Unearthing a century of history

The early 1900's came roaring back to Kelowna Wednesday as excavators pulled antiques from the ground.

Photo: Trevor Rockliffe

Treasures unearthed.

Old car parts, wooden spoked wheels, glass gin bottles and other items from a bygone era were dug up by construction crews excavating for the new Yacht Club along Water Street.

Greg Dudley of Desjardins Contracting was shocked at what they were digging up. 

"That is old, it has got to be before 1920," says Dudley about a wheel with wooden spokes.

At least three vehicle frames from the turn of the century were also uncovered. As more artifacts came to the surface the Kelowna Museums became curious.

"I have never seen anything quite like this…. it is quite phenomenal," says Christina Neale the programming co-ordinator for the Kelowna Museums.

"Unfortunately the site is not protected by the Heritage Conservation Act as it is post 1846."

It means the Museums cannot shut down the site to investigate the findings. However, Executive Director of the Kelowna Museums says they are interested in what the artifacts will tell them about the city's history.

"We are not here to collect per say, we are just here to see what it can tell us about past uses of this land."

The area from Manhattan Point to Stuart Park was an industrial area for places like saw mills and packing houses at the turn of the century.

Several wooden wheels and old bottles were taken to the Museum to be archived. Other discoveries such as wooden water pipes and old toilets will be taken to the landfill to be recycled.

As for the construction crew they are now part of unveiling the city's history and the job isn't over yet.

"What else are we going to find, we still have more to dig out so you never know what is under there," says Dudley.

Photo: Trevor Rockliffe

Wheels of motion from the early 1900s