Kettle Valley Railway
Map Work

On a map of southern British Columbia, locate these places important to the story of the Kettle Valley Railway.

Penticton
Merritt
Hope
Spences Bridge
Okanagan Lake

Midway
Nelson
Kelowna
Summerland

Organize a class field trip to explore part of the Kettle Valley line. You could hike or bike along a section of the old rail bed, now part of the Trans Canada Trail. Tours are also offered by local companies. Or you could take a ride on the KVR Steam Train in Summerland (operating July - mid Oct.). Make notes along the way of what you see and what you feel.

When you return to class, prepare a big sketch map of your trip. On poster paper, draw a map of the route you took. Be sure to include (and label) all of the interesting features that you passed (tunnels, trestle bridges, mountains, creeks, etc.).

Be as creative as you can with your poster. Use coloured pens. Sketch in trees, signposts, people, etc. You might want to work in pairs or groups.

Share your work by hanging your map on the classroom wall.

Writing: You could also write a journal entry describing how you felt about following in the footsteps of history.