Misplaced Pages

#68931

48-612: The SS Okanagan was commissioned by the Canadian Pacific Railway company in 1906 to replace the aging SS Aberdeen , the first steamer on Okanagan Lake, and link communities along the lake to facilitate trade and transportation in the Okanagan Valley . A similar ship named Kuskanook was built in 1906 for Kootenay Lake to aid Moyie with increasing passenger demand. The construction of Okanagan freed Aberdeen to transport freight. Construction began in

96-648: A community north of Kelowna. They were put under heavy guard and Okanagan took them to jail in Kelowna, where they were later transferred to jail in Kamloops and tried for the murder of Constable Aston. Wilson claimed to be an unwilling partner in the affair and turned King's Evidence. James' trial was held on May 12, 1912, in Vernon, where the jury found him guilty of "a most cold-blooded and atrocious murder." On Friday, August 9, 1912, Walter James Poelke, 24 years of age,

144-587: A decade afterward. In 1859, the first European settlement was established when Father Charles Pandosy led the making of an Oblate mission at Okanagan Mission , now a neighbourhood of Kelowna. The Fraser Canyon Gold Rush of 1858 eventually encouraged more settlement as some prospectors from the United States took the Okanagan Trail route on their way to the Fraser Canyon , although at

192-423: A dining hall and saloons). Okanagan boasted five dining room tables, with seating for up to thirty guests at a time, along with thirty-two staterooms and a total passenger capacity of four hundred. Mechanically speaking, Okanagan was of typical design. A large boiler provided the steam necessary to power each engine and run the on-board dynamo. The boiler itself was coal-fired and, like other boilers of its time,

240-491: A popular destination for vacationers and retirees. The area also attracts seasonal fruit-picking labourers, primarily from Quebec and Mexico . The population of the region was 403,950 as of the 2021 Canadian census . The three regional districts within the Okanagan and their populations were: Central Okanagan (222,162), North Okanagan (91,610) and Okanagan-Similkameen (90,178). The statistical figures below are based on

288-710: A recent shift in focus to vineyards and wine . The region stretches northwards via the Spallumcheen Valley to Sicamous in the Shuswap Country , and reaches south of the Canada–United States border , where it continues as Okanogan County . The Okanagan as a region is sometimes described as including the Boundary , Similkameen , and Shuswap regions, though this is because of proximity and historic and commercial ties with those areas. The name

336-432: A riverboat of similar proportions. The ship was designed with an eye for elegance, resulting in a graceful silhouette that lacked the boxy or top-heavy look privy to many other vessels. The layout was similar to other Canadian Pacific vessels, with three main decks (bottom-most for freight, machinery and crew's quarters, upper-most decks reserved for passenger travel and comfort with sitting rooms, galleries, observation decks,

384-781: A subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway , linking the Southern Mainline with the original transcontinental mainline at Sicamous: the SS Aberdeen from 1886 and then the SS Sicamous and SS Naramata from 1914, and others. The Sicamous and Naramata survive as a tourist attraction on Okanagan Beach on the north side of Penticton , the Sicamous serving both as a museum and also an event facility. Other steamboats operated on Skaha Lake to

432-409: Is 362,258. The largest populated cities are Kelowna , Penticton , Vernon , and West Kelowna . The region is known for its sunny climate, dry landscapes and lakeshore communities and particular lifestyle. The economy is retirement and commercial-recreation based, with outdoor activities such as boating and watersports, skiing and hiking. Agriculture has been focused primarily on fruit orchards, with

480-719: Is about 15.0 °C (59.0 °F), which is the warmest in Canada. The average annual precipitation in this region is also the second driest in Canada outside of the Arctic , the driest being the Thompson River Valley west of Kamloops . The southern Okanagan is dominated by northern reach of the Columbia Plateau ecoregion and is the only xeric shrubland ecosystem in Canada. Dry forests of ponderosa pine and low grasses can be found at higher elevations to

528-604: Is derived from the Okanagan-language place name ukʷnaqín . An alternative explanation from Washington is ‘People living where you can see the top’, ostensibly of Chopaka Peak in the Lower Similkameen. The area was occupied by Pleistocene glaciation , and a widespread mantle of glacial drift covers the underlying bedrock. At the end of the Pleistocene, marginal lakes formed along the sides of

SECTION 10

#1732775879069

576-574: Is home to the Syilx , commonly known as the Okanagan people, an Interior Salish people who live in the valley from the head of Okanagan Lake downstream to near the river's confluence with the Columbia River in present-day Washington , as well as in the neighbouring Similkameen Valley and the Upper Nicola to the north of that, though the whole of their traditional territory encompasses

