The photos above: Left: Charles' small workshop that he built as the start of Ootsa Garage; Right: The dude cowboy from England
Five - Life at Ootsa Lake
The job of finding a Job - or trying to survive!
First, a trapline
The market for mink pelts at this time in history suffered greatly. During the early thirties it had dropped to half the 1929 rate or less, but was recovering in the later thirties. However, long before this recovery began Charles had sold his mink. Being short of investment capital which would have sustained him during the low times, he had liquidated his last breeding pair and turned to other means to try to make a living.
Because the economic conditions of those times had resulted in a scarcity of regular jobs, he turned to whatever he could find to generate revenue. When he heard that some of the local fellows were trapping beaver because there was a market for their pelts he decided that he would trap beaver. On April 21st, 1930 he took his mink to Billy Rist for him to look after, and on May 13 left Ootsa Landing with Billy McNeill & Jimmy Morgan on a beaver trapping trip up the Tahtsa River.
After a couple of weeks of trapping he returned to Ootsa Lake on May 28. Whether he and his partners had been successful was not recorded, but from his June 2 entry he did make a second trip up the Tahtsa with Jimmy Morgan. They were joined on the June 3 by a friend whose name, appropriately was Ab Beaver. Any further trapping expeditions were not recorded.
They returned to Ootsa Lake on June 13, but from his notes no further trips were made. He then worked for Billy McNeill for board, apparently to supplement his trapping “take”.
The job of finding a Job - or trying to survive!
First, a trapline
The market for mink pelts at this time in history suffered greatly. During the early thirties it had dropped to half the 1929 rate or less, but was recovering in the later thirties. However, long before this recovery began Charles had sold his mink. Being short of investment capital which would have sustained him during the low times, he had liquidated his last breeding pair and turned to other means to try to make a living.
Because the economic conditions of those times had resulted in a scarcity of regular jobs, he turned to whatever he could find to generate revenue. When he heard that some of the local fellows were trapping beaver because there was a market for their pelts he decided that he would trap beaver. On April 21st, 1930 he took his mink to Billy Rist for him to look after, and on May 13 left Ootsa Landing with Billy McNeill & Jimmy Morgan on a beaver trapping trip up the Tahtsa River.
After a couple of weeks of trapping he returned to Ootsa Lake on May 28. Whether he and his partners had been successful was not recorded, but from his June 2 entry he did make a second trip up the Tahtsa with Jimmy Morgan. They were joined on the June 3 by a friend whose name, appropriately was Ab Beaver. Any further trapping expeditions were not recorded.
They returned to Ootsa Lake on June 13, but from his notes no further trips were made. He then worked for Billy McNeill for board, apparently to supplement his trapping “take”.
Rails for a portage
Next he
heard that a group or company (probably a mine) wanted to provide an efficient
means of access between Whitesail and Eutsuk Lakes. Contacting the company he contracted with
them to take the rails to the portage site.
Because the lakes in the area were the only means of accessing properties or
industries such as mines or logging in the area, it was important to have an
efficient means of moving between the lakes. Normally, getting to the head of
Eutsuk Lake from Ootsa Lake would have meant travelling along Ootsa Lake maybe
60 to 80 miles to the east, then up a rough river, followed by as many miles up
Eutsuk Lake. However, due to the
distance, and the nature of the river, this was not as feasible the alternative,
devised by some bright engineer.
Due to the nature of the mountain range between Whitesail and Eutsuk Lakes, those two lakes, which were long and narrow, and for much of their lengths were separated by a long narrow mountain range, at their upper ends were only separated by a low narrow ridge, over which a boat could be portaged or carried. Because large boats were difficult to portage someone (the “bright engineer”) came up with the good idea of simply laying down a set of lightweight rails, in effect a narrow gauge railway merely 600 metres long, across the ridge between Whitesail and Eutsuk Lakes. Using a fairly small trolley on this rail line, quite large boats and loads of supplies could be moved with little difficulty between the lakes.
Charles didn’t mention who held the contract to build the railway line, but he had subcontracted to transport the rails by boat along the lake to the portage site.
From his short diary we learn that on July 12th he left by boat for the Whitesail Lake Portage with “the second load” of steel rails. Obviously there had been a first load so we can deduce that this employment was an opportunity to earn money which would have been a welcome addition to his income.
Due to the nature of the mountain range between Whitesail and Eutsuk Lakes, those two lakes, which were long and narrow, and for much of their lengths were separated by a long narrow mountain range, at their upper ends were only separated by a low narrow ridge, over which a boat could be portaged or carried. Because large boats were difficult to portage someone (the “bright engineer”) came up with the good idea of simply laying down a set of lightweight rails, in effect a narrow gauge railway merely 600 metres long, across the ridge between Whitesail and Eutsuk Lakes. Using a fairly small trolley on this rail line, quite large boats and loads of supplies could be moved with little difficulty between the lakes.
Charles didn’t mention who held the contract to build the railway line, but he had subcontracted to transport the rails by boat along the lake to the portage site.
From his short diary we learn that on July 12th he left by boat for the Whitesail Lake Portage with “the second load” of steel rails. Obviously there had been a first load so we can deduce that this employment was an opportunity to earn money which would have been a welcome addition to his income.
A weather gauge for the Tahtsa river
Later in the year, or possibly the following year, he was again employed on a job which took him and a crew of workers to the Tahtsa River where they made a camp. It’s not clear what their main job was, but from the photos they took, they seemed to be building a weather gauge for the area, the final phase of which entailed insulating the base with wild hay. This may have been the trip on which they were accompanying a survey crew led by a Mr. Frame, a surveyor who was recording previously unknown territory.
