Ken Ellison died peacefully at his home in Vernon on June 21, 2016. He was born in Vernon to Vernon and Mabel Ellison. Ken was the last surviving grandchild of Vernon pioneers Price and Sophie Ellison. He grew up in... [Continue Reading]
At the turn of the century Johnston & Carswell operated a sawmill at the north end of Long (Kalamalka) Lake. When the canal was completed in 1908 the Winfield Flats were logged and the logs hauled to the shore of Wood Lake... [Continue Reading]
Thanks to the sharp eyes of Liz and Ken Ellison of the Greater Vernon Museum & Archives the mysterious curlers of Long (Kalamalka) Lake have been identified. Liz contacted the Lake Country Museum and Archives with these identifications: Curlers left to right:... [Continue Reading]
During some particularly cold winters Kalamalka Lake freezes over. Harold Thomson, who was raised in Oyama, said that in his experience Kalamalka Lake froze once every ten years and the adjoining Wood Lake froze nine out of ten years. Hauling... [Continue Reading]
Curling became popular in Eastern Canada in the early nineteenth century and as the West opened up, the game found a natural home – long cold winters and idle time for prairie farmers. Clubs were formed in Winnipeg, Calgary and... [Continue Reading]
In the days before good road and rail communication serviced Oyama orchardists, the most efficient way to move fruit to market was via steamer to the north end of Kalamalka Lake where it was transferred to the Canadian Pacific Railway... [Continue Reading]
In early days it took dedicated community members to provide recreational facilities in the Lake Country area. The following except is from the manuscript, The Autobiography of Harold David Butterworth of Oyama,1 where Butterworth documents the making of an outdoor... [Continue Reading]
Fourteen years ago (2000) Ken Ellison published a book, Irrigation is King: A Century of Water in Oyama, BC. 1892-2000. This work exhaustively examined and interpreted the land, water and irrigation records of Oyama, BC. Now, a complementary video, Flume.... [Continue Reading]
In the pre-WWII years, Oyama boys were numerous enough to field a hockey team that played against Vernon and perhaps other teams. They practised and played on a community hockey rink on the flat land formerly occupied by the Sterling... [Continue Reading]
Lucas Anderson of Oyama is the 2012 recipient of the Arnold Award, named after Jane and Gilbert Arnold, two Lake Country residents who contributed greatly to their community and specifically to the Lake Country Museum. Lucas, a recent graduate of... [Continue Reading]
