RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-11-13 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Anthony Casorso talks about life in the Okanagan Mission and Kelowna area, 1880 to 1922. He begins by discussing his background of his father, who came from Italy in 1880. He describes; Father Pandosy; early memories; his brothers Felix and Joseph at the Mission; more about Father Pandosy; Indians around the Mission; Christmas; Pandosy's last journey and death in 1891; Indian huts; ;more about Pandosy's death and apple trees at the Mission. TRACK 2: Mr. Casorso describes Indians en route to hop picking at Coldstream; travel on the east side of the lake; settlement in the area; the Lequimes; the McDougalls; the Brents; Joseph Brent and mail service; more on Pandosy; the Casorso house; wagon wheels; early threshing methods; the first apple orchard in east Kelowna; development; of grape growing varieties; other fruit farming.

CALL NUMBER: T1127:0001 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1965-11-07 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mrs. Dorothea Walker talks about life in the Okanagan Mission area, near Kelowna, from 1892 to 1910. She discusses her father's background; what brought people to the Okanagan; his arrival ;and early days in the Okanagan Mission area, including a discussion of Lequime's store and the family orchard. She then describes her husband's background; why he came out to the Okanagan; his early ;experiences there; and how land was purchased from the Roman Catholic church. She describes her father's orchard; and impressions of H.V. "Paddy" Acland and his family. TRACK 2: Mrs. Walker continues with stories about Coutts Majoribanks who was the manager of Coldstream and Guisachan ranches; recreation; Lord and Lady Aberdeen at the Guisachan Ranch; the Reverend Thomas Green and stories about; him; details of her husband's life; the Indians; more about the Acland family; and her own teaching experiences.

CALL NUMBER: T1127:0002 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1965-11-07 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mrs. Walker offers recollections of recreation, including riding and hunting, and social life in the area. She discusses young Englishmen; Paddy Acland; sports; her husband's health; comforts; and stories about 'colourful characters' in the area. TRACK 2: Mrs. Walker continues her story about an Englishman and his Indian wife. She then discusses other people in the area including the; Creightons; Edgelows; Charles Mair, who was a writer and storekeeper, and his family. She discusses more on her husband's health; general comments including the Kelowna regatta; land clearing; the physical environment; and the lack of conveniences. She discusses teaching; John Casorso and his family; problems of orchards; Vernon people; the story of why her husband came to the Okanagan, and their engagement.

SUMMARY: In "Okanagan People", number 4 in the series, we hear about the Indians, cattlemen and fruit growers of the Okanagan Valley; the lively society of the British people; the hard work of converting the dry hills into orchards. Voices heard include: Myra DeBeck, Dorothea Walker, Primrose Upton, Charlie Shaw, Bob Gammon, Len Hayman, and H.V. (Paddy) Acland.

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-11-13 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. H.C.S. Collett discusses irrigation and life in general in the south Kelowna - Okanagan Mission area from 1912 to 1924. He discusses several characters and the history of the area; expe;\riences when he lived in Cumberland; his first impressions of the area; bringing irrigation from McCulloch Lake, which is above Kelowna; distribution of water; development of irrigation and details of; irrigation systems; and 'the boom' from 1911 to 1914. He describes his experiences doing odd jobs and goes into great detail about Okanagan Mission, the area and the people; grape growing; difficulties with private packing houses; trials and tribulations of an orchardist, especially the problems of apple growing. TRACK 2: Mr. Collett offers an anecdote about finding an area to develop a reservoir for even distribution among the orchards. More on irrigation and Belgian people in the Okanagan; selling fruit to private packing houses; the reorganization of the industry.

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-11-15 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Joseph Richter discusses how his father, F.X. Richter, came to the Similkameen Valley; the school at Okanagan Mission; the Brant family; his father's ranches; ranching in Kettle Valley; m;ail service; a story of a hold up at the Midway Hotel; an Indian who was shot at a July 4 celebration; Loomis, Washington; carrying revolvers; and the arrest of a cattle thief across the border. [TRACK 2: blank.]

CALL NUMBER: T1089:0001 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-11-11 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mrs. Myra DeBeck and Mrs. Ellen Sovereign are the daughters of Price Ellison (1853-1932). Mrs. DeBeck begins the interview by discussing her father's background; how he came to the Okanagan; the story of her mother's wedding ring; how her mother, Sophie Johnson, came to the Okanagan and married Ellison; Ellison's youth in England; his apprenticeship as a Whitesmith; neighbours in Vernon; the Ellison Ranch; a description of the house; her mother's involvement in the women's council; Lord and Lady Aberdeen. TRACK 2: Mrs. Ellen Sovereign discusses her father as an Okanagan pioneer and as a politician with great vision for the valley. She describes social life in Vernon; various visits to Victoria around 1900; impressions of Victoria; Premier Richard McBride; the Aberdeens; the Barnards of BX Ranch; a trip to Simpson Ranch.

CALL NUMBER: T1089:0002 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-11-11 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Myra DeBeck recalls life in Vernon and the area from 1890 to 1910. She describes Vernon as it was around 1900; the strawberry festival and social events; the story of how her mother came to; the valley; a trip to the World's Fair in 1893; Okanagan Mission; a visit to the Simpson Ranch; roads in the Valley; Coldstream Ranch; W.C. Ricardo; Lady Aberdeen and the Womens' Council, and the Cottage Hospital. TRACK 2: Mrs. DeBeck continues describing Lady Aberdeen's visit; the visit of Earl and Lady Grey; the Aberdeen family and their children; Lady Aberdeen's Irish village at the Chicago ;World's Fair; Coldstream; hop growing and Indian pickers; other ranchers and ranches in the area; the O'Keefe family; the Greenhows; BX Ranch; the Barnard family; the MacDonald family; young Englishmen; the Womens' Institute; Penticton; the Ellis family.

CALL NUMBER: T1089:0003 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-11-11 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Myra DeBeck recalls a 1910 trip with her father, Provincial cabinet minister Price Ellison, into what became Strathcona Provincial Park on Vancouver Island. She also describes the creation of Ellison Park on Okanagan Lake; Premier Richard McBride; electioneering with her father; and stories about an old hand on Ellison Ranch. [TRACK 2: blank.]

The sub-series consists of oral history interviews recorded in the Okanagan and Similkameen regions, mainly dealing with the history of those regions in the years 1880-1914.

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1965-11-05 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Peter Casorso talks about his father, John Casorso, and life in the Okanagan Mission area. He describes his family background; how his father came from Italy, and his journey from the coast to Okanagan Mission; the family farm; pioneer life there; more details of the journey from the coast; an anecdote about food preparation; people and events in the area; Father Pandosy's mission; Father Coccola; more on the Casorso family and the house; general comments on early life; a story about his father borrowing money from A.B. Knox; a description of his father; land and ranches in the a;rea. [TRACK 2: blank.]

SUMMARY: Stories from the early days of settlement in the Okanagan Valley: the missionary priest Father Pandosy; the cattle ranches; rancher and politician Price Ellison; the beginnings of Vernon, Kelowna, Penticton and Peachland; real estate promoter J.M. Robinson; and the fruit orchards. The voices heard are: Myra DeBeck; Primrose Upton; Charlie Shaw; Bob Gamman; Len Hayman; and H.V. "Paddy" Acland.