HISTORY: Community Topics | JOE RICH NAME

Joe Rich Valley, as almost everyone knows, was named after the first settler to build a substantial cabin and take up residence in the valley. Little is known about this man, but he may have been a bit of a reprobate looking for seclusion. He seems to have been a squatter and to have never held title to the land on which he built, because it was eventually obtained as a Crown Grant by the Prestons, and finally purchased by Cyril Weddell and Duncan Stewart.

Originally, Joe Rich Valley referred only to the land along either side of Joe Rich Creek, but by the time John Findlay owned and lived on the present Serwa property, the name had begun to be applied to the valley down Mission Creek to at least his property and to the land up the present Three Forks Road and Philpott Road. The actual extent of the land falling into the Joe Rich Area was further defined by the Fire District and the mail service. The Joe Rich Fire District extended down to about Eight Mile Ranch and Creek The Fire Department would answer calls in all of that area as well as up Three Forks and Philpott Roads. For a while, some postal addresses were to “ Joe Rich Valley”, but most if not all have now been converted to “Highway 33 East”. The opening up of Tamarack Estates on Goudie Road has required a further expansion and now a satellite fire hall for our fire department. The fire department will now answer calls as far as the top of the Black Mountain hill. This has added more confusion to the definition of just what area constitutes Joe Rich. Very recently, a downtown reporter suggested that the name “Joe Rich” be dropped and the area be renamed as an electoral district. Because of the historical nature of the Joe Rich name and the fact that most people in Kelowna know this area only as Joe Rich, the present name is not likely to die easily. As some residents have said, “We know where we live and it is Joe Rich Valley”.

To the north of Highway 33 in the Black Mountain area there is a short segment of the old road to Joe Rich Valley still named “ Joe Riche Road”. The presence of the terminal “e” on “Rich” has been a source of confusion. But a search of court records listing Joe Rich’s name show that the “e” is there in error and the real name is just simple unsophisticated “Joe Rich”.