Founded in 1867, the Historic OKeefe Ranch offers a fascinating glimpse into the life of an early farming community in the heart of the Okanagan Valley. The OKeefes of Okanagan, a welcome resource for any visitor to the site, is an in-depth look into the multiple branches and generations of the family that gave the ranch its name.
When Michael OKeefe arrived in Canada a penniless Irish immigrant in 1819, he had no idea the impact his descendants would leave on the Canadian West. Michaels son Cornelius arrived in British Columbia, also penniless, in 1862, and over the course of fifty years became a prosperous rancher, farmer, and developer, marrying five times and fathering thirty-one children. Indeed, the story of Cornelius OKeefe, ranching magnate, is as much the story of the five strong women who lived and worked alongside him, persevering through the economic downturns and years when the familys very survival was a struggle.