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64-493: Naramata is an unincorporated community in the Okanagan region of south central British Columbia , Canada. On the eastern shore of southern Okanagan Lake , the locality is by road about 15 kilometres (9 mi) north of Penticton . In November 1906, John Moore Robinson purchased land. Over the following nine months, the name changed from Nine Mile Point to East Summerland, to Brighton Beach, and finally to Naramata. Spiritualism

128-532: A humid continental climate ( Köppen : Dfb ) with warm, sometimes hot summers and cold winters with highs around freezing, though mild by Canadian standards. Precipitation 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

192-566: 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

256-512: A few houses on CPR hill. About 1929, hydro power transmission lines arrived being extended eastward across the narrows in 1949. Great Depression relief camp workers built the Canoe–Sicamous road, which would reduce the travel distance between Salmon Arm and Sicamous by 23 kilometres (14 mi). In 1934, the road was completed to a rudimentary level. By this time, Robert (Bob) H. Congreve supplied boats and cars at his service station on

320-630: A hill", "river circling mountains", "in the middle", and "narrow" or "squeezed in the middle". The Sicamous Channel is the only inland port in BC that does not freeze during the winter. During the Big Bend Gold Rush of 1865, Governor Frederick Seymour commissioned Walter Moberly to identify the best route for a wagon road or railway from Shuswap Lake to the Columbia River . Although most prospectors travelled via Seymour Arm , many instead went up

384-459: A mild, relatively dry climate that varies depending on latitude. Most of the Okanagan lies within the rain shadow of the Cascade Mountains to 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

448-435: 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

512-583: 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 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

576-400: A store on the ground floor, was appointed postmaster, and erected a barn. The Kamloops general store owned by John Andrew Mara operated this Sicamous store as a branch. At that time, a narrow and swampy in places wagon road was built to supersede the trail southward along the western side of Mara Lake, which connected Sicamous and Enderby . Schubert Bros. established a stage service on

640-746: 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

704-474: A symbolic gesture that the railway would one day become a reality, Ed Mohun, government engineer, drove the first stake on the CP route in BC at Sicamous. In September 1885, the eastward advance of the CP rail head from Port Moody passed through Sicamous, reaching a point about 55 kilometres (34 mi) west of Revelstoke by month end. A construction camp was based at Solsqua. The Sicamous station built at that time

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768-421: A train derailed 3 kilometres (2 mi) west, destroying two cars. In 1892, the locomotive tender and four cars of a westbound passenger train derailed 8 kilometres (5 mi) west, causing extensive damage. Months later, a fallen tree upon the track derailed a passenger train. In 1893, the station platform was extended 30 metres (100 ft) each way. In 1900, a yard worker was crushed to death between

832-450: A train struck and killed a man walking through the Mowich tunnel, about 10 kilometres (6 mi) west. A petition that year to change the station name to Okanagan Junction was unsuccessful. In 1913, A train struck a man near the bridge, causing fatal injuries. In 1914, the track was raised 2 metres (6 ft). In 1915, a constable confronted two freighthoppers beneath a dining car at

896-449: Is 2.2 kilometres (7,290 ft). In May 1891, the southward advance of the S&;O rail head from Sicamous passed through Enderby. By yearend, a two-stall engine house was completed and the turntable was nearing completion. In 1898, a derailment 10 kilometres (6 mi) south extensively damaged the track, sending three boxcars plunging down a 5-metre (15 ft) embankment and leaving

960-668: Is a celebration of the continuance of Syilx life and culture. In 1811, the first non-natives came to the Okanagan Valley, in 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

1024-490: Is adjacent to the narrows , which is the confluence of Mara Lake into Shuswap Lake . At the BC Highway 97A intersection on BC Highway 1 , the locality is by road about 73 kilometres (45 mi) west of Revelstoke , 140 kilometres (87 mi) east of Kamloops , and 75 kilometres (47 mi) north of Vernon . The Secwepemc (Shuswap) First Nations have long inhabited the shores of Shuswap and Mara lakes, evidenced by

1088-560: 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 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

1152-555: Is held weekly and there are numerous roadside produce sellers in addition to the wineries, cideries and craft spirit producers. Since the 1960s and continuing to this day it has been a rite of passage for countless French-Canadian students to make their way across the country and pick fruit for a summer. Much of Naramata lies within the bounds of the Agricultural Land Reserve, created by the British Columbia government in

1216-630: 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 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

1280-596: 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

1344-741: 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

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1408-417: 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

1472-613: 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 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,

1536-528: 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. Sicamous, British Columbia Sicamous ( / ˈ s ɪ k ə m uː s / ) is a district municipality in the Shuswap Country region of south central British Columbia . The place

1600-713: The United States west of the Rocky Mountains on the 49th parallel. The new border cut across 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

1664-477: The goldrush ended. George Murdock obtained the first pre-emption in the vicinity. During 1882–1892, in partnership with Mr. Hill, he operated a hotel, store, and saloon. In 1884, the Gustavus Blin Wright syndicate completed the wagon road through the pass to Revelstoke. At the time, Murdock ran the only business at the landing. Steamboats connected to Kamloops and Savona . By the next year, during

