COMMONPLACE NOTES. 



631 



The city is built on one of the most beautiful sites in British 

 Columbia, and the magnificent scenery around continually charms the 

 settler and lingers for ever in the memory of the traveller. About two 

 miles distant is Long Lake, the beauty of which it is hard to describe. 

 It stretches for over ten miles, gleaming in the sunshine like a beautiful 

 flashing blue sapphire. Two miles in another direction lies Swan Lake, 

 well known for good duck shooting; while four miles to the south 

 Lake Okanagan stretches away for a distance of about ninety miles 

 in the midst of the finest scenery in Canada, with several quickly 

 growing and prosperous towns on its shores. 



The Okanagan Valley is famous among other things for its climate, 

 and Vernon is particularly favoured in this respect. The heat of 

 summer is seldom, if ever, oppressive, the air being dry and the nights 

 cool and pleasant. The glory and delight of an Okanagan summer, 

 lasting as it does from April to November, is something to be experi- 

 enced and enjoyed. Many people spend the summer in camp on the 

 lake shores, and good bathing, boating, and fishing form part of the 

 summer recreations. The winter lasts from about the beginning of 

 December until the end of February, and the weather is pleasant indeed 

 compared with the extreme cold in Eastern Canada; while in com- 

 parison with the winters in the Old Country, with their terrible fogs, 

 rain, and bitter winds, this district may be considered a Paradise 

 (see p. 635). The winter sports include sleighing, skating, curling, 

 and hockey. 



The city is in the central part of the Valley, and has many im- 

 portant business houses carrying large stocks of all sorts of goods. 

 Among the labour-employing industries are saw mills, window-sash 

 and door factories, brickyards, cement works, &c., and there is an 

 ever-increasing demand for labour in connexion with the fruit business. 

 Vernon has two newspaper and printing offices and branches of the 

 Bank of Montreal and Eoyal Bank of Canada. Six hotels offer every 

 comfort and luxury to suit all comers. The city is also particularly 

 well off as to educational advantages. A first-class new public school 

 has just been erected at a cost of about £10,009, and there is also an 

 up-to-date high, school. Children have every chance to get a thorough 

 education and, if they wish it, prepare for college matriculation. 

 The Provincial Government Office and the Court House for the 

 Okanagan district are located here. The different religious bodies are 

 well represented. The Bank of Montreal Company has just completed 

 a very handsome new building at a cost of about £10,000, which is in 

 itself a good indication of the future that Vernon is expected to have. 

 The building of a large new Post Office and Customs House has been 

 started, and a site has been purchased for a new Court House. A 

 hospital for the Valley equipped with every modern appliance has just 

 been erected at a cost of over £10,000. The city has, in fact, 

 now reached a very high standard in every way, and is second to none 

 in British Columbia. It has an excellent water supply, electric light, 

 and a telephone system connecting Vernon with many outside points. 



