Vernon's Marshall Field named after dairy farmer

From farm to field

Photo: Vernon Museum

Dairy cows on a NOCA farm in the 1960s, possibly belonging to Frank Marshall. The museum does not hold a photograph of Marshall, an important contributor to NOCA Dairy, in its collection. Cropped from original.

Many places in the Greater Vernon area bear the names of former residents, even though the reasons for those names are not always widely known. One such example is Marshall Field in Okanagan Landing.

Marshall Field is named after Frank Marshall, who was born on February 5, 1904, in London, England. He married Evie Fincher in 1932, and the couple lived in Trail before relocating to Vernon in 1942.

In Vernon, Marshall established himself as a dairy farmer in Okanagan Landing. His farm supplied milk to the North Okanagan Creamery Association (NOCA).

Marshall’s farm was the site of the first installation of a bulk milk tank in the Okanagan. Bulk tanks allowed milk to be cooled and stored safely until pickup, improving efficiency and consistency in dairy operations. This development represented an important advancement in local dairy farming practices.

Marshall was a productive contributor to the regional dairy industry. In 1958, he ranked among the top ten fluid milk shippers for NOCA, reflecting the scale and reliability of his operation during a period of growth in the North Okanagan’s agricultural sector.

Frank and Evie Marshall remained in Vernon until 1975, when they moved to Alabama for health reasons. While their time in Vernon came to an end, the land Marshall farmed continued to play a role in the community. Over time, the former farmland was redeveloped into what is now known as Marshall Fields.

Today, Marshall Field is one of Vernon’s busiest recreation areas, hosting soccer fields, ball diamonds, tennis courts, the Vernon Pickleball Centre, an indoor soccer pitch, a dog park, and walking trails. Although the landscape has changed significantly since Frank Marshall’s time, the name serves as a reminder of the area’s agricultural past and of one of the individuals who helped shape it.