1 of 10
Historic O’Keefe Ranch
O'Keefe Ranch
Balmoral Schoolhouse
2 of 10
admin
O'Keefe Ranch
Church before and after
3 of 10
Historic O’Keefe Ranch
O'Keefe Ranch
Blacksmith shop
4 of 10
unknown
O'Keefe Ranch
Cowboy Dinner Show & Campfire
5 of 10
Historic O’Keefe Ranch
O'Keefe Ranch
Field of Screams
6 of 10
Historic O’Keefe Ranch
O'Keefe Ranch
O'Keefe interpreters
7 of 10
Historic O’Keefe Ranch
O'Keefe Ranch
O'Keefe Mansion
8 of 10
Dean Cebuliak
O'Keefe Ranch
O'Keefe Mansion now
9 of 10
Historic O’Keefe Ranch
O'Keefe Ranch
Stagecoach robbery
10 of 10
Historic O’Keefe Ranch
O'Keefe Ranch
Trail ride
By Carla-Jean Stokes and Ken Mather, photos courtesy Historic 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 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 O’Keefe Ranch & Interior Heritage Society, a non-profit society and registered Canadian charity, operate the Ranch on the behalf of the City of Vernon.
The O’Keefe Ranch - Visit Us for the First Time, Again
2017 marks the 150th Birthday of the O’Keefe Ranch. Visitors can expect a celebration all season long. Special events and tours will be geared toward recognizing the importance and impact of the ranch to the history of Canadian ranching, the O’Keefe family, and settlement in the Okanagan, but also emphasizing an integral role the ranch plays in its present state as a historic site, museum, and visitor attraction. On June 15th, the ranch will celebrate this milestone year with none other than a ranch size cake! Returning guests will also notice the restoration of the St. Anne’s Church to an original white exterior. Canadians have many reasons to get out and celebrate as a nation and the O’Keefe Ranch will add to the many festivities taking place. Out of town guests and stay-cation locals are invited to step back in time and visit the Historic O’Keefe Ranch on this sequential anniversary. Best described as Victorian elegance amid the rough and tumble cowboy life, we invite everyone to take in all the ranch has to offer.
The ranch is open for the season on Saturday, May 6th. The Greenhow Museum has a fresh new look with brand new exhibitions including “The History of O'Keefe Ranch in 50 Objects”; including 50 of the most important objects to tell the O'Keefe story. Some artifacts are on display in the museum, but you'll need to find the rest around the site. Other featured exhibitions include: “The Gallery of Cowboy Treasures”; a brand new gallery space in the Greenhow Museum to house the famous Jade Saddle and all of O'Keefe Ranch's most beautiful cowboy gear. Also on view is “ Native Cowboys”; the best cowboys in the North Okanagan were those who knew the land the best. Learn their stories when you stroll through the Cowboy Bunkhouse.
Special events begin on Mother’s Day, a popular day at the ranch as we continue to recognize the role of the generations of women that have influenced the O’Keefe Ranch. For the kids we host two Family Fun Days, July 23rd and August 20th. New this year for families is the O’Keefe Kid’s Korner; where kids can play dress up and guess what the 100-year-old objects are. Try any one of our old fashioned games, create artwork inspired by the exhibitions, take home a goody bag of candy from the General Store, and visit our rare breed farm animals including a small herd of Jacob sheep and a Zebu named Razzle! July 1st is the opening day of the Summer Time Corn Maze, a great place to get lost (and found), for all ages.
The famous Cowboy Dinner Show will return every Friday night in July and August. The 2017 show “Canada Comes West”, includes a live country band, cowboy poetry, dinner and stagecoach ride. Mayhem returns with the Murder Mystery and Dinner Show “Death Commeth Soon or Late”, on June 9th - 10th and September 8th - 9th. At the end of the season we invite the not-so faint of heart to attend the Field of Screams in the corn maze. The annual fundraiser has become hugely popular for those who dare to enter “Daunte’s Inferno”.
There is so much to see and do on the Ranch that we offer RV camping on site. There are ten fully serviced campsites with water and power. Visitors will find washrooms and a cowboy shower house. Camping is $30 per night for camping only, or $40 for the site including admission. Visitors may rent out the entire RV camping site for $500. Reservations are strongly recommended.
For more information, ticket purchases and reservations contact: okeeferanch.ca, 250-542-7868, info@okeeferanch.ca.