Fighting Forest Fires and cabin building
On July 14th he returned to Ootsa where he was soon engaged in fighting forest fires.
That was a hot dry summer with many thunderstorms, the lightning strikes of which caused numerous fires, many of them quite inaccessible. From July 21 to 25, he hired on with the Forest Service to fight the forest fire known as the Bear Lake Fire.
After the Bear Lake Fire he worked at various odd jobs, such as for Billy McNeill on his boats, or placing galvanized iron on roofs for some local farmers, such as Norman Schreiber, Billy Rist, etc.
Another day saw him working on the Cheslatta Fire, again as a firefighter.
For the period of August to December he moved into Charlie Hinton’s cabin near Rist’s and assisted Billy Rist and Olaf Anderson on their ranches.
That fall he took up land at Streatham on the north shore of Ootsa Lake and started to build another cabin. He bought a second hand Chevrolet truck (or car(?)) to facilitate the construction and set up a repair shop to do truck, car, and outboard motor repair with the extensive tool kit he had brought with him.
That was a hot dry summer with many thunderstorms, the lightning strikes of which caused numerous fires, many of them quite inaccessible. From July 21 to 25, he hired on with the Forest Service to fight the forest fire known as the Bear Lake Fire.
After the Bear Lake Fire he worked at various odd jobs, such as for Billy McNeill on his boats, or placing galvanized iron on roofs for some local farmers, such as Norman Schreiber, Billy Rist, etc.
Another day saw him working on the Cheslatta Fire, again as a firefighter.
For the period of August to December he moved into Charlie Hinton’s cabin near Rist’s and assisted Billy Rist and Olaf Anderson on their ranches.
That fall he took up land at Streatham on the north shore of Ootsa Lake and started to build another cabin. He bought a second hand Chevrolet truck (or car(?)) to facilitate the construction and set up a repair shop to do truck, car, and outboard motor repair with the extensive tool kit he had brought with him.
Diary entries:
1931:
From January to July Charles earned a subsistence amount by working as a casual labourer and playing at dances, etc. When spring came he worked on his cabin at Streatham. He also assisted Billy Rist netting fish for mink (it is unclear whether the fish were for Billy’s or his own mink?), and on other projects.
A note here about the fishing. From Shelford’s book, it is apparent that fishing was a major dietary source for a number of the families in the area. In those hard times many families had very little income and depended on the plenteous supply of fish for their subsistence. Regular setting of nets was a common practice which usually was quite rewarding to the fisherman.
Charles also worked at C. Moore’s sawmill (which may have been fairly close to Wisteria), did some car and boat repairs which for income tax purposes he declared to be his principal occupation for that year, and when the opportunity arose, in the summer he again worked for the Forest Service as a forest fire fighter.
The following entries from his diary give an idea as to how his life was going at this time. He seems to have had the opportunity to make the acquaintance of several young ladies, including a Miss Hasler (Alethea) from Vancouver. However, at the same time he was busy building his cabin, fixing folk’s cars, fishing, and he even found the time to be best man for his friend Arthur Hinchliffe, the Anglican minister at Burns Lake in his marriage to Annie Foster August 6 1931.
From January to July Charles earned a subsistence amount by working as a casual labourer and playing at dances, etc. When spring came he worked on his cabin at Streatham. He also assisted Billy Rist netting fish for mink (it is unclear whether the fish were for Billy’s or his own mink?), and on other projects.
A note here about the fishing. From Shelford’s book, it is apparent that fishing was a major dietary source for a number of the families in the area. In those hard times many families had very little income and depended on the plenteous supply of fish for their subsistence. Regular setting of nets was a common practice which usually was quite rewarding to the fisherman.
Charles also worked at C. Moore’s sawmill (which may have been fairly close to Wisteria), did some car and boat repairs which for income tax purposes he declared to be his principal occupation for that year, and when the opportunity arose, in the summer he again worked for the Forest Service as a forest fire fighter.
The following entries from his diary give an idea as to how his life was going at this time. He seems to have had the opportunity to make the acquaintance of several young ladies, including a Miss Hasler (Alethea) from Vancouver. However, at the same time he was busy building his cabin, fixing folk’s cars, fishing, and he even found the time to be best man for his friend Arthur Hinchliffe, the Anglican minister at Burns Lake in his marriage to Annie Foster August 6 1931.
Some of the brief entries in his diary were:
July 26 (Sun): Took Dorothy Bennett to J Harrison’s
Jul 28 (Tue): Fixed Billy R’s car in AM; Mrs. Macdonald’s in the afternoon, & Olaf A’s in evening;
Musical evening – Miss Hasler there;
Aug 2nd (Sun): Took Miss Hasler down to Bennett’s, along with Mrs. Rist; Stayed (for) supper at McNeil’s.
Aug 3rd (Mon): Took Miss Hasler out to Col Schreiber’s via Colleymount;
At this point he started working on Irwin Shelton’s car, continued helping Billy Rist with a variety of chores, escorted Lethia Hasler to a variety of places, participated in musical evenings, put out fish nets with Billy Rist, and began working on a bureau (chest of drawers) for himself.
From August 19 to 23 he worked on Shelton’s cabin with Irwin Shelton. Then on the 24th, of August, after Shelton had gone to Vancouver, he went back and put roofing material on the roof of Shelton’s cabin. The round of similar activities continued throughout the month of August, interspersed with work on his bureau and building his own cabin.
