by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | May 11, 2025 | Animals, Guest Bloggers, Okanagan birder, Pam Laing, Uncategorized
It’s spring and that means nesting time! In this article we’ll take a look at nests instead of a specific species. Birds come in all shapes and sizes, and need different habitats in which to thrive and raise their young. Similarly, nests too vary widely, from the tiny...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Apr 26, 2025 | Animals, Bloggers, Uncategorized
By D. Scott Forfar When you browse the Lake Country Museum’s historical photograph collection, you will discover many photos of dogs puppies, pampered lapdogs, and working farm dogs all appear in the archive. Just like today, people loved capturing memories of their...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Mar 17, 2025 | Backward Glances, Bloggers, Gibbons, Richard
Adventureland, the first park of its kind in the Okanagan, was the brainchild of two local residents Sam and Dorothy Pestes. Dorothy, a talented artist and Sam, a teacher with remarkable talents for innovation and building, created a perfect team. Their combined...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Feb 9, 2025 | Environment, Natural History, Uncategorized
By D. Scott Forfar. The Lake Country Museum & Archives has an intriguing little cookbook in its collection that tells a fascinating story. “Fish and how to Cook it” (1914) was the first cookbook ever published by the federal government. It was modeled after...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Jan 23, 2025 | Backward Glances, Bloggers, Gibbons, Richard, Uncategorized
We all love our “stuff”. We accumulate “treasures” throughout our life and then ultimately wonder what will become of them after we’re gone. Both my parents and in-laws lived over fifty years in their homes. They didn’t throw much out…they had grown up during very...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Jan 19, 2025 | Animals, Guest Bloggers, Okanagan birder, Pam Laing
Have you noticed the flocks of little birds that seem to be just about everywhere in our valley these days? When they fly you see a flash of black and white on their tails, and they have dark hoods and heads. What are they and where did they come from? They are...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Dec 19, 2024 | Uncategorized
“You’ve Got Mail.” There is now a much different context to that phrase than once was the case. Today it probably indicates a long list of unopened emails, most quickly deleted, some perhaps unread. Many check their text messages and emails with the frequency similar...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Sep 28, 2024 | Uncategorized
Fall is here again, and fall migration well under way in the bird world. Some birds left us as early as late July or early August, and the last won’t really be gone until there is lingering snow and the temperatures fall dramatically. One of the most dramatic of fall...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Aug 22, 2024 | Animals, Guest Bloggers, Okanagan birder, Pam Laing
Today we’re going to take a look at an unmistakable species, easily recognized when seen. In our part of the Okanagan, however, they are not common, usually sighted in either April, May or June when they pass through northwards in migration. Huge flocks migrate...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | May 13, 2024 | Guest Bloggers, History of Lake Country
Sing me your songs you Lake Country Girls… Bruce Coughlan’s song casts a spell over the listener as he regales us about the story of the Lake Country Applebox Belles. This raconteur always strives to be authentic, and is taking care to make sure that his latest song...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | May 13, 2024 | Guest Bloggers, Okanagan birder, Pam Laing
Spring migration, an overview In our valley, spring migration unfolds gradually, some birds arriving to breed here as early as February or early March, others not until June. Let’s take a look at which species have already arrived, which will come soon and which will...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Mar 11, 2024 | Animals, Okanagan birder, Pam Laing
By Pam Laing American Crow and Common Raven, two familiar Corvids American Crow, winter This winter started off unusually mild and snowless. You may have noticed, as I did, that many more crows than usual were lingering here instead of moving further south. Why? As...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Mar 11, 2024 | Lake country family history, Thomson, Duane
I recently came across an unidentified photograph in my files, likely of an Oyama family. The only clue was five parts of names on the back left margin of the photo, indistinct and in pencil. The names appear to be Dorothy, ?alter, ?ura, ?lice, and ?on. I checked the...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Mar 11, 2024 | History of Lake Country, Lake country family history
