Shaughnessy Cup, to the event. Ms. Shaughnessy travelled throughout the community and was especially interested in some business opportunities. She particularly enjoyed the Kettle Valley Steam Railway: which included riding in the engine room of Locomotive 3716.




Sir Thomas Shaughnessy became Baron Shaughnessy or Lord Shaughnessy in 1916 for his contributions to Canada’s war effort. The title “Baron” or “Lord” is not a hereditary title, except for four Canadian families: Strathcona, Beaverbrook, Morris and Shaughnessy. So, there still is a Lord Shaughnessy: Charles Shaughnessy, an actor in Hollywood. And yes, the current Lord Shaughnessy follows the progress of Summerland.

photos courtesy Summerland Museum Archives

RAISING THE ROOF AT THREE VALLEY GAP

in Revelstoke/Shuswap by

A PHOTO ESSAY BY George Bergson

The Three Valley development goes back to the late 1950’s when Gordon and Ethel Bell bought some swampland in an isolated area off the Trans Canada Highway, 19 km west of Revelstoke in the Eagle Pass.
In 1960, after years of work and many truckloads of fill, they opened a seven-room motel. Fast-forward to 2008, and the motel has grown into a 200-room hotel with great family amenities, a helicopter pad and its very own ghost town.
When Gordon was 16 and working on a construction site, he discovered the remains of French Creek, a one time mining town north of Revelstoke. Even at that age, he took note of many historic artefacts abandoned and left to rust. After opening the motel with his wife, he went to work salvaging and restoring the old equipment.
That was the beginning of what has turned out to be one of B.C.’s history conservation efforts: Three Valley Gap Heritage Ghost Town.
On April 19th, 2004, my wife and I drove from our home in Penticton, BC, north and then east to Revelstoke, BC. Our primary purpose was to visit the Three Valley Gap Ghost Town and Railroad Museum.
We left Penticton early enough for the 260 km trip to allow a leisurely drive and to photograph as many railroad operations along the route as possible.
We stopped at Sicamous for coffee. We then drove to the CP yard, to photograph the CP modular building and the swing bridge on the CP main over the channel connecting Mara Lake to Shuswap Lake. This is a summer haven for boaters and tourists alike but the weather had not brought out any action on the two lakes from our vantage point.
Back onto the Trans-Canada Highway we proceeded east towards Revelstoke. At Craigellachie we were surprised to find Great Canadian Railtour Company’s eastbound “Rocky Mountaineer” parked on the CP main right at the replacement “station” and caboose on display. No passengers were on the ground although at every vestibule there were people enjoying the ambiance of the spring mountain air.

