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History
For many thousands of years, parts of the Okanagan Valley were occupied by the Interior Salish
people. Change came in the summer of 1811 with the arrival of the fur traders. Each spring, large
brigades journeyed south with shipments of furs and returned north in the fall with winter supplies,
using the Hudson's Bay Brigade trail on the west side of Okanagan Lake. By the 1850s, fur traders
had given way to miners throughout B.C. In the Okanagan Valley, gold was discovered at Mission
Creek, Cherry Creek, and along the east arm of Okanagan Lake.
Drawn by the native presence, the first Oblate missionaries ventured into the valley. Father Durieu
built a cabin near the junction of Swan Lake and Long Lake Creeks around 1863, joining Luc Girouard,
a gold miner and the first white settler in the area, whose property was nearby to the North. The
gold miners' camps, in turn, drew cattlemen, anxious to market beef on the hoof. As the cattle
ranches flourished, wagon roads replaced the original pack trails. A section of the road from Fort
Kamloops, crossing Swan Lake Creek and continuing eastward to the gold mines on Cherry Creek, served
as Vernon's first main street. Pleasant Valley Road branched off to the north, skirting the swampy
ground below the present cemetery and continuing to the BX Ranch and Spallumcheen.
Within ten years, the fledging settlement of Priest's Valley (Vernon) boasted a post office, as well
as a hotel, a general store, and a schoolhouse. In 1885 a government agent's office was opened, and
Charles Brewer and E.J. Tronson laid out a townsite, christening it Centreville. The Hudson's Bay
Company, recognizing the potential of the community, opened a rough wooden store in 1887, the same
year the town was renamed Vernon. Transportation links to the outside world became a reality as the
CPR main line was completed. By 1890, a charter was granted for the construction of a branch line
from Sicamous to Okanagan Landing. In the surrounding district, wheat growing had become an important
industry, second only to cattle ranching. Fruit farming was introduced by Lord Aberdeen on the Coldstream
Ranch lands, attracting many British families to the area.
As the population expanded, construction boomed and new businesses were established. The centre of the town
began to shift from Coldstream Road (Avenue) to the recently constructed Barnard Avenue (30th Avenue).
The first brick building appeared, wooden sidewalks were built, and the first telephone was installed. Discussions
regarding the future of the rapidly growing town culminated in the incorporation of the City of Vernon on December
31st, 1892. Further community development included the opening of the first hospital, the construction of a new
brick school, and the installation of street lamps.
In 1903, Vernonites saw the construction of their first city hall, which also served as a fire hall and public
reading room. By 1904, Vernon was the largest town in the valley and the first in the Okanagan to have a bank. A
school of nursing was established that same year, followed by a telephone exchange housed in Muir's drug store.
Shade trees were planted on the main street and another large hotel, the Royal, opened for business. As the end
of the decade approached, community services continued to improve. A sewage system was installed and cement
sidewalks replaced wooden ones on 30th Avenue. Central School (Beairsto) opened in 1909, as did the new Vernon
Jubilee Hospital on Mission Hill.
Outside the city limits, the large-scale cattle ranching era was drawing to a close. By the early 1900s, the large
ranch owners were selling land to developers for subdivision. By 1908, a reported 1,000 fruit trees were planted in
the Okanagan Valley and land prices had risen from $1 to $150 an acre. A supply of water was ensured with the
construction of the Grey Canal, a 19-mile long irrigation system extending from Lavington to Okanagan Lake.
New subdivisions on East Hill, Mission Hill, and other areas near the city core accommodated the rapid population growth
of this period. By this time Vernon was recognized as the economic hub of the Okanagan. This period of growth and
development came to an end in 1913, when an economic depression slowed the movement of capital for land development.
This situation was somewhat mitigated by the establishment of a military camp in Vernon in 1913, and by the growing
importance of the vegetable growing and dehydrating industry.
The economic activity of World War I was followed by a depression which lasted until 1923, resulting in little new
construction in the Vernon area until the mid-1920's. Improvements in local roads combined with increased automobile
traffic to encourage residential development outside the city boundaries. With the stock market crash of 1929, this
period of growth came to an end. Local citizens still had some hope for the future, however, as they voted to construct
both a new high school and a civic arena in 1937.
At the end of World War II, a new tide of immigration resulted in a housing shortage- solved in part by the construction
of the "100 homes" on the East Hill. The real estate boom of the 1950s was tempered with nostalgia as some historic
structures were swept away in the name of modernization. Replacing outdated civic facilities was the first priority
in the 1960s, which led to the construction of the award-winning, multi-faceted civic centre. The 1970s saw the
decentralization of business as new shopping malls appeared on the edge of the city.