From time to time he mentions that he worked on a variety of engines and other mechanical devices for other people. Many evening were spent either practicing or playing music. Frequently, as he travelled around working for different people, they invited him to eat with them.
He also got quite involved with the activities of a friend or neighbour, Billy Rist, who was apparently suffering from a serious ailment. His involvement extended to helping or doing other people’s chores, i.e., Rist’s fishnets, his mink pens, transporting him to the doctor at Burns (Lake) when help was needed;
The diary reveals more of the same type of activities, but at this time there is also the first mention of practicing on his accordian. Whether the accordian was a new purchase or he had brought it with him from England, is not stated.
In September Charles continued to spend a lot of time on Rist’s car and helping out with his neighbour’s ranch chores. He took Billy Rist to Burns Lake for medical help, then brought his body home for burial after he died.
July 26 (Sun): Took Dorothy Bennett to J Harrison’s
Jul 28 (Tue): Fixed Billy R’s car in AM; Mrs. Macdonald’s in the afternoon, & Olaf A’s in evening;
Musical evening – Miss Hasler there;
Aug 2nd (Sun): Took Miss Hasler down to Bennett’s, along with Mrs. Rist; Stayed (for) supper at McNeil’s.
Aug 3rd (Mon): Took Miss Hasler out to Col Schreiber’s via Colleymount;
At this point he started working on Irwin Shelton’s car, continued helping Billy Rist with a variety of chores, escorted Lethia Hasler to a variety of places, participated in musical evenings, put out fish nets with Billy Rist, and began working on a bureau (chest of drawers) for himself.
From August 19 to 23 he worked on Shelton’s cabin with Irwin Shelton. Then on the 24th, of August, after Shelton had gone to Vancouver, he went back and put roofing material on the roof of Shelton’s cabin. The round of similar activities continued throughout the month of August, interspersed with work on his bureau and building his own cabin.
From time to time he mentions that he worked on a variety of engines and other mechanical devices for other people. Many evening were spent either practicing or playing music. Frequently, as he travelled around working for different people, they invited him to eat with them.
He also got quite involved with the activities of a friend or neighbour, Billy Rist, who was apparently suffering from a serious ailment. His involvement extended to helping or doing other people’s chores, i.e., Rist’s fishnets, his mink pens, transporting him to the doctor at Burns (Lake) when help was needed;
The diary reveals more of the same type of activities, but at this time there is also the first mention of practicing on his accordian. Whether the accordian was a new purchase or he had brought it with him from England, is not stated.
In September Charles continued to spend a lot of time on Rist’s car and helping out with his neighbour’s ranch chores. He took Billy Rist to Burns Lake for medical help, then brought his body home for burial after he died.
Helping Billy Rist and others:
That fall and winter he continued on contributing to the musical life of the community. For a 25 year old from a protected upbringing in England, he was responding marvelously to the needs of this unfamiliar environment
The entries for this period include:
September 3rd: Billy Rist was sick at home with lumbago.
He looked after other things for the Rists:
Fetch(ed) his fishnets from Ted Lewis’s in the afternoon; (Went) down to J Harrison’s in evening fishing; (Saw a) Bear;
Sep 4th (Fri): Return(ed) from Harrison’s; Raining; (Went) up & chased Bill’s horses & fixed fence in afternoon;
Practised accordian at night;
Sep 5th (Sat): Went to J. Harrison’s again & put out (their) fishnets;
Sep 7: Ootsa Lake Rodeo. (Barbecue)
Sep 7th (Mon): Labour Day & Barbecue; Went to Francois Lake in A.M. & brought back mail;
Stampede in afternoon; Played at dance in evening;
Sep 8th (Tue): (Went) Up Lake; Tried to make Billie’s engine run;
Sep 9th (Wed): Worked most of the day on Bill’s engine; Went down to J. Harrison’s & put out nets;
Johnson, etc., turned up & (we) played bridge;
Sep 12th (Sat): Worked on car in A.M.; Fetched fish from Barker’s in afternoon;
Sep 13th (Sun): Church service; Mrs. Macdonald fainted – took her home;
Sep 14th (Mon): Fixed Bill’s corral fence into Lake;
Took Retz’s out from Wisteria to Burns in Schreiber’s car; Stayed night in Burns;
Sep 15th (Tue): Returned from Burns; Dad Harrison travelled with me; Took him home;
Sept 16th: Took Billy Rist to Burns Lake Hospital in Mrs. McDonald’s car. Stayed at Hinchcliffe’s
Charles was very generous with sharing the use of his truck or in driving other vehicles throughout the district on missions for his neighbours. He cooperated or contributed or helped in many other ways. This English boy was fitting right in with the community spirit which was a part of the pioneer way of life.
Sep 17th (Thu): Returned from Burns (Lake) to Streatham alone; Slept at Rist’s;
Sep 18th (Fri): Fetched fish from Barker’s; Made rack and put out fish to dry;
Fetched Mrs. Rist from Schreiber’s;
Sep 19th (Sat): Started to build mink pens for Billy;
Sep 20th (Sun): Went round Bill’s pasture fence repairing it in A.M.; Got Billy’s saddle horse & chased away a bull in the afternoon;
Sep 23rd (Wed): Took Mrs. A & Mrs. R(ist) to Burns Lake to see Billy;
Sep 25th (Fri): Billy died at noon;
Sep 27th (Sun): Killed steer & butchered it; Slept with (at) Olaf(‘s house); Helped dig Billy’s grave;
Butchering a steer was business as usual with the necessary chores fitted into the day’s activities.