Son George Bell and Gordon Bell

After we were back onto the highway, we observed several eastbound trains parked on the main as we drove on. When we got to Revelstoke, the reason was clear. The rail grinding Harsco Track Technologies RMS & Rail Grinding Train was tying up on a passing track right in town by the Revelstoke Railway Museum. A CP Rail Hyrail Truck with a tank was dousing small spot fires and followed the rail grinding train into the siding. We then went for lunch and during this time many trains passed through Revelstoke including “Rocky.” After lunch we snooped through CP’s yard in town and photographed every plow, spreader and caboose on the storage track.
Driving back west to the Three Valley Gap resort, some 19 km, we checked in at about 14:00. From our room looking west down the lake, the manicured gardens are nestled in a “U” formation in the middle of the resort. Our attention was drawn to a CASE steam tractor on display in the gardens. To our amazement there were three senior type people putting wood into the firebox. We went to the gardens and as smoke rose from the stack, valves were tinkered with and soon steam was coming up. Enough even to make the steam whistle moan throughout the valley. The CASE tractor crew started whistling at every east and westbound train passing but the big GE AC4400CW locomotives did not respond. The CP main is right behind (north of) the Chateau.
Then we went to the new railway roundhouse building to try to find out when the roof section, just built, was to be raised into place. This roof section was built of steel over the winter of 2003-2004 on the ground. When raised into place it will be over the future turntable area. It was designed to anchor into the steel columns at the rear of the new railway museum building and to complement it. (These columns were 8×12 and 12×12. There were 24 pillars, weighing 50 to 60 pounds per linear post.) When completed, lights will ring the roof dome and should be quite a sight for motorists passing on the Trans-Canada Highway. Also completion of this section will allow crews to work year-round on the railway coaches, caboose and backshops. Snow pack levels are quite high here.
Four giant cranes from the GWIL firm were on site setting up, and a check with the loadmaster revealed that Tuesday morning, April 20th, the lift was to start at 8am. However, Mr. Bell, who engineered the whole project, pointed out that one crane would have to be re-rigged as the lifts must be positioned 90 degrees apart. This was not the case. Re-rigging took place on one crane at 8:15 and by 9am the set-up was done. The lift started at 9:30 and all four cranes lifted in unison. By 10am it was obvious that this 53.5 ton roof section was starting to move in the breeze slightly and appeared to resemble a flying saucer. Streamer ropes attached to the roof were then tied onto vehicles on site as anchors and the motion was soon controlled.
At 11:50 the roof section was raised the necessary 47 feet and was united with the steel columns of the museum building. At this point, Gordon was on the roof of the museum building to receive and guide into place the new roof section. The alignment was perfect. The next step was to lift into place the remaining 24 “I” beams to support the roof section other than at the museum building proper. This task was completed by a local crane company who worked under the 53.5 ton roof section while the GWILL cranes maintained their lift. Finally by 15:30 the roof was lowered into place on the “I” beam columns. Welding the roof to the “I” beams was the next step while the GWIL cranes prepared to depart from their two-day task.
Now with the roof and “I” beams in place, steel siding will be attached to the “I” beams to complete the enclosure of the new turntable area. Photographs taken through the columns of coaches and caboose in their stalls will never be available again from the exterior.
On the positive side, work can continue on restoring the museum exhibits year-round. For example, already CN 58913 crew diner, ex CN dining car 1296, is undergoing reworking to resemble what a dining car interior would have looked like at the time. Already the interior roof section is taking shape and the new windows are in. This exhibit will be wheelchair accessible and judging from what can be seen, this on-going project will be something to enjoy when completed.
It was time to depart Three Valley Gap and head back to Penticton. I want to return when the turntable is installed at Canada’s newest roundhouse. As a young boy I watched in awe while steam locomotives were moved onto and through the turntable at CN’s Calder shops in Edmonton, Alberta in the early 1950’s.

George Bergson is a retired CNR electrician. He is an accomplished photographer and historian for CN Special Interest groups in the Okanagan and the Northwest. He is a regular contributor to this page.

THE NURSE, THE WOODSMAN, THE PREMIER AND THE MEDAL

in Hope/Similkameen by

THE NURSE: In the summer of 1926, A Vancouver nurse, Mary Warburton, trekked to the Okanagan on foot through the Cascade wilderness.

This statement in itself doesn’t seem too newsworthy, but she got lost for five weeks and survived. She was an accomplished hiker from the UK and was very fit; single and determined.
She arrived in Hope on August 24th and called into the Provincial Police office and informed them as to her plans. The weather was perfect. The constable told her that she should be able to be in Princeton in 5 days over the well-marked pack trail.
She felt positive about the trek and carried only enough supplies for the few days. She was sure she would meet others along the way.
She did meet travellers along the way who took note of her. Bert Thomas and Alf Allison chatted with her while packing to Princeton and offered to accompany her along the track. She declined and sped off saying she would see them up ahead.
When the two arrived in Princeton, they thought it was odd that they had not seen any sign of her on the trail. They checked in with the local PP office to see if they knew anything about her. The constable telephoned Hope to check and was told when she had left and that they assumed she would already be in Princeton. Immediately, Constable Dougherty saddled up and hit the trail. After a day he returned, announcing that there was no sign of her. Nurse Warburton had disappeared.
THE WOODSMAN: Willard “Podunk” Davis was a Princeton pioneer, experienced woodsman and prospector. He had packed the mountains and valleys of the Cascade for most of his life. He made a few dollars as a guide and packer for those travelling the trails from Hope. He had the survival skills of a native.
The Vancouver papers got hold of the human interest story that followed several searches from the Hope side. Warburton’s own brother took up the search but by mid-September, it was called off. With an early snowfall, the search was deemed hopeless.
But the early hunt by Constable Dougherty, haunted him. He felt a bit responsible for not going west far enough to pick up her trail. By September 15th, he convinced Podunk Davis to pack him into the off trail areas. They set off with an extra horse “to pack the body out.”
Within a couple of days, they decided to turn south down Snass Creek and head into Paradise Valley to a small shelter that Podunk had built on one of his pack trails.
When they arrived, they found the shelter had burned to the ground. Podunk said he always kept a coffee can with matches to help anyone passing by to have a fire. Obviously someone had been by. They had information of hunters in the area and headed down into the valley close to the creek. There was an obvious trail so they followed it.
By dusk, they set up their tent and were just lighting a fire, when Fred Dougherty heard a bit of a crash in the woods across the creek. He drew his pistol and shot a couple of rounds into the air. Immediately there was a faint call from the woods. Podunk flew into action and splashed across the creek and into the woods. There he found the emaciated form of Nurse Warburton. He embraced her and gently guided her to the tent and warm fire. She was barely alive.
The men were concerned that she was so ill that she wouldn’t live through the night. They managed to get a thin soup into her and she seemed to rally. Podunk was not sure whether she would be strong enough to ride the packhorse out the next morning. But he was wrong. She held fast with remarkable fortitude and within eight hours they were at the trailhead near Whipsaw Creek. Fred went ahead at this point and arranged a cart to be sent up to fetch her. Mrs. Barrington-Foote heard the news and insisted on coming along to help as only another woman could in this situation. She was taken to Princeton Hospital where she was tended to. She weighed in at just over 80 pounds.
Mary Warburton recovered completely and after thanking everyone who helped find her, she bid farewell and carried on to Penticton to pick fruit. The following year she did the same trek successfully.
She continued to hike through the following years until, between Squamish and Indian Arm, she did one too many and disappeared for good.
THE PREMIER: Honest John Oliver, Premier of the day, had followed the reports in local newspapers of the harrowing rescue of Nurse Warburton. He insisted that his staff arrange a ceremony to meet Podunk Davis and others involved in the search for her.
At a Princeton park in December, 1926, he awarded Podunk with the Canadian Humane Society Medal for Bravery.

