About Princeton
PRINCETON - A Fine Place for Business...A Great Place to Call Home! The town of Princeton is beautifully situated in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, where the Tulameen and Similkameen rivers meet, serving as the southern gateway to the British Columbia Interior. The mountains and valleys make it a natural setting for fabulous, year-round outdoor activities, and an outstanding vacation destination.
|
 |
In the early 1800s the town was called Vermillion Forks by the fur traders travelling the Hudson Bay's Brigade Trail from the west coast to the interior of BC. In 1860 the name was changed to Princetown by Governor James Douglas, in honour of the Prince of Wales who was visiting that year.
Long before the arrival of the first white settler to the area, the land at the confluence of the Similkameen and Tulameen Rivers was inhabited by the Indian nations of the area. Several miles up the Tulameen are the Vermillion Bluffs, the source of the highly prized red ochre used for trading and face painting by many different Indian nations.
The first white settler to the area was John Fall Allison who came seeking information for Governor Douglas. Not long after arriving, Allison built a cattle ranch where the town is now located. The years 1909 and 1916 brought the Great Northern Railway and the Canadian Pacific Railway to Princeton, another link to the Coast and Interior. Princeton was incorporated as a village in 1951, and as a town in 1978.
The downtown is small, but there are some interesting shops and cafés to be found. Princeton's western heritage is as rich and deep as the gold and copper mines that honeycomb their way beneath the timbered landscape. It was natural, therefore, that the city decided in 1999 to adopt a western theme for Princeton, which project has already started and will take many years to complete.
Today, agriculture, tourism and cattle ranching are mainstays of the local economy.
Population: 2,908
 |
Location: Princeton is located at the junction of Highway 3 and Highway 5A, 83 miles (133 km) northeast of Hope and 70 miles (112 km) west of Penticton. Princeton is situated in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains There are more than forty excellent trout fishing lakes in the area, as well as the Similkameen and Tulameen rivers. |
One of the legendary characters from Princeton's past was the greatly admired
and respected Mr. George Edwards. Turns out Mr. Edwards robbed trains for a
living, counting the Canadian Pacific Railway, Wells Fargo, and other American
railways amongst his victims. The notorious Bill Miner was the first train and
coach robber in North America before settling into his hideout in the hillside
near Princeton Castle. Rumours have it that his unfound treasure still resides
there!