Adopted 7 February 1951 on 82L/SW.

Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office

Named after cattle baron Cornelius O'Keefe, who, in 1867 with his partner Thomas Greenhow, drove cattle from Oregon to the north end of Okanagan Lake and established the O'Keefe Ranch, which operated for 100 years, eventually covering almost 20,000 acres. O'Keefe and his wife Mary Anne had arrived at the lakehead c1866, and lived in a log house before building an opulant Victorian mansion; O'Keefe was first postmaster at Okanagan Post Office, opened 14 August 1872 at the O'Keefe Ranch, and built St. Ann's Church on the property in 1889.

Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office

After Cornelius O'Keefe, first postmaster at Okanagan Post Office (near the head of the lake) August 14, 1872; native of Quebec, of Irish descent; wealthy stock-raiser; genial and kindly, and respected by all: "The O'Keefe of O - kan' - agan." (12th Report of the Okanagan Historical Society, 1948, citing Ok. 6:141 - 142, Deaville, 153-154).

Source: included with note

Named after "The O'Keefe of Okanagan," Cornelius O'Keefe, who around 1867 arrived at the head of Okanagan Lake and began acquiring land for the ranch which made him wealthy. A Roman Catholic from Quebec, though of Irish descent, he was a genial, kindly man.

Source: Akrigg, Helen B. and Akrigg, G.P.V; British Columbia Place Names; Sono Nis Press, Victoria 1986 /or University of British Columbia Press 1997

The map label Talle d'Epinettes is applied in this vicinity on an 1858 map by Alexander Caulfield Anderson; mis-spelled or abbreviated Tal d'Epinette on the Royal Engineers' 1862 map British Columbia: Hope to Similkameen and Rock Creek, Lillooet to Kamloops and Okanagan Lake; mis-spelled Tel d'Epinette on Gustav Epner's 1862 map Gold Regions in British Columbia. "Talle d'Epinette appears to refer to a campsite along the brigade trail to Fort Kamloops. Apparently spruce are quite rare in this location and at this elevation, so an isolated grove must have been noteworthy, especially if there was a good campsite nearby." (interpretive information and earliest map details provided January 2009 by curator Ken Mather, O'Keefe Historic Ranch)

Source: included with note