A Penticton artist has created an image showing a part of the South Okanagan's history.

Janice Cornett-Ching91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s painting, commissioned for Adrian van Nieuwkirk of West Kelowna, is based on a 1912 photograph showing the S.S. Sicamous, docked at the C.P.R. Wharf in Summerland.

The street, now known as Lakeshore Drive in Summerland, is also visible in the painting.

While the painting is close to the historic photograph, Cornett-Ching said she made some slight changes. 

The boat is to the front of the pier, instead of behind the pier as it appears in the photograph. Some buildings have been added along the lakeshore, and people are shown at the wharf.

The painting is done in colour, while the photograph is in black and white.

Cornett-Ching, who has been painting since she was seven or eight years old, said this scene was challenging.

The work, in acrylic, involved scaling the image to recreate the scene in the photograph took many hours to complete. 

Many of Cornett-Ching91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s previous works involve scenes at Okanagan Lake and portraits of people. She said she loves the detail involved in creating realism artwork.

The scene has a historic significance for Summerland and the South Okanagan.

The wharf and railway car slip were built in June 1910 and were integral in moving goods and produce. Goods were moved into barges and then debarked near Vernon. 

The wharf included a cold storage facility, plant station, freight shed and the slip dock with the railway cars. A packing house was at the shoreline. The wharf was in use until the 1970s, but was eventually dismantled.

A new wharf, at the same location, opened in 1991 as a tourist attraction. This wharf was later replaced, as the structure was decaying and was no longer safe. A new pier, on the same footprint, officially opened in Summerland in the summer of 2024.

The S.S. Sicamous was one of the sternwheelers used on Okanagan Lake. The vessel was launched in May 1914 and was in use for 22 years.

In 1951, the Penticton Gyro Club bought the sternwheeler for $1 and restored it.

The S.S. Sicamous is now on display on the shore of Okanagan Lake in Penticton.