A roadside melon stand near Osoyoos in the 1940s. Melons were a major crop in the South Okanagan at the time.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Royal B.C. Museum
September 26, 2020 - 7:30 AM
As grape harvest gets underway in the South Okanagan, it’s interesting to know there was a time not so long ago when some very different crops dominated South Okanagan agriculture.
The video below is an excerpt from a travelogue called “Okanagan valley: British Columbia’s Orchard Playground,” produced in the 1940s. The Royal B.C. Museum posted a short video to YouTube in 2013 paying tribute to the Osoyoos area melon crop, which was a prominent agricultural product in the 1940s.
The video, called “Different Melons," also shows some amazing rare footage of the South Okanagan and Osoyoos area in a relatively undeveloped state.
Check out the many different types of melons that were grown in the Osoyoos area in the 1940s, including the giant Zucca melon, which could grow to 110 pounds in the Osoyoos area.
This video clip and several others are part of a DVD titled, “Evergreen Playland: A Road Trip through British Columbia, which can be purchased at the Royal B.C. Museum shop.
Be sure to check out this great piece of visual Okanagan history.
Credit: Royal B.C. Museum
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