THE HISTORY OF OSOYOOS: The Okanagan is named after the aboriginal people who are native to the area. They moved throughout the Okanagan valley as a nomadic people for centuries before making permanent landing in Spotted Lake- just above modern day Osoyoos. Osoyoos quickly became a favorite gathering place for the native population and was named “Sooyoos”- which means something like “the narrow of lakes”. The next major expansion in the area came when the European fur-traders began arriving in the early 19th century- looking for a better trade route to what was then called, Fort Kamloops. The Colonial Government established the first Customs House on the edge of Osoyoos Lake. The first crossing bridge over the lake was constructed in the 1860’s. Like the stretch of water itself, the bridge was extremely narrow- only wide enough for pedestrians to cross. But with the bridge access came more settlers, and slowly but surely Osoyoos began to grow in population as ranchers took up residence in the area. It was immigrants from Portugal who settled in the area in the 1950’s that really put Osoyoos on the map as far as being a real center for orchard growth. Soon after their arrival the town became a booming location for fruit and vegetable farming. And from that humble beginning, came the later relocation of Vineyards to the area. The dry, hot summer climate of Osoyoos is ideal for Vineyards and their grape harvesting. Over the last several decades, Osoyoos has become one of the major centres for grape production in the entire nation.