We visited the RJ Haney Heritage Village & Museum and enjoyed seeing all the great old buildings and displays in the village.
It is a 40 acre park owned by the City of Salmon Arm, and operated by the Salmon Arm Museum and Heritage Association. They host a dinner theater and it is usually sold out.
The timeline is in the Broadview School, a one room schoolhouse constructed in the winter of 1917, and officially opened in January 1918. It was moved to the village in 1988.
When we were there a sign was posted with the following information about when they are open:
May 13 to September 19
Wednesday to Sunday - 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
July and August
7 days a week - 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
The admission is by donation: We donated $5.00 each; a nominal admission for this outstanding Museum. (
visit link)
The timeline is transcribed as follows:
1815
• David Thompson explores down the Columbia River and makes note of a lake called "Shouswap" to the west.
1840
• Tom Snass sets up a trading post for the Hudson's Bay Co. at Pierre's Point.
1864
• Hudson's Bay Company post set up at Ogdenville (Seymour Arm), named after Charles Ogden, head of H.B.C. at the time.
1866
• The S.S. Marten, a Hudson's Bay Company steamer, is the first commercial boat to ply Shuswap Lake. She runs from Savona's Ferry to Seymour Arm.
1884
• The first surveyors travel through the Shuswap laying out a route for the CPR.
1885
• Railway construction reaches Salmon Arm in September.
• T.H. Hatherley and sons are the first settlers in the area at Sunnybrae. They speculate that the tracks would cross the lake from Sunnybrae to Engineer's Point. They are disappointed.
• "Dutch Charlie's", a brewery and gambling house started up during construction of railway, was situated near present day Credit Union.
• First house in Salmon Arm constructed by a German named "Swordfighter". Was situated on present day Beatty Street near the recent pool hall.
1887
• The Salmon River Valley is first surveyed for settlement. Note is made of the rich delta soil.
1888
• The first white man to settle in the valley west of the CPR right of way is A.J• Hedgeman. His land was near the present day Mt. Ida Concrete.
1890
• The property where Dutch Charlie's was situated before it was closed down by provincial police, is squatted upon by William Wallace who then sold it to Charles McGuire for $1500. This was the first city subdivision.
• The first post office is established by the McGuire's in a log structure that sat above where the Shuswap Bakery stands now.
• First fruit trees are ordered from Minnesota.
• The population of the district is estimated to be about 200 people.
• First school is established at Hedgeman's Corner. Miss F. Goodrich is the teacher.
1891
• Harbell Road (30th St. SW) is constructed from Hedgeman's Corner on the Valley road to the foot of MI. Ida.
• The first apple tree is planted by C.B. Harris and J.D. McGuire on land owned by G.E. Ratcliffe (near Credit Union). Most of the other trees were planted in the valley. The varieties planted included Yellow Transparents, Wealthies, Golden Russets, Alenanders, Ben Davis, and Belle Flowers.
1893
• The Genelle Brothers establish a sawmill at Tappen Siding. The mill provides ties for the railroad as well as lumber for local purposes. Many Finnish settlers in Tappen and White Lake worked as loggers in the winter to provide logs for this mill.
1894
• The first ordained minister, Rev. James Calvert of the Methodist Church, arrives in Salmon Arm.
1895
• The first hotel, "Cameron House", later to be called the "Coronation", is built where present day School Board offices are.
• The Methodist Church at Hedgeman's Corners is built by R.H. Peardon.
• The first school is built in Upper Salmon Arm (Dolan's Corners) near the present Mt. Ida Hall.
1896
• The Gleneden Road is constructed to connect with the Valley Road at the Salmon River Bridge.
• The Old Enderby Road is built from the Haney property to Gardner Lake (near Ranchero) by a group of farmers. This is to get grain to Enderby to be ground into flour. J.D. McGuire recalled that he would start off at 4:30 a.m. with a wagon and team to go to Enderby for flour and would arrive home late at night.
• The Fruit Growers' Association and the Salmon Arm Farmers' Association are formed.
1897
• The first horticultural exhibit is sponsored by the Fruit Growers' Association. Fairs were held from 1897 - 1901, lapsed for three years and then were revived in 1905 to continue on to the present day. The present year of 1997 is the Fair's 100th anniversary.
1898
• The Presbyterian Church is built on Bratty Street north of the tracks. The manse is still standing. The first minister was Rev. R.C. Pollock.
• The first school in the town of Salmon Arm was a log structure built down near the tracks where Askew's parking lot is now.
1900
• A larger school is built on the site of what is now City Hall.
1901
• Braden and Johnson build a sawmill on the Salmon River opposite present day Demille's farm. Logs were floated down the Salmon River in booms to feed the mill. This mill provided much of the lumber used to build early Salmon Arm.
• Salmon Arm East School was constructed on Shuswap Avenue (near the present day Anglican Church.)
1905
• Salmon Arm is incorporated into a municipality. The first mayor (called "reeve" then) was J. Harbell. Town councillors were R. Hobson, W. Baker, D. Sinclair, J. Johnson and H. Donnelly.
• The McGuire family offers a twelve acre lot as a surveyed townsite and a lot for city hall. McGuire's Grove was the unofficial city park and was situated across the tracks where the present Heron's View condominium development is.
• The Salmon Arm Farmers' Exchange (S.A.F.E.) is founded. The farmers wanted to eliminate the middle-man in their transactions, handling their own shipping and receiving and bulk purchases.
1907
• The first edition of the Salmon Arm Observer rolls on the presses on October 12 with George Armstrong as the first editor. The presses were housed temporarily in other stores in town until an Observer building was constructed.
• Carrot Block is built with a plumbing shop downstairs and a public hall upstairs. The hall became the Empress Theatre and downstairs eventually became the Rex Theatre which showed movies on the day electricity came to Salmon Arm. The building is now Ready's Drug Store.
1908
• The Montebello Hotel is built.
• The Hotel Alexandria is built up from the Vienna Restaurant on Hudson Street. It later becomes the Hudson Hotel and is now the Hudson restaurant.
1911
• The first telephone system is installed in Salmon Arm.
• The Mt. Ida Methodist Church is built to suit the spiritual needs of the Salmon Valley residents. It now sits in the R. J. Haney Heritage Park.
• A private hospital operates in town in a house just south of the Cenotaph. A second one opened in a room in the Coronation Hotel.
• The R.K. Scales store is built where the McKay and Currie store was situated on the corner of Shuswap Avenue and Front Street.
1912
• The Agricultural Hall is built on a site near the present day armouries. The hall was used for horticultural exhibits and general public functions.
• The City of Salmon Arm is incorporated.
• The first public hospital is opened in a house on Center Street.
• The Bank of Commerce building is constructed on Alexander Avenue. It now house a variety of small shops and offices.
1913
• The present railway station is built on the south side of the tracks. The old station was on the north side and west by 100 yards.
• Electricity comes to Salmon Arm. It was generated by a large diesel engine and generator and was only available between 5 pm and midnight.
1914
• Salmon Arm gets a municipal water system. The reservoir was on Mt. Ida above the cemetery. • Start of the Great War (WW I) and most of Salmon Arm's men go off to fight.