The Norman Davies’ niece, Rosemary Darville, fondly relates the story of her own family’s time in Oyama: For their honeymoon the Davies set off on a long journey by ship around the world, search-ing for a place to settle. When they reached Oyama after having visited...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Mar 11, 2024 | Animals, Okanagan birder, Pam Laing
Which Bird might I see today? – FALL – Fall migration, an overview Many birds migrate, as you know. In our valley, spring migration unfolds gradually, some birds arriving to breed here as early as February, others not until June. And in the fall...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Mar 11, 2024 | History of Lake Country, Lake country family history
By: Scott Forfar In the last blog post, I introduced the story of Wong Bing’s life as a cook at Rainbow Ranche in Okanagan Centre. The Rainbow Ranche was a prosperous 525-acre farm with the first large acreage of fruit planted in Lake Country.[1] Wong Bing was 39...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Mar 11, 2024 | Lake country family history
By Scott Forfar. Chop wood, pump water, wash clothes, pick vegetables, cook and serve family and ranch hand meals – that was the daily routine for Wong Bing working at the Rainbow Ranche from 1916 to 1920. Wong Bing’s life on the ranch was recorded by his...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Mar 11, 2024 | Lake country family history
John Norman Davies owned the V Bar V ranch from 1932 to 1943. Norman, from a Welsh landed-gentry family, was the son of Joseph Davies, a solicitor in Aberystwyth, Cardiganshire, Wales and Mary Jane Jones. Norman was born in Aberystwyth on 4 August 1894 and grew up in...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Mar 11, 2024 | Animals, Okanagan birder, Pam Laing
In our last post we looked at two North-American sparrows which turn up every spring to breed here, Savannah and Vesper Sparrows. This time let’s look at a sparrow you will only see here in summer, the Lark Sparrow. Lark Sparrow, distant but easily recognizable This...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Mar 11, 2024 | Lake country family history
William Furniss, a middle-aged farmer from Vernon, became the second owner of the V Bar V, after the Bovee brothers. He was born in England on December 5, 1843 (his gravestone says 1844) and according to the 1901 Canada Census immigrated to Canada in 1882, coming to...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Mar 11, 2024 | Lake country family history
Joseph Hayton was a Boer War veteran and world adventurer. He was born near Ventnor, Isle of Wight, to George Hayton, Rector of Niton, and his wife Ellen Louisa (Chadwick) Hayton. Hayton immigrated to Canada at age 19 aboard the Laurentian in 1895. He returned to...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Mar 11, 2024 | Lake country family history
This blog continues a story of the Bovee families that settled in Oyama in 1894 and then moved to the Commonage in 1898. Manfred pre-empted a half section of land in the northern Commonage, a dry grassland environment about 10 miles south of the Oyama...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Mar 11, 2024 | Lake country family history
At least five families contributed to the development of the V Bar V ranch in Oyama.[1] The first were the Bovee brothers and their families. The original pre-emptors of the V Bar V were the Bovee brothers, Manfred Leroy Sanford (b. 19 Sept 1858) and Orbie...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Mar 6, 2024 | Animals, Guest Bloggers, Okanagan birder, Pam Laing
When non-birders think of sparrows they think of the common House Sparrow, the birdthat says, “Cheep, cheep” in our hedges and is abundant in built-up areas. But HouseSparrows are not true sparrows, were introduced here from Europe and are in fact relatedto the North...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Feb 6, 2023 | Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Pam Laing
Our valley is home to two jays, members of the corvid family, (which includes crows, ravens, magpies and so on). These are the Canada Jay, formerly called the Gray Jay, and the Steller’s Jay. I wrote an article about Canada Jays in the fall of 2017 for this blog.* ...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Feb 6, 2023 | Bloggers, Guest Bloggers
Written by Asha Chloe CraigExclusive for lakecountrymuseum.com In Central Okanagan Public Schools, there is a program where young students can learn from the land of the Okanagan Valley. Here, indigenous students have the opportunity to celebrate and learn about their...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Nov 30, 2022 | Uncategorized
By: Fred Larsen As I grew up in the Okanagan, in Woodsdale, during the 1950s, I was shaped largely by the examples of my 0.mother and father. My mother’s musical ability and sociability—as well as her love and respect for my dad and her willingness to work hard once...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Nov 30, 2022 | Uncategorized
Eyles was born in Bristol, England, in 1925 and joined the Home Guard, the 8th Battalion Somerset Light Infantry at age 17. In 1943 he joined the Royal Navy where he trained as a radar operator. He served on the ships Wessex, Highflyer, Drake, Valkyrie, Golden Hind,...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Nov 30, 2022 | Guest Bloggers, Natural History, Okanagan birder, Pam Laing
