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Interviews with Jean and Reg Heal
https://search.bvmuseum.org/link/descriptions12250
- Date Range
- November 19 1988
- August 14 1997
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- GMD
- sound recording
- electronic record
- Scope and Content
- Two interviews with Reg and Jean Heal (nee Gregerson). One was recorded on November 19th 1988 by Ruth Murdoch as part of the "Growing Up in the Bulkley Valley" series. The other was recorded on August 14th 1997 by Misty Jorgen at the Heals' home in Smithers. Includes raw and edited .WAV files, .MP3…
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- Creator
- Ruth Murdoch;
- Misty Jorgen
- Fonds No.
- C5
- Item No.
- 2021.21.43
- Accession No.
- 2021.21
- Physical Description
- 4.93 GB of digital records
- Date Range
- November 19 1988
- August 14 1997
- History / Biographical
- Reg Heal (1917-2004) was born to Ernest and Mary Heal on the family farm near Telkwa; Jean (1920-2014) was born in Smithers to Gilbert and Mary Gregerson of Evelyn. Reg helped out on his family’s farm, cut ice on Lake Kathlyn, and worked in the Telkwa Coal Mine. Jean worked on the Low farm and Dr. Green’s office in Smithers. They married in 1943 and had two children, Lawrence and Barbara. In 1956 the Heals moved to Smithers, where Reg worked for the school district.
- Scope and Content
- Two interviews with Reg and Jean Heal (nee Gregerson). One was recorded on November 19th 1988 by Ruth Murdoch as part of the "Growing Up in the Bulkley Valley" series. The other was recorded on August 14th 1997 by Misty Jorgen at the Heals' home in Smithers. Includes raw and edited .WAV files, .MP3 access files, and .jpg release forms.
- Notes
- Sound quality of both interviews is very poor due to high background noise and low interviewee volume.
- Type of Record
- Archival Description
Audio Tracks
Interview with Jean and Reg Heal - November 19, 1988
Interview with Jean and Reg Heal - November 19, 1988
https://search.bvmuseum.org/media/Digital%20Fonds%20and%20Collections/C5%20BVM%20Oral%20History%20collection/2021.21.43_Heal,%20Jean%20and%20Reg/1988%20interview/Heal,%20Jean%20and%20Reg%201988_11_19.ACCESS.mp3
Introduction of Reg and Jean Heal, giving their years and places of birth and some info about their parents.
Ernest Heal; Evelyn; Heal farm; horse and wagon; Mary Fryer Heal; Mary Gregerson; road conditions; Smithers Town Hall; Telkwa; Tyhee Lake
birth info; Jean Gregerson; Reg Heal
Jean and Reg share childhood memories of playing outdoors on their families' farms.
barbecues; calf roping; cat; creek; dog; Evelyn School; frogs; grouse; homemade skis; lassoing; Margaret Gregerson; Mary Gregerson; pollywogs; pond; rabbits; skiing; sleigh rides; spring; summer; Ted Gregerson; Telkwa Barbecue; winter
childhood; family; outdoors; play; recreation; siblings
Jean Heal recounts the chores that she did as a child and where her mother sold the goods produced by the family farm.
butter; carrying water; chickens; chicks; eggs; firewood; Mary Gregerson; milking cows; school; Telkwa Creamery; Valentine Dairy; Watson's Store
chores; farm; responsibilities
Jean recalls how special her family's horses were to her, telling stories of sleigh rides, the death of a favourite horse, and a time when the new horses attempted to run away.
colic; death; horse driving; horse team; Mary Gregerson; runaway horses; sickness; sleigh; sleighing
animals; horses
Jean discusses a special tree in her family's barnyard which served as a stopping point for travelers and a place of trade between the Gregerson family and local Indigenous peoples. She also describes tending to her family's gardens and harvesting some of the weeds to eat.
chores; church; Evelyn School; fish; Indigenous people; Mary Gregerson; nettles; pigweed; stopping place; trading; washing
favourite place; gardens; tree; weeding
Jean Heal shares a story of how her mother and several neighbours rescued a calf which had fallen through the ice into a river.
Fred Rosberg; ice; Lee Johnson; Mr. Owens?; Mrs. Johnson; Selma Rosberg; winter
calf; Mary Gregerson; rescue; river
Jean recounts games that she used to play as a child, both and hole and at school.
