Located just twelve kilometres north of Vernon, in B.C.’s Interior known for it’s beautiful lakes, orchards and vineyards. It was once the largest ranch in B.C dating back to 1867 when Cornelius O’Keefe, an enterprising young Irishman from Ontario, along with his two partners began driving cattle north from Oregon to provide food for the miners of the Caribou gold fields.

On one of their treks along the Brigade Trail they found lush fields of wild hay and grass on which cattle thrived. As well, there were plenty of prairie chickens, grouse, deer and lakes abundant with fish. Why drive cattle all the way from Oregon when they could raise them there at the head of Okanagan Lake? They bought 160 acres of meadowland just north of Vernon, brought in breeding stock, and began ranching. By the turn of the century they owned 20,000 acres. Later, his partner Thomas Wood sold his share. The other, Thomas Greenhow died in 1889. The O’Keefe family continued ranching until 1967 making it the only ranch in B.C. carried on by the founding family for over a hundred years.

Take a trip back in history as you wander freely around the ranch. Each of the houses are open as museums and still contain original furnishings. It’s almost as if they are still occupied and the former inhabitants might suddenly appear to welcome you.

The O’Keefe’s first home, a five-room log house, still has the original fireplace made of carefully selected stones, and the original kitchen stove. In 1880 O’Keefe hired architect R. Bell of Vernon to build a Queen Anne style mansion in which to house his growing family. He and his first wife, Mary Anne McKenna, had nine children. She served as a mother, nurse and doctor on the ranch until she died. O’Keefe’s second wife, Elizabeth Tierney, was a talented artist. Her paintings hang in the mansion.

Take an escorted tour through the house. In the dining room, the table is set as for a banquet with a double damask Irish linen tablecloth, Georgian silver plate candlesticks, antique silver flatware, Belgian crystal goblets, cranberry glass bells and fine Meissen China dishes made in 1750 near Dresden, hand painted, no two alike.
The valuable antique furnishings include a Swiss music box and a Steck piano which graces the parlour. From the ceiling glitters a Venetian hand-blown chandelier.
Upstairs is a master bedroom, nursery (including children’s toys) a guest bedroom and a room used by the children’s teacher as a classroom. When one of the O’Keefe’s children died tragically of meningitis after a school outing to a nearby lake, they were tutored privately at home. Later a one-room school was built on the ranch which also accommodated the ranchers’ children.

On a pleasant, sunny afternoon you can stroll around the ranch and visualize the lives of these early pioneers.

In 1862 August and Catharine Schubert arrived at the Ranch from Fort Kamloops. Upon their arrival Catharine Schubert gave birth to Rose, the first white child born in the interior of B.C. The Schubert house is open for visitors with a full equipped kitchen and other furnishings of the period.

Browse through the Greenhow house, built on the foundations of the original 21-room mansion which burned down in 1939. There you’ll see various displays and artefacts donated by local residents including pharmaceutical stock, candy-making equipment, household appliances, clothing and toys. Upstairs, the North Okanagan Model Railway Association has a working model of the Shuswap and Okanagan Railway.

The tiny St. Anne’s Church, where the first service was held in 1889 has the original pews, furnishing and pump organ. The church, designed in Gothic style with pine siding and cedar doors and frames, was the first Catholic church built in the Interior. It is still used for weddings.

In the general store there’s a fascinating array of merchandise and objects that are sure to jog the memory of any senior. The post office was the first post office in the Okanagan Valley, established in 1872 and O’Keefe was the first post master in the southern Interior. There’s also a blacksmiths’ shop and a Cowboy Museum displaying objects and clothing of the cowboys and pioneers who worked the ranch. The Fire Hall shed includes various items such as clinker built row-boats made at the turn of the century, chuckwagons and an original B.C. Stagecoach. There are a number of other building such as the cowboy’s bunkhouse, accommodations for the Chinese cooks and gardeners, a buggy shed with cutters, sleighs and vintage farm machinery and a smokehouse. Mrs. Greenhow was well-known for her recipe for curing hams. The little cemetery where O’Keefe family members and ranch hands are buried is a designated historic site.

When Cornelius O’Keefe died in 1919 his son Tierney took over the ranch, restoring and rebuilding the original buildings. It was later given to the City of Vernon as a heritage site. The ranch now consists of only fifty acres, home of rare breeds of farm animals such as Jacob sheep and an ancient White Park bull, as well as various species of poultry.

After your tour, enjoy a picnic lunch at the gazebo or relax in the O’Keefe Ranch Restaurant. On weekends there’s entertainment. An adjoining gift shop offers an array of unique Victorian and Western souvenirs.

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IF YOU GO
The ranch is located on Hwy 97, 12 km north of Vernon
Open daily, May to Thanksgiving.
Guided tours available.

website: www.okeeferanch.bc.ca
Historic O’Keefe Ranch,
Box 955, Vernon B.C. V1T 6M8

Suggested reading:
The History of the O’Keefe Ranch by Stan McLean