On July 3, 1893 the city of Kamloops was incorporated into the province of British Columbia. So, in honor of its 121st birthday, here are 10 facts about the city:

1. The first inhabitants of this area were the roughly 3000 members of the Shuswap tribe which was widespread throughout the region.
2. The name Kamloops comes from a Secwepemc word, T’kemlups, which translates to ‘the meeting of the waters’ as it is the location where the South Thompson and the North Thompson meet to form the Thompson River.
3. The first Europeans arrived around 1811.
4. In its early days, the city was known for being a trade route (mainly fur) based on its proximity to the river.
5. The discovery of gold in the late 1850’s played a substantial role in further populating the area as some settled in what would become Kamloops in order to pan for gold which others passed through the region on their way to the gold mines on the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast.
6. This area was the site of the first European baby girl born in B.C.
7. It is one of only two places in Canada where the two national railways meet inside city limits.
8. The city of Kamloops was the first in Canada to elect a First Nations member of Parliment.
9. Due to the harsh climate of the area, Kamloops and its surrounding area have an inverted tree line (where the trees won’t grow below a certain level due to a lack of precipitation).
10. The city is known as the tournament capitol of Canada as it hosts over 115 tournaments each year.

For more information check out the City of Kamloops website as well as the city’s tourism page.