Sept 28th(Mon): Took steer out to Burns Lake; Olaf went with me; Brought Billy Rist’s body from Burns Lake to Ootsa Lake for his funeral at Streatham in the afternoon;
Note: October was the month when many of the preparations for the oncoming winter were begun. Charles continued a lot of the activities he had been doing during August and September. He continued accepting cars for repair and being responsible for some of the chores around the Rist place. Note: It’s rather novel news to this writer that he went to see the chiropractor. I never knew him to have any back problems in the years that I knew him. Perhaps he had been working too hard and lifting loads that were too heavy for him.
Oct 22nd (Thu): Went down to Ootsa & had (a) chiropractor treatment. Sold Johnson two rugs, 2 chairs & (a) heater to pay off Huby’s bill;
Oct 23rd (Fri): Banked up part of the cabin (Note: he piled dirt against the bottom logs) in A.M. (preparing for winter);
Went to Jim Clarke’s Grandma’s funeral in afternoon; Took (her) body to the cemetery in the truck;
Oct 26th (Mon): Cared for mink in A.M.;
Started to repair car radiator in afternoon;
Oct 27th (Tue): Finished repairing radiator & various other jobs on car;
Oct 28th (Wed): Went to Shelford’s and took Mrs. R. & Mrs. A;
Nov 5th (Thu):Birthday (Note: this was his 25th birthday)
Went to Anderson’s for supper & music; Took Mrs. Rist
Author’s Note: At this point in time there were no diary entries for more than three weeks. (Perhaps any notes written for this time period were sensitive and have been destroyed!!)
For December he maintained his busy schedule.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Dec 2nd (Wed): Went & decarbonized Schreiber’s car;
Dec 3rd (Thu): Finished Schreiber’s car;
Dec 4th (Fri): Finished Mrs. Macdonald’s car;
Dec 10th (Thu): Mended fences and puncture in car tire; Took half of the horse up to Fred Talbot’s; Went to Ootsa for rabbits & furniture;
Dec 11th (Fri): Cleaned & moved some mink in A.M.; Fed them, & cut wood in a/noon;
Dec 15th (Tue): Dances at Danskin & Grassy Plains on 17th & 18th; Took Johnny McIvor, Bob Moore, and Alf Harrison out with me;
The entries for this period include:
September 3rd: Billy Rist was sick at home with lumbago.
He looked after other things for the Rists:
Fetch(ed) his fishnets from Ted Lewis’s in the afternoon; (Went) down to J Harrison’s in evening fishing; (Saw a) Bear;
Sep 4th (Fri): Return(ed) from Harrison’s; Raining; (Went) up & chased Bill’s horses & fixed fence in afternoon;
Practised accordian at night;
Sep 5th (Sat): Went to J. Harrison’s again & put out (their) fishnets;
Sep 7: Ootsa Lake Rodeo. (Barbecue)
Sep 7th (Mon): Labour Day & Barbecue; Went to Francois Lake in A.M. & brought back mail;
Stampede in afternoon; Played at dance in evening;
Sep 8th (Tue): (Went) Up Lake; Tried to make Billie’s engine run;
Sep 9th (Wed): Worked most of the day on Bill’s engine; Went down to J. Harrison’s & put out nets;
Johnson, etc., turned up & (we) played bridge;
Sep 12th (Sat): Worked on car in A.M.; Fetched fish from Barker’s in afternoon;
Sep 13th (Sun): Church service; Mrs. Macdonald fainted – took her home;
Sep 14th (Mon): Fixed Bill’s corral fence into Lake;
Took Retz’s out from Wisteria to Burns in Schreiber’s car; Stayed night in Burns;
Sep 15th (Tue): Returned from Burns; Dad Harrison travelled with me; Took him home;
Sept 16th: Took Billy Rist to Burns Lake Hospital in Mrs. McDonald’s car. Stayed at Hinchcliffe’s
Charles was very generous with sharing the use of his truck or in driving other vehicles throughout the district on missions for his neighbours. He cooperated or contributed or helped in many other ways. This English boy was fitting right in with the community spirit which was a part of the pioneer way of life.
Sep 17th (Thu): Returned from Burns (Lake) to Streatham alone; Slept at Rist’s;
Sep 18th (Fri): Fetched fish from Barker’s; Made rack and put out fish to dry;
Fetched Mrs. Rist from Schreiber’s;
Sep 19th (Sat): Started to build mink pens for Billy;
Sep 20th (Sun): Went round Bill’s pasture fence repairing it in A.M.; Got Billy’s saddle horse & chased away a bull in the afternoon;
Sep 23rd (Wed): Took Mrs. A & Mrs. R(ist) to Burns Lake to see Billy;
Sep 25th (Fri): Billy died at noon;
Sep 27th (Sun): Killed steer & butchered it; Slept with (at) Olaf(‘s house); Helped dig Billy’s grave;
Butchering a steer was business as usual with the necessary chores fitted into the day’s activities.
Sept 28th(Mon): Took steer out to Burns Lake; Olaf went with me; Brought Billy Rist’s body from Burns Lake to Ootsa Lake for his funeral at Streatham in the afternoon;
Note: October was the month when many of the preparations for the oncoming winter were begun. Charles continued a lot of the activities he had been doing during August and September. He continued accepting cars for repair and being responsible for some of the chores around the Rist place. Note: It’s rather novel news to this writer that he went to see the chiropractor. I never knew him to have any back problems in the years that I knew him. Perhaps he had been working too hard and lifting loads that were too heavy for him.
