Archives

The Penticton Archives holds an extensive collection of historical records relating to Penticton, the geographic area bordered by Summerland to the north, Okanagan Falls to the south, Beaverdell/Carmi to the east, and Keremeos to the west. Preserved are materials concerning the Kettle Valley Railway and the CPR steamships that operated on Okanagan Lake can also be found in our collection.

The Penticton Archives Centre's collection of archival items includes:

• Historic photographs (over 25,000 digitized)
• Maps and architectural plans
• Video and sound recordings
• Textual records
• Government: tax rolls, electrical records, fire insurance maps, cemetery records
• Personal diaries, correspondence, and other manuscripts
• Business and Social records (churches, clubs, service organizations, public institutions, etc)

For a partial list of our archival holdings, please visit the BC Archival Union List website. For a complete listing or to make inquiries, please contact us directly by phone 250-490-2453, or by pentictonmuseumarchives@penticton.ca.

• Reference books and journals (including BC Ministry of Mines and Okanagan Historical Society reports)
• Penticton telephone and city directories
• Newspapers (Penticton Herald issues 1906-1999)
• Obituaries
• People files, containing information about historically significant local persons
• Information files, containing information about local places, businesses, organizations, and events.

The purpose of the Penticton Archives Centre is to acquire, arrange, describe, and preserve material of archival and/or informational value to the City of Penticton, and the community as a whole, and to make such records available to the public.

We have digitized over a hundred years of Penticton Herald newspapers, from 1906-1999 in searchable PDF documents. Please make a request for information or research by email or phone (250-490-2453).

The Penticton Archives is dedicated to assisting the public to research local history. We are available for phone calls Wednesdays to Fridays from 1:00 - 4:30 p.m. Please contact us by email outside of those hours. Fees vary by research purpose (personal or commercial). Please call for our fee schedule 250-490-2453.

The Penticton Archives possesses an extensive collection of over 25,000 historic photographs of Penticton and area from the late 1800s to present. This collection includes a wealth of images of the Kettle Valley Railway, lake steamships, early pioneers, orcharding, downtown Penticton, local businesses, Peach Festival, and many other subjects. A project to digitize our entire historic photograph collection is currently underway to make it more easily accessible by the public. Over 22,000 photographs have been digitized so far!

Reproductions of photos in our collection can be ordered for a fee. All reproductions are printed by local photographer Stuart Bish using high-quality archival materials for long-lasting prints. If you are interested in ordering prints or viewing our photographic collection, please contact us by phone or email with your request.

Penticton Museum & Archives
Phone: 250-490-2453
Email: pentictonmuseumarchives@penticton.ca

Archive Hours: Wednesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Please note: Until the current Covid-19 situation is reolved, the Archives will only accept information and research requests by phone or email. Currently, it will take approximately two weeks to process requests due to a large backlog. Thank you for your understanding.