City boundaries expanded to include Silver Star Foothills in 1981, Okanagan Landing in 1993, Anderson subdivision in
1994, and the Predator Ridge, O'Keefe Range, and lands north of Silver Star Foothills in 1996. During the 1980s and
the early 1990s, both the R.C.M.P. and the museum facilities experienced major expansion and renovations. A new public
library was built within the civic complex. Shopping opportunities multiplied with the construction of new shopping
complexes and an expansion to the existing regional shopping centre. The late 1990s and early 2000s have seen the
construction of a Performing Arts Centre and a multi-purpose facility.
Vernon's diversified history is reflected in the richness of its built environment. As the site of the original town,
downtown Vernon has retained its role as the centre of commerce and culture for the community. Today, this area
contains the greatest concentration of early commercial buildings in the Okanagan- an important and irreplaceable
reminder of the city's evolution. The downtown core follows design guidelines that serve to protect heritage buildings
and establish parameters for new construction. A mural tour, which illustrates many historical features, has become a
popular asset for downtown Vernon. In addition, the older residential neighbourhood of East Hill contains the greatest
density of heritage homes in the Vernon area, further enhanced by a significant number of mature trees.
Location
Greater Vernon is located approximately 445 kilometres (262 miles) from Vancouver and 600 kilometres (360 miles) from
Calgary on Highway 97. It is 150 km (90 miles) north of the United States Border, and is easily
accessible by air, bus and by car via Highways 1, 3, 5 and 6. Greater Vernon is the largest city
in British Columbia’s North Okanagan Regional District and provides all the amenities of a major
city.
Places to See
- Allan Brooks Nature Centre
Located just 5 minutes from downtown Vernon, with its spectacular views of Greater Vernon and the
3 surrounding lakes, Allan Brooks Nature Centre is a great place to experience the diverse nature
of the North Okanagan. Every year, it is a very popular attraction for bird & outdoor enthusiasts.
Take a leisurely tour along the grasslands trail to learn more about the local fauna and vegetation,
and explore the wonders of the Discovery room with hands-on nature exhibits, and other fun and
educational activities.
- Silver Star Mountain Resort
The beautiful majestic mountain landscape, the Victorian Village, and outstanding customer service
have made Silver Star Mountain Resort one of North America's top family resorts. In the summer,
enjoy the variety of unique nature tours and mountain biking for all levels. In the winter, whether
it is ski tours, snowboard lessons, snowshoe trails, or sleigh rides, Silver Star Mountain Resort is
ready to accommodate you. Discounts, customized tours & equipment rentals are available.
- Greater Vernon Museum and Archives
Explore the city's heritage further at the Greater Vernon Museum and Archives, where an impressive
collection of artifacts is cleverly displayed to demonstrate a wealth of natural history, native
history, and modern growth and development in the region. The museum offers a great gift shop, with
an array of mementos and books for further reading.
- Vernon Public Art Gallery
The Vernon Public Art Gallery sponsors exhibitions featuring local, national and international artists.
The Gallery offers an extensive art education program through our local schools, hosts the "Brown Bag
Tuesdays" at noon, and also houses an excellent gift shop, filled with quality, handcrafted, unique art
items
- Planet Bee Honey Farm and Gift Shop
Western Canada's premiere honeybee attraction and interpretive centre, where the focus is on presenting
the world of the honeybee, and on providing a full range of the finest honeybee products available for
your pleasure and well-being. Observe honeybees busily working behind glass in a live bee display performing
their amazing bee dances, and book an educational tour of the fully and safely screened outdoor
observatory.
Winner of the 2004 Greater Vernon Business Excellence Award, "Creative Business of the Year"
- Okanagan Science Centre
The Okanagan Science Centre offers a unique collection of hands-on exhibits that are based on scientific
principles, including sound, electricity and magnetism, light and optics, mechanics, and astronomy. In
addition to the general tours, the centre offers special programs, including school break camps, birthday
parties, and school field trips.
The staff are very community minded, having participated in various community events, including the annual
Halloween Haunted House and the Air Quality Fair. The centre is also home to the Provincial Air Monitoring
Station, which is available for public viewing. Several user groups also use the facilities, including the
Vernon Lapidary Club, the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, and the North Okanagan Amateur Radio Club.
Things to Do
- Hiking!
Greater Vernon offers endless opportunities for hiking. It provides many different terrains for all levels
of hikers to admire the surrounding beauty. Because the routes are varied, it pays to dress appropriately
and to wear the correct footwear. Always respect the environment; please pack out whatever you pack in,
and stick to the trails.
- Mountain Biking!
