By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle
Located three kilometres west of the current Town of Oliver, sits the footprint of the former mining town of Fairview. Built during the late 1800s, Fairview quickly grew into a booming mining town with hotels, homes, schools, churches, and a jail (now located at the Oliver Museum on School Rd.).
During the early part of the twentieth century, the town was effectively abandoned and Oliver rose to prominence. Today, in collaboration with the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS), the Oliver and District Heritage Society (ODHS) cares for the physical site.
The ODHS took on the project despite the fact it’s not actually within the boundaries of the town of Oliver, in part because it is essentially the Oliver origin story.
The Hotel Fairview (pictured) was a prominent building in the town of Fairview, among many others. Three buildings from Fairview still exist today in Oliver and Okanagan Falls including the United Church or “Blasted Church” in Okanagan Falls, Judge Brown’s cottage near Fairview (still lived in today), and the Fairview Jail at the Oliver Museum yard.
Oliver Archives Collection photo
With plans to develop it into a full-fledged historical site the ODHS hired consultants to prepare a report last spring to help guide the restoration of the site including invasive species control.
For the second year, the ODHS has secured funding through the South Okanagan Conservation Fund via RDOS to complete work on invasive species control of the globally imperilled Antelope-brush ecosystem, which is native to the site.
As such the ODHS has announced the Fairview Volunteer Spring Clean-up event will take place on Friday, May 23 and Saturday, May 24, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
“With the help of the local community, it is our hope that we can continue to keep invasive species at bay and preserve the natural landscape of this important historic site,” Darren Halsted, Executive Director of the Oliver & District Heritage Society said.
The Oliver & District Heritage Society is hoping interested residents will volunteer to help take the Fairview historical site to the next level.
Until fall 2023 the RDOS had a Heritage Services Agreement with the Fairview Historic Townsite Society (FHTS) which managed the roughly 32 hectares (80 acres) of land comprised of bits of foundation, trails, plants and trees planted by the original settlers and an information sign and parking lot on an adjacent piece of land owned by the Okanagan Historical Society.
When the Fairview Historic Townsite Society disbanded the RDOS was left with this land that didn’t have a manager, or anyone looking after its heritage interests and its ecological interest, Halsted explained.
The Oliver and District Heritage Society is a not-for-profit charity incorporated in 1980, initially as the Oliver Heritage Society, with a mission to preserve the historical structures and heritage of the South Okanagan community of Oliver.
For more information contact the ODHS at [email protected] .
