The official charter branch of the Salmon Arm Okanagan Historical Society was established in 1989. Prior to that, the organization was known as the Heritage and Museum Society.To incorporate this, our northernmost Branch, the mandate of the Okanagan Historical Society was changed to include "the Okanagan, Similkameen and Shuswap areas".
Our Mandate, as for all branches of the OHS, is to promote the preservation of historical sites, monuments, buildings, pictures, writings and names.
With the exception of the summer months, we currently meet the third Monday of the month at 7 p.m. in the board room of the Piccadilly Mall, 10 St. SW, Salmon Arm.
At our April meeting, we honour a pioneer family, and elect the following year's executive; refreshments and socializing follows. In 2023 we hosted the AGM for the Okanagan Historical Society and the topic for our speakers was the story of Mah Yick.
Other special dates include a wind-up outing in June and a December Christmas gathering which also features a speaker and a tea.
Local Branch Membership is $10 annually.
Our ongoing projects include video interviewing of pioneers, a display in the Mall for Heritage Week in February, book sales of the OHS Report in the fall and during Heritage Week, and a display in the Memory Lane section of the Salmon Arm Fall Fair.
One of our most active early members, Denis Marshall, was editor of the OHS Report for five years. In addition, he wrote several books about local history such as Sawdust Caesars, Historic Routes,
Photographic Memories, and Fleeting Images.
Contact info:
okhistorysa@gmail.com
We welcome all new members and guests.