Don’t call them Seagulls! When we live in a valley with a number of lakes, large and small, as well as ponds, riversand creeks, (not to mention large landfill sites), we are bound to see gulls. Non-birdersoften refer to them as Seagulls. But we have no sea anywhere...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Nov 30, 2022 | Guest Bloggers
September 17, 2022 On a lovely September Day Virginia and Peter Palma kindly hosted a gathering of Kobayashi Descendents to dedicate their beautifully renovated home to the Kobayashi family. This kind gesture was appreciated by four generations of the family, who...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Nov 30, 2022 | Animals, Environment, Guest Bloggers, Natural History
Flooding is common in the Okanagan. Our post ‘Flooding in Lake Country’ touches on this, as we noted how flooding occurred nearly every year in the early 1900s. In 1908, the Oyama canal was built, connecting Wood Lake and Kalamalka Lake. This lowered the lakes’ water...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Nov 23, 2022 | Deana Asham, Guest Bloggers, Natural History
Kokanee, a form of landlocked salmon, are Indigenous to the Okanagan and at one time were abundant within Okanagan and Wood Lake. Kokanee adapted from sockeye salmon, who migrated from the Columbia River approximately 10,000 years ago after the last ice age. Once...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Nov 23, 2022 | History of Lake Country
John Brixton, commonly known as the Colonel, was born in 1870 in England. He led a life full of adventure, leaving behind an incredible story. At approximately 16 years old he jumped on a merchant ship, the S.S. Sarmatian, headed for New York, where he would join the...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Nov 23, 2022 | Environment, Natural History
Written by Deana Asham. Named after the shape of its leaves, arrowleaf balsamroot is an Indigenous species to the Okanagan Valley. Being part of the same family as the sunflower, Asteraceae, they share a similar appearance; however, they flower slightly earlier than...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Nov 23, 2022 | Guest Bloggers, Pam Laing
In our spring posting we took a close look at the three species of Grebe that spend their entire year here, changing plumage into breeding ‘duds’ each spring. Today we’ll focus on the two species that migrate here to breed during our summer. These are the Western...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Nov 23, 2022 | Guest Bloggers, Tiana Langedyk
The Vernon to Kelowna Bike Race in the 1930’s was instigated by a local bike shop to promote their store. Biking at the time was growing as an important sport in the Okanagan Valley with the development of new roads and pathways, particularly the development of...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Nov 23, 2022 | Guest Bloggers, Peter Palma.
Here are some pictures of one of the oldest and original houses in Okanagan Centre still in existence. This home at the bottom of Camp Road was built by a German immigrant builder in 1889, so we were told, who shortly thereafter returned back to the old country. The...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Nov 23, 2022 | Uncategorized
lease note: Scott is referring to an amazing glass column soil sample that is located on display at the Museum. Stop by the Museum to view the sample and experience an informative tour on Lake Country’s Wine Culture. The soil in the glass column was collected...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Nov 23, 2022 | Guest Bloggers, Pam Laing
Three Grebes In past postings we’ve looked at many of the ducks that can be seen in our valley annually. Today let’s look at another family of diving birds, the grebes. Five species of grebe come to the Okanagan annually, plus one more occasionally, but only three are...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Nov 23, 2022 | Guest Bloggers, Pam Laing
Four Owls Winter is undoubtedly the best season in which to see owls. This is partly because many trees are bare, enabling better sightings, if you are lucky. But it’s also because in winter some of the owls that usually breed and hunt in the upper forests come down...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Nov 23, 2022 | Guest Bloggers, Nancy Josland Dalsin
In 2018 I was working as a volunteer at Mackie Lake House in Coldstream researching some of the artifacts. One of the artifacts that I was researching and trying to provenance was a beautiful, wall mounted artists jewel case designed by the famous Victorian period...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Nov 8, 2022 | Bloggers, Uncategorized
By: Fred Larsen As I grew up in the Okanagan, in Woodsdale, during the 1950s, I was shaped largely by the examples of my 0.mother and father. My mother’s musical ability and sociability—as well as her love and respect for my dad and her willingness to work hard once...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Nov 5, 2022 | Guest Bloggers, Natural History, Okanagan birder, Pam Laing