Greater Vernon has mountain bike trails that offer both speed and plenty of variety. The south
slopes of the Northern Okanagan Valley are desert-like with sparse vegetation, while the north
slopes offer coolness with plenty of shade.
Greater Vernon offers world-class mountain biking on Silver Star Mountain Resort, which has truly
become a Mountain Bike Mecca over the last seven years, hosting prominent events such as the World
Cup Finals, Canada Cup, and 24 Hours of Adrenaline Races. Other popular trails are BX Creek, The
Trinity, the Vernon Hill trails, Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park and Eagle Rock.
- Fishing!
With all the lakes in the North Okanagan, it's no surprise that people love to come here for the
fishing. Rainbow, kokanee, and lake trout are found in good numbers throughout the region, and
there are lodges and tour operators waiting to make your fishing dreams come true.
There are high mountain lakes like Echo, Keefer, and Sugar Lake, and low-country lakes like
Okanagan, Kalamalka and Swan Lake, where the water is warmer. In the summer there's great
swimming too!
- Winery Tours!
The North Okanagan is home to Arrowleaf Cellars, Gray Monk Estate Winery, and Hunting Hawk Vineyards.
All three provide free tastings and scheduled tours. Gray Monk Estate Winery offers tours year-round
and can be seen at its best during the Spring Okanagan Wine Festival in May, and the Fall Wine
Festival in October, when wine is celebrated in conjunction with splendid meals and performance events,
ranging from symphony to fashion shows and more!
- Beaches!
Vernon has some of the loveliest beaches in the North Okanagan
Valley. Each year tourists from all over the world visit Vernon
to discover the wealth of beach recreation in the little
city. Kalamalka Lake, Okanagan Lake and Woods Lake all
have sandy beaches. For more information visit vernonbeaches.com.
- Go on a Ghost Tour!
Eager listeners thrill to the tales of Vernon’s gruesome past- ghostly children, haunted theatres, UFOs,
and all sorts of other delightfully disturbing oddities. Tours leave from the steps of the Vernon Museum;
it’s an outdoor walking tour and runs rain or shine, so dress appropriately.
- Winter Sports!
Go tobogganing or tubing to recapture the thrill of your youth, take a wild snowmobile ride, indulge in a
few hours of ice-fishing, challenge the back-country trails on snowshoes, or take a horse-drawn sleigh
ride through beautiful, unspoiled scenery!
- Skiing!
Located in Silver Star Provincial Park, the Sovereign Lake Nordic Centre includes more than 50 kilometres of
manicured trails, a large full service day lodge, ski school, rentals, night skiing, biathlon range and more.
The ski area is operated by the Sovereign Lake Nordic Club in cooperation with BC Parks to provide a world class
skiing experience at the lowest possible price.
Combined with the adjacent Silver Star Ski Resort trail system, there are more than 100 kilometres of interconnected
trails for your exploring pleasure. The terrain suits every need, from "first-timer" to "big-timer". In addition to
the exceptional trails, the centre is also world-renowned for its early season skiing, plentiful snowfall, and
hosting of World Class events.
- Shopping and Dining!
Explore the clean, tree-lined streets, rich with historical ambience. Discover unique treasures, such as collector's
dolls and plates, clothing, jewelry, quilts, pottery, Victorian crafts, and scrumptious home-made jams and chocolates.
It's all here, in malls, quiet backstreets, and hidden shops. One thing all Greater Vernon shopping outlets have in
common is a sincere commitment to friendly and personal service, high quality product, together with very competitive
pricing.
Events
- Vernon Winter Carnival
First held in 1923, the annual Vernon Winter Carnival features a week full of fabulous
contests and events, including ice sculpting, the Queen Silver Star competition, night skiing,
a hot air balloon fiesta, a parade, winter sports tournaments, and children's games!
- Creative Chaos Crafts
The main purpose of Creative Chaos is to provide a venue for craftspeople from all over BC, Alberta and
other parts of the world, to show and sell their work to the public. In addition, a much anticipated
feature over the years has been the performing arts. Local artist have the chance to
showcase their talents to a receptive audience, on a stage area set up on the tennis courts behind
the Curling Rink. Also in this area lies the Food Fair, a tented space to enjoy a break from
shopping and sample some of the many different gustatory treats supplied by local vendors. Another much
valued feature of Creative Chaos is the Baby Sitting service provided by the Vernon Girls Trumpet Band
in the Dogwood Gym in the Rec Center. Parents can leave their children to be supervised and entertained for
a nominal fee, leaving them free to enjoy the show.
