Penticton History

In the 19th Century, the quickest way for fur traders to get their pelts to world markets was to head south on horseback through Penticton to the Columbia River. Tom Ellis was the first non-native to settle the area in 1865 and is credited with planning the town site that is now known as Penticton. Referred to as ‘a place to live forever’ in First Nations language, Penticton was first recognized as a municipal area by the government of BC in 1907. There were only three ways to reach Penticton between 1915 and 1920: on horseback, as a passenger on the Kettle Valley Railway (KVR) or on a passenger steamship boat that traveled the Okanagan Valley on Lake Okanagan. Today, water travel in Penticton is mostly for recreational purposes: pleasure boaters, or water lovers who float like frogs on the Penticton River Channel between Lake Okanagan and Skaha Lake. Tourism is one of Penticton’s major industries thanks to its shorter, milder Winter relative to other parts of Canada: this normally sleepy city’s population balloons with beachgoers, park lovers and golfers in the warmer months. According to Statistics Canada’s most recent Penticton Community Profile, the population of Penticton and its surrounding area is approximately 43,313; the annual median income of individuals 15 years of age and older is about $35,740. Agriculture is another major industry: over 80 wineries are a major attraction for wine tasters looking to tease their senses with a sample of Okanagan wine. Life in and around this southern Okanagan city is sinfully sweet: freshly picked and juicy peaches, plums, apricots, and cherries may be purchased at roadside fruit stands and devoured.