Ante-Ante-I-Over; hide and seek; Prisoner's Base; school; scrub baseball; snow forts; snow tunnel; snowball fights; tag; teacher
entertainment; games; play; recreation
Jean recounts her memories of Christmas as a child, particularly the scarcity of money and presents. Note that the latter section about traplines is almost inaudible.
Auntie Meg; Christmas concerts; Christmas trees; cup and saucer; furs; Japanese oranges; no presents; parcel; trapline; trapping
Christmas; holidays
Jean talks about how the family rarely went in to Smithers all together, as someone always had to be left behind to do chores on the farm. She also mentions how horses and wagons would cut across Lake Kathlyn when it was frozen, which sometimes ended in disaster.
Beaton's Barn; Belgian horse team; clearing snow; horses; ice; ice houses; Lake Kathlyn; sleigh; wagon; winter
Smithers; transportation; travel
Jean recalls entertaining school events such as noon hour dances and end-of-the-year picnics, as well as which hours of the day the different grades started and left school.
Henry Johnson; ice cream; May 24th; musical instruments; Orville Elliott; school hours; school picnics; school times; Trout Creek; Victoria Day
dancing; Evelyn School; events; picnic; school
Jean explains the essential roles that women, such as her mother Mary Gregerson, played in rural society.
canning; cars; driving; food preservation; meet curing
chores; jobs; responsibilities; women; women's labour
Reg Heal recalls his childhood on the family farm near Tyhee Lake, with a focus on chores such as hauling hay and milking cows.
chickens; clover seed; cows; crops; dairy; hauling hay; hay rake; horses; milking cows; tie cutting; timothy seed
childhood; chores; farms; responsibilities
Reg recalls toys, games, and other forms of entertainment from his childhood, particularly winter sports such as skating and skiing.
Barger Ranch; hide and seek; homemade skis; pop guns; skating; skiing; sleigh riding; softball; toy train; Tyhee Lake
entertainment; games; sports; toys
Reg gives his memories of Christmas at his paternal grandparents' (Fred and Ann Heal) house.
Ann Anderson Heal; beefsteak pudding; English; Fred Heal; gramophone; music; plum pudding
Christmas; grandparents; holidays
Reg gives his memories of attending school in Telkwa, including a story about a time the horse he was riding turned around and brought him back home.
chores; grandparents' house; horse riding; horses; Hubert; school; Telkwa School; tie contract; wood packing
Reg recounts Christmas and New Year's gatherings with the tie camp workers at Hubert, including one man who would buy presents and play Santa Claus for the children. He and Jean also discuss dances held at Evelyn and how young men would have to ask permission from a woman's parents to dance with her.
accordion; chaperones; dancing; fiddling; Hubert; Hubert townsite; Mary Heal Jr; music; New Year's Dance; Oscar Englund; presents; raft; Santa Claus; tie camp; tie cutters; toy train; Victor Lundstrom; workers
Christmas; dances; gatherings; holidays; New Year's; social events
While discussing the general self-sufficiency of the era (1920s & 30s), Jean describes how she would raise chicks in an incubator and later sell the fryers at Lake Kathlyn. Reg talks about how his father would deliver eggs and chickens to hotels and restaurants in town. Also some discussion of the low prices of the time.
bicycling; biking; carrying water; chicks; costs; eggs; Ernie Heal; fryers; incubator; Lake Kathlyn; Mary Gregerson; Model T Ford; no money; prices; restaurants; school; summer homes; transportation; walking
chores; deliveries; errands; prices; raising chickens; self-sufficiency; selling goods
In a continuation of the previous topic, Jean and Reg discuss the end of the Depression and the start of WWII, including the arrival of extra workers to build the Smithers Airport, Jean's role making items for the Red Cross, and why Reg was unsuccessful in joining the army.
airport construction; bandages; broken eardrum; ear infection; essential worker; extra workers; farming; knitting; mining; sewing; Telkwa Colleries; war effort
army; Great Depression; military service; Red Cross; Smithers Airport; World War II
Interview concludes with various additional reminiscences of Reg's and Jean's, including: clearing land, knitting and sewing, a 1929 Oldsmobile bought and repaired by Reg as a teenager, teacher Phyllis Davidson, the friendliness of Indigenous neighbours, and forms of financial relief during the Great Depression. Note: interview ends suddenly without a proper conclusion.