                                                                                 

WHO WAS ‘HONEST JOHN OLIVER’?

in Okanagan/Oliver by

 

                    

In 2015, the town of Oliver erected a memorial to Premier John Oliver. Any middle school student can tell you that he was a leader of our province in the 1920’s, but few of you readers could answer any questions as to accomplishments during his tenure. Who was he really, and why is Oliver named for him?

He was born July 31, 1856, in Hartington, England, the eldest of Robert and Emma Oliver’s eight children. John Oliver grew up in an English farming community, where his family eked out a modest living. The Oliver family immigrated to Canada, settling on a farm in 1870, in Maryborough Township, Ontario. He decided, at age 20, to travel west. On May 5, 1877, he arrived in Victoria, looking for work. He found it on the mainland of British Columbia with a survey crew of the Canadian Pacific Railway. After a summer of hard labour, he had saved enough money to start a farm, so he pre-empted land in Surrey.
While building a cabin and clearing land, Oliver was drawn to community affairs. He helped to establish a rural school and he petitioned the provincial government for assistance with roads in the recently settled district. At age 26, he was appointed clerk of the municipality; he also served as tax collector. In the fall of 1882, he resigned his positions, sold his land, and purchased a farm in Delta. Four years later he married Elizabeth Woodward, a daughter of the local postmaster. They would raise five sons and three daughters, while developing one of the most prosperous farms in the region. Oliver also earnestly applied himself to municipal affairs in Delta. He became a school trustee and a few years later he was elected to the municipal council where he served two terms as reeve.
Although Oliver loved rural life, he had set his sights on higher public office. At age 43, he took a long-contemplated step into provincial politics by running in the election of June, 1900. At the time, politics in British Columbia were characterized by intense factionalism and the absence of formal parties.
In February, Joseph Martin had assumed the premiership. Surprisingly, Oliver threw his lot in with Martin’s forces and campaigned aggressively in Westminster-Delta. On June 9th, Martin’s group went down to a crushing defeat, electing only 6 members to a house of 38. Oliver experienced his first important political triumph, however, winning his seat.
By aligning himself with Martin, Oliver had identified himself as a Liberal, in opposition to the government of millionaire coal miner, James Dunsmuir. Certainly, Oliver’s own brand of liberalism was shaped by his rural conservative roots. He earned the nickname “Honest John” for his principled pursuit of a legislative inquiry in 1902-3 into railway land grants that helped to bring down the government of Dunsmuir’s successor, Edward Gawler Prior, in June 1903. This scandal pointed the accusatory finger directly at CPR governor, Lord Shaughnessy, who attempted to dispose of undesirable granted lands for blocks that looked promising for oil deposits.
With Prior forced to resign, Richard McBride formed the next government. He immediately called an election and announced that it would be the first in British Columbia to be fought along party lines. Even though Oliver had had a falling-out with Martin, there was little doubt that he would campaign as a Liberal. On Oct. 3rd, 1903, he was returned in Delta with an increased majority.
In the fall of 1909, Macdonald was appointed to the bench, creating a vacancy in the position of provincial Liberal leader. Oliver had emerged as his chief lieutenant and was the obvious choice for the post. He became leader with insufficient time to prepare for the general election, called for Nov. 25th, 1909. A vociferous critic of the government’s railway policy, he decided to make it the centerpiece of his campaign. He disapproved of the recently negotiated contract with the Canadian Northern Railway for a line from the Alberta border to Vancouver, arguing that the province was not obliged to assist a private railway and that the details of the contract should have been made public before the election.
For the first time in almost a decade, Oliver would not sit in the legislature; he lost in the two ridings he had contested, Delta and Victoria. There were reports that $60,000 had been spent to defeat him.
Early in 1912, McBride called a provincial election. With increased public revenues and little opposition, the Conservatives were poised for another easy victory.
On March 28th, 1912, Oliver suffered another political setback and the Liberal party was completely shut out of the legislature. It was difficult to believe that there was a future for the Liberal party in the province. Oliver’s political career and dreams of higher public office were were seemingly finished.
The provincial economy was unable to sustain rapid levels of growth and headed into a recession as World War I broke out. On Dec. 15th, 1915, McBride surprised many by resigning the premiership. In the spring of 1916, two Liberals, including Brewster, the new party leader, won by-elections. When Bowser took his Tories to the polls late in the summer, he faced a more organized Liberal party with some new, reformist ideas. In 1916, Oliver was successful in Dewdney as part of an impressive electoral victory; 36 Liberals, 9 Conservatives, and 2 independents were chosen. The Liberals began a quarter century in which they would be the dominant force in British Columbia’s politics.
Oliver was appointed by Brewster, the new premier, to two cabinet positions, agriculture and railways. In both portfolios he applied himself keenly, inspired by the Liberal victory. Agriculture was a natural choice for him. He took great pride in his understanding of the challenges faced by farmers and he believed that a strong agricultural sector was vital to the province’s future. He also concerned himself with the soldiers who would return from the war and wanted to ensure that they would have the opportunity to own and develop farms in rural areas of the province. “Thinking over these problems in the night,” wrote his biographer, “an idea occurred to him. He got out of bed, and sitting in his nightshirt . . . he drew up the Land Settlement (and Development) Act.” This landmark legislation, passed in 1917, would be dubbed the “nightshirt” act. John Oliver successfully urged the federal government to establish a national policy for the settlement of returning soldiers.

