Osoyoos

Translated from local Inkaneep native dialect, Osoyoos means, where the water narrows, or sand bar across, an apt description for the way this town spans a narrow part of Osoyoos Lake in the Southern Okanagan. Originally named “Soo-Yoos”, an O is believed to have been added to lend a more dignified sound to the name.

Here, the ancestors of the Okanagan Salish Indians trapped the salmon swimming up the Okanagan River. David Stuart, a Scotsman working for the American-based Pacific Fur Company in 1811, was one of the first white explorers to visit this area.

For nearly half a century, Osoyoos was on the north-south fur trade route. Then, after a lull, it gained importance as a border entry point for cattle drives to the gold miners of the Cariboo.

Osoyoos was incorporated in 1947, but its history dates back a lot earlier. In the late 1800s, it was the colonial government’s administrative centre for much of the interior of British Columbia. From those early roots, Osoyoos has developed into what it is today.

Commercial fruit growing started in the early 1900s, but Osoyoos grew slowly until the railway reached it from the north in 1944. Today, the dry, sunny climate and long growing season make the South Okanagan the fruit basket of Canada, with Osoyoos as its capital city. Cherries, plums, apricots, peaches, apples, grapes… even bananas! Yes, bananas – the only plantation of its kind in Canada.

If visitors feel as though they’ve stumbled across a little part of the Mediterranean, it’s no wonder. This is the place to beat the summer heat; sailing, windsurfing, water-skiing and parasailing are all here for your pleasure.