Some Osoyoos History

The Aboriginal People roamed the Okanagan Valley for centuries. They stopped at Spotted Lake above Osoyoos, for physical and spiritual healing. They made Osoyoos a favourite meeting place, and they named our town "Sooyoos" a Native Okanagan word meaning the “narrows of the lake” or “meeting place”.

The narrows afforded a natural crossing, so that, even before the days of the brigades, there was a junction at this point of important trails. Osoyoos Lake is British Columbia’s warmest lake and it crosses the border into the United States. Osoyoos, a version of that word, is pronounced: O-sue-use.

The "O" prefix is not indigenous in origin and was attached by settler-promoters wanting to harmonize the name with other O-names in the Okanagan region (Oliver, Omak, Oroville, Okanagan).

In the 1800’s, Osoyoos was merely a rest stop for fur traders seeking a better route for sending their furs back to Europe.

The extension of the Canadian Pacific Railway to the town in December of 1945 gave orchardists and producers a better way to market their produce.

The first school opened in 1917. There were six pupils.

In 1946, Osoyoos was incorporated as a Village and the railway arrived. Rail service was discontinued a number of years ago, but the Village has grown to be a Town.

In the early 1950's, immigrants from Portugal settled in the South Okanagan. Over the years they proved themselves expert orchardists, proudly making their mark as successful growers of fruit and vegetables and vital members in the community. In recent years, more land has been cleared to make way for vineyards, and the orchards are being redeveloped by an enthusiastic Indo-Canadian Community.

Osoyoos Indian Band The Osoyoos Indian Band has lived for thousands of years in the desert, harvesting fish, roots, berries, and wildlife for food and clothing. Today, over 400 people live on 32,000 acres of Osoyoos Indian Reserve land and have continued their resourceful ways. The band also regularly holds ceremonies at Spotted Lake that it owns and values for its healing properties. One must be creative in order to live life in the desert, and the Osoyoos Indian Band is a living proof of how this can be achieved.

John Carmichael Haynes In the mid-19th Century, the settlement of Osoyoos was born. Haynes had decided to make Osoyoos home after riding on horseback through the area and being struck by Lake Osoyoos' beauty. He is credited with being the first non-Native settler of Osoyoos as well as its first colonial officer and judge. While he did not build a hotel or restaurant, he and a partner did establish cattle ranches to feed nearby mining camps. Osoyoos’ commercial fruit-growing industry was born when an engineer purchased some of Haynes’ land and planted 30 acres of plums, apricots, apples, and other fruit in 1907. Soon after, the Irrigation Canal was built to supply local orchards with water so that crops could be reliably grown. Haynes Point Provincial Park and the Haynes Point Wetlands Trail are named after Haynes in honour of his importance to Osoyoos’ establishment as a community.

Osoyoos is home to Canada’s only official desert.

Fruit production remains a major industry, but Osoyoos has grown into a hot tourist destination since its first hotel was established in the 1920’s. Osoyoos today has retained its agricultural heritage. The ideal climate has resulted in the area producing a variety of fruits, vegetables and vineyards, catering to the early seasonal markets. The climate also has attracted many visitors who flock to the area beaches to enjoy the warm waters of Osoyoos Lake.