Sicamous Heritage Walking Tour
A Brief History
Sicamous (Sek’maws) is located at the confluence of several valleys and waterways in the traditional and unceded territory of the Secwépemc First Nation. The Sicamous area has been home to Indigenous people since time immemorial. Permanent European settlement followed the development of the transcontinental railway which was completed in 1886. Just over a century later, in December 1989, the District of Sicamous became incorporated.
Due to its geography, Sicamous was and continues to be a gateway community. It has been a gateway to the fur trade and the goldfields of the past and continues to be a gateway to the mountains, forest resources, the Okanagan Valley, and the Shuswap Lake system.
Although CPR Hill on the west side of the Channel was the first neighbourhood to develop (1890s), this walking tour concentrates on the eastern side of the channel where the original principal high street of Sicamous – Finlayson Street –intersects with the Channel at Young Crescent and Riverside Avenue.
The Sicamous Community Heritage Registry
In 2021, the District of Sicamous Council approved a Heritage Designation Bylaw. The Red Barn was then designated as the first Heritage Property. This was the first step towards formally recognizing the value of local heritage. The less restrictive form of heritage recognition – a Community Heritage Registry – did not exist until 2023.
The Sicamous Community Heritage Registry has been prepared by a committee of community volunteers under the sponsorship of the Sicamous & District Museum & Historical Society, and with the support of the District of Sicamous.
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