Oct 22nd (Thu): Went down to Ootsa & had (a) chiropractor treatment. Sold Johnson two rugs, 2 chairs & (a) heater to pay off Huby’s bill;
Oct 23rd (Fri): Banked up part of the cabin (Note: he piled dirt against the bottom logs) in A.M. (preparing for winter);
Went to Jim Clarke’s Grandma’s funeral in afternoon; Took (her) body to the cemetery in the truck;
Oct 26th (Mon): Cared for mink in A.M.;
Started to repair car radiator in afternoon;
Oct 27th (Tue): Finished repairing radiator & various other jobs on car;
Oct 28th (Wed): Went to Shelford’s and took Mrs. R. & Mrs. A;
Nov 5th (Thu):Birthday (Note: this was his 25th birthday)
Went to Anderson’s for supper & music; Took Mrs. Rist
Author’s Note: At this point in time there were no diary entries for more than three weeks. (Perhaps any notes written for this time period were sensitive and have been destroyed!!)
For December he maintained his busy schedule.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Dec 2nd (Wed): Went & decarbonized Schreiber’s car;
Dec 3rd (Thu): Finished Schreiber’s car;
Dec 4th (Fri): Finished Mrs. Macdonald’s car;
Dec 10th (Thu): Mended fences and puncture in car tire; Took half of the horse up to Fred Talbot’s; Went to Ootsa for rabbits & furniture;
Dec 11th (Fri): Cleaned & moved some mink in A.M.; Fed them, & cut wood in a/noon;
Dec 15th (Tue): Dances at Danskin & Grassy Plains on 17th & 18th; Took Johnny McIvor, Bob Moore, and Alf Harrison out with me;
Continuing to be a helpful neighbour:
1932:
Jan 1st (Fri): Fixed up Rist’s root house, etc.;
Note: Charles’ life continued in 1932 with more of the same type of activities: the cold weather made it necessary for people lay in supplies of wood for fuel; many things, including his cabin, had to be built; he still had mink that had to be cared for, and when ready had to be “pelted” and the pelts sold. Everyone helped everyone else so his contribution was to find hay for the animals;
Part of their income was derived from snaring and skinning small animals;
The people of the region had active social lives which would be conducted during the long winter evenings, for which Charles often or usually supplied the music – either with his accordian or a piano if there was one;
He helped others: Mrs. Rist with her many chores and jobs after husband Billy died; They were often fighting the cold – chinking their cabins, etc.;
Having a vehicle he often took people into Burns Lake, the main trading centre in the region; He repaired folk’s vehicles and other equipment – probably for some consideration – cash or payment in kind;
He took many days, probably weeks, to build himself a cabin, which, when he eventually moved away from the Ootsa Lake, was taken over by someone else – in his words, “an old pensioner.” When the area was flooded after the Kenny Dam was built in about 1950, he was offered money as compensation for the cabin and land – possibly $25 or $50,000. – but he let the senior who had been living there have it - he would have had to find other accommodation.
As part of the tools for the garage he created, he began building a metal lathe by hand – which included hand drilling many holes in solid steel, and also tapping (creating threads) in many of them. He was convinced that for a successful garage operation he should be equipped with a lathe to make parts for the cars that he was repairing. He actually got the lathe partly built, specifically, a finely working carriage and cross-feed - but it was such a laborious job which needed a lot of time devoted to it, that he never finished the whole lathe.
As he travelled around the district doing things with and for others, Charles was often asked to stay for supper; He could usually find a night’s accommodation with a friend when his travels had taken him further than convenient for returning home.
Feb 23rd: Stuck in snowdrift by Community Hall; Clutch gave out; Slept at Kerr’s;
Feb 24th (Wed): Harold Romer pulled me nearly home with Billy Kerr’s team; Dismantled clutch; Johnson brought up new (clutch) lining in afternoon;
Mar 5th (Sat): The three of us went out hunting in afternoon; Jumped 16 moose but only Ron got a shot and missed!;
Apr 6th (Wed): Made Paper mash(sic) for chinking in a.m.; Worked all afternoon on cabin; Wrote Mary Straw (Note: a girl in England);
x x x x x x x x x x - - - - x x x x x x x x x
Jun 6th (Mon): Drove fence posts (into the ground) etc.;
Jun 7th (Tue): Walked round looking for fence rails; Cut a few; Slept at Rist’s;
Jun 8th (Wed): Drove fence posts in a.m.;
The Trip to Vancouver:
In June 1932 Charles travelled to Vancouver by driving the gravel Highway 16 from Burns Lake, down the Cariboo Highway, past Williams Lake and Cache Creek. From Cache Creek he went through the Fraser Canyon, which at that time was still pretty rough as it had not yet been improved as it was in the 50’s and 60’s.
We’re not told why he went to Vancouver, but, we do learn that Vancouver is where Alethea Hasler lives, and we also learn that when he came back he brought Carrie McNeil, Dorothy Bennett; & Eileen Barlow, so maybe he was killing two birds (well, there were three “birds” in the car) with one stone! Going to Vancouver to pick up these girls gave him an opportunity to call on Miss Hasler again.