- Vernon Sunshine Festival
The Sunshine Festival is the largest one-day festival in the North Okanagan, attracting thousands from all
over BC, with superb live performances, children’s fun & games, exciting activities, and demonstrations.
You will enjoy relaxing in one of the numerous street cafes offering tantalizing food and beverages. Last,
but not least, the Sunshine Festival offers the hottest sidewalk sale under the sun!
- Tour de Pomme- Annual Apple Festival
It's a taste tour of savoury apple creations, from candy to brandy, from Japanese to Greek, and everything in between!
You can tantalize your taste buds with samples of unique and exotic apple appies, drinks, entrees, and scrumptious
apple desserts. Enjoy the sounds of jazz and tap your toes to the beat of the live street entertainment.
- Halloween Treat Trail
Every October, on the final day of the month, Downtown Vernon is mysteriously overrun by a wild throng of
mischievious spirits, tiny zombies, noisy ghouls, and- oddly enough, pajama-clad superheroes. Where they come
from, and why they come to Vernon, are questions current residents ask themselves every night. Only one thing is
clear: They want candy. Lots of it. Visitors are encouraged to attend this wonderful event to help fend off
these preternatural creatures or to act as bait while Vernon residents escape.
Notable Comments
- In Vernon, BC, they say if a child dies, you'll see him on Halloween. And it's true. Vernon's residents have
become accustomed to seeing the young undead walking through the city streets on the last day of October, and as a result,
they now keep their storage rooms stocked with delectable candies, just in case. A few adventure seekers even choose to
accompany the bodies of friends or relatives they once knew, either for the thrills, or for sentimental purposes. So long as
a steady source of candy is available, the monsters are perfectly harmless.
It wasn't always like this. Fifty years ago, the dead stayed buried. And fifty years ago, Willy Zucchero was an unsuccessful
confectioner struggling to feed his starving cats. Desperate, he crawled to the head of an anonymous evil corporation- the same
kind one sees in the movies- and he said, "Mr. President, I'll sell my soul to sell my sweets."
The president of this awful corporation laughed like Lucifer and replied:
"Throughout Vernon's rambling streets,
Children shall flock to your sugared treats."
A contract was brought in, and using a pen filled with melted caramel, Zucchero signed away his soul. Using
the resources at their disposal, the corporation immediately began promoting Zucchero's candy in local newspapers,
television shows, movies, and transit ads. More importantly, his candy was genetically modified on a farm somewhere
in Kentucky. Having been filled with all sorts of bizarre and addicting chemicals, it was then shipped back to Vernon
and released to hungry children. The candy was an instant hit. Children couldn't stop eating it. In just a few short days,
Zucchero became the richest confectioner in Vernon.
But something went horribly wrong. As the years went by, Zucchero began to notice something: every Halloween (the only
day in which he gave his candy away for free), he began seeing children who were different. Children who had parts
of their flesh falling off, and who simply groaned when he greeted them. A disturbingly foul odour would emanate from
their bodies, but of course, Zucchero was too polite to say anything.
On the final Halloween of his long life, Zucchero was filling several bowls with his candy when his heart gave out. He died
there in his kitchen. His body was not discovered until several hours later, when a group of desperate youths- both undead
and never-dead - kicked down his front door. His body was quickly discovered, though all the youths disregarded it until
after they had devoured the candy in his house.
Upon realizing the implications of Zucchero's death, the living children began to weep. The dead children tore
their eyeballs out in anguish. Cradling Zucchero's body gently in their hands, the youths quietly took him
to the local cemetary, where they gave him an informal burial. His body was thrown into a hole dug with
their bare hands, and the spot was marked by a tombstone that the children removed from another grave.
Since then, many more Halloweens have passed. The corporation to which he gave his soul declared
bankruptcy several years ago after a financial scandal that appeared on the headlines of every newspaper
in America. Zucchero's soul was seized by the government, and was lost while en route to an office
in Washington, DC. There are whispers among residents that Zucchero's soul then returned to Vernon,
looking for his body. All he found were lines of zombie children, eagerly awaiting his
return.
- Harrison Gibsons, in his disturbing novel A Zombie in Darkness
- "I like Ver-non!"
- Delores Clayburn, an enthusiastic four-year old from Kamloops
Contact Information
Tourism Greater Vernon
Visitor Information Services
701 Hwy 97S
Vernon, BC V1T 9P7
Toll-Free: 1-800-665-0795
Telephone: 250-542-1415
E-mail: info@vernontourism.com
Website: www.tourismvernon.ca
City of Vernon
3400 30th Street
Vernon, BC V1T 5E6
Phone: 250-545-1361
Fax: 250-545-7876
Website: http://www.vernon.ca
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