Richter Pass is a

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human and animal migration t ...

to the south of the summit of

British Columbia Highway 3 British Columbia Highway 3, officially named the Crowsnest Highway, is an highway that traverses southern British Columbia, Canada. It runs from the Trans-Canada Highway (British Columbia Highway 1, Highway 1) at Hope, British Columbia, H ...

(the Crowsnest Highway) between

Keremeos Keremeos () is a village in British Columbia, Canada. The name originated from the Similkameen dialect of the Okanagan language word "Keremeyeus" meaning "creek which cuts its way through the flats" referring to Keremeos Creek which flows down fr ...

(W) and

Osoyoos Osoyoos (, ) is the southernmost town in the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia between Penticton and Omak. The town is north of the United States border in the Washington State and is adjacent to the Osoyoos Indian reserve. The origin of ...

(E), linking the

Similkameen Valley Similkameen may refer to: * Similkameen, a former community in British Columbia, Canada * Similkameen City, British Columbia, a former community in British Columbia, Canada * Similkameen Country or Similkameen District, or "the Similkameen", a ...

with the

South Okanagan South Okanagan was a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia beginning with the election of 1916. Following the 1975 election boundary revisions accompanied the riding's renaming to Okanagan South. The ridi ...

over the southernmost end of the

Thompson Plateau The Thompson Plateau forms the southern portion of the Interior Plateau of British Columbia, Canada, lying to the west of Okanagan Lake, south of the Thompson River and east of (although never adjoining it) the Fraser River. At its most southern ...

. The pass is traversed by Old Richter Pass Road and is ~ in elevation though the name is generally used for the route of Highway 3 as well. The pass was named in association nearby Richter Mountain, which was named for

Francis Xavier Richter Franz Xavier Richter, commonly known as Frank Richter (1837 –1910), was a pioneer settler, miner and rancher in 19th century Washington and British Columbia. Biography Born in Friedland, Bohemia, then part of the Austrian Empire, Richter w ...

, an early cattle rancher and orchardist in the area, who settled in the region during the days of the

Colony of British Columbia The Colony of British Columbia refers to one of two colonies of British North America, located on the Pacific coast of modern-day Canada: * Colony of British Columbia (1858–1866) * Colony of British Columbia (1866–1871) See also * History of ...

., originally working for the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...

post in Keremeos, taking care of their packhorses. His descendants still own the

Richter Ranch Richter may refer to: People * Richter (surname) Places * Richter, Kansas * Richter Peaks, a group of mountain peaks on Alexander Island, Antarctica * Richter Brewery, a building in Escanaba, Michigan on the National Register of Historic Places ...

, which spans the mountain rangeland in this area.''Strangers Entertained'', BC Govt, 1971

References

External links

* Mountain passes of British Columbia Similkameen Country Geography of the Okanagan {{BritishColumbiaInterior-mountain-stub