Two small falcons – Merlin and American Kestrel Peregrine falcons are probably the best-known of all falcons and we do see them occasionally in our valley. But we are much more likely to see one of the smaller falcons, Merlins and American Kestrels, especially in fall...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Nov 5, 2022 | Uncategorized
Don Arnold, the younger son of Nelson and May Arnold, and grandson of Mr. and Mrs. John Arnold and Wayne Pretty, the son of Mr. and Mrs. George Pretty, both from Winfield qualified for the 1956 Olympics. Don Arnold along with teammates Walter d’Hondt, Lorne Loomer and...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Nov 5, 2022 | Guest Bloggers, Okanagan birder, Pam Laing
More Icterids – Bullock’s Oriole and Western Meadowlark Bullock’s Oriole male In the spring posting we looked at three of the family known as Icterids. Those three were Red-winged Blackbird, Brewer’s Blackbird and Yellow-headed Blackbird. Today let’s turn our...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Nov 5, 2022 | Uncategorized
Joseph Hayton was the third owner of the V Bar V ranch in Oyama. Hayton Creek and Hayton Road are named after him. He was born near Ventnor, Isle of Wight to George Hayton, Rector of Niton, and his wife Ellen Louisa (Chadwick) Hayton. He immigrated to Canada from...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Nov 5, 2022 | Uncategorized
A Railway Runs Through It: The Okanagan Railways Today (June 30, 2005). By David Madison The locomotive feels like a living thing as it rolls from side to side over the weed-covered rail bed. “That’s just the harmonic roll,” says engineer Dean Taylor who is at...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Nov 5, 2022 | Uncategorized
William Furniss, a 57-year old English-born farmer from Vernon was the second owner of the V Bar V. He married a widow, Almira McCluskey on 30 November 1898 and acquired an instant family. Almira and her husband William McCluskey had been married in Argenteuil,...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Nov 5, 2022 | Guest Bloggers, Okanagan birder, Pam Laing
Red-winged Blackbird, Yellow-headed Blackbird, and Brewer’s Blackbird One and perhaps two of today’s birds are probably familiar to you, the other might not be. They are all blackbirds, members of the Icterid family, a group comprising (in our valley) these two, as...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Nov 5, 2022 | Bloggers, History of Lake Country, Thomson, Duane
A new two-room school was built in 1917 and in 1921 a third room was added for the new Oyama High School. The catchment area included Winfield and those students arrived by car or bus. The accompanying photograph was taken of the senior class in about 1926. They are...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Nov 5, 2022 | Guest Bloggers, Okanagan birder, Pam Laing
You might suppose that wintertime is not a good time for a bird that spends its life near running water, but in fact this species is able to survive in icy cold water, and manages to feed even under riverside ice. The rather nondescript appearance of the American...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Nov 5, 2022 | Bloggers, History of Lake Country, Thomson, Duane
Thomas Wood, cattle rancher and Justice of the Peace from Lake Country, wrote three letters from Vernon to Frederick Hussey, Superintendent of Provincial Police in Victoria requesting his assistance with a rustling case 1 . Hussey replied to these. Some excerpts are...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Nov 5, 2022 | Animals, Environment, Guest Bloggers, Okanagan birder, Pam Laing
At this time of year, when so many of our colourful summer breeding birds are winging their way southwards for the colder months, it is a pleasure to turn our attention to birds that stay here year round. This time let’s focus on our three species of nuthatch,...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Nov 4, 2022 | Bloggers, Guest Bloggers
Eyles was born in Bristol, England, in 1925 and joined the Home Guard, the 8th Battalion Somerset Light Infantry at age 17. In 1943 he joined the Royal Navy where he trained as a radar operator. He served on the ships Wessex, Highflyer, Drake, Valkyrie, Golden Hind,...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Oct 13, 2022 | Guest Bloggers, Uncategorized
The life cycle of kokanee is a part of the Okanagan that is visible each year in the fall. When walking down a creek or stream from mid September to mid October, it is hard to miss the bright red fish migrating up. Okanagan Kokanee are unique because one may also see...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Oct 6, 2022 | Guest Bloggers, Uncategorized
~Marie Molloy Lake Country Museum & Archives in Okanagan Centre is a place for sharing stories and making connections with people past and present. The museum’s collections committee is comprised of a fun group of individuals and it’s hard not to notice how...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Oct 6, 2022 | Guest Bloggers, Pam Laing