1929 Oldsmobile; cars; clean-up plant; clearing land; driver's license; Eaton's; Great Depression; Moricetown; Mr. Joe Nass; Mrs. Joe Nass; Phyllis Davidson; relief camps; relief funds; repairing machinery; Singer sewing machine; teacher; welfare; Witset
cars; financial aid; financial assistance; Indigenous people; knitting; memories; sewing
Interview with Jean and Reg Heal - August 14 1997
Jean Gregerson Heal recounts the histories of her parents, their occupations, how they met and came to Canada after the First World War, and their arrival and marriage in Smithers. She also tells of her birth in Smithers' town hall during a thunderstorm.
Alaska; Alfred Avenue; appendix; Beaton's Barn; birth; Boer War; Bulkley Hotel; Copper River Slim; coyote carpet; delivering babies; diagnoses; Donald Lake; Duluth, Minnesota; Elliotts; England; Evelyn; furs; gardening; homesteading; Hudson Bay Company; immigration; Ingrid Palmer; Johnny Johnson; Johnsons; livery stable; logging; marriage; McDonell Lake; military hospital; Mr. and Mrs. Beaton; Norway; nurse; Petersons; practical nursing; railroad; Scotland; Smithers; South Africa; South African War; St. James Anglican Church; town hall; trapping; Vancouver; Vimy Ridge; war bride; wartime experiences; Wiggs O'Neill; World War I; wounded in action
family history; Gilbert Gregerson; Gregerson family; Mary Gregerson
Jean describes how her parents moved to the Evelyn area shortly after their marriage and made a living as farmers. She discusses the typical work that was done on the farm, her mother's career as a midwife, and the hazards of travelling over the frozen Lake Kathlyn to get to Smithers or cut ice.
bread; canning; credit; curing meat; delivering babies; driving; first car; food preservation; groceries; horses; ice cutting; ice houses; Jim Waddington; knitting; Lake Kathlyn; lamps; lighting; livestock; medal; midwife; Mr. and Mrs. Miller; nursing; produce; Railway Avenue; reading; Red Cross campaign; sewing; Smithers; socializing; Soldier Settlement Board; Thornes; transportation; Watson's Store; winter
Evelyn; farming; Gilbert Gregerson; Mary Gregerson
Jean talks about growing up in Evelyn with her twin sister Margaret and brother Ted. She describes the chores that the children did around the farm, as well as school and recreation.
berry picking; birth; carrying water; chickens; chopping wood; cream separating; doctors; Dr. Cecil Hankinson; Dr. L.M. (Lawrence) Greene; eggs; feeding animals; games; gardening; homework; making butter; Margaret Gregerson; milking cows; Mrs. Gray; nurse; Prince Rupert; school; skiing; Smithers Hospital; Ted Gregerson; Telkwa Creamery; town hall; twins; Valentine's Dairy; Vanderhoof
childhood; chores; Evelyn; farm; siblings
Jean describes her education at Evelyn School, including special events such as parties, concerts, picnics, dancing, and examinations.
activities; blackboards; busing; Christmas concerts; classmates; correspondence courses; dancing; doctor; Dr. F. Vere Agnew; Driftwood; Ella Currie; embroidery; entrance exam; examinations; fishing; flower garden; Halloween parties; Henry Johnson; ice cream; ink; inkwells; inspection; Kitseguecla; local dances; Marjorie Jacquot; May 24th picnic; medical exam; Mr. Muir; Mr. Plumber; music; musical instruments; nib pens; oral tests; Orville Elliott; Phyllis Davidson; picnics; school house; sewing; singing; students; swimming; teachers; Toboggan Creek; Toboggan Lake; Trout Creek; Verna Marett; Victor Lundstrom
education; Evelyn School; school; special events
Jean discusses her life after graduation: working for various local families, meeting Reg Heal at a dance at Driftwood, and eventually marrying him.
Barbara Heal Hurstfield; children; correspondence courses; Credit Union; dance; Dr. L.M. (Lawrence) Greene; Driftwood School; Evelyn; gas rations; Glentanna; Hazelton; honeymoon; Jean Gair; Lawrence Heal; music; musicians; Prince Rupert; Smithers; Sorrento, BC; United Church; Walcott
employment; marriage; Reg Heal; work
Jean discusses the location and history of the Evelyn community, and describes what life was like there in the 1920s and 30s.
