Oroville–Osoyoos Border Crossing
| Oroville–Osoyoos Border Crossing | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view of the US-Canada joint border station in 2010. Canada is to the right. | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States; Canada |
| Location |
|
| Coordinates | 49°00′00″N 119°27′42″W / 49.000084°N 119.461757°W |
| Details | |
| Opened | 1861 |
| Website | |
| US Canadian | |
The Oroville–Osoyoos Border Crossing connects the city of Oroville, Washington and the town of Osoyoos, British Columbia on the Canada–US border. U.S. Route 97 on the American side joins British Columbia Highway 97 on the Canadian side.[1][2]
Canadian side
The first cattle drive crossing at Osoyoos was in 1858.[3]
John Carmichael Haynes was the inaugural customs officer 1861–1888 until his death. Initially on the lower Similkameen River, the customs office relocated[4] to the west shore at the north end of Osoyoos Lake within months. The building was physically moved to the village of Osoyoos in 1865. After the structure burned down in 1878, Haynes operated out of his residence.[5]
Administrative oversight transferred from the Port of Victoria to the Port of New Westminster in 1880 and to the Port of Grand Forks in 1899. The office closed in 1902 but reopened in 1905. Oversight passed to the Port of Greenwood in 1907 and the Port of Penticton in 1924. The status was upgraded to Port of Osoyoos in 1948.[4]
In 1940, an RCMP border patrol was established at Osoyoos.[6]
In 2003, the US and Canada completed a US$31 million joint border inspection station which houses the agencies of both countries.[7]
A 2015 thesis examining the security vulnerabilities of the Osoyoos Port of Entry lacks informative summary conclusions.[8]
In 2022, protesting truck drivers seeking to end COVID-19 pandemic restrictions tied up traffic on Highway 97 and into Osoyoos before heading to the border.[9]
The crossing was one of three crossings designated for accommodating travellers from Washington to Alaska.[10]
US side
During the 1860s, the original Dewdney Trail ran south of the border for a brief span near Oroville, but this section was soon decommissioned and a new section blazed north of the border.[11] That decade, a rudimentary building housed the US Customs office.[12]
The Oroville border patrol station, established in 1929, actively pursued liquor smugglers during Prohibition in the United States. On at least one occasion, officers mistakenly believed the smugglers had crossed to the US side. Consequently, the arrested individuals were released without charge at dawn. The customs building location changed several times before erection at the present site.[13][14]
US agents patrol the lake, which straddles the border. Boaters can cross the border but cannot land or contact anyone without having reported to the Customs and Border Protection office. In 2003, two Canadians were apprehended after crossing under the cover of darkness in an 18-foot canoe loaded with 478 pounds of marijuana.[15] In 2021, officers discovered and seized US$132,980 and CA$12,200 in unreported currency during a vehicle inspection.[16]
Gallery
Canadian border station at Osoyoos, BC, 1922
Oroville-Osoyoos border survey marker, 2015
Canadian border station at Osoyoos, BC, 1997.
US border station at Oroville, WA, c.1990s
Canada border crossing at Osoyoos, BC, c.2003
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Wilson, Janet; Wilson, Stuart (November 28, 2020). "Roadtripping Route 97". Retrieved August 2, 2026.
- ↑ Everest, Paul (October 21, 2009). "NEW U.S. SIGNS, CAMERAS INDICATE TRAFFIC CONDITIONS AT BORDER". Times Chronicle. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
- ↑ Fraser 1952, p. 195 (193).
- 1 2 Legg, Herbert (1962). Customs Services in Western Canada, 1867–1925. The Creston Review Ltd. pp. 200–202.
- ↑ Kruger, Chrestenza (1936). "Okanagan Historical Society, 1935: Early Days at Osoyoos". www.library.ubc.ca: 87 (77).
- ↑ Fraser 1952, p. 201, (199).
- ↑ "CSCB News". www.cscb.ca. October 10, 2003.
- ↑ McCroy, Amy J. (2015). More lightning in the hand : a case study of the security vulnerabilities of the Osoyoos Port of Entry at the Canada-US Boundary Line. www.open.library.ubc.ca (MA).
- ↑ "Similkameen Spotlight". www.similkameenspotlight.com. February 22, 2022.
- ↑ Bernard, Renee (July 31, 2020). "Osoyoos designated one of three B.C. border crossings to accommodate Alaska-bound travellers". CityNews Vancouver. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
- ↑ "The Place Where We Live: Looking Back To Look Forward" (PDF). www.streamkeepers.bc.ca. p. 32 (24).
- ↑ Fraser 1952, p. 116 (114).
- ↑ Fraser 1952, p. 169 (167).
- ↑ "CBP: Oroville Station". www.cbp.gov. March 24, 2017.
- ↑ Mehaffey, K.C. (August 18, 2013). "Agents patrol Lake Osoyoos for border crossers". Komo News. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
- ↑ "CBP: Canadian Woman Arrested for Currency Smuggling". www.cbp.gov. July 20, 2010.
References
- Fraser, Geo. J. (1952). The story of Osoyoos, September 1811 to December 1952 – via www.library.ubc.ca.