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Dean Cebuliak
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Dean Cebuliak
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Dean Cebuliak
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Photos courtesy Historic O’Keefe Ranch
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Photos courtesy Historic O’Keefe Ranch
History of the O’Keefe Ranch
Portrait of Cornelius O’Keefe - Ca. 1877
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Photos courtesy Historic O’Keefe Ranch
History of the O’Keefe Ranch
Cornelius O’Keefe, Elizabeth Greenhow, and Mr. and Mrs. A.L. Fortune (some of the Okanagan’s earliest settlers)
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Photos courtesy Historic O’Keefe Ranch
History of the O’Keefe Ranch
Tierney O’Keefe (son of ranch founder, Cornelius O’Keefe) on a Massey-Hains Tractor - Ca. 1930
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Photos courtesy Historic O’Keefe Ranch
History of the O’Keefe Ranch
The O'Keefe, McDonnell and O'Neal children on a raft at Kalamalka Lake. Left to right: Alice O'Neal, Sam O'Neal, Lawrence McDonnell, Betty O'Neal, Margaret O'Keefe, Leslie McDonnell, Genie O'Neal, Tierney O'Keefe and Geraldine O'Neal
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Photos courtesy Historic O’Keefe Ranch
History of the O’Keefe Ranch
St. Anne’s Church (on O’Keefe Ranch, completed in 1889)
By Carla-Jean Stokes & Ken Mather, photos courtesy Historic O’Keefe Ranch
The O'Keefe Ranch was established on June 15, 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 an 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 Ranch is operated on the behalf of the City of Vernon, by the O’Keefe Ranch & Interior Heritage Society, a non-profit society and registered Canadian charity.
The Historic O’Keefe Ranch will be celebrating its 149th Birthday on June 15, 2016—two weeks before Canada Day. The Ranch’s 150th Birthday or sesquicentenaries’ will take place in 2017.
Come out and Play at the O’Keefe Ranch…
Each year, the Ranch opens for the season on Mother’s Day, and hosts numerous events throughout the spring and summer. Visitors can come and view our historical buildings—such as the General Store, Log House and St. Anne’s Church, and can take a tour of the O’Keefe Mansion. We have temporary and permanent exhibits in the Greenhow Museum, where visitors can view some of the artifacts and photographs that originally belonged to the O’Keefe family. Spring is also a great time to come and see the Ranch’s newborn animals!
On June 15, we will celebrate the Ranch’s 149th birthday with cake, and every Friday night in July and August visitors can see our famous Cowboy Dinner Shows. July 8, 9 and 10 is the Vintage Motorcycle Rally—an event that has taken place at the Ranch since 1989. Find out whodunit with Murder Mysteries on August 6 and 7, and enjoy some spooky fun in the Field of Screams Corn Maze in October. Be sure to check out our website, www.okeeferanch.ca to see a full list of seasonal events, and to see what we have planned in 2017 for our 150th birthday.
There is so much to see and do on the Ranch that we offer RV camping on site for visitors wanting to stay a little longer. There are ten fully serviced campsites with water and power. On our historical Ranch site, visitors will find washrooms and a cowboy shower house with two rustic showers. Camping is open from April 15 to October 2, 2016. Camping is $30 per night for camping only, or $40 for the site as well as admission for all campers to visit the Ranch. Visitors may rent out the entire RV camping site for $500. RV Park reservations are strongly recommended. Full payment must be made to secure your spot, and a full refund will be given 24 hours prior to cancelling your reservation. Please phone us at 250-542-7868, or email info@okeeferanch.ca to make your reservation!
Carla-Jean Stokes and Ken Mather are curators at Historic O’Keefe Ranch