OKANAGAN VALLEY - British Columbia: Including the Alaska Highway - page 356

floor, doubling or tripling in size in July and August, when hordes of vacationers turn the
valley into one big resort. Most of these summer pilgrims are Canadians from cooler climes,
who come in search of guaranteed sunshine, lazy days on the beach, and a take-away tan.
In winter, the valley draws pilgrims of another sort: skiers and snowboarders on their way
to the world-class slopes flanking the valley.
All the credit for developing the Okanagan into Canada's fruit basket goes to the original
planter, Father Charles Pandosy, a French oblate priest who established a mission in the
Kelowna area in 1859. Within a couple of years he had successfully introduced apple trees
to the district. The trees positively blossomed under his care, thanks to the valley's long
five-and-a-half-month growing season, over 2,000 hours of sunshine a year, relatively mild
winters, and the ready availability of water. Soon fruit orchards of all types were spring-
ing up everywhere, and today the Okanagan Valley region produces 30 percent of Canada's
apples, 60 percent of its cherries, 20 percent of its peaches, half of its pears and plums, and
all the apricots in the country.