The humble beginnings of the town of Oliver – originally called “Canteen” 1922
 

 What this Act of the Legislature enabled Oliver to do, was to raise funds to purchase a parcel of land from Senator Lytton Shatford and the South Okanagan Land Company. A deal was drawn up for the purchase of 22,000 acres of land from the border to Okanagan Falls, along the Okanagan River. The price was $350,000. In 1919, the South Okanagan Lands Project was launched.

 

Lytton Shatford MLA and Senator
Returning veterans were given special purchasing privileges for the land to be developed. They could work on the water system for $5 for a 10 hour day and chose a five or ten acre parcel for 10% down of the $1000 (five acre) or $1000 (ten acre). Price per acre was half for the bigger parcel. If they made the payments for 5 years they would receive a $500 rebate. Irrigation rates would be an additional $6 per acre per year. A hundred and fifty men came for the first contract.
Oliver had already established himself as one of Brewster’s chief lieutenants when the premier died on March 1st, 1918. Oliver was elected leader of the Liberal party and on March 6th, he became premier. He would hold the reins of power, in his distinctively rustic fashion, for almost a decade. He was to retain the agriculture portfolio until April, 1918 and the railway portfolio until October, 1922.
When Oliver became premier, his government attempted to deal with the challenges anticipated in the post-war period by introducing social legislation that limited work to an eight-hour day in certain industries, improved working conditions, and provided a minimum wage for women. It moved as well to establish mothers’ pensions in 1920, to provide maintenance for deserted wives, and to improve both health and educational services. Legislation to regulate public utilities and impose controls on the forest industry was also passed.
In 1927, his greatest feat was the passing of the Old Age Pension Act. All of these initiatives were based on the belief that direct government intervention was the best way to deal with the problems that beset the province after the war.
While on tour in May of 1927, he fell ill and was rushed to Mayo clinic where it was discovered he had cancer. He died soon after.

