STORY IDEASThe Remittance Men
Who knew In the early 1900’s, very “well to do” Englishmen arrived west of Kamloops with the support of the London-based B.C. Development Association to find a way to build and promote the soon to be thriving city of Walhachin with its soon to be abundant orchard. Of the shareholders of the B.C.D.A., over 70% listed their occupations as “Gentleman” or “Knight” which would lead one to believe they had more money than … knowledge of orchard development?
Regardless, the B.C.D.A. produced a lavish promotional brochure that was sent back to the hometowns in to entice only the “suitable immigrants from ” targeting the sons of wealthy families. The prospective investors were promised that Walhachin’s newly built grand hotel and growing city were to be maintained by the immense return of the orchard. The skillful promoters used every technique possible to create a buzz including photographs of the alleged lush orchard, which in fact were images from the Okanagan Valley & Wetechwan Region of the Produce from the Walhachin Orchard managed to win awards in before the Walhachin fruit trees had even born fruit!
This promised community of leisure and comfort soon lost its growing population as soon as WWI began and men returned to to enlist. The once thriving area became nothing but deteriorated flumes, vestiges of orchard remnants and old homes to mock the once unique settlement.
Future studies by the Federal Department of Agriculture would conclude that there is not one single hectare in Walhachin that is suitable for any type of fruit production.
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