Work began on the Summerland to Penticton lakeshore road in September 1909. It took five years of labour before the road was opened to the public.

Working at the base of the silt cliffs was hazardous.

In 1913, a landslide occurred near the Penticton side of the roadway, killing three workers.

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Prior to this road, the most frequently used route from Summerland to Penticton was from Deans Road connecting to Shingle Creek Road (part of the old Brigade Trail).

Later, this older route was called the back road to Penticton.

In the days before the road was put in place, the main form of transportation was by boat.

The first commercial boat on the lake was the Mary Victoria Greenhow, built and owned by Cpt. Thomas Dolman Shorts.

The boat was 10 metres long by 1.5 metres wide.

Sternwheelers later plied the lake, beginning with the Aberdeen in 1913. The last sternwheeler, the Sicamous, was taken out of service in 1935 as the automobile had taken over as the primary means of transportation in the area.

The S.S. Sicamous is now in place on the shore of Okanagan Lake in Penticton.

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