Jun 12th (Sun): Worked on car all day, preparing for trip to Vancouver;
Jun 14th (Tue): Left for Vancouver in 1927 Chevrolet; Jun 15th (Wed): Made Prince George;
Jun 16th (Thu): Made Yale;
Jun 17th (Fri): Arrived at Vancouver; Stayed at Hasler’s; Jun 18th (Sat) to Jun 20th (Mon):
Jun 21st (Sun): Left for home with Carrie McNeil, Dorothy Bennett; & Eileen Barlow on board. Made Yale;
Jun 22nd (Wed): Made Clinton;
Jun 23rd (Thu): Made Prince George;
Jun 24th (Fri): Made Burns Lake; Stayed at Hinchliffe’s;
Jun 25th (Sat): Arrived home;
After only three days in Vancouver he left to return to his home. Why he went is not clear, but may have been to visit a lady. It seems rather unlikely that he made the long trip to Vancouver just to bring those girls home. We’ll never know.
Jan 1st (Fri): Fixed up Rist’s root house, etc.;
Note: Charles’ life continued in 1932 with more of the same type of activities: the cold weather made it necessary for people lay in supplies of wood for fuel; many things, including his cabin, had to be built; he still had mink that had to be cared for, and when ready had to be “pelted” and the pelts sold. Everyone helped everyone else so his contribution was to find hay for the animals;
Part of their income was derived from snaring and skinning small animals;
The people of the region had active social lives which would be conducted during the long winter evenings, for which Charles often or usually supplied the music – either with his accordian or a piano if there was one;
He helped others: Mrs. Rist with her many chores and jobs after husband Billy died; They were often fighting the cold – chinking their cabins, etc.;
Having a vehicle he often took people into Burns Lake, the main trading centre in the region; He repaired folk’s vehicles and other equipment – probably for some consideration – cash or payment in kind;
He took many days, probably weeks, to build himself a cabin, which, when he eventually moved away from the Ootsa Lake, was taken over by someone else – in his words, “an old pensioner.” When the area was flooded after the Kenny Dam was built in about 1950, he was offered money as compensation for the cabin and land – possibly $25 or $50,000. – but he let the senior who had been living there have it - he would have had to find other accommodation.
As part of the tools for the garage he created, he began building a metal lathe by hand – which included hand drilling many holes in solid steel, and also tapping (creating threads) in many of them. He was convinced that for a successful garage operation he should be equipped with a lathe to make parts for the cars that he was repairing. He actually got the lathe partly built, specifically, a finely working carriage and cross-feed - but it was such a laborious job which needed a lot of time devoted to it, that he never finished the whole lathe.
As he travelled around the district doing things with and for others, Charles was often asked to stay for supper; He could usually find a night’s accommodation with a friend when his travels had taken him further than convenient for returning home.
Feb 23rd: Stuck in snowdrift by Community Hall; Clutch gave out; Slept at Kerr’s;
Feb 24th (Wed): Harold Romer pulled me nearly home with Billy Kerr’s team; Dismantled clutch; Johnson brought up new (clutch) lining in afternoon;
Mar 5th (Sat): The three of us went out hunting in afternoon; Jumped 16 moose but only Ron got a shot and missed!;
Apr 6th (Wed): Made Paper mash(sic) for chinking in a.m.; Worked all afternoon on cabin; Wrote Mary Straw (Note: a girl in England);
x x x x x x x x x x - - - - x x x x x x x x x
Jun 6th (Mon): Drove fence posts (into the ground) etc.;
Jun 7th (Tue): Walked round looking for fence rails; Cut a few; Slept at Rist’s;
Jun 8th (Wed): Drove fence posts in a.m.;
The Trip to Vancouver:
In June 1932 Charles travelled to Vancouver by driving the gravel Highway 16 from Burns Lake, down the Cariboo Highway, past Williams Lake and Cache Creek. From Cache Creek he went through the Fraser Canyon, which at that time was still pretty rough as it had not yet been improved as it was in the 50’s and 60’s.
We’re not told why he went to Vancouver, but, we do learn that Vancouver is where Alethea Hasler lives, and we also learn that when he came back he brought Carrie McNeil, Dorothy Bennett; & Eileen Barlow, so maybe he was killing two birds (well, there were three “birds” in the car) with one stone! Going to Vancouver to pick up these girls gave him an opportunity to call on Miss Hasler again.
Jun 12th (Sun): Worked on car all day, preparing for trip to Vancouver;
Jun 14th (Tue): Left for Vancouver in 1927 Chevrolet; Jun 15th (Wed): Made Prince George;
Jun 16th (Thu): Made Yale;
Jun 17th (Fri): Arrived at Vancouver; Stayed at Hasler’s; Jun 18th (Sat) to Jun 20th (Mon):
Jun 21st (Sun): Left for home with Carrie McNeil, Dorothy Bennett; & Eileen Barlow on board. Made Yale;
Jun 22nd (Wed): Made Clinton;
Jun 23rd (Thu): Made Prince George;
Jun 24th (Fri): Made Burns Lake; Stayed at Hinchliffe’s;
Jun 25th (Sat): Arrived home;
After only three days in Vancouver he left to return to his home. Why he went is not clear, but may have been to visit a lady. It seems rather unlikely that he made the long trip to Vancouver just to bring those girls home. We’ll never know.
Back at Ootsa Lake
July 29 – Started a garage at Ootsa.
The first location for his new “garage” was a building rented from some friends (perhaps “acquaintances” would be more apt in view of how they treated him with his new endeavour.)
July-August: Set up Garage Repair shop in Bennett’s old building at Ootsa Lake;
Note: In those days operating a garage in the Ootsa Lake area was unlikely to provide a person with a living. Not only was the population of the local region quite sparse, but also only a relative few could afford to own and operate a vehicle. Because the work for the garage was less than steady he took advantage of other employment opportunities:
August: Fire-fighting at the Mud Lake Fire.