Don’t call them Seagulls! When we live in a valley with a number of lakes, large and small, as well as ponds, riversand creeks, (not to mention large landfill sites), we are bound to see gulls. Non-birdersoften refer to them as Seagulls. But we have no sea anywhere...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Oct 3, 2022 | Bloggers, Uncategorized
September 17, 2022 On a lovely September Day Virginia and Peter Palma kindly hosted a gathering of Kobayashi Descendents to dedicate their beautifully renovated home to the Kobayashi family. This kind gesture was appreciated by four generations of the family, who...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Sep 26, 2022 | Bloggers, Gibbons, Richard
Every so often we receive gifts that are extraordinarily special, and many of the most appreciated don’t come with a hefty price tag. They usually come from very special people. Some of my gifts this year were the much treasured photo album my sister Sharon gave me...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Sep 19, 2022 | Bloggers, Guest Bloggers
Flooding is common in the Okanagan. Our post ‘Flooding in Lake Country’ touches on this, as we noted how flooding occurred nearly every year in the early 1900s. In 1908, the Oyama canal was built, connecting Wood Lake and Kalamalka Lake. This lowered the lakes’ water...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Sep 5, 2022 | Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Natural History
Kokanee, a form of landlocked salmon, are Indigenous to the Okanagan and at one time were abundant within Okanagan and Wood Lake. Kokanee adapted from sockeye salmon, who migrated from the Columbia River approximately 10,000 years ago after the last ice age. Once...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Aug 29, 2022 | Uncategorized
John Brixton, commonly known as the Colonel, was born in 1870 in England. He led a life full of adventure, leaving behind an incredible story. At approximately 16 years old he jumped on a merchant ship, the S.S. Sarmatian, headed for New York, where he would join the...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Jul 23, 2022 | Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Natural History
Written by Deana Asham. Named after the shape of its leaves, arrowleaf balsamroot is an Indigenous species to the Okanagan Valley. Being part of the same family as the sunflower, Asteraceae, they share a similar appearance; however, they flower slightly earlier than...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Jun 29, 2022 | Pam Laing
In our spring posting we took a close look at the three species of Grebe that spend their entire year here, changing plumage into breeding ‘duds’ each spring. Today we’ll focus on the two species that migrate here to breed during our summer. These are the Western...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | May 26, 2022 | Guest Bloggers, History of Lake Country, Natural History, Uncategorized
Here are some pictures of one of the oldest and original houses in Okanagan Centre still in existence. This home at the bottom of Camp Road was built by a German immigrant builder in 1889, so we were told, who shortly thereafter returned back to the old country....
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Aug 24, 2020 | Guest Bloggers, History of Lake Country, Tiana Langedyk
Before Lake Country, there was Okanagan Centre. For the first three decades of the twentieth century, Okanagan Centre was the commercial hub of the area. From the late 1800s to the 1930s, Okanagan Centre was one of the main points for the Central...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Aug 24, 2020 | Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Tiana Langedyk
Settlers began planting fruit trees in the Okanagan in the 1860s. Thought at this time planting fruit was considered a risk because the fruit was perishable and the only means of transportation could take up to two weeks to get the fruit to a major center. Most...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Aug 10, 2020 | History of Lake Country, Thomson, Duane
Two Gibbons brothers, Harry from Ellison and Clare from Okanagan Centre went into partnership to establish OK Sawmills sometime shortly after 1940. The brothers operated their sawmill at a number of locations on the extensive forested slope south and east of Kelowna,...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Aug 3, 2020 | Bloggers, Hayes, Bob, History of Lake Country
From the collection of Bob Hayes Note the “sunflowers’ – official name being “arrow-leaf root balsam” – in the foreground of this postcard and the classic Okanagan sky. Black Knight Mountain (now known as Black Mountain) is partially visible in the background. These...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Jul 27, 2020 | Bloggers, Gibbons, Richard
Today the Central Okanagan enjoys a level of economic diversity unimaginable to earlier generations. In the first half of the twentieth century, our local economy was based primarily on the natural resources of the valley. A long growing season and access to water and...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Jul 20, 2020 | Hayes, Bob, History of Lake Country
