Okanagan-Similkameen

Sherry L. Douglas-Keetch was a library technician in Longford Mills, Ontario.

This book is the fourth in the series, each volume of which concentrates on a different geographical area of B.C. The work is an “augmentation of material originally published as part of v.2 of the author’s Encyclopedia of Ghost Towns and Mining Camps of British Columbia.”

Each of the 17 chapters tells the story of a different mining town. Included is information on how the town got its name, whether gold strikes in the area were substantial or short-lived, and bits of information from local newspapers, legends, and church records.

Very clear maps help pinpoint the location of these places. As well, black-and-white photographs add to the reader’s understanding of this vanished era. There are pictures of the railroad, mine entrances, hotels, and families dressed in their Sunday best.

This is a well-researched, easily readable book. Paterson presents vignettes of towns during gold rush days and of the people who flocked to the area, all dreaming of adventure and easy wealth. Ghost towns are all that remain today of these instant communities.

Okanagan-Similkameen will be appreciated by historians and ghost town buffs.