Similkameen Country
Encyclopedia
The Similkameen Country, also referred to as the Similkameen Valley or Similkameen District, but generally referred to simply as The Similkameen or more archaically, Similkameen, is a region roughly coinciding with the basin of the river of the same name in the Southern Interior of British Columbia
. The term "Similkameen District" also refers to the Similkameen Mining District, a defunct government administrative district, which geographically encompasses the same area, and in more casual terms may also refer to the Similkameen electoral district
, which was combined with the Grand Forks-Greenwood
riding by the time of the 1966 election
. The Similkameen Country has deep historical connections to the Boundary Country and the two are sometimes are considered one region, partly as a result of the name of the electoral district. It is also sometimes, incorrectly, classed as being part of the Okanagan
region, which results from shared regional district and other administrative boundaries and names. The term "Similkameen District" may also historically refer to the Similkameen Division Yale Land District, which also includes Osoyoos
and the Boundary Country
to Osoyoos' east.
Although the Similkameen River
's last few miles are in Washington state, only the British Columbia part of the river's basin is named "the Similkameen".
The Similkameen is one of several historical regions of British Columbia whose foundations and settlement lay in the days of the Colony of British Columbia
, and was one of the first areas of the province prospected as well as farmed and ranched. The area has seen a number of famous gold strikes and large mining operations, notably the Tulameen Gold Rush of the 1880s and 1890s and the Nickel Plate Mine at Hedley
, but also including coal at Blakeburn
and Coalmont
, and copper at Allenby
and Copper Mountain
, all of these locations in the vicinity of Princeton
.
Orcharding and ranching are important to the Similkameen Country, with orcharding and ranching operations in the Keremeos
first started by Bohemia
n immigrant Francis Xavier Richter
in 1864. Richter's original 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) of fruit trees at Keremeos Centre are considered to be one of the two foundations of BC's orcharding industry, the other being started by the Oblate Fathers at Okanagan Mission. Today the area is seeing a burgeoning wine industry and a boom in sunbelt-oriented recreation housing and property development.
or Syilx. There are two Indian Bands in the region, the Upper Similkameen Indian Band
at Princeton and the Lower Similkameen Indian Band
at Keremeos. The upper reaches of the Similkameen and its upper tributaries such as the Tulameen and Pasayten River
s, however, were part of the traditional territory of the Nlaka'pamux
and their subgroup the Scw'exmx.
British Columbia Interior
The British Columbia Interior or BC Interior or Interior of British Columbia, usually referred to only as the Interior, is one of the three main regions of the Canadian province of British Columbia, the other two being the Lower Mainland, which comprises the overlapping areas of Greater Vancouver...
. The term "Similkameen District" also refers to the Similkameen Mining District, a defunct government administrative district, which geographically encompasses the same area, and in more casual terms may also refer to the Similkameen electoral district
Similkameen (electoral district)
Similkameen was the name of a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia formed around the historic mining district of the same name. It made its first appearance on the hustings in the election of 1903...
, which was combined with the Grand Forks-Greenwood
Grand Forks-Greenwood
Grand Forks-Greenwood was the name of a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia centred on the town of Grand Forks, in the Boundary Country between the Okanagan and Kootenay Countries. The riding first appeared in the 1924 election as the result of a merger of...
riding by the time of the 1966 election
British Columbia general election, 1966
The British Columbia general election of 1966 was the 28th general election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on August 5, 1966 and held on September 12, 1966...
. The Similkameen Country has deep historical connections to the Boundary Country and the two are sometimes are considered one region, partly as a result of the name of the electoral district. It is also sometimes, incorrectly, classed as being part of the Okanagan
Okanagan
The Okanagan , also known as the Okanagan Valley and sometimes as Okanagan Country is a region located in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. As of 2009, the region's population is approximately 350,927. The...
region, which results from shared regional district and other administrative boundaries and names. The term "Similkameen District" may also historically refer to the Similkameen Division Yale Land District, which also includes Osoyoos
Osoyoos, British Columbia
Osoyoos is a town in the southern part of the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia near the border with Washington state. The town is also adjacent to the Indian Reserve of the Osoyoos Indian Band. The origin of the name Osoyoos was the word suius meaning "narrowing of the waters" in the local...
and the Boundary Country
Boundary Country
The Boundary Country is a historical designation for a district in southern British Columbia lying, as its name suggests, along the boundary between Canada and the United States. It lies to the east of the southern Okanagan Valley and to the west of the West Kootenay. It is often included in...
to Osoyoos' east.
Although the Similkameen River
Similkameen River
The Similkameen River runs through southern British Columbia, eventually discharging into the Okanogan River near Oroville, Washington in the United States. The river is approximately long, and its drainage basin is in area...
's last few miles are in Washington state, only the British Columbia part of the river's basin is named "the Similkameen".
The Similkameen is one of several historical regions of British Columbia whose foundations and settlement lay in the days of the Colony of British Columbia
Colony of British Columbia
The Colony of British Columbia was a crown colony in British North America from 1858 until 1866. At its creation, it physically constituted approximately half the present day Canadian province of British Columbia, since it did not include the Colony of Vancouver Island, the vast and still largely...
, and was one of the first areas of the province prospected as well as farmed and ranched. The area has seen a number of famous gold strikes and large mining operations, notably the Tulameen Gold Rush of the 1880s and 1890s and the Nickel Plate Mine at Hedley
Hedley, British Columbia
Hedley is an unincorporated town in southern British Columbia, Canada, named after Robert R. Hedley, the manager of the Hall Smelter in Nelson. Hedley is located at the foot of Nickel Plate Mountain in the Similkameen. The town had a population of approximately 400 as of 2005. In the early...
