This week, Heritage Week is celebrated throughout British Columbia.
In Summerland it has become a tradition to identify one heritage building, one heritage site and sometimes one heritage tree.
At last month’s Heritage Advisory Commission meeting, the heritage building selected was the Sir Edward Clouston home and the heritage site is the flume line linking Prairie Valley to Garnett Valley.
There was no heritage tree selected for 2012.
The Sir Edward Clouston home is located on Victoria Road South, just south of the old West Summerland train station/Simpson Road turn-off.
Clouston was one of Sir Thomas Shaughnessy’s business partners who assisted with the early development of Summerland by purchasing land here.
He built this home in Summerland but his primary residence was a large mansion in Montreal.
Clouston came from a famous Hudson Bay Company family. He was knighted for his significant contributions to Canada’s banking system. He was a director of several large Canadian businesses, but his primary occupation was the national general manager of the Bank of Montreal.
With Summerland’s recent qualification to Hockeyville Contest, having Clouston as one of our first pioneers is helpful. Clouston played in the recognized first organized hockey game in Montreal on March 3, 1875.
Later Clouston became a trustee of the Stanley Cup (professional hockey,) a trustee for the Allan Cup (amateur hockey) and a trustee for the Minto Cup (lacrosse.)
Sir Edward died suddenly in 1912 and his brother Robert Clouston acquired the home. Robert was an active Summerland citizen.
With respect to the heritage site, the flume line is located about two-thirds up Morrow Avenue hill.
Passive flume lines from the Trout Creek Reservoir provided water to both Prairie Valley and Garnett Valley.
Sir Thomas Shaughnessy hired F.H. Latimer to design the flume lines of Summerland in 1902.
The long term plans of hiking trails in Summerland includes this flume line which would connect Morrow Avenue to the new subdivision on the east side of Cartwright Mountain.