The Downtown Vernon Association has invested considerable resources into the creation of the 27 amazing works of art that grace their downtown buildings. These murals depict the history, culture, scenery, and folklore that made Vernon what it is today. The mural project was a multi-year collaborative effort that included youth employment, revitalization, and heritage conservation strategies.
Download the
Murals Tour PDF and read about each mural as we pass it. The PDF is very comprehensive, with in depth information on each mural. Then download the
Tour Guide and you'll get a sense of where we are at all times. The links below will take one to the waymark for the mural. I've included pix of some of the better ones below.
We begin the tour on the corner of 30th Avenue and 33rd street, with the mural entitled
COWBOYS, then walk north a block to number 2,
OKANAGAN INDIAN BAND. Continuing north we come across
THE WORLD WARS, then back south a block and east a block takes us to
THE GEISHA, from which, across the intersection we see number 5,
SOVEREIGN LAKE. East and north around the post office takes us to number 6,
MULTICULTURALISM. From here we walk south a block to 32nd Avenue where, to the east, in short order, we pass
THE CAPTIVE ARTIST,
THE ALLURE OF CLAY, turn south for
VERNON FIRE BRIGADE, then backtrack to 32nd for
FRANK S. REYNOLDS WAREHOUSE.
East to 29th Street and south to 30th Avenue brings us to number 11,
C.E. PERRY, CHIEF ENGINEER. West on 30th Avenue and we find
INDIAN MOTORCYCLE on the south side, then
DR. REINHARD’S HOUSE AND OFFICE on the north side. Head north up the alley between 29th and 30th Streets and you'll find
THE ALICE PARKE DIARIES.
Back south to 30th Avenue and west, between 30th and 31st Avenues one will see
IN MEMORY, dedicated to all those who sacrificed their lives in war. From here it's south on 31st Street to number 16,
OKANAGAN LAKE, then down 31st Street again, then west to 32nd, to
THE CREAMERY TRUCK, in the alley east off 32nd Street at Coldstream Avenue. Beside it is
VERNON STEAM LAUNDRY. Just a bit north on 32nd Street, on the same building, is number 19,
OFFICE OF THE VERNON NEWS.
Across 32nd Street from here is the large
THE “CITY OF VERNON", about fly-boys and their airplanes. Following Coldstream Avenue west to 33rd Street, we encounter my favourite of the 27 murals,
MUSEUM WITHOUT WALLS. I've made it the default pic in the gallery. It's on the west wall of the building on the northwest corner of Coldstream Avenue and 33rd Street. Across Coldstream is
SHUSWAP RIVER & THE FISHER FAMILY, on the Home Hardware building, then on to
BARNARD AVENUE, on the second floor of the east wall of the Sun Valley Mall, best viewed from 30th Avenue.
A short jaunt west on 30th and we arrive at the
CREW OF THE S.S. PENTICTON, on the west wall of the blue building. Back east to 33rd Street and north 4 blocks will take us to
KALAMALKA LAKE, the farthest north point on our tour. From this point we walk, slog, jog to the far south end of our tour, to 30th Street and 25th Avenue and the old
PARK SCHOOL, the oldest brick schoolhouse in the BC interior. High on the north and west walls we see
OGOPOGO, the legendary lake monster of Okanagan Lake.
Directly north across the intersection from here is a final mural, Name Unknown, which I believe must have been created after we visited, as we did not waymark it. Number 28 on the tour guide, it is on the south wall of the building on the southeast corner of 28th Avenue and 30th Street.
This completes our tour. If I recall correctly (which, according to the Mrs., is unlikely) it was hot the day we shot the murals, so the next stop on our way home would have been
The DQ.