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Hume Barn:

The original George Clarence Hume barn - built in 1916 - Photographed November 22, 2009.

Still as sound as the moment it was built, the Hume barn built in 1916 by George C. Hume at the eastern edge of the old orchard his family operated during the early part of the 20th century. Unfortunately this property isn't owned by the Hume family (his grandson Al Hume lives lives with his daughter Marylin a short distance away at 359 Reynolds Road in North Glenmore).

The yard is a bit of a mess with old machinery parts such as a truck's front end with the motor still attached and several old orchard sprayers and tractors stored in good order. A can be seen in this photo, the roof of the barn is in great shape with the asphalt shingles protecting all inside from the elements. A stone's throw from the barn, to the right, just out of the photo, is a remarkable looking root-cellar that is dug into the hill behind the woodshed's lean-to. The front of the root-cellar is made has a stone wall constructed without mortar (completed in 1940).

The orchard is still in operation, but the trees are not the originals planted by Hume in the early years of the 20th Century. Instead they were planted in the late 1960s, early 1970s as the trees became too old to successfully/profitably bear fruit

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Okanagan History - Volume 29, page 161 - obituary - George Clarence Hume died at Kelowna on April 20th at the age of 80 years. He came to Kelowna from Ontario in 1911 and purchased land in the Glenmore district where he developed an orchard. He Married Miss Edna Noyes of Naramata in 1917. Mr. Hume was a school trustee for more than 20 years, part of which period he was chairman of School District No. 23. He was a J.P. and prominent in civic affairs. For 22 years he was a member of the Okanagan Regional Library Board. Surviving are his wife Edna and two sons, George Clarence and John Robert, Glenmore; two daughters, Frances (Mrs. Leo B. Konapski) of Port Angeles, Washington and Mildred (Mrs. James B. Robertson) or Seattle; seven grand children and one great-grandchild.

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The Okanagan Valley's semi-arid climate forced early settlers to locate near rivers and lakes. The site of Mill Creek was the deciding factor in the choice of Dry Valley (Glenmore) development. Starting in 1885, Frederick Brent was one of the first settlers to receive a 'crown grant' from the provincial government. Boundaries of each grant followed quarter section lines, regardless of topography, and each applicant was granted one or more quarter sections. With an average annual rainfall of only 12 inches Glenmore homesteaders used their land for cattle ranching, logging and subsistence farming.

From the turn of the century to about 1905, real estate speculation converged in the Central Okanagan intent on buying undeveloped land in the Mill Creek and Glenmore valleys, and the Mission and East Kelowna areas. Whole sections were bought, subdivided and sold by these powerful land development companies.

Built in 1911 by COLL, Postill Lake Dam/reservoir was designed to supply 4000 acres in Glenmore and 800 acres in the Bulman subdivision. Measuring 550 by 28 feet, the dam consisted of a rock-filled log curb on a concrete foundation, and a wooden sluice culvert controlled by three gates in a wooden tower. Condemned by the Water Rights Branch in 1932, the dam required complete reconstruction which increased storage to 3,000 acres feet, In 1947 the dam was raised five feet to increase storage to 4,200 acre feet. Raised and rebuilt twice since then, the dam now holds 4,538 acres feet.
In 1907, several local businessmen formed Central Okanagan Lands, Ltd. to buy and develop virtually all lands within Glenmore and parts of Mill Creek Valley and Rutland. Financed by a half-million dollar Dominion Trust co. bond issue of $300,000, of which was sold in Britain. Central Okanagan Lands was subdivided into orchard-sized parcels and sold to wealthy eastern Canadians who thought "money grew on trees" in the Okanagan. Purchasers paid from $250 - $400 per acre for land they could farm them selves or hire Central Okanagan Lands to clear, plant and operate.

In addition to advertising "good roads, good people, good schools, telephone, electric light, and daily mail, Central Okanagan Lands promised prospective buyers "a domestic water system bringing beautiful pure water from 18 to 20 miles up in the mountains."

To build, operate and maintain the waterworks intended to benefit its land, Central Okanagan Lands formed the Kelowna Irrigation Company. By special agreement, Kelowna Irrigation Company also supplied water to Thomas Bulman's subdivisions in Ellison and Rutland. Co-ownership and all expenses for construction and operation were shared on a 75/25 split, with Bulmans' Okanagan Development and Orchard Company owning the minor share. The gravity fed water supply system originated in the Mill Creek watershed east of Ellison, and included the Postill Lake Dam, South Lake Dam, McKinley Regulating Reservoir, and 34 miles of concrete ditches, flumes and steel pipelines.

Despite Central Okanagan Land's efforts and promises, however, exorbitant operating and maintenance costs forced the ill-fated system into bankruptcy. When domestic water was not installed as promised, landowners sued the company and its agents for gross misrepresentation and fraud. The 1914 failure of Dominion Trust Co. - which held Central Okanagan Lands bond issue deposit - forced the company into liquidation by 1916.

The birth of Glenmore Irrigation District
With Central Okanagan Lands in receivership, little funding was available for much-needed repairs and maintenance on the poorly built and rapidly deteriorating system. The provincial government was lobbied by both the troubled development companies and landowners to amend the water act to allow the formation of irrigation districts. With the takeover of these privately owned and operated waterworks, financial assistance from the government enabled the newly forming irrigation districts to borrow money to purchase water systems.

The resulting Conservation Fund loaned the newly incorporated Glenmore Irrigation District $27,000 to buy the assets of the defunct Kelowna Irrigation Company. In return, the district committed to make annual repayments of the principle plus interest. 1921 irrigation taxes of $16.00 per acre of Grade A land were based almost exclusively on that annual repayment.

When the Glenmore Irrigation District approached government about funding to cover first-year operating costs, it was told there would be little, if any, funding available. District trustees grappled with how to finance urgently needed repairs without overburdening the already-strained orchardists. It was a vicious cycle of too little water, meager crops, poor cash flow, high taxes, insufficient system repairs, too little water….!
The effects of irrigation were felt almost immediately upon the system's completion. In 1912. Stewart Nursery planted 100,000 fruit trees, establishing Kelowna as an agricultural force to be reckoned with.
As all newly formed irrigation districts were experiencing similar problems, they formed the Association of water Districts in 1923 primarily to lobby the provincial government for interest relief, longer payment periods, and/or forgiveness of incorporation loans. Grit and determination paid off seven years later when a Relief Bill was passed giving 25 percent forgiveness of all borrowing to December 31st, 1923. On October 28th 1928 the Water Rights Branch announced relief for the Glenmore Irrigation District totaling $58,400, leaving a balance of $77,000 still owing the Conservation Fund.