Above ODHS archive photo: 991.047.001

Heritage Walking Tour

Oliver’s Heritage Walking Tour showcases the stories of significant landmarks and buildings in town. The ODHS offers the program in-person during the summer months and we have self-guided programs available for pick-up at the Museum.

heritage walking tour map

Oliver Museum and archives

The Museum was the former BC Provincial Police building, dating to the 1920s when it was constructed. The building has maintained several original features and inside there used to be an administrative office, small jail cell, court room, kitchen, and a few other offices. The constable would have lived onsite for the duration of their posting, in the upstairs living quarters that had a bedroom, bathroom and other amenities. Currently, the Museum houses historic exhibits that tell the story of Oliver as well as collection storage rooms and staff offices. The backyard is our educational programming area for school groups and events.

Across the road from the Museum stands the Archives. The building was the former ambulance storage facility for the Town of Oliver. It was renovated/upgraded in 1997 to meet the climate-controlled standards for housing historical archival materials that tells the story of Oliver.

Dr. Norbert Ball’s office

Norbert J. Ball was born July 24 1904 was became a notable physician. He occupied the medical office in this building from 1933-1971. He served the South Okanagan, Similkameen and Kettle Valley regions as the sole practitioner. Dr. Ball also helped establish the former St. Martin’s Hospital, operated by the Sisters’ of St. Ann.  Before arriving in Oliver, Dr. Ball served in World War One in the Canadian Army and was recognized for his distinguished service. He was offered a position with the Canadian Medical Association after the war but turned it down to benefit Oliver and surrounding community in developing healthcare. Dr. Ball passed away December 1975.

The Streamline Modern architecture is unique in its geometric and aerodynamic design as well as curved features. The building has remained in its original location since the 1930s and currently is the Okanagan Boys and Girls Club.

MAin street and hotels

Several prominent businesses have lined Oliver’s main street over the years. The road began to develop when Oliver was establishing itself as a town in the 1920s. The Okanagan Supply Company and the Canadian Bank of Commerce were some of the first to line the street upon being relocated from East of town near the current Parks and Recreation facility. Other businesses that developed were a blacksmith shop, a bakery, deli, pool hall, café and Collen’s Department Store. In the 1930s as Oliver continued to grow with employment opportunities from the irrigation canal project and agriculture, more restaurants, a post office, the Oliver Chronicle Newspaper, a gas station and beauty salon popped up to name a few. Additionally, former structures from the erstwhile mining town of Fairview were repurposed to construct some of the buildings that presently line the street. The King Hotel, previously The Desert Arms Hotel (top left 2015.35.3) and originally The Reopel Hotel dates to 1935 when it was first built by Anthony Reople in the style of Tudor architecture.

2002.020.2 (bottom left)The Hotel Oliver, dating to c. 1930 was brought down from New Westminster and used to be on the East side heading North. Currently, Oliver’s main street is part of Highway 97.

Oliver movie theatre

The charming Oliver Movie Theatre dates to 1946 when it was founded and built by Alex Gough. Originally from Kimberly, BC Gough moved to Oliver and carried forward his experience screening silent films for gold mining towns in BC’s interior. The first film played was Great Expectations. The business has changed owners throughout the years, but it remains in its original location and still shows a great selection of movies.

Alex Gough was a prominent Oliver resident and was involved in local government, the school board and other organizations.

canadian pacific railway station

The station originally served as part of the Kettle Valley Railway system transporting produce from Oliver’s orchards to different regions of the Okanagan and Canada. It was built in 1923 with elements of Edwardian Craftsman architecture, with brackets on eaves, cargo doors and transom windows to highlight some features. The last train to pass through the station was on July 5, 1977 and in 1978 the track was dismantled. The building was designated a municipal heritage site in 1981 for its importance to Oliver and the wider community. It was restored to its original aesthetic in 2002 following a fire. In contemporary times, Tourism Oliver operates out of this former CPR Station.

irrigation canal project “ditch”

The irrigation project was initiated by Premier John Oliver (1918-1927) and his government upon witnessing the unemployment of returning World War One Veterans. Oliver has a semi-arid climate making it ideal for agriculture and the canal would provide water for potential farmland. Veterans had the opportunity to purchase land at a discounted rate in exchange for their labour, upon the passing of the Soldiers Land Act of 1918. The source of water originated from the Okanagan River. In 1918 the BC government purchased 22,000 hectares of land from nʕaylintn (formerly McIntyre) Bluff to the US-Canada border. Construction began in 1920 and it was entirely gravity-fed, for the natural slope of the landscape was utilized. There were nine “ditch camps” built along the route to house workers, which had basic amenities and accommodated approximately 150-300 people. When the canal was complete, it was over 40km long. A few of the original sections of the canal still exist, but the irrigation system has modernized with the advancement of pumping stations. The canal remains an incredibly important element of Oliver’s history and thriving agriculture economy.