September 19: Left for trip up Whitesail River with Mr. Frame the surveyor, Geo & Kath, and Nellie Champion;
That summer he was also involved in fighting another large forest fire on the Tahtsa River.
From October to November he was building his garage at Ootsa.
Dec 23: Left for Smithers with Billy Kerr in his car for Xmas;
Dec 24: Arrived in Smithers; stayed with Mrs. Kerr
Dec 31: New Year’s Dance; Met Marion Collison. (Note: He had taken a young lady to the dance – possibly Nellie Champion, or Mary Kerr – but, as the story goes, when he met Marion he abandoned the girl he had “brung” and danced only with his new interest! – seems rather ungentlemanly!!)
The rest of the story was told by Marion. Charles had offered (and been accepted) to take Marion home after the dance. When they reached the Collison's house they were met at the door by her irate father who told him in no uncertain terms that he did not want him to see his daughter. Parts of the story have been forgotten, but Marion added that her brother Reg, a very mature and influential fellow with his own father, had taken him aside and persuaded him that this English fellow was "a good sort" and that Marion was perfectly fine with him. This had settled Max down, and ironed out the situation, but until their engagement had been announced, Charles wasn't very popular in the Collison house!
The first location for his new “garage” was a building rented from some friends (perhaps “acquaintances” would be more apt in view of how they treated him with his new endeavour.)
July-August: Set up Garage Repair shop in Bennett’s old building at Ootsa Lake;
Note: In those days operating a garage in the Ootsa Lake area was unlikely to provide a person with a living. Not only was the population of the local region quite sparse, but also only a relative few could afford to own and operate a vehicle. Because the work for the garage was less than steady he took advantage of other employment opportunities:
August: Fire-fighting at the Mud Lake Fire.
September 19: Left for trip up Whitesail River with Mr. Frame the surveyor, Geo & Kath, and Nellie Champion;
That summer he was also involved in fighting another large forest fire on the Tahtsa River.
From October to November he was building his garage at Ootsa.
Dec 23: Left for Smithers with Billy Kerr in his car for Xmas;
Dec 24: Arrived in Smithers; stayed with Mrs. Kerr
Dec 31: New Year’s Dance; Met Marion Collison. (Note: He had taken a young lady to the dance – possibly Nellie Champion, or Mary Kerr – but, as the story goes, when he met Marion he abandoned the girl he had “brung” and danced only with his new interest! – seems rather ungentlemanly!!)
The rest of the story was told by Marion. Charles had offered (and been accepted) to take Marion home after the dance. When they reached the Collison's house they were met at the door by her irate father who told him in no uncertain terms that he did not want him to see his daughter. Parts of the story have been forgotten, but Marion added that her brother Reg, a very mature and influential fellow with his own father, had taken him aside and persuaded him that this English fellow was "a good sort" and that Marion was perfectly fine with him. This had settled Max down, and ironed out the situation, but until their engagement had been announced, Charles wasn't very popular in the Collison house!
Mixing jobs with trips to Smithers:
1933
Jan 4: Left Smithers for home;
Jan 5: Arrived home at Ootsa Lake;
He returned to Smithers in a couple of weeks with a local lady (Mrs. Kerr) who needed a ride:
Jan 17: Arrived in Smithers with Mrs. Kerr
Note: From the dates shown it seems that he was in Smithers for a week at this time, during which visit he probably made frequent calls on his new interest, Marion Collison.
Jan 24: Started for home but a piston broke & was towed back to Smithers.
Jan 25: Went to Burns Lake by train & played at a dance;
Jan 26: Returned by train to Smithers;
Note: It is not evident whether he repaired his own car or had it done. He would have to have had a number of the right tools to do the repair himself.
During this time he was doing a lot of work on customer’s vehicles in his “garage”. He also took needy neighbours to Burns Lake (hospital), music for dances, and for supplies. Also, he begins to travel to Smithers more often – obviously to visit Marion, his new love-interest.
Feb 21 he wrote a letter to M.C. (Marion); Things were still slow so once again he was forced to find casual work.
It seems that he wasn’t able to fill all of his long winter evenings with social activities. Nor did he want to.
Mar 24th (Fri): Went to Billy Kerr’s & babbited engine big-end; Mar 25th (Sat): Finished big-end on Billy’s engine;
Apr 24th (Sun): Norman fetched last mail on ice; Ootsa Lake getting mushy too; Fetched lumber for workshop
But in late spring, traditionally in Canada things “pick up”, as many activities that were difficult or impossible in the winter are embarked upon, so he found some new paying activities:
July 17: Started as patrolman with the Forest Branch (declared on tax form as principal Occupation for 1933)
Aug, Sept: Employed by Forest Service as Patrolman during the summer (on Skin’s Dome Lookout) .
Exerpts from his British Columbia Forest Service Diary: July 17th to Sep 7th 1933:
Jul 17th (Mon): Travelled from Hq to Wistaria, to Francois Lake – 86 mi – private car Fetched Junior Fire Wardens from Wistaria and took them to Francois Lake for summer camp; Returned to HQ;
Jul 19th to 24th : (Routine for each day): Travelled from Hq to Lookout & returned - 6 mi by priv car; Worked on improvements on Lookout; watched over country;
Jul 25th (Tue): Travelled from Hq to Harrison’s mill & took Junior Fire warden home to Wistaria; Fixed up tool cache;
Then some excitement concerning his new “love interest”. Marion came to Ootsa for a wedding! Of course, the fact that Charles just happened to be located there had nothing to do with it!)
