About Us
The historic Tranquille Farms, Nestled between the banks of the South Thompson River and Kamloops Lake.
Tranquille Heritage Farm
The historic Tranquille Farm is situated on the nutrient rich delta of the Tranquille Creek, home of the 1857 BC Gold Rush. Nestled between the banks of the South Thompson River and Kamloops Lake to the south and Mara Mountain to the north this 469 acre property has been the provider of community health and wellness for millennia. As far back as 6,000 years ago aboriginal hunters and gatherers frequented the site replenishing their fish and wild game supplies. In the mid 1800’s William Fortune and CT Cooney homesteaded on what is today the Tranquille Farm. With the sale in 1909 of the Fortune Ranch to the Anti-Tuberculosis Society a new chapter was added to the fabric of the site. The King Edward Sanatorium was established.
In 1927 the Anti-Tuberculosis Society asked the provincial government to take over operations due to a lack of operating capital. Within the year the government purchased the neighbouring Cooney Ranch and amalgamated the properties together to form what became the Tranquille Farm and Tranquille Medical Training Institution. After its closure in 1985, Tranquille Farm operations ground to a halt. Once the primary supplier of food, to 1,000 people on the site and many others off site in other government institutions the farm’s piggery, cannery, abattoir, dairy, gardens, orchards, and beef testing station fell silent.
Redevelopment Plans
In 2005 British Columbia Wilderness Tours, under new ownership, launched a visionary conversation with the City and local interest groups to build a sustainable, mixed use, master planned community of several thousand residents on the site. A successful, multi-year process of environmental site assessment and remediation has paved the way for redevelopment.
The City of Kamloops has approved the Tranquille On the Lake Neighbourhood Plan, a document which lays out the values, planning principles, key design elements, land uses and approval processes required to rebuild Tranquille. A Comprehensive Zoning Plan for the site which lays out the integration of land uses, densities, and community amenities across the property now sits at Third Reading. Completion of the Phased Development Agreement will lead to completion of the CD9 Zoning Agreement with the City.
Tranquille Farm Fresh – Story Tellers
Tranquille Farm Fresh exists to tell the stories of Tranquille in creative and entertaining ways that connect visitors emotionally to this legendary property. Whether it is a two-hour Heritage Tour unpacking six thousand years of history, or welcoming you to a haunted house at Halloween our goal is to educate through creative entertainment and connect you to the land. Books have been written, videos made, and thousands of visitors have come to Tranquille yet… there is so much more to learn and to tell.