Kalamalka Hotel was once a western town palace

The Kalamalka, or Kal Hotel, was once the go-to hub for social activity in Vernon.

In 1892, the Okanagan Land and Development Company had built the Kal the same year Vernon was developed, bustling with travellers and railway workers alike.

The Kal was the largest privately owned hotel in the southern Interior of B.C. at the time, but it took several rounds of renovations for it to get to the magnitude it was known in the Okanagan for.

“They actually built the town of Vernon and the hotel at the same time, they went hand in hand,” historian and author Glen Mofford said. “They wanted to bring people in, they needed a big grand hotel to show off, and give some optimism for the future, and it paid off well.”

The Kal’s major renovation took place around 1912 when a whole new wing with 32 more rooms was added to the hotel.

“It was a magnificent sight to behold, and at the time, was indeed the largest and most magnificent privately owned hotel in the southern Interior of B.C.,” Mofford said. “The next few years prior to the great war in 1914 was the golden age for the Kalamalka, never would it be as great as it was in the halcyon days from 1912 to 1914.”

From his sources, including books, articles, and local newspapers of the day, Mofford believes the Kal played a significant role in the development of Vernon, as it was the social centre for people to meet.

The hotel was named the Kal in honour of local indigenous chief Kalamalka, and now uses the anglicized spelling and pronunciation, the research and communications coordinator for the museum and archives of Vernon, Gwyn Evans said in a blog post on the museum website.

The hotel used the name Kalemalka for about 20 years, Mofford said, until one of the owners’ daughters thought the spelling was incorrect and changed the name.

In 1905 another hotel was built beside the Kal, which was eventually called the National. However, the two hotels weren’t in competition, because there were so many people going through Vernon at the time.

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“The town might have been small, but word of mouth got around that the Kal was the place to stay,” Mofford said.

Hotels were often multipurpose buildings, with auditoriums, gyms, and would host events and social activities such as community club meetings, weddings, social functions, parties, fine dinners, dances, sports games, and fundraising events.

The Kal was complete with a billiard room, bar, and ladies parlour, tennis courts and a vegetable garden, Evans said.

Oftentimes, hotels would have commercial rooms for salesmen coming to town, and residents could purchase what they were selling right in the hotel.

“In every town, the hotel was usually the social hub of that town. It was a whole different lifestyle than we’re used to today, there weren’t a lot of places to go, so the hotels were a multipurpose place, unlike today,” Mofford said.

Of course, the hotel still exists today, and is known as the sports-themed restaurant, “The Kal.”

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