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The Settlement of Lumby

A pioneer woman is standing next to a wooden building. There is a muddy dirt road going past the house. There are several other wooden structures in the background.

Courtesy of Okanagan Archive Trust Society

The settlement of Lumby began around 1862 when Louis Christien called the area “Bull Meadows” because there was an abundance of bull moose grazing in the area. Around 1877, the area was renamed to Bessette (also spelled (Bissett) after Peter Bessette.

There are two stories as to how the area became known as White Valley in 1889. One is a native legend. The natives called the area White Valley because of the long winter snows and gentle white mists that so often cover the valley floor and shroud the mountains. The other story tells of a friendship between Peter Bessette and George LeBlanc. When George LeBlanc suddenly died, the loss of his good friend prompted Peter Bessette to name the area White Valley to honor his friend.

In 1894, the area was named Lumby after Moses Lumby who was the Government Agent and Gold Commissioner for the area until his death in 1893.