This series of caches will take you along a relatively flat section of the Grey canal trail. Best done on a day when you want a long, easy walk. There's not a lot of shade so don't forget your water bottle. This section of the trail runs through the historic Coldstream Ranch. The ranch is still in operation today but there is no need to go into the orchards or ranchland, all caches are right beside the trail. The canal is gone but remnants of the system can be spotted.
Back in 1863, Charles Houghton claimed a military land grant planning to take up farming. When he arrived in BC he found he was only entitled to a mere 300 acres not the 1150 he was expecting. Still this 300 acres was the beginning of Coldstream ranch. Houghton decided he liked exploring more than farming so after a few years he traded away his property. The new owners acquired more land and a water lease on Coldstream Creek for irrigation. They built corrals, farm buildings and a grist mill. By 1883, the ranch had grown to 13,261 acres. In 1890 Lord and Lady Aberdeen came to Canada for a 3 month holiday and purchased the property naming it Coldstream Ranch. The Aberdeens returned to Ireland but left instructions for fruit trees to be planted. In 1892, 100 acres of the ranch was planted with 25,000 fruit trees. This was the start of commercial fruit growing in the Vernon area. In order to have enough water they invested heavily in irrigation and eventually this became the Grey Canal which irrigated the Vernon area until 1970.
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Why is this so tall and big?