This Week in History: The Hope-Princeton Highway

On November 2, 1949—70 years ago—the Hope-Princeton Highway was officially opened, providing a new and long-awaited direct car and truck route between the Lower Mainland and the southern Interior. The new highway was important for commerce, but also played a critical role in the postwar development of automotive tourism in the province. The BC government travelogue Peachtime in the Valley (1949-1951) promoted the Hope-Princeton as a route to the Penticton Peach Festival.

This episode of the CHEK-TV/Royal BC Museum series This Week in History looks at the highway, the opening, and the film that promoted it.

Hope-Princeton_Hwy_opening_brochure — Program for the official opening of the highway. (Call number: NWp 971.42 B862b c. 3, BC Archives library collection.)

Hope-Princeton_and_southern_BC_map — Map showing the Hope-Princeton (in black) as part of the Southern Trans-Provincial Highway.

i-28674_edit — Visitors pause for photos at “Ye Olde Manning Park Gallows” on the Hope-Princeton Highway, 1957. (BC Archives photo I-28674, detail.)

2 responses to “This Week in History: The Hope-Princeton Highway”

jokerstash at

November 29, 2022 at 3:28 pm

William Shakespeare once said, “I can make no other response jokerstash at but gratitude, and thanks, and ever thanks.”

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feshop

November 30, 2022 at 10:31 pm

Love this picture feshop

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