Why is the district municipality located about two kilometers southeast of Vernon called Coldstream? What is the origin of this name?
The name was introduced relatively recently in the context of the land’s history, as the original Syilx Indigenous inhabitants would have referred to it differently. The name “Coldstream” is attributed to Charles Frederick Houghton (1839-1898), who, at the age of twenty-four, journeyed with his friends Forbes George Vernon (1843-1911) and Charles Albert Vernon (1840-1906) to seek land in the new colony of British Columbia. All three were British army members, and military settlers holding the rank of at least captain were eligible to apply for a free grant of 1,450 acres, land that had been pre-empted from the area’s Syilx inhabitants.
The trio arrived in Victoria, BC, in 1863, where a magistrate advised them to look for land at the north end of Okanagan Lake, an area that reminded some visitors from the British Isles of “the vales and hills in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire, with the lake of Cumberland thrown in.”
Upon reaching the area, Houghton chose to spend the winter with a group of Syilx people, whose numbers had sadly dwindled due to a smallpox epidemic in 1862. Meanwhile, the Vernon brothers ventured further north to Cherry Creek, attracted by the potential for silver mining.
Left on his own, Houghton explored the area near his camp. Not far away, he came across another beautiful lake, now known as Kalamalka Lake but then referred to as Long Lake. He described a lovely valley bordered by mountains, which he noted were “precipitous but not particularly high.” A “good-sized stream of pure water” flowed through the valley, emptying into Long Lake. Houghton named this stream “Coldstream” and decided to establish his military grant along its banks.
There are several theories about the origin of the name Coldstream. One suggests it is derived from the numerous cold water springs that flowed into the main stream. Another theory proposes that Houghton named it after the Coldstream Guards, a British Army regiment. Regardless, a map of British Columbia from 1871 referred to the stream as “Houghton’s Coldstream,” confirming that he had indeed named it.
Houghton’s Ranch, now known as Coldstream Ranch, was subsequently passed on to the Vernon brothers and then to Lord and Lady Aberdeen. Despite these changes in ownership, Houghton’s name for the area has endured.
Archives Manager, Gwyneth Evans