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Culture Days will return September 20 – October 13, 2024.
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Feature Exhibit: Beyond Chinatown
In-person
Agriculture History & heritage Museum Self-guided TourDate and time
This activity runs the duration of Culture Days.
Location
Lake Country Museum & Archives
11255 Okanagan Centre Road West
Lake Country, BC
Access
Free.
Offered in English.
Wheelchair accessible and has gender-neutral washrooms.
About
Since the late 1800s, people of Chinese heritage have helped shape Lake County as we know it today.
Immigrants from many countries were drawn to Lake Country, the unceded territory of sqilxʷ/syilx (Okanagan) peoples, for its natural resources and agricultural bounty.
Many Chinese settlers lived and worked in urban districts known as Chinatowns. In Kelowna and Vernon these communities were active centers for socializing, business, and lodging until largely demolished in the 1970s.
Beyond Chinatown, here in Lake Country, Chinese settlers found seasonal work on ranches and orchards, and in packing houses. They had full-time jobs as cooks and domestic servants and started small businesses like market gardens and laundries.
Today, local residents of Chinese heritage experience these threads of history uniquely. Visit the Museum's new exhibit, Beyond Chinatown.
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Organizer
Lake Country Museum & Archives
Since its inception in 1985, the Lake Country Museum & Archives has been active in collecting, preserving and presenting to the public, artifacts, manuscripts and photographs documenting the history of Lake Country.
Our mission is to “Tell the story of Lake Country’s region, while providing an opportunity to learn through research, education and collaboration.”