Eyles was born in Bristol, England, in 1925 and joined the Home Guard, the 8th Battalion Somerset Light Infantry at age 17. In 1943 he joined the Royal Navy where he trained as a radar operator. He served on the... [Continue Reading]
In 2018 I was working as a volunteer at Mackie Lake House in Coldstream researching some of the artifacts. One of the artifacts that I was researching and trying to provenance was a beautiful, wall mounted artists jewel case designed... [Continue Reading]
Joseph Hayton was the third owner of the V Bar V ranch in Oyama. Hayton Creek and Hayton Road are named after him. He was born near Ventnor, Isle of Wight to George Hayton, Rector of Niton, and his wife... [Continue Reading]
Settlers began planting fruit trees in the Okanagan in the 1860s. Thought at this time planting fruit was considered a risk because the fruit was perishable and the only means of transportation could take up to two weeks to get... [Continue Reading]
Join us for an engaging evening of community and learning! Presenter Tracey Aresenault will present a view into Oyama’s past. Discover a bit of Oyama’s history. See the magnificent displays about Oyama and engage with the new exhibit. This event... [Continue Reading]
Following upon previous blogs on logging in the region in the 1920s, I have more recent and personal remembrances to relate. My father, Harold, and grandfather, Harry, operated a portable bush mill on the Commonage in the 1950s, supported by... [Continue Reading]
This is the first of a series of blogs relating to on my family’s settlement in Oyama. On July 10, 1919 the Vernon News noted the following event. “Mr. H. B. Thomson of Indian Head, Saskatchewan, with his family, arrived... [Continue Reading]
Economic activity in Oyama really increased with the opening of the navigation canal across the isthmus in Oyama in 1908. The first steamer, theCity of Vernon, passed through the canal on September 3, 1908, creating a water link to the... [Continue Reading]
I have recently been in correspondence with Alan Aldred, a gentleman who was raised in Oyama and whose family history he is writing. The two photographs below are of stores run by his grandfather, Frederick Harry Aldred. The first photograph... [Continue Reading]
In 1922 seven young, tanned orchardists from Oyama visited the Summerland Experimental Station, presumably to learn some of the science behind growing apples. All were from England, some having arrived very recently. Thank you to Diane Eyles Turner for the... [Continue Reading]