624-511: Is well distributed year round. Some regions of the Okanagan, most notably near Kelowna , border on an inland oceanic climate due to it having an average temperature slightly above −3.0 °C (26.6 °F) and below 0 °C (32 °F). Dry forests of ponderosa pine and low grasses dominate the valleys and mountains in this region. The Okanagan south of Kelowna has a semi-arid climate ( Köppen : Bsk ) with hot, dry summers and cool winters. The average daytime temperature in this region

672-607: The 2011 Canadian census , 2021 Canadian census , and the British Columbia Ministry of Communities, Sport and Cultural Development. Statistics Canada. 2017. Armstrong, CY [Census subdivision], British Columbia and Okanagan, RD [Census division], British Columbia (table). Census Profile. 2016 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-316-X2016001. Ottawa. Released February 8, 2017. http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E (accessed April 16, 2017). The Indian reserves of

720-710: The City of Kelowna in the Okanagan region of the Southern Interior of British Columbia , Canada , located on the south side of the city at the foot of Okanagan Mountain . It derives its name from the Okanagan Mission founded by Father Pandosy , historically known as the Okanagan Mission, which was located here and was the first non-native settlement in the Okanagan Valley. The Mission once

768-767: The KIJHL , Osoyoos having won the 2010/11 KIJHL season. Penticton and Summerland are both home to Chicago Blackhawks and Edmonton Oilers Defenceman Duncan Keith . The area has been host to multiple junior hockey championships, including the Memorial Cup in Kelowna in 2004 and RBC Cup in Vernon in 1990 (then called the Centennial Cup) and 2014 . Kelowna is home to junior Canadian football team Okanagan Sun , and Jr. Baseball team Kelowna Falcons , including

816-648: The Okanagan Valley and sometimes the Okanagan Country , is a region in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River . It is part of the Okanagan Country , extending into the United States as Okanogan County in north-central Washington . According to the 2016 Canadian census, the region's population

864-417: The Okanagan first peoples also form identifiable communities: The Osoyoos and Westbank Indian Reserves have large non-native populations because of band-governed residential and commercial development on their lands. The Osoyoos Indian Reserve leases large swathes of land to commercial vineyard developments and is where 40% of wine grapes used in the Okanagan come from. Ice hockey is a popular sport in

912-524: The UBC Okanagan Heat university program. The continued growth and operation of the agricultural industry in the Okanagan absolutely depends on the employment of temporary migrant workers. In 2009, there were 3,000 Mexican migrant labourers working in the Okanagan. Okanagan Mission, British Columbia Okanagan Mission , also known colloquially as the Mission is a neighbourhood of

960-845: The Central Interior to the north, to Fort Vancouver , the HBC's headquarters in the Columbia Department , for passing furs between New Caledonia and the Columbia River for shipment to the Pacific. The trade route lasted until 1846, when the Oregon Treaty laid down the border between British North America and the United States west of the Rocky Mountains on the 49th parallel. The new border cut across

1008-523: The East Kootenay, skirting the US border and crossing Osoyoos Lake at Osoyoos, which was a customs post and also the location of the gold commissioner 's office. The Dewdney Trail , surveyed and built by Edgar Dewdney , was constructed to prevent trade in the region from going north-south instead of remaining firmly under British control, and also for military mobility purposes should the need arise. In

SECTION 20

#1732775879069

1056-529: The SS Okanagan to be transported to Kelowna, escorted by Constable Aston. However, the police had not found a pistol during the initial search, with which James shot Constable Aston before Okanagan arrived at Peachland. James and Wilson escaped by getting off the ship at Peachland. When Constable Aston and the escape were discovered, 200 armed men from all over the valley hunted for them until two special constables found and arrested them at Wilson's Landing,

1104-748: The SS Sicamous Restoration Society, a "charity...dedicated to protecting the Marine Heritage of the Okanagan," found her Stern Saloon being used as a beach hut and moved it to the SS Sicamous Heritage Park in Penticton in 2002 to undergo restoration. Also in the park are the SS Sicamous , SS Naramata , and Canadian National Tug #6 . Okanagan The Okanagan ( / ˌ oʊ k ə ˈ n ɑː ɡ ən / OH -kə- NAH -gən ), also called

1152-509: The aforementioned commercial areas such as shopping malls, grocery stores, coffee shops, and boutiques. Lower Mission also has extensive recreational facilities, Mission Recreation Park has six softball diamonds as well as soccer fields, community gardens, playgrounds and trails, while neighbouring H2O is Kelowna's largest indoor recreation facility with a 50 m pool, water slides, diving boards and surfing wave. Gyro Beach and Rotary Beach, two of Kelowna's most popular beaches, are also located in

