National Network for Equitable Library Service

The tumultuous rags-to-riches story of the famed O'Keefe ranching family. Founded in 1867, the Historic O'Keefe Ranch offers a fascinating glimpse into the life of an early farming community in the heart of the Okanagan Valley. The O'Keefes of O'kanagan—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 O'Keefe arrived in Canada a penniless Irish immigrant in 1819, he had no idea the impact his descendants would leave on the Canadian West. Michael's 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 three times and fathering seventeen children. Indeed, the story of Cornelius O'Keefe, 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 family's very survival was a struggle.