That’s why Oliver is named in recognition of “Honest John” and his dedication to the province and to our veterans.

source: James Morton – Honest John Oliver,
J.M.Dent & Sons Ltd. – 1933



KELOWNA’S HORSE RACING HISTORY A GAMBLER’S PARADISE

in Kelowna/Okanagan/sports by

                                                   

A Pictorial Essay by Brian Wilson

With all the research I do on a daily basis, there is one thing that has not shown up in any of the new, flashy histories of Kelowna. It’s the early horse racing and para-mutual betting events from 1895 to 1930.
There has always been racing events in colonial days with the first racetrack built in Vernon around 1900 where Kin Park is today. Kelowna’s track was built just after the turn of the century close to Knox Mountain. It later became the Fair Grounds.

 

After digging through papers and reports, as well as citizens reminiscences, I found very little on the sport of champions that was a fixture of British life.
There is plenty on “Riding Clubs”, “Gymkhanas”, and “Rodeos” and all the Dressage stuff.
But our Archive photo collection says differently. We have a great collection of race photos from the elite of Kelowna.

                                                     

This aerial by Judd Ribelin was taken around 1938. It is particularly interesting, not just for the fair grounds but for the CN railyards and the sawmill housing. The mill was a huge employer.

                                                       

The photo above shows the Kelowna polo players preparing for a game against the Grand Prairie (Westwold) team in 1904. It was so successful that both Vernon and Kamloops formed teams.
Edith Weddell writes in 1962, “The game was played on a field where the CN tracks are. The umpire was T.C. Kerr and the Kelowna players were E.M. Carruthers, E.A. Barneby, Harold Stillingfleet and W. Barlee.”
There was so much support for the sport that the Kelowna Polo Club was formed. By 1906, a sports association came into being and was able to purchase the polo field from Dr. Boyce. Strangely, the field was still referred to as the ‘polo grounds’ right up to WWI, even though by then it was a full mile and a half (or 12 furlongs) racetrack.
I need to interject here with a note from information regarding inter-racial events in Vernon. The colonial riders just weren’t up to par with the native riders, so they had the races separately. The English riders learned over the years to not fall for the teasing of the Indian riders to get them to race. Even bareback, they could outdistance them all. It is legend that one Similkameen native even won riding his steed backwards.
This Kelowna event differs from Vernon in that Mr. Narcisse came over from Penticton. He was son of chief Narcisse and an accomplished rider. There is no record of how he placed in the races, but there was good money to be won.
Evidence of the segregated races is the last race on the 1906 Program below. Native women were referred to as “Kloochmen”, a Chinook dialect word, that was not very PC.

                                                                 
The property was developed as time went on to include a race tower, grandstands and paddocks.

                                                               

The Polo Club did quite well in competition, winning the Roper Challenge Cup (British Columbia provincial competition) two years in a row, 1909-10.
The Kamloops Sentinel reported, “The match between the Kelowna and the Kamloops polo teams took place on the Kamloops Club’s fine grounds on the Indian Reserve this past Saturday afternoon. The game was a fast one from start to finish and the visitors, by good combination play and the possession of better ponies than those of local players, won by a score of 8 to 3. This is the second consecutive time that Kelowna has won the Roper Cup Challenge, the team being the same as the one which was successful last year.”
The club put on many events over the years prior to WWI including Gymkhanas and holiday racing. Some of those races that we don’t hear much about in the modern realm are: Ladies’ and Men’s bending race, tennis ball race, Postilion race (lead an extra mount back over hurdles).
“The potato race was won by L. Casorso, first and Ian Cameron, second.”

But the declaration of war in Europe changed everything. The men put down the mallets and put on uniforms. As with the whole valley, they went to fight.
The Kelowna Sports Association just faded away and so did the polo grounds. The financial obligation could not be met, and the property reverted back to the first owner.
That was the end of organized racing and betting. It was gone forever.
The Kelowna Agricultural Fair Association formed in 1927, and the city constructed the fair grounds on the corner of Richter and Gaston Ave. The first regular fair was held in 1928 and continued into the mid-1930’s. The Great Depression took it’s toll and that too ceased.

                                                                           

Here’s a couple of my favourites from Kelowna horse history: above – a wonderful photo by Huddy Hudson of dressage in 1908. Below – the Kelowna Fall Fair parade down Richter Street in the mid-20’s. Cowboy outfits and stage coaches replaced the British suit and tie. Editor

                                                                 

THE SAGA OF THE OOKPIK PARTY BARGE

in Okanagan/Penticton/Uncategorized by

    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?

in Okanagan/Vancouver by

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

in Uncategorized by

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.

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