Even though the canal was an impressive feat, it had a negative impact on Indigenous Peoples and the environment. The government in the 1920s took land from the Osoyoos Indian Band (syilx Okanagan Peoples) without permission for the project. Salmon and other wildlife were harmed from the changes in landscape and destruction of habitat as well. Eventually, these issues were remedied and relations with the syilx Indigenous Peoples are improving. The fish and wildlife habitats continue to recover and the landscape along parts of the Okanagan River harmed from canal have been restored to a more natural setting.

To learn more about the Canal, visit History of the Canal (Ditch) Project page HERE

Oliver town hall

The Town Hall dates to the 1920s and was constructed in the Edwardian Craftsman style. After World War One symbols of government were shunned due to the labour movement, and it blended into the local community resembling a home rather than a political office. Outside the building stands the statue of John Oliver, the town’s namesake and an important player in developing the irrigation canal system.

collen house

Carl Daniel Collen was a prominent Oliver resident and businessman who operated and managed Gents Department Store with business partner James Kinnear Anderson. The shop, located on Oliver’s Main Street, carried the latest styles in fashion, for kids and adults, as well as a variety of household items. The retail outlet was popular among locals in Oliver and the Okanagan. It was later renamed Collen’s Department Store in 1922 when the business relationship between James and Carl ended, and Carl took full ownership of the shop. He built this house and lived with his wife Beatrice, also an important Oliver citizen. Beatrice helped manage the store and was involved in several community groups, such as the Hospital Auxiliary, the Scouts and she was a School Board Trustee. She was honoured with Citizen of the Year award in 1978. The house has unique Italianate architecture, a turret, high pitched roof, and gabled front, making it a prominent local structure. The house is still in the Collen family. 

catholic church

This former Catholic Church was originally built in 1934 by a group of volunteers and the Battlement architectural features flanking the entrance make it unique. The church has relocated to a different site in Oliver.

st. edward anglican church

At the former Fairview Townsite east of Oliver there was an Anglican church to serve people of the community who were of that faith. In 1907 there were approximately 29 families and 144 members registered at this church.

In the 1920s Fairview started to decline on account of the gold deposits depleting from the mines and gold prices dropping. As a result, people started to move away to the emerging Town of Oliver. The region was beginning to see a lot of immigrant communities come to Oliver for employment opportunities to work on the canal project and/or to farm. However, there was still an Anglican presence and this community desired a new church when the former building at Fairview was sold. Plans to construct St. Edward Anglican Church began in 1934. The Norman style emulating the Ashlar method with the square pumice blocks and dented battlements on the bell tower are unique architectural features. The church has undergone changes over the years, but it remains in its original location

southern okanagan secondary school

The original school was constructed in 1948 and named Southern Okanagan High School. It was an architectural innovation in the Streamline Modern style with geometric, curved lines and aerodynamic features. The name changed to Southern Okanagan Secondary School in 1964 due to restructuring changes of the BC provincial education system. As Oliver grew as a town expansions and renovations were done to the school. In 2011 a tragic fire occurred causing significant devastation to the building that impacted the community. However, parts of the schools that were refurbished before the fire were protected by the firewall.

Mitch Van Aller led the refabricating project of the school, which took 2 years to complete and reopened in 2013. It maintained the Streamline Modern architecture and the school was awarded the “Best Commercial Building category at the Southern Interior Construction Association Awards for 2013-2014 year. The school still stands today as a notable learning facility for students in Oliver and surrounding region.

The Venables Theatre matches the streamline modern architecture of the school to which it’s attached. It was named in honour of Frank Venables, a prominent Oliver resident who came to the area in 1919. He was an employee of the irrigation canal project and later established a farm. He was involved in many organizations that included health care and education locally and across the province.

St. Martin’s Hospital 

The former hospital was located on property near the current Southern Okanagan Secondary School. To learn more, follow this link.

Thank you for participating in the ODHS heritage walking tour!

If you want to learn more, visit the Museum and Archives

Please consider making a donation to support our educational programming

100% of all donated funds goes towards preserving and presenting Oliver’s history through artifact care, research, and programming. Thank you for helping us to preserve local history.