Anthony Casorso and Margaret McGarrity

Marguerite and Tony Casorso

My father, Anthony Casorso, was born on March 8, 1880, in Tonco, Allesandria, Italy. In the early summer of 1884, Anthony, with his mother Rosa and siblings Caroline and Charles, commenced their six week journey to join father, Giovanni, in Okanagan Mission (Kelowna, BC).

My father and his family, and most of the settlers for miles around, participated in the catching of kickan-in-ces, preserving them by the use of coarse salt. The catching of these fish was considered a necessity in the early days as different varieties of food were very limited and also sometimes scarce. 

My father first attended the Benvoulin School, which was the first public school in the valley. Later, my father attended a new school at Okanagan Mission. As a boy my father, while helping on the ranch, learned to handle horses and machinery.

As a young man he took part in cattle drives to various places, often riding as much as seventy-five miles a day. On many occasions he rode to Vernon on business making the return trip the same day, a distance of about seventy miles. The operation of the ranch made it necessary for my father to ride the range seven to eight months of the year. My father was an expert marksman and excelled in the hunting and bagging of wild game such as deer, pheasants and water fowl.

My mother, Margaret McGarrity, was born in Montreal. In April 1906, as a young woman, she arrived in Kelowna with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas McGarrity. On September 3, 1906, my mother and father were married.

My father managed the family property, Pioneer Ranch in partnership with six of his brothers, until he decided to engage in farming on his own. In the fall of 1918 he started out by purchasing sixteen acres at South Benvoulin. 

My father was also one of the pioneers in the production of tobacco. Later he was one of the earliest producers of honey. He operated Benvoulin Apiaries for a number of years
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He never learned to drive a car. "I used to fall asleep quite often in my horse-drawn buggy," my father said. "The horse always kept on the right road until I woke up. I never trusted a car to behave as well.”

He had been in very poor health for five years before his death due to a serious heart condition, which made it necessary for him to cut down on his activities. In spite of this he remained cheerful, continued to visit his friends, and kept up an active correspondence with friends in various parts of the world. His mind was as keen as a teenager's and his hearing perfect.

My father passed away on July 21, 1967, as he would have wished, quickly and quietly, while walking in the back yard.

By Margaret Greening, daughter, from the 32nd Report of the Okanagan Historical Society, 1968.