Living in
Keremeos, BC

The Similkameen Valley is the ancestral, traditional, and unceded territory of the Syilx (Okanagan) Nation. The Lower Similkameen Indian Band — the Smelqmix People — have their home in Keremeos, while the Upper Similkameen Indian Band — the Similamix People — are based near Princeton. The village name derives from the Similkameen dialect of the Okanagan language: “Keremeyeus,” meaning “creek which cuts its way through the flats” — a direct reference to Keremeos Creek carving through the valley floor to meet the Similkameen River. Archaeological evidence reveals continuous human habitation in this valley stretching back over 7,500 years.

The first recorded non-Indigenous arrival was fur trader Alexander Ross in 1813. The Hudson’s Bay Company established a post in the area in 1860, relocating to the Keremeos site by 1864 before closing in 1872. In 1873, Englishman Barrington Price pre-empted land, founding a cattle ranch and building the valley’s first gristmill in 1877. His original 30 acres of fruit trees became one of the two foundations of BC’s orcharding industry.

The modern village took shape in 1909 when postmaster George Kirby purchased land alongside the Similkameen River in anticipation of the V.V. & E. Railway. The Great Northern Railway’s branch line arrived that year, and the iconic Red Bridge (Ashnola Bridge) was built over the Similkameen — it remains the last surviving covered railway bridge in Western Canada. Fruit growing expanded rapidly, and by the early 20th century Keremeos apples were winning awards across the country.

Keremeos was officially incorporated as a village in 1956. Today, with a population of around 1,600, it wears the “Fruit Stand Capital of Canada” title with pride — and the Similkameen wine industry is now drawing international attention alongside those legendary peaches and nectarines.