Princeton (British Columbia)

Before European contact, the land around today's Princeton was known among First Nations people as a source of red ochre. Beginning no later than 1846, fur traders, settlers, and miners established trails connecting what was then known as Vermilion Forks to the Pacific Coast of British Columbia. John Fall Allison became, in 1858, the first permanent settler of European ancestry. To this day, the site of his home functions locally like a kilometre zero, with creeks east of Princeton having names like "Five Mile" based on their distance from that location. The town he founded was renamed "Prince Town" (later corrupted to "Princeton") to honour an 1860 visit to eastern Canada by Prince Edward (later King Edward VII).

From 1909 to 1915, the railways arrived, with the Kettle Valley Railway (later Canadian Pacific) connecting Princeton to the Great Northern.

Until 1961, Princeton was home to a brewery, the Princeton Brewing Company. Until the 1940s, the brewery kept its beer cool in the Vermilion Cave. The cave, which held up to 20 railway cars at a time, was largely demolished to make way for the Hope-Princeton Highway, part of the Crowsnest Highway (British Columbia Highway 3).

Beginning in the 1980s, Princeton began to revitalize its downtown, a plan that included red brick sidewalks and new streetlights. In the 1990s, they adopted a "heritage" theme, with many businesses converting their exteriors to match architectural styles from roughly a century earlier.

The name Vermilion Forks survives in the name of Vermilion Forks Indian Reserve No. 1, which is immediately adjacent to the town of Princeton, to the east, and is one of the reserves of the Upper Similkameen Indian Band, whose head offices are in Hedley.

Princeton is just east of the Cascade mountains, giving the town a rain shadow effect whereby the community receives very little precipitation relative to areas on the windward side of the Cascade mountains. Princeton is one of the sunniest places in British Columbia with 2088 hours of sunshine annually. The 323 days per year with measurable sunshine, defined by having a minimum of 6 minutes of sunshine in a day, is the most in the province, and one of the highest in Canada.

BC Highway 3 (the Crowsnest Highway) bisects the town east-west. It travels east from Vancouver and Hope and west from Osoyoos in the Okanagan. The section of the highway between Hope and Princeton is often referred to as the Hope-Princeton highway.

BC Highway 5A heads north from town and connects with BC Highway 97C (the Okanagan Connector) about 20 km east of Merritt.

• Mountain Man Mike's Bus Service, ☏ +1-778-382-7729, info@mountainmanmikes.ca. Twice per week service between Kaslo and Vancouver with stops in Balfour, Nelson, Castlegar, Christina Lake, Grand Forks, Greenwood, Rock Creek, Osoyoos, Keremeos, Princeton, Manning Provincial Park, Hope, Chilliwack, Abbotsford, Langley, and New Westminster. Travel time to Princeton from Kalso is 6 hours, from Nelson is 5 hours, from Castlegar is 4.25 hours, from Grand Forks is 3 hours, from Osoyoos is 1.25 hours, from Hope is 1.75 hours, from Abbotsford is 3 hours, and from Vancouver is 4.25 hours. This service provider also offers a weekly route between Kalso and Calgary via Nelson. (updated Mar 2022)

There is a small airstrip (CYDC) on the outskirts of town. It has no commercial service, but the 3,932 ft (1,198 m) runway is accessible to private aircraft.

• 🌍 Princeton Visitor Centre, 105 Highway 3 East, ☏ +1 250 295-3103. 9AM-5PM. Tourist information center with brochures and information on the local area, souvenirs, picnic tables and access to the river. 

• BC Transit (South Okanagan-Similkameen Transit System), toll-free: +1-844-442-2212. Bus route 50 three days per week between Penticton and Princeton with stops in Keremeos. Travel time to Princeton from Penticton is 1 hour 30 minutes and from Keremeos is 40 minutes. (updated Mar 2022)

• 🌍 Bromley Rock Provincial Park, Highway 3 (follow Hwy 3 about 21 km east from the intersection between Hwy 3 and Hwy 5A). This popular swimming hole is a refreshing break on a hot Interior afternoon's drive. Buy a take out meal in Princeton and eat it on the sandy beach along the Similkameen River. In late July and early August, the water is warm and clean. For the brave-hearted, join the locals climbing the rock and diving into the deep pool below. Fishing is good upstream from the picnic area in spring. (updated Nov 2014)
• 🌍 Otter Lake Provincial Park, Highway 3 (from downtown drive north over the bridge crossing the Tulameen River, take the first left and follow the road for 33 km). Located on the west side of Otter Lake, the park has a campground, boat launch on to Otter Lake, and some short walking trails. Outside of the park, along the east side of the lake, is a portion of the Kettle Valley Trail, which can be accessed toward the north and from the south end of the lake. (updated Apr 2023)