| Feature Type: | Creek (1) - Watercourse, usually smaller than a river. |
| Status: | Official |
| Name Authority: | BC Geographical Names Office |
| Relative Location: | Flows SE into Trout Creek, W side of Okanagan Lake just W of Summerland, Osoyoos Division Yale Land District |
| Latitude-Longitude: | 49°36'37"N, 119°46'53"W at the approximate mouth of this feature. |
| Datum: | WGS84 |
| NTS Map: | 82E/12 |
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Origin Notes and History:
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Darke Creek adopted 6 October 1936 on Geological Survey sheet 420A, Kettle River, as identified in 18 April 1923 and 17 July 1925 engineer's reports to accompany Water Board file 3481w. Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office |
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Munro Lake originally drained south through O'Hagan Creek; control structures & ditch built sometime before 1925 divert Munro Lake north into upper channel of Darke Creek; Darke Creek originally flowed PAST Darke Lake and mouth of Silas Creek thence into Trout Creek (17 July 1925 engineer's report, Water Board file 3481w, recommended that water be diverted from upper channel of Darke Creek INTO Darke Lake, with control structures to regulate outlet and downstream flow of Darke Creek. Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office |
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Map of Yale District, 16B1, published in 1906, labels Darkes [sic] Creek and Lake. "Darke Creek (not Chinpatlin Creek nor Freshet Creek)" identified in the 1930 BC Gazetteer. Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office |
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Named after James A. Darke, pre-emptor, Lot 2894, and/or S. G. Darke, pre-emptor Lot 3761 (pre-emption dates not cited). [compare with citation for nearby Darke Lake: "named after Silas Robert Darke, settler in the 1890s."] Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office |
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After Robert Darke, settler in the 1890s. (12th Report of the Okanagan Historical Society, 1948, citing BC Chief Geographer) Source: included with note |
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"West Summerland: Pioneer settlers of this district, Mrs. and Mrs. James A. Darke, celebrate their [50th] wedding anniversary today. They came here before fruit-growing was established and Mr. Darke developed two orchards as a hobby while he was a business contractor. One son, three daughters, several grandchildren..." (Vancouver Sun, 1 February 1949) Source: Provincial Archives of BC "Place Names File" compiled 1945-1950 by A.G. Harvey from various sources, with subsequent additions |