The Past
Businesses
Churches
Communities
Community Services
Entertainment
Ethnic Groups
Geography
~ Enderby Cliffs
~ Floods
~ Geology of North
Okanagan
~ Naming of Enderby
~ Shuswap River
~ ~ Ice cutting
~ ~ Kingfisher
Hatchery
~ ~ River
drives
~ ~ Transportation
Heritage Homes
Industries
Organizations
People
Schools
Transportation
The Shuswap River is said to be the
reason for the formation of the biggest little city in B.C., Enderby.
Some give credit to the logging industry and others say it was the beauty
of the cliffs that attracted so many to the area. Whatever the reason, a glorious little
city was formed by our forefathers for us, the future generations.
In the early days, the river was a great source of transportation. Its swift
currents provided fast movement for the corttonwood canoes used by the Shuswap Indians,
and the Riverboats used by the settlers.
The river was also a great way of transporting logs down the river. The infamous river drives occurred on the Shuswap River from late 1800's to
1967. Logs were run down the river from Sugar Lake to the sawmill and poleyards in
Enderby.
The river was also a great source of fun for the residents of Enderby. From Mabel Lake to
Mara there are many swimming holes. The May 24th
weekend celebrations were the time for all of the community to gather together and
celebrate.
When the river was frozen and the days were cold, the ice was
taken from the river and stored in the ice houses for refrigeration in the warmer months. Hockey was also a popular sport enjoyed on the
frozen river.
As more people moved to the area, more people fished, and soon the young salmon became
endangered. In the early 1980's a group of concerned citizens started a small hatchery at Kingfisher to preserve and prolong the life of the
fish. It is a volunteer organization that has succeeded in great ways.
The Shuswap River has greatly contributed to the formation of Enderby. It was used many
years ago and is still being used today.
Sheryl McCaig, Erika Whitehead, Bobbi Dekker
ALF School 1989