1200-843: The decades following the gold rushes, ranchers, mostly on military land grants, came to settle on Okanagan Lake; notable ones included the Coldstream Ranch near Vernon, the Ellis Ranch , which formed the basis of the City of Penticton once subdivided, and the Richter Ranch , which continues in operation today, in the mountains between the Town of Oliver and the Village of Keremeos in the Similkameen. A mining industry began in

1248-543: The early 1900s, named the ship after Okanagan Lake and the couple hosted a ball in the evening among other festivities. The Canadian Pacific Lake and River Service preferred to use stern wheelers for transportation on Okanagan Lake because of their rugged nature and ease of maintenance. The flexibility of the stern wheeler was also well-respected at the time because it allowed the vessel to work in waters where propeller or screw-driven vessels could not. The Canadian Pacific Lake and River Service operated many steam vessels from

1296-572: The east. Despite being located in a xeric shrubland, areas near Osoyoos and Oliver claim to be part of Canada's only desert . Between 2000 BCE and 1900 CE, the climate and vegetation of the Okanagan had changed little. However, historical records from the Pacific Agrifood Research Station in Summerland indicate that the Okanagan climate had warmed by about 1 °C between 1908 and 1994. The Okanagan Valley

1344-605: The entire Columbia River watershed and includes areas east of the Okanogan River in Washington, i.e. the Colville Reservation . At the height of Okanagan culture, about 3000 years ago, it is estimated that 12,000 people lived in this valley and surrounding areas. The Okanagan people employed an adaptive strategy, moving within traditional areas throughout the year to fish, hunt, or collect food, while in

1392-659: The form of a fur trading expedition voyaging north out of Fort Okanogan , a Pacific Fur Company outpost at the confluence of the Okanogan and Columbia Rivers. Within fifteen years, fur traders established, known as the Brigade Trail via the Cariboo Plateau and Thompson Country to Fort Kamloops and through the Okanagan, from Fort Alexandria at the southern end of the New Caledonia fur district in

1440-537: The height of the rush the American adventurers who used the route did not settle because of outright hostilities from the Syilx , whom a few of the parties traversing the trail had harassed and brutalized. A few staked claims around the South Okanagan and Similkameen valleys and found gold and copper in places, with another trail from Fort Hope to newer goldfields at Rock Creek and Wild Horse Creek in

1488-454: The late 1800s to mid-1930s and relied on proven designs, with a preference for more rugged and durable vessels. However, the infrastructure and machinery required to service the more modern ships were unavailable in the interior of British Columbia, requiring all new ships to be built using older techniques and designs. As such, these stern wheelers, despite being well-suited to the varying Okanagan conditions, seemed rather modest when compared to

SS Okanagan - Misplaced Pages Continue

1536-486: The melting ice lobe and streams deposited their loads in them as deltas and accumulations of silt. These accumulations now form the white cliffs which are particularly prominent along the southern end of Okanagan Lake . Geographic features include: The Okanagan has a mild, relatively dry climate that varies depending on latitude. Most of the Okanagan lies within the rain shadow of the Cascade Mountains to

1584-439: The more contemporary boat designs. Okanagan was designed under a similar style to its successful predecessor, SS Rossland . With a length of 61 metres (200 ft), width of 9.1 metres (30 ft), hull depth of 2.1 metres (6 ft 11 in), and gross tonnage of 1,008 tons, Okanagan was slightly larger than Rossland . The hull was formed into a deep lake boat pattern, allowing the ship to reach speeds not possible for

1632-454: The name of Walter Byde James, held up a store in a small community named Okanagan Mission . There were only $ 15 in the store at the time, with which he fled to the city of Penticton , two days to the south on foot, meeting up with an accomplice named Frank Wilson on the way. They were arrested in a hotel by Chief Roche and Constable Aston, who found and confiscated several weapons and 200 rounds of ammunition on James. James and Wilson were put on

1680-669: The region with WHL team Kelowna Rockets playing in the region's most populated city. The Jr. A teams are the Vernon Vipers , West Kelowna Warriors and the Penticton Vees of the BCHL . Penticton were the 2012 national Jr. A champions, after they ousted the Woodstock Slammers for the title. Jr. B sides Kelowna Chiefs , Sicamous Eagles , Summerland Steam , Osoyoos Coyotes and North Okanagan Knights play in

1728-416: The south of that city. The club lounge and wheelhouse, without any keel or hull, of the SS Okanagan are in the same park as the Sicamous and Naramata . While the last half-century has grown several resource-based enterprises in the region, primarily forestry, though mining had played an important role in earlier times. Favoured by its sunny climate, lakes, and winery attractions, the valley has become