1728-588: The British Isles. At the time Naramata became known as a cultural centre. People from across the Okanagan would arrive by boat for concerts, plays, operas, regattas- and as Robinson and his wife were spiritualists-seances. Paddlewheelers regularly stopped at the local wharf carrying freight and passengers up and down Lake Okanagan . In March 1908, an east–west Summerland –East Summerland charter ferry service commenced. The first two operators proved unsatisfactory. That October, Summerland Trust Co. took over. In 1911,

1792-569: The Eagle River and followed First Nations trails to the Columbia. Moberly camped at the river mouth in 1865, which was soon called Eagle Pass Landing, because the river flowed from the direction of the Eagle Pass . A boom town of tents sprang up at the landing. The main buildings were an assay office, general store, blacksmith, and saloons, which were largely abandoned by the end of the following year, when

1856-513: 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

1920-570: The Okanagan Lake Boat Co. implemented a run via Penticton. The 1913 tender charter continued to name the locality as East Summerland. In July 1926, the service ceased. In 1914, Naramata received a new link with the rest of Canada when the Kettle Valley Railway was completed on the hillside above the village. Due to the intense volume of rock work it gained the reputation as one of the most difficult stretches of KVR construction. It

1984-795: The Okanagan, from Fort Alexandria at the southern end of the New Caledonia fur district in 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

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2048-410: The buffers of two freight cars, which unexpectedly rolled during a coupling exercise. In 1901, a woman on the track did not survive after a train severed her leg. In 1908, a fireman manoeuvring along a work train 3 kilometres (2 mi) east, who fell between the cars, sustained a fatal severing of an arm and leg. A few months later, a conductor was crushed to death while coupling cars. In 1909,

2112-601: 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 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

2176-571: The country and its wineries have begun to attract international acclaim. The decline in the relative economic importance of fruit growing has occurred but the impressive landscape still abounds with orchards. The most savvy growers no longer sell to the Naramata fruit-packing facility (part of the Okanagan Tree Fruit Co-operative), but rather sell privately, often preferring to deal with international brokers. Agriculture and tourism form

2240-803: 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

2304-426: The dining room at the east end. All 75 guest rooms had hot and cold running water. Important guests included a stay by the future Edward VIII in the 1920s. CP funded a police constable based at the hotel from 1890. The jail was built on the other side of the tracks, east of the hotel in 1909. In 1892, Mary Janet Finlayson opened a store west of the station. Two years later, the building burned down. Her next store

2368-504: The early 1970s as a food security measure and largely responsible for preserving the character and pace of Naramata which is seen by many as its biggest charm- after the breathtaking scenery. The Centre at Naramata, a conference and educational centre of The United Church of Canada, was founded in 1947. Naramata has a semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk ). Okanagan The region is known for its sunny climate, dry landscapes and lakeshore communities and particular lifestyle. The economy

2432-427: The economic base of the village of Naramata. The agricultural sector once mostly consisting of orchards is rapidly being supplanted by vineyards and wineries that are collectively referred to as the "Naramata Bench". Tourism is served by motels, beach side resorts and a variety of bed and breakfast operations that cater to summertime visitors. Summer months see a spike in inhabitants and economic activity. A farmers market

2496-474: 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

2560-463: The hotel spread to the station, destroying both properties. While the new 49-by-24-metre (160 by 80 ft) station/hotel was under construction, the Lake View Hotel thrived. In 1900, the new CP hotel opened. In 1908, a further storey was added. In 1914, an electrical fire caused considerable damage to the upper storey. In 1919, the lobby and main staircase at the west end were transposed with

2624-478: The observation platform. In 1959, the westbound royal train carrying the Queen and Prince Philip made a 20-minute stop, which comprised a similar program to the previous visit. The train stopped overnight opposite the station, entering the branch line the next day. In 1963, a train severed a man's left leg, resulting in death. In 1964, multiple cars of a freight train derailed at the pole yard crossing. In 1968,

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2688-414: The peak of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) construction, more than 100 buildings lined the foreshore. The rebuild included a few hotels, stores, dance halls, livery barns, and a NWMP barracks and jail. Railway contractors Mackenzie and Mann had their headquarters at the landing. The new name was Eagle City. A stage operated to Farwell . In 1885, Fred White was appointed inaugural postmaster of

2752-506: The presence of pit-houses dating back over 3,200 years. An annual potlach was held at the mouth of the Eagle River . In the 1840s, an encampment existed west of the narrows on the slopes later called CPR hill. From the early 1820s, they brought furs to trade at the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) fort at Kamloops. By the 1840s, an HBC outpost opened at the mouth of the Eagle River. For centuries,

2816-423: The rear observation platform of their car and the king chatted with the children who filed by in an orderly procession. In 1946, an incorrectly set switch derailed a caboose onto the station platform. In 1951, the westbound royal train carrying Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip made a stop, where the royal couple alighted, greeted the crowd at Finlayson Park for over 10 minutes, reboarded, and waved from

