The sub-series consists of oral history interviews recorded in the Okanagan and Similkameen regions, mainly dealing with the history of those regions in the years 1880-1914.

CALL NUMBER: T1076:0001 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-11-04 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Captain Otto Estabrooks talks about the CPR steamboats on the interior lakes of BC, 1894 to 1920. He describes how he came to BC at the age of five; his father George Estabrooks was a captain of CPR steamboats; the background of his father's family; why the family came to BC; CPR boats on various BC waterways; early jobs at Okanagan Landing; moving up the ranks to captain; serving on various boats on the Columbia River and the Okanagan; early lake navigation; Captain T.D. Shorts and his boats; the importance of sternwheelers in BC; the operation of sternwheelers; the Columbia River; Arrow Lakes, and Captain Forsland. TRACK 2: Mr. Estabrooks continues with a story about a man falling off a foot plank; ports of call; places on Arrow Lakes; the hotel at Halcyon Springs and various proprietors; towns on Arrow Lakes; how he enlisted in World War I; Renata, which was a mining settlement; the difficulty of piloting steamboats; a wild bull story; loading and unloading of livestock;.; CALL NUMBER: T1076:0002 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-11-04 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Estabrooks discusses Lardeau and Argenta, and other stops on Kootenay Lake; remittance men; a description of Kootenay Lake; wind dangers to sternwheelers; Colonel Lowery's description of a ride on a steamboat; staterooms on boats; Slocan Lake; the beauty of various lakes compared; navigation on Okanagan Lake and how wind was a problem; the Fintry ranch and its owners; Okanagan Centre and Summerland. [TRACK 2: blank.]