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Osoyoos
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Osoyoos
The secret is out! There is a place in Canada that has it all. If you are looking for a warm, sunny vacation place, it’s here. You need a place to spend the winter, away from the severe winters of the East or north, it’s here. Even if you are looking for a place to retire or go into business, its here. Osoyoos is one of the most unique small towns in the country.
Osoyoos, a southern town in the sunny Okanagan Valley, is just a few kilometers from the Canada/USA Border. It hugs the shores of the warmest, freshwater lake in the country and has all the amenities to make your holiday stay memorable. It was named the most beautiful small town in Canada. The only true desert, north of the border, extends from Mexico into a small area of the Inkameep Indian Reserve and has unique flora and fauna. The whole town is geared for the influx of tourists, in the summer, and has ample hotels, motels and campsites. There is something to do every day you are here or just kick back and relax in the sun.
If you are no longer going south as a Snow Bird, check out this bird house. The winters are temperate and the motels are comfortable with winter rates. You don’t have to worry about insurance or exchange. Activities are planned, with the resident senior population, to include winter visitors. You can be as busy as you wish or just share in the peace and quiet, enjoyed by the residents, at the end of summer.
Construction is everywhere in town. Beautiful condominiums are going up around the lake and a large housing development climbs the hills around the 27 hole golf course. New businesses are opening and future plans include a destination casino. Come and be a part of the exciting future as a visitor or resident.
A Tidbit of History
The Fur Brigades
The men of the fur brigades of the Hudson’s Bay Company were the first men to enter the Okanagan. By the first years of the 1800’s, company explorers were following a timeworn pathway through the Okanagan Valley from the northern fur forts of British Columbia to the great trading posts on the Columbia River and on to the Pacific Ocean. While various Indian bands were the first inhabitants of the Okanagan, explorer David Stuart was the first white man to use the fur brigade trail through the Okanagan. This Scots-Canadian was a partner in the Pacific Fur Company and undertook this first expedition through the Okanagan in 1811 to establish Fort Kamloops.
Each of these "brigades" was usually composed of an officer, or Chief factor, who was in charge of the brigade and a junior officer or Clerk who kept track of the goods and any losses incurred. The Clerk was also responsible for giving the men their rations each day. A guide or interpreter usually accompanied the Chief factor and also acted as a servant to the officers. To provide additional food for the expedition, a hunter or two would go in advance of the brigade to scout for any game. Some of the men also brought their wives along and even their children, and everyone would help in the work that needed to be done each day.
The brigade trail through the Okanagan followed the open country through the side valleys where there was sufficient grazing for the horses and where the ground would be suitable for their unshod hooves. The brigade then followed the trail along the west side of Osoyoos Lake and moved over Myers Flat, by White Lake and Twin Lakes, and onward through the Marron Valley to reach their eventual destination of Kamloops. The last fur brigade travelled along the Okanagan Trail in 1847, ending an era of the Okanagan’s history.
Copyright � 2002 Desert Sun Publishing B.C. All
rights reserved.
Revised: December 04, 2002 02:14 AM.