16 July 2009
Dig Some Local History, Myra Canyon Style
One of the Myra Canyon trestles rebuilt after the devestating
forest fire of 2003.
Kelowna British Columbia - Mountain passes, steep
valleys, and rugged terrain are the home of the engineering feat known as the Kettle Valley Railway. The Myra Canyon section, famous
for its wooden trestles, was the highest pass of rail ever built in Canada and is the current home of the UBC Okanagan Archaeology and
History Field School.
For the past two summers, the field school has been run by UBCO history professor Dr. Maurice Williams and archaeology professor Dr.
Richard Garvin. They lead their team of students on a six-week excavation that touches on everything from local history,
archaeology, anthropology, and even a little bit of outdoor adventure. They're excavating the old work sites and camp sites of the men
who toiled to build the KVR almost a century ago.
Before heading up to the Myra Canyon excavation site to get hands on, students first head to the classroom for Williams' primer on KVR
history: the Kettle Valley Railway came about as a result of a heated battle over the territory and resources of Southern
British Columbia.
As the Great Northern Railway pushed into the region from the U.S., the Canadian Pacific Railway, through the KVR, began construction
on the line that would connect the Kootenays to the coast and secure Canadian control over the area's wealth. This line, completed in
1915, wound through mountain passes and adjacent valleys. Due to difficulty in upkeep and declining interest in rail travel, the KVR
was eventually disassembled piece by piece, and the physical legacy of the hard work performed by the railway's immigrant labourers
drifted away into history. The trestles of Myra Canyon, however, stood the test of time and became part of the
Trans-Canada Trail.
Calamity struck in the summer of 2003 when the trestles were consumed by the devastating Okanagan Mountain Park fire. Through the
efforts of the Myra Canyon Trestle Restoration Society, the trestles were rebuilt and reopened to the public last summer. Modern
equipment was used to rebuild the structures that had earlier been built with heavy labour and some steam power.
The original labourers, many of them from Russia, Eastern Europe, Italy, and Scandinavia, are the focus of the field school, as the
students work to uncover evidence of how they lived, who they were, and what life was like in the Myra Canyon work camps. The UBCO
field school is not running this summer due to a drop in summer student enrolment, but Williams and Garvin expect the school to be
back in full excavating force by next summer.
Enter the Kelowna Museums, in its third consecutive summer at Myra Canyon. A Kelowna Museums guide will take participants through a
portion of the Myra Canyon trestles. The tour then stops in at the field school location where Williams and Garvin step in to discuss
the excavation work done by the students last summer. The tour is a crash course in local history and archaeology and is also a great
way to spend a morning outdoors in the Okanagan summer.
To complement all the fresh air and hard work, the Kelowna Museums are also offering a summer lecture series along the topics of Myra
Canyon, geology, and the great outdoors. While the half-day guided tours charge a fee, the lecture series has free
admission (donations accepted). All lectures will take place at the Okanagan Heritage Museum at 7 p.m., downtown at the corner of
Ellis and Queensway.
The next lecture date is 21 Jul 2009 with Kettle Valley Railway historian Joe Smuin and a presentation entitled
"Ghost Train to the Border". On 11 Aug 2009, Williams and Garvin take to the podium for a look at the
"navies" or labourers who built the KVR. On 25 Aug 2009, internationally renowned rock climber Sonnie Trotter
will be the guest speaker, sharing his photos and adventures from climbing hot spots around the globe.
The Kelowna Museums' Myra Canyon guided tours will take place on 25 Jul 2009, 1 Aug 2009, and
8 Aug 2009. Each tour runs from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The fee is $20 per person, and $15 for Kelowna Museums members.
Tours fill fast, so call early to reserve your spot, (250) 868-4836.
For more information on the Kelowna Museums' summer lecture series, call (250) 763-2417 or visit www.kelownaMuseums.ca.
Editor's Note: Due to the current forest fire situation around Kelowna you should check with the museum prior to making
any plans.
|
|