2880-643: 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

2944-405: The replacement hotel opened immediately south of the present highway bridge on the same site. A couple of ownership changes occurred. In 1906, the building burned to the ground. The next year, the three-storey Bellevue Hotel was opened by Leopole Congreve on the site. In 1890, the first CP hotel was built beside the station. In 1898, a fire ignited by a dropped oil lamp in the dining room of

3008-523: The river had provided an abundance of salmon, which also created a trade in dried fish. A trail on the north side of the river was used up to the 1930s to reach tracts of wild blueberry bushes. "Schik-mouse", recorded in 1865, was the earliest known spelling of the First Nations word for Sicamous. The word describes the narrows, but the specific aspect has remained unclear. Suggestions have been "place cut through", "the narrows", "stream winding round

3072-652: 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 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

3136-583: The route. In 1890, Wood and Tunstall purchased the J.A. Mara business. The access point for Okanagan mail had transferred from Ducks to Sicamous, and the Schubert stage carried the mail for several years. In 1892, the Shuswap and Okanagan Railway (S&O) assumed the mail contract, the railway construction having severely damaged the Mara Lake road. In 1894, fire destroyed the hotel and store. A few months later,

3200-501: The shore below the Bellevue Hotel. The upgrading of this road continued over subsequent years. In 1956, the primary access point for rail passengers into the Okanagan switched to Salmon Arm, which offered a superior bus connection. The CP hotel at Sicamous closed that year and was demolished in 1964. In 1957, Phil Gaglardi , minister of highways, officially opened the rebuilt Canoe–Sicamous section of highway. In August 1871, as

3264-460: The short-lived post office. The unwillingness of Mr. Bryne to sell land for a railyard east of the narrows compelled CP to build on the west side. This decision soon vacated the river mouth location, which then became known as the Old Town or Old Sicamous. In 1884, Colonel E. Forester constructed the first building, which was the Lake View Hotel. In 1887, he built a two-storey extension which housed

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3328-470: 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

3392-419: 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

3456-433: The station were the coal chute (1920), bunkhouse, freight shed, and water tower. East of the station were the roundhouse, powerhouse, turntable , Chinese laundry, and police residence/jail. In 1937, a freighthopper, who slipped while attempting to board an eastbound freight train, sustained fatal injuries. In 1939, when the westbound royal train made a 10-minute stop, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth came out onto

3520-414: The station. While restraining one, the officer fired a shot in the air to halt the other one fleeing. The first one broke free, fired a gun, and was killed when the constable returned fire. During World War I , a military camp was established to house soldiers guarding the rail bridge. In 1919, when 15 beehives tumbled from a truck crossing the track, an approaching train shattered the load. West of

3584-450: 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 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

3648-434: The wreckage of a truck that plunged off the highway and onto the railway tracks delayed a passenger train three hours. In 2004, a man was sentenced to six years jail for causing bodily harm, having lain on the tracks with his son 13 kilometres (8 mi) east and being struck by a train. In 2013, an intoxicated man, who received a glancing blow from a westbound train, was seriously injured. The CP Sicamous passing track

3712-455: Was a popular past time at the time and Robinson claimed the name came in a séance. The name itself derives from a First Nations word or an Australian Aboriginal one, but supporting evidence is lacking. The Syilx name for the area is “Citxws Peqlqin," or "Eagle's House." The Naramata bench provided a seasonal camp site for elk hunting and food gathering. Robinson advertised and sold parcels of land to people from other parts of Canada as well as

3776-423: 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

3840-516: Was in operation until 1974. Today, remnants of the KVR make for great exploration, such as the train tunnels, rock ovens, and the railway right-of-way which clings to the hillside high above the lake, and is now part of the Trans-Canada Trail . The many orchards have included varieties of peach, plum, pear, cherry, apricot and apple. Naramata is more known now, however, as a top wine-producing region in

3904-511: Was north of the Lake View Hotel site. The government wharf was west of the station before relocating to the narrows in 1913, where the new 49-metre (160 ft) wharf was built. On the arrival of the government telephone line in 1914, phones were installed in the Finlayson store and two hotels. In 1921–22, a footbridge was attached to the rail bridge. Situated east of the CP hotel, the CP power plant provided electricity to these premises and

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3968-516: 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 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

4032-419: Was replaced in 1898 by a manually turned swing span. In 1913, three 20-metre (65 ft) and one 16-metre (54 ft) steel spans replaced timber trestles. In 1982, a double track swing bridge, comprising five 23-metre (75 ft) spans plus a 48-metre (157 ft) swing span, was erected 2 metres (7 ft) higher than the former single track structure, adjacent to its north. In 1890, several cars of

4096-405: Was the standard-design (Bohi's Type 3) station building with prominent overhang (identical to Albert Canyon and Beavermouth ). To temporarily disperse the mosquito infestation in the earlier decades, a yard locomotive belching smoke and steam was run through the station prior to passenger train arrivals. The 1885 timber pile trestle rail bridge had a wooden drawbridge for river traffic, which

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