Peachland Museum
Peachland, British Columbia

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History of Peachland

 

 

The native people moved to the Okanagan valley as the glaciers receded and the

vegetation established enough feed to support their wild life diet. This was estimated to be 3000 to 4000 years ago.

In 1812 Alexander Ross headed an expedition up the Columbia River, then the Okanagan River, to establish a fur trading post in the British Columbia interior. They established Fort Kamloops, and named Trepanier and Jacques Creeks.

In 1824 John Astor blazed a trail from Fort Okanogan in today's Washington State to Fort Kamloops. This trail became known as the " Fur Brigade Trail." The route into the Peachland area was over the mountain from Garnet Lake to Deep Creek and along the upper bench above the lake. A likely stopping point here was "May Spring", a fresh water underground spring below Princeton Avenue and Somerset.

In 1858 the first wagons reached the Okanagan by way of the brigade trail. The Palmer & Miller expedition with 8 wagons carried supplies to the trading posts. Gold discoveries at this time made this trail one route to the northern and Caribou gold fields.

In 1873 John Allison and his wife were the first settlers and their "Sunnyside" ranch was established where the Quail's Gate Winery is today. They had earlier homesteaded at Vermillion Forks, (Princeton). They established a trail at the top of Trepanier Creek to

move their cattle and horses to Princeton in the summer and Sunnyside in the winter.

In 1874 Tom Ellis established his ranch in what is now Penticton. There he raised livestock and planted the first fruit trees.

In 1884 Charles Lambly pre-empted land beside Trepanier Creek to establish a ranch. His family and brothers were instrumental in establishing the town of Enderby. It was at one time called Lambly's Landing as was Peachland. On the ranch, peaches as well as other fruit trees thrived. There were cattle on the hills above the ranch and on the Trepanier flat. The Lamblys purchased more land until they owned 4 miles of beach front.

In 1897 J. M. Robinson came to Peachland pursuing mining interests and bought the Gladstone Mine from Gus Hewitt . It had been previously staked by Wm. Gladstone and sold to Gus Hewitt. Gus built a wharf at the present site of Renfrew Road and Highway 97.

Supplies for his mine arrived at this dock. Peachland then had another name, Camp Hewitt, the name for the dock site.

When the mine petered out, J. M. Robinson had tasted the peaches at Lambly's and decided that he would purchase as much land as possible and create a town site as well as farming lots. He formed The Peachland Townsite Company and promoted the new town

in Manitoba with the result being many settlers came from there. The Post office opened in 1898 with the postmark "Peachland" and the town development began.

 

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