Curated by Rod Taylor
I have never seen anything finer than the fruit of the Kootenay District. You have a fruit country unsurpassed by anything in the Dominion - Professor Mills of Guelph Agricultural College, from early promotional literature.
Fruit ranching in the West Kootenays? Unlikely though it may seem, fruit ranching once played a prominent role in the local economy. In the early 1900s large areas of land were being cleared and cultivated by newly arrived residents, often lured by the promise of a mild climate and easy growing conditions. Many orchards grew and thrived in the decades that followed, but by the 1940s only a few remained. Today, long neglected fruit trees in overgrown fields are almost all that remain of a once thriving industry. Come and discover the promise and hope, the endurance and despair of this nearly forgotten chapter in our local history.
This exhibition is accompanied by a discussion with Joan Lang, the author of Lost Orchards, who did the majority of her research in the Nelson archive. Her book traces the history of fruit growing in the region starting in the early 1900s. Visitors will have the opportunity to see the exhibit and listen as she shares some of the fascinating stories of the early pioneers who shaped this part of our local history.
See Also
Exhibition Text Panels and Extended Labels
History of the Associated Growers of British Columbia Limited