Tuesday, March 27, 2012

ABC Wednesday
March 28th, 2012

K is the letter of the week.

I decided not to wander too far from home and to show you a little of the town we live in - Keremeos.


A nice, neat town nestled along the banks of the Similkameen in the shadow of K Mountain, Keremeos began as a Hudson's Bay Company trading post in 1860, and since it was first founded it has moved twice before it finally found a place to settle down.

Today the well preserved early 1900's buildings give the town a distinctive Old West feel.



With cattle ranching, hay ranging, fruit growing and vineyards the mainstays in the surrounding community in the summer you will be delighted to find the wineries open to tourists and the highway lined with fruit stands.


Coming into town from Penticton the first fruit stand you will see is one of the largest and I think the most attractive as our elder daughter did all the art work that distinguishes it and makes it known Canada wide amongst visitors.  It is announced by this sign peaking over the hill a mile or so from town.


Spanning the Similkameen River is the Red Bridge, one of only a handful of covered bridges remaining in North America.  It is a reminder of the time when the Great Northern Railway ran up the Similkameen River to Hedley and Princeton, - it is now a highway bridge to the Ashnola and the Cathedral Lakes Park.



I hardly know which picture to show you, - it is all so beautiful in the park.  The lakes are like exquisite jewels set amongst the granite of the mountains, and the hiking trails take you through a truly wild


Overlooking Keremeos, high above in the hills above the ranchland, are the Keremeos Columns, natural basalt columns nearly 100 feet high, extending for some distance along the face of a cliff northeast of the town.  Formed from thirty million year old volcanic activity the columns can't be seen from the main road, but one must seek permission from private landowners before hiking up to their splendour.

Here is a picture of Keremeos, taken from the columns....


Keremeos also has western Canada's oldest flour mill, and the only one remaining with most of its machinery intact.  Careful restoration has included the reconstruction of an operating water wheel and flume.  The mill was built in 1877 by Barrington Price and his store, with its 1894 wallpaper still in place is now an exhibit space full of intriguing hands on displays.




We also have rodeos, - the Chopaka  Rodeo on Easter Sunday, hosted by the 
Lower Similkameen First Nations


and the traditional May 24th rodeo hosted by the local Elks' Lodge and the Community



Great exciterment, - lots to do here, and it is a lovely Valley.  Do come and visit.....

For more wonderful K's click here and visit at ABC Wednesday, hosted by Mrs. Nesbitt and her Keen helpers.

10 comments:

Leslie: said...

I have such great memories of Keremeos! When I was little, we'd visit my aunt & uncle in Osoyoos where they had an orchard and we always went through your town. On the way home, we'd load up with fruit so Mom could can and jar them. Just a couple of years ago, L and I went through coming from Penticton and stopped to buy a picnic lunch to eat along the highway. Great photos and I never knew there was so much to do there!

Leslie
abcw team

Roger Owen Green said...

nice town, but the EH sign cracked me up.
ROG, ABC Wednesday team

Chubskulit Rose said...

Such a beautiful place!

Korean Souvenir
Rose, ABC Wednesday Team

VioletSky said...

It looks a wonderful place to live. (although I already knew you were living in a wonderful location, by your many beautiful photos)
And to think I have not heard of it before.

Unknown said...

this is beautiful town. i love the lake and mountains and the old mill--so quaint.

Unknown said...

Very striking columns! Thanks for sharing your "neighborhood!"

Ann said...

Looks like a welcoming and peaceful place to live. The mountains and valley are so beautiful.Would love to visit.
Ann

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

I would love to visit! My dad's aunt and uncle and cousins lived in Nelson and that is the closest I think I've ever been -- too many years ago to count (they were lovely people who usually visited us).

MERYL JAFFE, PhD - parent, psychologist, teacher, author... said...

OH how beautiful and charming.

Morning's Minion said...

That first street view gave me a bit of a jolt--very similar to the main street of Lander, Wyoming where we so recently lived.