Lake Country is aptly named. Its four wards – Winfield, Okanagan Centre, Carr’s Landing and Oyama – have access to three major Lakes: Okanagan, Kalamalka, and Wood. The latter lake was named for pioneers Thomas (1841 – 1931) and Ellen Florence (nee Whelan) Wood (1861...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Jul 3, 2020 | Pam Laing, Uncategorized
Last summer I introduced you to our largest flycatchers, the kingbirds, Eastern Kingbird and Western Kingbird. This year let’s look at other flycatchers that also come here in summer to breed and raise their young on abundant insect food during the warmer months. Some...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Jun 22, 2020 | History of Lake Country, Thomson, Duane
Following upon previous blogs on logging in the region in the 1920s, I have more recent and personal remembrances to relate. My father, Harold, and grandfather, Harry, operated a portable bush mill on the Commonage in the 1950s, supported by horse logging. The...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Jun 16, 2020 | History of Lake Country, Thomson, Duane
Eliza Jane Swalwell’s bungalow was located near the entrance to Swalwell Park, toward Middle Vernon Creek. The Swalwell barn also faced Bottom Wood Lake Road a little further east. Jane’s nephew, Pete Simpson, who is now ninety-two years of age, remembers visiting his...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Jun 10, 2020 | History of Lake Country, Thomson, Duane
Our blog on the Munson Simpson sawmill that operated in Winfield from 1927 to 1929 appeared earlier. Another blog, “Log chutes in Lake Country” discussed the log chute that over a decade earlier had transported logs from Fir Valley to the Oyama bench land and hence to...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Jun 5, 2020 | Thomson, Duane
The adult Thomson children visited their Kalamalka home on occasions for family picnics, to go hunting or to roar around Kalamalka Lake on a hydroplane. Three photos capture some of the spirit of the times. The first is a family picnic with some of the siblings having...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | May 29, 2020 | Thomson, Duane
The Thomson family moved from their east bench orchard to their new home on Kalamalka Lake in 1929. By this time the children were either teenagers or young adults. The location on the lake was ideal for boating, swimming and diving. In 1932 the boys built a diving...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | May 20, 2020 | History of Lake Country, Thomson, Duane
This is the third in a series of blogs exploring the logging history of Lake Country, this one focussing on transporting logs to the Munson and Simpson mill in Winfield in the 1927-9 period. Large logs were preferred because the end-use was to make knot-free Applebox...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | May 14, 2020 | Hayes, Bob, Medical Topics
Author’s note: This article is dedicated to the victims of the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic. It contains words and attitudes which, while formerly in common use, are now recognized as racist and demeaning. The November 14, 1918 (page one) issue of “The Kelowna...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | May 7, 2020 | Hayes, Bob, Medical Topics
Last week’s article provided some history of the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic which decimated the world’s population, claiming millions of lives, making it arguably the twentieth century’s most lethal pandemic. As the summer of 1918 rolled into fall, the Spanish flu...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | May 2, 2020 | Hayes, Bob, Medical Topics
Today’s article – the first of a three-part series – examines the worldwide implications of the Spanish influenza. Next week’s article focuses on how this 1918 pandemic affected Central Okanagan residents. This article is not intended to cause fear or upset, by...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Apr 23, 2020 | History of Lake Country, Thomson, Duane
The donation of historic photographs by Pete Simpson to the Lake Country Museum has led me to examine the circumstances behind the building of a sawmill in Winfield in 1927. These photographs were of the Munson and Simpson mill located on the Beaver Lake Road. For...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Apr 15, 2020 | Carmen Klassen, Guest Bloggers, Medical Topics
We’ve got problems right now. Big problems. But in 1893 they had some pretty wild problems! Thanks to a copy of a letter from the BC Archives, the Lake Country Museum has a unique glimpse into what life was like in Vernon in 1893. The letter’s written by Judge Spinks...
by lcmuseum@shaw.ca | Apr 4, 2020 | Natural History, Pam Laing
When life is challenging it can be helpful to read the signs nature gives us of rebirth and renewal. Trees, flowers, and shrubs put on new growth and in the bird world, spring brings us the annual miracle of migration to brighten our days and bring promise of new...
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