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1912 · Mission Hill

The Vernon Cadet Camp: More Than a Century on Mission Hill

Presented by Tim Jones · Vernon History

Video presented by Tim's AI-generated presenter, in his own voice.

Every summer, the hill on the south side of Vernon fills with young people in uniform. It's been that way for more than a hundred years.

1912: tents on Mission Hill

It starts in 1912. That year a new cavalry regiment was formed here, the 30th B.C. Horse, and troops began training on Mission Hill. It became the annual summer camp for cavalry and infantry militia from around the district. Back then it was just rows of canvas tents on the hillside.

Vernon's military history actually goes back a little further, to 1908 and the Okanagan Mounted Rifles. But it was the camp on the hill that would change the town.

The First World War

When the First World War began in 1914, the Vernon camp became a major mobilization and training centre. By 1916, more than 7,000 men were training on the hill, at a time when Vernon itself had barely 3,000 people. Imagine what that did to this little town.

The Second World War

In the Second World War it happened again. The camp became a Canadian Army basic infantry training centre, and the support camp for the Battle Drill School at the Coldstream Ranch. Permanent barracks, garages and kitchens went up in 1942, and at the peak there were more than 7,000 troops at the camp at any one time. A lot of Vernon families have roots here because of that camp.

Home of the cadets

After the war, the camp was closed from 1946 to the spring of 1949. Then, in July 1949, it reopened as a summer camp for army cadets. It has trained cadets every summer since, and it is now the oldest continuously operating cadet training centre in Canada. Tens of thousands of young Canadians have spent their summers on that hill, close to 80,000 cadets by one count. Since 1975, when young women were first allowed to join the cadets, it has been girls and boys alike.

Visit the museum

To see it for yourself, the Vernon Cadet Camp Museum opens in the summer in Building C39. You get there through the tunnel under Highway 97. Check the museum's hours before you go.

The historical scenes on this page and in the video are artist's recreations, made to show what the place looked like. They are not archival photos.

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