Summerland

ABC Wednesday
November 18th, 2015

The letter is S for Summerland

"There no cloud shall dim the sky, in that happy home on high,

In that heavenly Summer Land, in that heavenly Summer Land."

excerpt from a spiritualist hymn

Said to have been the inspiration for the name of the town, certain to
 entice settlers to come west to a heavenly Summerland 
(and there were a lot of Baptists in early Summerland!)

and still are....  here is the Baptist church - a fine

church with a great men's choir in which our oldest son sings !

Originally the area was called Nicola Prairie after Grand Chief Nicola of the Okanagan Nation - successful hunter/gathers who had been in the area for many hundreds of years.

A few major First Nations trails passed through Nicola Prairie in the early days, and

they were used by fur traders and later miners on their way to the gold rush.

The excellent grasslands along the route attracted ranchers and orchardists.

The first Summerland town site was incorporated in 1906, on Okanagan Lake

where the sternwheeler boats delivered goods and people imported fruit to market.

When the population ran out of growing room houses and businesses began

appearing on the flat lands above and a land deal was negotiated with the First Nation's

people from Siwash Flat, making room for a new townsite which became the

Summerland of today, - a pretty and cheerful town with leafy boulevards and

a wonderful combination of history, arts, culture, wineries, and the fruit industry.

An  extinct volcanic mountain dominates the skyline - Giant's Head, so named

because of it's resemblance to a face on one side of the mountain.

The clay cliffs that line the road leading to Summerland from Penticton

make a magnificent entrance.

The town itself is surrounded by sumptuous orchards and wineries

Lots of wineries!!!

There is a self-guided walking tour of the original town site on the shores of Okanagan Lake,

and more up Giant's Head and in the surrounding hills.

Summerland is the site of a provincial Agricultural Research Station,

with beautiful lawn and gardens - a lovely place to picnic and explore.

There is a Marina and sail boats to accompany it....

Zia's restaurant in an old stone house of pioneer vintage, where we love to lunch or dine....

The main street...

and the piece de resistance - a steam railway!!!

 The Spirit of Summerland

A restored 1912 steam locomotive pulls the combination of vintage rail cars and open observation cars through the farmland of Prairie Valley, around the base of Giant's Head Mountain, ending on Trout Creek Bridge, the tallest on the KVR at 240 feet, 

providing excellent views of Trout Creek Canyon.

There are special events from May until September featuring a Great Train Robbery

and at Christmas the Train Morphs into a Santa Express.

Videos below that celebrate these events.....

Summerland is within travelling distance for tea, here in Keremeos!!

Click here for more great Ss with thanks to Roger and Denise
and all helpers, saintly or sinful.

Photos all from Sir Google