1776-419: The southern Okanagan region, with Fairview , now an empty benchland on the western side of Oliver , the best-known and largest of the boomtowns created in the later part of the 19th century. More farmers, as well as a small service industry, came to meet the needs of the miners. Fruit production is a hallmark of the Okanagan Valley today, but the industry began with difficulty. Commercial orcharding of apples

1824-428: The southwest. Areas in the north end of the valley receive more precipitation and cooler temperatures than areas to the south. Generally, Kelowna is the transition zone between the drier south and the wetter north. The Okanagan north of Kelowna has a humid continental climate ( Köppen : Dfb ) with warm, sometimes hot summers and cold winters with highs around freezing, though mild by Canadian standards. Precipitation

1872-440: The spring of 1906 at Okanagan Landing with James Bulger as master ship builder. The steel hull was built first, and the wooden interior was constructed after. Lightweight wood was chosen for the carpentry work as it would reduce the overall weight of the ship, allowing for greater loads of freight. The low strength of the lighter wood was remedied through the use of haug posts, large cross-laminate timber beams essential in maintaining

1920-619: The structural integrity of the ship, anchored in the steel hull. The keel was laid on July 10. Although the work was not completely finished, the ship was launched on April 16, 1907: "A special train brought guests to the Landing for launching ceremonies...the beautiful boat then floated out on the bosom of Okanagan Lake as graceful as a swan." Mrs. Gore, wife of Captain Gore, manager of the British Columbia Lake and River Service in

1968-456: The valley, bisecting Osoyoos Lake. To avoid paying tariffs , British traders forged a newer route that bypassed Fort Okanogan via the Fraser Canyon from Spuzzum up over the Cascade Mountains , then via the Nicola, Coldwater and Fraser rivers to Fort Langley instead of to Fort Vancouver, which had come into being in American territory. The Okanagan Valley did not see many more outsiders for

SS Okanagan - Misplaced Pages Continue

2016-478: The winter months, they lived in semi-permanent villages of kekulis , a type of pithouse. Today the member bands of the Okanagan Nation Alliance are sovereign nations, with vibrant natural resource and tourism based economies. Their annual August gathering near Vernon is a celebration of the continuance of Syilx life and culture. In 1811, the first non-natives came to the Okanagan Valley, in

2064-495: Was a separate jurisdiction before being amalgamated with the City of Kelowna in the mid- to late-20th century. This has caused a fairly vibrant secondary commercial centre to emerge which is entirely separate from Downtown, with low to moderate density residential areas in between. The northern border of Mission is K.L.O. Rd. It is often differentiated as the Lower Mission and Upper Mission. The Lower Mission contains most of

2112-421: Was certified to provide steam pressure up to 140 psi (970 kPa). This steam was transmitted to the rear of the ship (by means of a bulkhead ) where the engines drove the paddle wheel, after which the excess steam would be condensed back to its original liquid state and returned to the boiler by the jet condenser. The SS Okanagan served the communities of the Okanagan for 27 years, from 1907 to 1934. She

2160-427: Was faster, larger, and more luxurious than Aberdeen , greatly improving the service around Okanagan Lake. She provided daily passenger service with stops at Kelowna , Peachland , Summerland and Penticton while Aberdeen took care of freight and smaller communities three times a week. This helped the rapid development in population, agriculture, and economy of the Okanagan that was taking place during this time. She

2208-423: Was first tried there in 1892, but a series of setbacks prevented the major success of commercial fruit crops until the 1920s. In 1936, the grower-owned BC Tree Fruits Cooperative was established to store, package and sell Okanagan fruit. Until the 1930s, the demand for shipping fruit and other goods did drive a need for ongoing operations of the sternwheeler steamboats that serviced Okanagan Lake , operated by

2256-449: Was greatly appreciated by the communities she served, during and after her service. The Okanagan Semi-Weekly , a newspaper, reported soon after the launching: "The new CPR steamer Okanagan made a distance of 65 miles in three hours and fifteen minutes, or at the rate of over 21 miles per hour. She's a greyhound...." Constable Aston of Penticton was shot and killed on the SS Okanagan in 1912. The case began when Walter Poelke, going under

2304-460: Was hanged at Kamloops for the willful murder of Constable G. H. Aston. The steamboat era came to a close in the 1930s–1940s due to technological advancement and other forms of transportation. With the construction of highways and railways, passenger service by boat was no longer needed and Okanagan spent her last years transporting freight and pushing barges. She was retired in 1934 and sold in 1938 to be dismantled for scrap and spare parts. However,

#68931