by lakecountry | Jul 13, 2018 | Announcements, Bloggers, Community Events, History of Lake Country, Jim Taylor
“This is the 1172th column I have written for the Lake Country Calendar newspaper. In the autumn of 1995, Jack McCarthy called me. ‘How’d you like to write a column for us?’ he asked. That’s how it began. Jack was the owner and publisher...
by lakecountry | May 4, 2018 | Bloggers, Community Events, Displays, History of Lake Country, Thomson, Duane
Oyama during World War II The final featured Heritage Marker will be placed where the Okanagan Rail Trail crosses Oyama Road. Like the other markers in the series, this one was prepared with the assistance of a Canada 150 grant. The crossroads of Highway 97 and Oyama...
by lakecountry | Mar 2, 2018 | Bloggers, Community Events, Displays, History of Lake Country, Thomson, Duane
The fourth heritage marker panel examined in this series is entitled “Water before Rail,” dealing with the transport of fruit and other goods by water, roughly between the opening of the canal connecting Kalamalka and Wood lakes in 1908 and the completion of the...
by lakecountry | Dec 15, 2017 | Bloggers, Community Events, History of Lake Country, Thomson, Carol
By Margaret Carruthers1 First established in the 1950s, Gable Road begins at Carr’s Landing Road and ends at Gable Beach on Okanagan Lake. The road is named for the Gabel family, [but] as you can see the spelling is incorrect, the result of a slight...
by lakecountry | Dec 8, 2017 | Bloggers, Community Events, History of Lake Country, Thomson, Duane
This Heritage Marker, at the junction of Woodsdale and Lodge roads, is the third featured site along the Okanagan Rail Trail.1 The Thomas Wood Ranch dominated the flats at the south end of Pelmewash or Wood Lake until Wood retired to Victoria in 1903. He subdivided...
by lakecountry | Nov 24, 2017 | Bloggers, Community Events, History of Lake Country, Thomson, Duane
The research, design and construction of five heritage markers along the Okanagan Rail Trail is a project of the Lake Country Museum & Archives. It is supported by the Province of British Columbia through the British Columbia | Canada 150: Celebrating B.C....
by lakecountry | Jun 23, 2017 | Community Events, Gary Hein, Guest Bloggers, History of Lake Country, Natural History
A couple years ago, I was watching America’s Funniest Home Videos (AFV) and they showed a clip of an unusual looking critter swimming across a pond with its head held high above the water. It turned out to be a small snake that slithered up the other side. Then...
by lakecountry | May 19, 2017 | Bernie Gatkze, Community Events, Guest Bloggers, History of Lake Country
The Oyama Fire Department was the first organized fire department in what is now Lake Country. A fire at Appleton’s General store, located next to the Oyama Post Office and Thomson’s Garage demonstrated the need for fire suppression in the community. That fire was...
by lakecountry | Mar 16, 2017 | Bloggers, Community Events, History of Lake Country, Thomson, Carol
Kelowna Beginnings Some Lasting Impressions1 “The year was 1910. British Columbia schools reopened for the autumn term on the third Monday in August. As the just-appointed principal in Kelowna, I arranged to arrive on the previous Friday and so departed from my...
by lakecountry | Mar 3, 2017 | Bloggers, Community Events, Hayes, Bob, History of Lake Country
It is a topic which evokes more than a little discussion. “Facts” are confidently tossed out for discussion, only to be called into question. Cited sources are rejected as incorrect. Photographic evidence is greeted with much skepticism. This is not a topic for the...
by lakecountry | Feb 17, 2017 | Bloggers, Community Events, History of Lake Country, Thomson, Duane
Reminiscences of Clara Hallam (née Bailey) continued Hallam reminiscences 2 (pp. 27-30) Some stylistic changes have been made in the text to reflect modern usage. 1907 – 1909 “… There was to be a big skating party on Duck Lake one night so brother Bill,...
by lakecountry | Feb 3, 2017 | Bloggers, Community Events, History of Lake Country, Thomson, Duane
Reminiscences of Clara Hallam (née Bailey) The John A. Bailey family, John and Emma, who resided in Summerville, Oregon, followed friends to settle in Westbank, where they lived from 1895 until 1901. Clara was the fifth Bailey child, born on April 1, 1896. The Baileys...
