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Historic O’Keefe Ranch
Words by Carla-Jean Stokes, Ken Mather and Rob Dinwoodie
Photos Courtesy Historic O’Keefe Ranch
The famous Cowboy Dinner Show will return to the Historic O’Keefe Ranch in Vernon, BC for the twelfth year. The show will run every Friday night from July 17th – August 28th and will celebrate the contribution that Valentine Carmichael Hanes (Val) made to the history of the working BC cowboys. Val was only eight years old when he trailed his first head of cattle from the Okanagan to the land of modern-day Alberta. This was before paved highways when the only passage through the Rockie Mountains was an old trail that the Indigenous people used to trade with the prairie tribes.
This trek was the beginning of cowboy life for Val, who was noted for his ability in the saddle and with his way with the cattle, that he managed for almost a century. Known by the community of the south Okanagan as the “last of the old-time cowboys”, his life spanned a part of history that saw the need for the working cowboy develop and wain with industrialization.
Rob Dinwoodie and his band will once again bring stories to life through songs that are dedicated to the men and women of the open range. Over the years at the ranch, folks have come to appreciate the unique western experience the Cowboy Dinner Show provides. Joining Rob is a well-known historian, author and cowboy poet, Ken Mather, who will thread the history through his cowboy poetry and vast knowledge of this historical era. Drama has been an important part of telling different stories of the cowboy and this year will not disappoint. Characters like Judge Haynes of Osoyoos crossing, Newman Squires, trail boss for the Gang ranch, and of course Val Haynes, son of the Judge will join the troupe on stage to tell this incredible story.
Before the show, guests have the opportunity to ride the authentic BX Express stagecoach and learn how to rope like a cowboy. Cowboy Rob will provide an opportunity to not only hear about the cowboy but to be one for the night. The stage show will begin after a delicious and hearty western meal, served up by Cattlemen's Club restaurant. What cowboy evening would be complete without a cowboy campfire under the stars? Join the group as they sing songs and bring the evening to a close "the cowboy way."
The O’Keefe Ranch -“Where History Comes Alive”
The O’Keefe Ranch will open for the 2020 season on Saturday, May 9th with the annual Mother's Day Celebration. On June 16th, the ranch will celebrate the role of Fathers and Grandfathers in the annual Father’s Day celebration. For families, the ranch hosts two Family Fun Days, July 18th and August 15th. In early July, the Summertime Corn Maze opens and is a great place to get lost (and found), for all ages. In the off-season, the ranch will be hosting Family Daze in the Corn Maze (October) and the second annual Mistletoe and Glow Christmas Light Display (December).
In addition to the guided tour of the beautiful O'Keefe Mansion, the ranch is excited to offer three new tours for 2020. The tours include a brand-new Animal Tour, which provides guests with a guided tour of all the animals found on the ranch, a Cemetery Tour, which tells the stories of the people who are buried there and a Site Tour, which provides the history of the buildings located between the Mansion and St. Ann's Church. There are also several other self-guided buildings to visit including the Balmoral School House and the Schubert House.
Out of town guests and stay-cation locals are invited to step back in time and visit the Historic O’Keefe Ranch this summer. Best described as Victorian elegance amid the rough and tumble cowboy life, they invite everyone to take in all the ranch has to offer.
For more information, ticket purchases and reservations contact: okeeferanch.ca | 250-542-7868 | info@okeeferanch.ca
History of the O’Keefe Ranch
The O'Keefe Ranch was established in 1867 by Cornelius O’Keefe (1838-1919) and his partner Thomas Greenhow, who were driving cattle north from Oregon to sell to hungry gold miners in the Cariboo goldfields. Impressed with the lush bunch grass, ample water, and beauty of the Okanagan, they each pre-empted 160 acres of prime meadowland and began raising cattle.
The O'Keefe Ranch was one of the earliest cattle ranches in the Okanagan Valley. In 1872, it became the home of the "Okanagon" Post Office, the first post office in the valley, which was located inside O'Keefe's general store. At the time, the ranch was the end of the wagon road from Fort Kamloops and became the stagecoach depot for the BC Express Stage lines. Mail and passengers were dropped off and some passengers would stay overnight before going out and pre-empting land in the North Okanagan.
With a post office, general store, Grist Mill, and overnight accommodation for stagecoach passengers, the O'Keefe Ranch became a centre of community life for the settlers of the North Okanagan. The Ranch operated for 100 years until it was opened as a historical site by Tierney O'Keefe (1911-2000), the youngest son of the Ranch's founder, Cornelius. The O'Keefe family operated the Ranch as a tourist attraction until 1977 when the land, buildings, and furnishings were sold to the Devonian Foundation, which in turn gave the historic site to the City of Vernon. The O'Keefe Ranch & Interior Heritage Society, a non-profit society and registered Canadian charity, currently operates the Ranch on the behalf of the City of Vernon.