A textbook lesson about our Valley
As a student of local history and geography and an elementary school teacher of 30+ years (who still enjoys volunteering in a local elementary school classroom,) I have amassed a fairly impressive collection of antique and vintage school textbooks.
These books – on a variety of subjects, including geography and history, and written for a broad range of student ages – are a natural connection between my love of teaching and my quest for knowledge about the Okanagan Valley.
Therefore, I was recently very pleased when I acquired another vintage textbook for my collection.
On pages 65 and 66 of “A World Geography For Canadian Schools” – written by V. L. Denton and A.R. Lord, and first published in 1936 by J.M. Dent & Sons (Toronto) – there is a fine description of our Okanagan Valley:
THE OKANAGAN VALLEY
“Along the eastern side of the interior plateau, at the base of the Columbia Range, there is a glacial trough partly filled with water which drains off to the Columbia. This is Okanagan Lake and River. While it is an integral part of the plateau and has a climate and contour similar to the rest of the dry belt, it is necessary to give the Okanagan particular treatment because of the way in which the dry bench-lands have been made to yield their latent riches. The Okanagan is the great fruit district of British Columbia and compares in productivity with the Niagara peninsula of Ontario and with the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia.
“The soils of the Okanagan are alluvial deposits on the floor of a freshwater lake which, at some ancient period, covered this part of the plateau to a depth of 2,000 feet. As the lake drained off, the receding shore-line was marked by the sand and clay benches which now remain, often high above the present level of the lake. The gentle, even slope of these old lakeshores make it possible to irrigate large areas at moderate cost. The virgin soils are fertile and well supplied with lime, phosphates, and potash. The nitrogen content is more variable, but the ploughing under of alfalfa, clover, or vetch supplies the need.
“Vernon commands the trade of the northern Okanagan. A branch line of the C.N.R. connects with Kamloops, and of the C.P.R. with Sicamous Junction. Apples are the principal tree fruit, but many other fruits are grown. Tomatoes and onions are produced on a large scale. There are five fruit-packing plants, one of which is 400 feet long, 80 feet wide, with a frostproof basement and a first floor capable of storing 250 carloads of apples. Factories make cider, fruit byproducts, and can tomatoes and other vegetables.
“Kelowna is the centre of another irrigated area. The products are similar to those of Vernon. Penticton, at the foot of the lake, also grows fruit on a large scale. Peaches and apricots do well from Penticton southward. A short railway connects with Oliver. At this point the Okanogan River enters a broad, sweeping valley. The river drops from 1,130 feet at Okanagan Lake to 905 feet at Osoyoos. Irrigation works have been built by the provincial government and many thousands acres are available for settlement.
“The Okanagan Valley is not only one of the beauty spots of the province but it is also one of the most productive areas in British Columbia ...”
Readers of this 1936 school textbook might be surprised that there is little in the way of information about Kelowna. Only two sentences are assigned to Kelowna, while more information is provided about Vernon and Penticton.
This is not surprising as Kelowna was then often seen as the least significant of the Okanagan’s three main settlements.
Kelowna has not always been the largest of the three Okanagan cities nor was it traditionally the Valley’s economic powerhouse that it is in 2023.
Vernon, historically the oldest and most well-established of the Okanagan’s three centres of population, for many years was the largest of the three cities and also the Valley’s economic leader.
The 1921, 1931 and 1941 Canada censuses (source: Wikipedia) recorded the following populations:
Canada Census data used in the production of “A World Geography for Canadian Schools” would have indicated that Kelowna was by far the smallest of the Okanagan’s three cities in 1921, the year of the Canada Census.
Ten years later, Kelowna’s population had grown significantly, according to the 1931 Canada Census, but that more up-to-date information may not have been available to the book’s authors.
By 1941 – five years after the textbook’s release for use in Canadian public schools – Vernon, Kelowna and Penticton all had comparable (5,000+ people) populations, Kelowna again being the smallest of the three cities.
It is my contention that Vernon’s dramatic population growth between 1931 and 41 is a reflection of the World War use of Camp Vernon, as hundreds of Canadian soldiers were housed there, taking some of their military training.
One final note. On the book’s front page, is the name and grade of this textbook’s long-ago owner: “Margaret Ritch, Rm. 12, Div 1, Gr. 7.”
As it turns out, I knew the late Margaret (nee Ritch) Moisey. We both served on the executive of the Kelowna Branch of the Okanagan Historical Society.
I am pleased to add Margaret’s Grade 9 textbook to my collection and am sure that she would be pleased to know that it is much-prized and enjoyed by its latest owner.
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The Kelowna branch of the Okanagan Historical Society operates on the unceded traditional territory of the Syilx people. It gratefully acknowledges their traditional knowledge, the elders and all those who have gone before us.
This article is part of a series, submitted by the Kelowna Branch, Okanagan Historical Society.
Additional information would be welcome at P.O. Box 22105, Capri P.O., Kelowna, B.C., V1Y 9N9.