| The economy of the Shuswap is centered on the
Forestry & wood Products, Agriculture & Food Products, and Tourism &
Recreation industries. In addition to the large amount of wood harvested
each year, the Shuswap has developed a niche in log home manufacturing and
capabilities in sawmill machinery manufacturing.
Within the municipality boundaries, there is a considerable amount of
good working farmland, used mostly for ranching and dairy farming, hay
production and orchards.
The environmental resources and scenic attractions of the Shuswap make
the Tourism industry a major part of the area’s economy. It is an ideal
setting for power boating, with a number of good beaches, moorages and
several provincial parks.
In-migration, particularly of retirees’ is usually important to the
economy of the Shuswap. Attracted to the lifestyle of the Shuswap, retirees
and pre-retirees moving in the region drive the economy by expanding the
requirements for goods and services.
HISTORY OF THE COMMUNITY
The name “Salmon Arm” has evidently been applied to the south-west arm of
the Shuswap Lake because of the large runs of salmon up the creeks emptying
into the lake. Many of the old-timers can remember years when salmon could
without difficulty, be pulled out of the creeks by pitchfork. They were so
plentiful they were used as fertilizer.
Construction of the C.P.R. was the impetus to the settlement of Salmon
Arm. The railway construction started work in this area around 1884 and
completed in September of 1885. It took 5 more years to finally put Salmon
Arm on the map. In the fall of 1890, a petition was circulated asking the
government to establish a Post Office. And so began the humble beginnings of
the “GEM OF THE SHUSWAP”, a motto given to Salmon Arm which is ratified by
those people who continue to settle here. |
