Charles Christopher Wharton left England in 1896, worked briefly in Ontario, then headed west in 1902, to homestead in Squally Point, Summerland.
He worked on the Kettle Valley Railway survey crew.
Wharton was best known for public skating rink he provided every winter for 35 years, first on the tennis courts on Garnett Valley Road and then on his West Summerland property, hosting outdoor carnivals, public skating and hockey games in the years before the arena was built.
Wharton was a member of the Summerland Singers and Players and performed in several Gilbert and Sullivan operas.