This historic trail was developed from a network of travel and trade routes used by Aboriginal people for centuries. David Stuart of the Pacific Fur Company explored the trail from Fort Okanagan to Kamloops in 1811, and it was used in turn by fur brigades of the North West Company and the Hudson's Bay Company. Until the mid-century, fur traders passed by here to exchange goods for furs with the Okanagan and Shuswap Nations and others further north. Surviving sections of the trail along Lake Okanagan are a testimony to these former trading partnerships and the rich heritage of the region.