Mount Nkwala

Mount Nkwala rises west of Penticton above the south end of Okanagan Lake and carries several strands of regional history. It is now named for Chief Nkwala, or Nicolas Hwistesmetxēe'qen, an influential Indigenous leader of the Nicola Valley who lived from 1780 to 1865. An earlier official name came from the 1908 Christmas Day tragedy in which three Black hotel employees were caught in a snowstorm while returning from Mass; Charles Blair and Arthur Chapman died of exposure, while Arthur Wilson survived by pressing on to Summerland. In the mid-20th century, forestry work gave rise to the local name Gerry Mountain, linked to a fire lookout that operated until 1969.

British Columbia · Canada