August: George and Kathleen’s (Frame?) wedding; Marion Collison stayed with Kathleen Bennett on a visit;
Sep 3rd to 7th : Travelled nil; Worked on improvements around Hq; Started to take down F.B. boat engine; Getting things fixed for the winter, preparatory for leaving; Finished patrolman job - the forestry job was finished for the season.
Once the Forestry job at Ootsa Lake was finished he gravitated to Smithers for a short time:
October: Went to Smithers to visit the Collisons;
Charles courts with poetry:
Part of the courting was to write a couple of poems, one of which is given here
To Marion
I dream of one who is to me
Far dearer or the earth or sea;
Far dearer than the sky above,
A girl whose every glance I love.
I dream of her just all day long
So all seems bright and life’s a song,
And memories of hours gone by
Will live with me until I die.
I dream sometimes of future years –
A picture of a home appears –
A little house all neat and clean,
The climax of my daily dream.
‘Tis home – our home – our start in life;
With you, dear girl, there as my wife,
To love and cherish, come what may,
My dear, I’ll love you every day.
And all throughout the years to come,
We’ll live together just as one.
Long happy years, my dear, with you,
A blissful time of dreams come true.
Charles Lucas Botham
Oct 8: Became engaged to Marion – The proposal was made at the Dockerill’s house in Telkwa;
He had the engagement ring sent from England – in a fruit cake (probably to avoid customs).
Dec 16: Tried to get through to Smithers for Xmas. A three foot snowfall plugged the roads;
Dec 26: Arrived at Collison’s in Smithers on Boxing Day.
Jan 4: Left Smithers for home;
Jan 5: Arrived home at Ootsa Lake;
He returned to Smithers in a couple of weeks with a local lady (Mrs. Kerr) who needed a ride:
Jan 17: Arrived in Smithers with Mrs. Kerr
Note: From the dates shown it seems that he was in Smithers for a week at this time, during which visit he probably made frequent calls on his new interest, Marion Collison.
Jan 24: Started for home but a piston broke & was towed back to Smithers.
Jan 25: Went to Burns Lake by train & played at a dance;
Jan 26: Returned by train to Smithers;
Note: It is not evident whether he repaired his own car or had it done. He would have to have had a number of the right tools to do the repair himself.
During this time he was doing a lot of work on customer’s vehicles in his “garage”. He also took needy neighbours to Burns Lake (hospital), music for dances, and for supplies. Also, he begins to travel to Smithers more often – obviously to visit Marion, his new love-interest.
Feb 21 he wrote a letter to M.C. (Marion); Things were still slow so once again he was forced to find casual work.
It seems that he wasn’t able to fill all of his long winter evenings with social activities. Nor did he want to.
Mar 24th (Fri): Went to Billy Kerr’s & babbited engine big-end; Mar 25th (Sat): Finished big-end on Billy’s engine;
Apr 24th (Sun): Norman fetched last mail on ice; Ootsa Lake getting mushy too; Fetched lumber for workshop
But in late spring, traditionally in Canada things “pick up”, as many activities that were difficult or impossible in the winter are embarked upon, so he found some new paying activities:
July 17: Started as patrolman with the Forest Branch (declared on tax form as principal Occupation for 1933)
Aug, Sept: Employed by Forest Service as Patrolman during the summer (on Skin’s Dome Lookout) .
Exerpts from his British Columbia Forest Service Diary: July 17th to Sep 7th 1933:
Jul 17th (Mon): Travelled from Hq to Wistaria, to Francois Lake – 86 mi – private car Fetched Junior Fire Wardens from Wistaria and took them to Francois Lake for summer camp; Returned to HQ;
Jul 19th to 24th : (Routine for each day): Travelled from Hq to Lookout & returned - 6 mi by priv car; Worked on improvements on Lookout; watched over country;
Jul 25th (Tue): Travelled from Hq to Harrison’s mill & took Junior Fire warden home to Wistaria; Fixed up tool cache;
Then some excitement concerning his new “love interest”. Marion came to Ootsa for a wedding! Of course, the fact that Charles just happened to be located there had nothing to do with it!)
August: George and Kathleen’s (Frame?) wedding; Marion Collison stayed with Kathleen Bennett on a visit;
Sep 3rd to 7th : Travelled nil; Worked on improvements around Hq; Started to take down F.B. boat engine; Getting things fixed for the winter, preparatory for leaving; Finished patrolman job - the forestry job was finished for the season.
Once the Forestry job at Ootsa Lake was finished he gravitated to Smithers for a short time:
October: Went to Smithers to visit the Collisons;
Charles courts with poetry:
Part of the courting was to write a couple of poems, one of which is given here
To Marion
I dream of one who is to me
Far dearer or the earth or sea;
Far dearer than the sky above,
A girl whose every glance I love.
I dream of her just all day long
So all seems bright and life’s a song,
And memories of hours gone by
Will live with me until I die.
I dream sometimes of future years –
A picture of a home appears –
A little house all neat and clean,
The climax of my daily dream.
‘Tis home – our home – our start in life;
With you, dear girl, there as my wife,
To love and cherish, come what may,
My dear, I’ll love you every day.
And all throughout the years to come,
We’ll live together just as one.
Long happy years, my dear, with you,
A blissful time of dreams come true.
Charles Lucas Botham
Oct 8: Became engaged to Marion – The proposal was made at the Dockerill’s house in Telkwa;
He had the engagement ring sent from England – in a fruit cake (probably to avoid customs).
Dec 16: Tried to get through to Smithers for Xmas. A three foot snowfall plugged the roads;
Dec 26: Arrived at Collison’s in Smithers on Boxing Day.
