by lakecountry | May 8, 2015 | Bloggers, Thomson, Carol
70 Years since World War II Liberation Day “In the final months of the Second World War Canadian forces were given the important and deadly task of liberating the Netherlands from Nazi occupation. From September 1944 to April 1945, the First Canadian Army fought...
by lakecountry | May 2, 2015 | Announcements, Bloggers, History of Lake Country, This Day in History, Thomson, Carol
Twenty years ago, on May 2, 1995, the District of Lake Country was incorporated. Local orchardist Bob McCoubrey was installed as the first mayor. McCoubrey served as mayor from 1995 to 1999. He was followed in the mayor’s chair by Rolly Hein (1999 to 2005), who...
by lakecountry | Apr 24, 2015 | Bloggers, Community Events, History of Lake Country, Thomson, Carol
As you might expect from a 100-year-old, Anne Land1 takes the long view on certain things. And one of them is the railway referendum now underway in Lake Country, where she has lived virtually her entire life. The centenarian, who turns 101 next month, is among the 27...
by lakecountry | Mar 6, 2015 | Bloggers, Community Events, History of Lake Country, Laura Neame
The first Women’s Institute was founded in 1897 in Stoney Creek, Ontario and by 1913 institutes were established in all the provinces with the motto “For Home and Country.” Often responsible for much of their farm’s economic success, the Institute...
by lakecountry | Feb 27, 2015 | Bloggers, History of Lake Country, Thomson, Duane
In the days before good road and rail communication serviced Oyama orchardists, the most efficient way to move fruit to market was via steamer to the north end of Kalamalka Lake where it was transferred to the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) station at Vernon. This...
by lakecountry | Feb 15, 2015 | Announcements, Bloggers, This Day in History, Thomson, Carol
A symbol of Canadian identity The official ceremony inaugurating the new Canadian flag was held on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on February 15, 1965, with Governor General Georges Vanier, Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, the members of the Cabinet and thousands of...
by lakecountry | Feb 6, 2015 | Bloggers, History of Lake Country, Thomson, Carol
Record of a Life — Northcote H. Caesar “The earliest memories that I can remember, at probably 5 or 6 years Whilst sitting on a hassock in front of the nursery fire With a nice clean white pinafore on about half a dozen shot fell in my lap Making long...
by lakecountry | Jan 30, 2015 | Bloggers, History of Lake Country, Thomson, Carol
Before the coming of the white man, the fertile bottom land of Winfield was dense forest, with occasional oases of small natural meadows, while the present orchard benchlands were covered with pine trees, etc. Large herds of deer roamed the ranges and bunch grass was...
by lakecountry | Jan 23, 2015 | Bloggers, History of Lake Country, Thomson, Carol
‘Tis hard to believe that it’s been twenty years since the District of Lake Country was incorporated. In 1995 the four communities of Carr’s Landing, Okanagan Centre, Oyama and Winfield incorporated to form the municipality of Lake Country. It is...
by lakecountry | Jan 16, 2015 | Bloggers, History of Lake Country, Thomson, Carol
In early days it took dedicated community members to provide recreational facilities in the Lake Country area. The following except is from the manuscript, The Autobiography of Harold David Butterworth of Oyama,1 where Butterworth documents the making of an outdoor...
by lakecountry | Dec 26, 2014 | Bloggers, History of Lake Country, Thomson, Carol
The first mail service in the Winfield area was that offered by Charles Lawson who used to carry the mail on horseback from Swan Lake to Okanagan Mission around 1872. Apparently he used to shout at the top of his voice as he passed ranches to announce the mail, and...
by lakecountry | Dec 19, 2014 | Bloggers, Jim Taylor
Our Christmas decor has evolved over the years. We used to go out and cut our own tree. That meant every Christmas tree was different. Some trees were short and fat, some tall and skinny. Each tree required its own unique arrangement of decorations. We also created...
