![[Oliver, British Columbia]](../images/c/ca-bc-ol.gif)
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Last modified: 2011-09-10 by rob raeside
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From the municipal website:
"Aboriginal peoples occupied the territory in
which Oliver lies when settlement by Europeans began in the 19th century.
Osoyoos Indian Reserve No. 1 stretches from Gallagher Lake area to Osoyoos
and adjoins the Town's eastern boundary. The Inkameep Indians, sometimes called
the Osoyoos Band, migrated here and settled on the east side of Osoyoos Lake.
The tribe's name comes from a phrase which means "the base of bottom" -
attesting to their residence on low lands and plateaus.
The first
European activity in the area was gold mining, with the staking of the first
claim in 1887, and the establishment of the Town of Fairview in 1890 on the
benches above Oliver to the west. Folklore has it that a one armed gold
prospector named Reid discovered gold in this area, and the Town of Fairview
(located just outside what is now known as Oliver) became home to gold miners,
ranchers and businessmen. Fairview was one of B.C.’s largest towns at the turn
of the century. The gold rush died and sadly, so did Fairview, with Oliver
springing up in its wake. Fairview's life was short; the post office was closed
in 1926. One of the few remaining buildings from the town, the Fairview Jail,
has been moved to the Oliver museum site.
Following the First World War,
BC’s premier, known as "Honest" John Oliver, envisioned an irrigation canal,
which would bring this dry Sonora Desert region to life. The South Okanagan
Lands Project was born, creating jobs and long term opportunities for veterans
returning from World War I. The original townsite of Oliver was surveyed in
1921. Completed in 1923, the concrete irrigation canal (locally known as "the
ditch") soon transformed this desert region into lush orchards and farms.
Oliver, along with Osoyoos to the south, experienced rapid growth after the
Second World War, with an influx of agricultural settlers, including many of
Portuguese and German origin. Home to 11 local wineries and many vineyards,
Oliver now calls itself "The Capital of Wine Country". The Festival of the Grape
is fast becoming a ‘must attend’ during the Okanagan’s Fall Wine Festival."
http://www.oliver.ca/siteengine/ActivePage.asp?PageID=19
The
municipal website presents the flag as follows:
"The field is blue. Across
the horizontal centre line is a wavy band of gold. In the centre, on the band is
a large gold circle and on it a smaller blue circle. In the centre of the blue
circle is a sixteen rayed sun. The flag blends the imagery of the water with the
sun and the central "O" for Oliver."
http://www.oliver.ca/siteengine/ActivePage.asp?PageID=34
More
detailed explanations are given in the grant of arms, supporters, flag and badge
of Oliver, issued on 20 April 1995 (The Public Register of Arms, Flags and
Badges of Canada, Vol. III, p. 6):
http://archive.gg.ca/heraldry/pub-reg/project.asp?lang=e&ProjectID=523
The flag is blazoned as: "Azure a bar wavy Or over all a bezant charged with
a hurt thereon a sun in splendour Or". Its explanation has to be found in the
arms, which "include" it in their central part.
http://archive.gg.ca/heraldry/pub-reg/project-pic.asp?lang=e&ProjectID=523&ProjectElementID=1827
The coat of arms is described as follows:
"Arms Vert on a fess nowy
between in chief two apples each enclosed within a horseshoe ends upward and in
base an apple surmounting a miner's pick and a branding iron in saltire all Or a
bar wavy nowy Azure charged with a sun in splendour Or;
Crest
Issuant
from a mural coronet Or charged with a frieze of grape leaves Vert the head of a
Salish woman Proper wearing a coronet Or heightened with two eagles wings per
bend Or and Gules;
Supporters
On a field Or set with sagebrush plants
(Artemisia tridentata) Proper rising above barry wavy Azure and Argent
dexter a California bighorn ram Or attired and unguled Vert gorged with a collar
of Okanagan tartan proper sinister a mare Or maned and unguled Vert gorged with
a like collar;
Motto
BORNE OF THE WATERS BLEST BY THE SUN."
The
following explanation of the coat of arms is given:
"Arms
The central
facets of these arms recall the geography and history of the Town of Oliver. The
green represents the land as it was brought to life by the waters of the South
Okanagan Irrigation Project. The wavy band of blue symbolizes the channel
running through the dry lands. The sun is another essential ingredient for
growth and is a major element in Oliver’s quality of life. The apple with the
horseshoe motif recalls one of the town’s earlier emblems, honouring the first
orchards and the horsepower that played a pivotal role in early agriculture and
transportation. The miner’s pick recalls the mining activities in the nearby
hills that immediately preceded establishment of the present town site. The
branding iron recalls the economic importance of cattle ranching in the town’s
history.
Crest
The mural coronet establishes that these arms belong to
a municipality. The frieze of grape leaves refers to the newest agricultural
product in the region. The head of the Salish woman serves as a reminder that
the valley in which the Town of Oliver is located was the homeland of the Salish
Nation. The eagle wings are taken from a key element in the McIntyre coat of
arms and thus honour Peter McIntyre, the namesake for the McIntyre Bluff and
Oliver’s first orchardist.
Supporters
The California big horn sheep
symbolizes Oliver’s natural setting, and the mare is a reference to the
importance of the early pioneers. The sheep and mare wear collars consisting of
the Okanagan tartan. The tartan draws on the domestic arts and the ingenuity of
citizens as they shape their community. The field and sage plants upon which the
supporters stand are a reference to the local fields as they would have been
before irrigation. The wavy bands of blue and white represent the waters of the
irrigation project.
Motto
This salutes Oliver’s beginnings and one of
its greatest attractions, the sunny climate."
http://archive.gg.ca/heraldry/pub-reg/project-pic.asp?lang=e&ProjectID=523&ProjectElementID=1823
Ivan Sache, 2 August 2010
