Marine Heritage Society celebrating S.S. Okanagan Stern Saloon 118th birthday in Penticton

The general public is invited to come check out a special piece of Okanagan history during a special event next weekend in Penticton.

On Wednesday April 16, the S.S. Sicamous Marine Heritage Society will be helping the S.S. Okanagan celebrate its 118th birthday.

The stern saloon will be open to the general public from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

"The S.S. Okanagan was launched on April 16th, 1907 and 'floated out on the bosom of Okanagan Lake as graceful as a swan,'" said Chris Morris, S.S. Sicamous events and community engagement coordinator, in a press release.

"At the time, the ship cost $90,000 which would cost $3.1 million in 2025."

According to the society, the S.S. Okanagan provided daily passenger service with stops in Kelowna, Peachland, Summerland and Penticton for 27 years, from 1907 to 1934.

"The trip would 'only' take 3 hours and 15 minutes at the rate of 21 miles per hour."

An interesting piece of history is the murder of a police officer in 1912, who was killed when transporting two men to jail aboard the ship.

According to the museum, in March 1912 Constable Geoffrey Ashton was escorting two men arrested earlier that day, taking them to jail in Kelowna.

He was shot by one of them, Walter Boyd James, who went by "Jesse" after folk hero of the time, Jesse James.

"The other prisoner, Frank Wilson, was apparently an innocent bystander," the society explains.

"Ashton was killed by James in the early hours of the morning between Penticton and Peachland, after successfully concealing a gun from the arresting officers."

While the prisoners managed to get off the ship in Peachland, they were caught soon after.

"Ashton survived the shot initially but died in the Kelowna hospital days later."

That same year, the S.S. Okanagan welcomed the Governor General of Canada, the Duke of Connaught and his wife when they toured BC.

"Two years later in 1914, The S.S. Sicamous was launched and as a larger ship, it took over the daily passenger service and the S.S. Okanagan was then relegated to freight and fruit hauling until retirement in 1934," the society said.

After the ship was retired in 1934 it was sold for parts, leaving the Ladies Stern Saloon the only piece left intact.

"The Stern Saloon went on sale in 1994, sold by Vernon's Gachter family, and bought by the S.S. Sicamous Society. Due to it's size, it took four years for it to finally be moved to Penticton in 1998.

"After some renovations and the laying of a concrete foundation, the Stern Saloon was relocated in 2002 to the spot it inhabits today."

Learn more about the S.S. Okanagan here.

The S.S. Sicamous and all the other ships are currently closed to the public, as the seasonal business generally operates from the May long weekend to Labour Day.

Photo: S.S. Sicamous Marine Heritage Society

The S.S. Okanagan back in its heyday