OSOYOOS comes from the native phrase ‘Sooyoos’ (‘suius’ from Salish which means ‘narrows of the lake’). there’s a tale that a Minister with the aid of the name of O’Reilly positioned the ‘o’ in front of ‘Sooyoos’ to harmonise with different nearby metropolis names, whilst others have said that the ‘o’ might have been an ‘expression of the surroundings by using a white man’. The local tongue spoken by most natives changed into Salish in addition to their own language. The Colville native tribe used to fish for salmon just east of Osoyoos bridge however that completed while the first of 10 dams become constructed. The word ‘Okanagan’ has 36 versions from ‘very wellan-argon’, ‘Oaschenawagan River’ but now most effective 2 continue to be – Okanagan in Canada and Okanogan in Washington state.

Geology
This wooden bridge was one in every of several that had been built across the narrows where ‘hotel Row’ now stands. Copyright: Osoyoos Museum

millions of years’ well worth of earthquakes and volcanoes at the start fashioned the land right here. a number of the rocks, especially the ‘gneiss’ (a form of granite) outcrops you notice along the highway south of Penticton was part of the continental shelf, formed approximately 2 billion years in the past and concept to be some of the oldest rocks on the planet. approximately 130 million years ago, this valley become an inland sea, till what is called the Pleistocene Ice Age which started out million years in the past.

The remaining foremost glacial episode to have an effect on the Southern indoors did now not begin until 12-19,000 years ago when the Cordilleran Ice Mass filled the Okanagan Valley and protected the mountains to the east and west. The vicinity is thought to were beneath 7,000 toes of ice. After the retreat of the glaciers, a few 9,000 years ago, glacial meltwater lakes fashioned and the valley aspects had been covered with plant life such as lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine, grasses and sage brush.

due to an underlying sandstone bed, we’ve what are referred to as ‘haystack rocks’ or ‘hoodoos’ (very seen at the west aspect of toll road ninety seven north of Penticton). for the duration of the melting and retreat of the ice cap over the land, meltwater became plugged and directed itself into streams. because it retreated, it formed meltwater channels which can nevertheless be visible at the east aspect of the lake, collectively with ‘Kame Terraces’ or benches, in which the sediment leveled out. The ‘massive soften’ precipitated massive volumes of water, sometimes 300 ft deep, touring at 70 mph for over a thousand miles, which brought about many uncommon rock formations in Washington state all the way down to the Pacific Ocean.

also left from the duration of glacial retreat are small ponds known as ‘kettles’, and these may be visible close to motorway ninety seven locally, one example being contrary Reflections B & B guest house. numerous of these will almost dry up in early summer time till round July fifteenth, whilst the massive aquifer at the west side refills them. Kilpoola Lake is also a result of the glacier. middle samples there show about 1/4 inch of ash from the Mazama Volcano eruption in Oregon (now called Crater Lake), which took place 7000 years ago. simplest a skiff of ash from Mount St. Helens has been observed here.