by lakecountry | Mar 21, 2014 | Bloggers, History of Lake Country, Thomson, Duane
Allan Mills arrived in Sunnywold in 1909, joining his brother, William, who had been farming there since 1894. Allan and his wife added to their original Sunnywold pre-emption by purchasing their neighbours’ land, as it became available, from the Siddons, Whites and...
by lakecountry | Mar 14, 2014 | Guest Bloggers, History of Lake Country, Natural History, Pam Laing
We are so fortunate to have a new Guest Blogger for this site: Pam Laing, local birder and photographer, has agreed to share with us A Year of Okanagan Birds. For those of you who attended Pam’s lecture at Creekside Theatre in February, you’ll know...
by lakecountry | Mar 7, 2014 | Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Thomson, Carol
Have you heard of the Okanagan Rail Trail initiative? The railway line between Vernon and Kelowna recently ceased operations, and we now have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to turn the old railway into a multi-purpose trail. It would stretch all the way from...
by lakecountry | Feb 28, 2014 | Bloggers, History of Lake Country, Thomson, Duane
The banner photograph on the Lake Country Museum and Archives website shows the starting line-up of fifteen cyclists about to begin a grueling thirty-five mile race from Vernon to Kelowna. Three young Lake Country men participated: Lawrence (Larry) Evans and Harold...
by lakecountry | Feb 21, 2014 | Bloggers, Natural History, Thomson, Carol
Summerland’s ‘Cannonballs’ When the widening of Highway 97 was initially studied, efforts were made to preserve a section of rock that contained numerous ‘cannonballs’. These volcanic rocks are quite unique. Only one other location, the...
by lakecountry | Feb 17, 2014 | Guest Bloggers, History of Lake Country
The Era when Okanagan Centre sent passengers, mail and fruit by the Lake Back at the beginning of the 20th century, the farmers and ranchers in the Winfield-Ellison area faced a dilemma – south of Wood Lake the only way to move hay and fruit was by wagon road. When...
by lakecountry | Feb 14, 2014 | Bloggers, History of Lake Country, Thomson, Duane
Next week is Heritage Week. Take the following quiz to test your local historical knowledge. 1. What year did the Oyama canal open? 2. What was the name of the first post office in Winfield? 3. Which brothers developed the town site of Okanagan Centre? 4. Who ran “The...
by lakecountry | Feb 7, 2014 | Bloggers, History of Lake Country, Thomson, Carol
The second Monday of February is Family Day in British Columbia. It is a time to celebrate family members and remind ourselves of those who preceded us. Museums and archives are wonderful repositories for family histories. Here one can find photographs and histories...
by lakecountry | Jan 31, 2014 | Bloggers, History of Lake Country, Thomson, Carol
On Saturday morning Mrs. Nellie McClung1 arrived at Oyama, and was the guest of Dr Irvine and the Misses Irvine. We are indebted to the Misses Irving for their kindness in giving an “at home” and allowing all who wished to, to meet Mrs. McClung, our...
by lakecountry | Jan 17, 2014 | Announcements, Bloggers, Community Events, Lecture Series, Natural History, Thomson, Carol
“Symbolic in both Native and modern cultures, Bald Eagles are one of the most majestic birds in British Columbia. Each autumn and winter, thousands of eagles gather at spawning sites to feast on spawned-out salmon ….” Although “[e]agles mate...
by lakecountry | Jan 10, 2014 | Bloggers, History of Lake Country, Jim Taylor, Thomson, Carol
Recently Canada Post announced extensive changes to the Canadian mail system, specifically by introducing more community mail boxes. For we older folk, those community mailboxes hearken back to historic mail services. Winfield’s first official post office was...
by lakecountry | Jan 3, 2014 | Bloggers, History of Lake Country, Thomson, Duane
Before the navigation canal was built in 1908, a creek drained Wood Lake into Long (Kalamalka) Lake. Wood Lake was initially four feet higher than Kalamalka, perhaps five or six feet higher during the spring freshet. In some years the water gushed down the creek...
