by lakecountry | Mar 13, 2021 | 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 lakecountry | Jan 9, 2021 | Gibbons, Richard, Uncategorized
In the summer of 1986 a casual glance out to the beautiful waters off Okanagan Centre just might reveal the unmistakable profile of a submarine conning tower. No mere illusion brought on by sun and beer this was the Henry D. Redecopp, pride of the Okanagan Centre...
by lakecountry | Dec 4, 2020 | Thomson, Duane, Uncategorized
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 lakecountry | 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 lakecountry | 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 lakecountry | 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 lakecountry | 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 lakecountry | 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 lakecountry | 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 lakecountry | 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 lakecountry | 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 lakecountry | 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...
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