, but also including coal at Blakeburn
Blakeburn, British Columbia
Blakeburn, also known as the Blakeburn Site, is an abandoned locality and former coal mine and coal mining town located southwest of the confluence of Granite Creek and the Tulameen River, across the latter from the surviving coal mining hamlet in the area, Coalmont, which was the railhead for the...
and Coalmont
Coalmont, British Columbia
Coalmont is a tiny mining town, northwest of Princeton, British Columbia, Canada, on the north bank of the Tulameen River. It is near the community of Tulameen and Otter Lake and the Coldwater Junction of the Coquihalla Highway. The town was established in 1912 to serve as a supply point to the...
, and copper at Allenby
Allenby, British Columbia
Allenby was an important copper-mining company town in the Similkameen Country of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, just south of the town of Princeton...
and Copper Mountain
Copper Mountain, British Columbia
Copper Mountain was an important copper-mining company town in the Similkameen Country of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, just south of the town of Princeton....
, all of these locations in the vicinity of Princeton
Princeton, British Columbia
Princeton is a small town in the Similkameen region of southern British Columbia, Canada. It lies just east of the Cascade Mountains, which continue south into Washington, Oregon and California. The Tulameen and Similkameen Rivers converge here...
.
Orcharding and ranching are important to the Similkameen Country, with orcharding and ranching operations in the Keremeos
Keremeos, British Columbia
Keremeos is a village in the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. The name originated from the Similkameen dialect of the Okanagan language word "Keremeyeus" meaning "creek which cuts its way through the flats" referring to Keremeos Creek which flows down from the Upper Benchlands to the...
first started by Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
n immigrant Francis Xavier Richter
Francis Xavier Richter
Francis Xavier Richter, commonly known as Frank Richter, was a pioneer settler, miner and rancher in 19th century Washington and British Columbia.Born in Friedland, Bohemia, then part of Austria-Hungary, Richter was the son of a textile manufacturer...
in 1864. Richter's original 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) of fruit trees at Keremeos Centre are considered to be one of the two foundations of BC's orcharding industry, the other being started by the Oblate Fathers at Okanagan Mission. Today the area is seeing a burgeoning wine industry and a boom in sunbelt-oriented recreation housing and property development.
Major towns
- KeremeosKeremeos, British ColumbiaKeremeos is a village in the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. The name originated from the Similkameen dialect of the Okanagan language word "Keremeyeus" meaning "creek which cuts its way through the flats" referring to Keremeos Creek which flows down from the Upper Benchlands to the...
- PrincetonPrinceton, British ColumbiaPrinceton is a small town in the Similkameen region of southern British Columbia, Canada. It lies just east of the Cascade Mountains, which continue south into Washington, Oregon and California. The Tulameen and Similkameen Rivers converge here...
- TulameenTulameen, British ColumbiaTulameen, originally known as Otter Flat, is a small community in British Columbia, Canada, about 26 kilometres northwest of the town of Princeton on the Crowsnest Highway , and about 185 kilometres east-northeast from the city of Vancouver, British Columbia...
- CawstonCawston, British ColumbiaCawston is an unincorporated small community in the south Similkameen Valley.The community was named for R.L. Cawston, a pioneer rancher and magistrate who settled in the area in the 19th century...
- CoalmontCoalmont, British ColumbiaCoalmont is a tiny mining town, northwest of Princeton, British Columbia, Canada, on the north bank of the Tulameen River. It is near the community of Tulameen and Otter Lake and the Coldwater Junction of the Coquihalla Highway. The town was established in 1912 to serve as a supply point to the...
- HedleyHedley, British ColumbiaHedley is an unincorporated town in southern British Columbia, Canada, named after Robert R. Hedley, the manager of the Hall Smelter in Nelson. Hedley is located at the foot of Nickel Plate Mountain in the Similkameen. The town had a population of approximately 400 as of 2005. In the early...
First Nations
The Similkameen Country is mostly in the traditional territory of the Similkameen subdivision of the Okanagan peopleOkanagan people
The Okanagan people, also spelled Okanogan, are a First Nations and Native American people whose traditional territory spans the U.S.-Canada boundary in Washington state and British Columbia...
or Syilx. There are two Indian Bands in the region, the Upper Similkameen Indian Band
Upper Similkameen Indian Band
The Upper Similkameen Indian Band is a First Nations government in the Canadian province of British Columbia, located in town of Princeton in the Similkameen District. They are a member of the Okanagan Nation Alliance....
at Princeton and the Lower Similkameen Indian Band
Lower Similkameen Indian Band
The Lower Similkameen Indian Band is a First Nations government in the Canadian province of British Columbia, located in the town of Keremeos in the Similkameen District. They are a member of the Okanagan Nation Alliance....
at Keremeos. The upper reaches of the Similkameen and its upper tributaries such as the Tulameen and Pasayten River
Pasayten River
The Pasayten River is a tributary of the Similkameen River, in the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. state of Washington.The Pasayten River is part of the Columbia River drainage basin, being a tributary of the Similkameen River, which flows into the Okanagan River, which flows...
s, however, were part of the traditional territory of the Nlaka'pamux
Nlaka'pamux
The Nlaka'pamux , commonly called "the Thompson", and also Thompson River Salish, Thompson Salish, Thompson River Indians or Thompson River people) are an indigenous First Nations/Native American people of the Interior Salish language group in southern British Columbia...
and their subgroup the Scw'exmx.