Adam's Igloo; agriculture; Andrew Johnson; Auntie Meg; bicycle; burning; canning; carpenter; cattle; chickens; Christmas; clearing land; cream; Doughty; driving horses; Ed Johnson; eggs; Evelyn School; farmers; hand-me-downs; haying; health; ice loading; incubator; Jack Johnson; livelihoods; MacMillans; Mary Gregerson; moose; Mr. and Mrs. Nichols; Mr. Fagerlid; odd jobs; Owens family; parcel; picking rocks; population; post office; raising chickens; Rosbergs; Scandinavians; section foreman; sickness; Storey family; subdivisions; Trout Creek; women's labour
Evelyn; history; rural life
Jean continues her discussion of Evelyn, with a focus on the various buildings, businesses, and community events there.
badminton; bunkhouse; church; concerts; doctor's office; Elks Hall; Evelyn Community Hall; Evelyn post office; Evelyn Station; flagging; halibut; hay shed; house; Jim Storey; L.B. Storey; Masons; minister; Mr. Fagerlid; Mr. Rosberg; New Year's dance; social events; station houses; stationmaster; Storeys; Toboggan Lake; train station; transportation of goods; United Church; waiting room; weddings; Women's Institute
buildings; businesses; community events; community organizations; Evelyn; Evelyn Hall; railway; special events
Interview cuts to a different conversation regarding a map of Evelyn. Jean identifies where different families lived and who later took over their properties.
Evelyn School; highway; Toboggan Creek
Evelyn; farms; properties
Jean discusses the many families who resided in Evelyn and what they did for a living. (Note: the spelling of these names has been verified with the Interior News whenever possible, but may not be 100% accurate in all instances).
Andrew Johnson; Castells; Charlie McGuire; Dave Bird; dugout; Ed Johnson; Elliotts; Fagerlids; farming; Fred Castell; George Ballard; George Storey; Gus Olsen; Hanson's farm; Helge Karlsen; highways; ice cream store; Jim Capling; John Johnson; John Tyne; Leipes; loading ties; MacMillans; McDonalds; mining; Mr. McMaster; Murrays; Oscar Engman; Owens family; Palmesons; Pedersens; Petersons; post office; Rosbergs; section man; Smalls; station agent; Trigvie; W. Siler; Yeliches
Evelyn; families; farmers; livelihoods; occupations
Interview cuts suddenly to a discussion about log driving along the Skeena.
Hazelton; Scandinavians
log driving; river drives; Skeena River; transport
Reg Heal's section of the interview begins with a discussion of his family's history. He explains how the Heals came to the Bulkley Valley in the early 1900s and what jobs they took up once there.
Ann Anderson Heal; birth; clearing land; doctor; Ernest Heal; family farm; Fred Heal; government work; Hagwilget Bridge; Hazelton; land pre-emption; Mary Fryer Heal; midwife; Olof Hanson; policeman; Saanich; sternwheeler; tie contracts; tie cutting; Tyhee Lake; Victoria; work
family history; farming; Heal family; occupations
Short discussion of local politician and businessman Olof Hanson.
airport; Hubert; office; politics; Smithers
Olof Hanson
Reg explains how a demand for timothy seed saved many farmers' livelihoods during the Great Depression.
agriculture; crops; harvesting; seeding; threshing
farmers; farming; Great Depression; timothy seed
Reg briefly discusses his father Ernest's contract to help clear a section of the Smithers townsite in 1913.
contract; Jack Oakes; Main Street; swamp
clearing land; employment; Ernest Heal; Smithers townsite; work
Reg briefly discusses his school days in Telkwa.
grades; student population; teachers
education; school; Telkwa School
Reg discusses the work he did after leaving school as a teenager, first on the family farm and later at a sawmill. He describes in detail how the ties were cut at the mill.
bush camp; clearing land; cutting wood; ploughing
cutting ties; employment; farm work; labour; sawmill; work
Reg discusses his later work as an ice cutter on Lake Kathlyn, detailing how the ice was cut, loaded, transported by train, and unloaded at its destination. (Note: section from about 2:10:25 to 2:11:30 is particularly difficult to understand).
box car; bunkhouse; Charlie Wilson; contract; ice houses; Larry Warner; loading ice; Olof Hanson; Orville Rosberg; payment; Prince George; train; train car; unloading ice; wages
employment; ice cutting; Lake Kathlyn; work
Reg talks about working at the Telkwa Coal Mine during the Second World War, as he was unable to join the military due to an ear problem.
Bulkley Valley Collieries; bunkhouse; Dockrills; employees; miners; mining papers; powder; types of coal; unloading coal; World War II
coal mining; employment; Telkwa Coal Mine; work
Reg discusses the former town of Hubert, where his father used to rent land while hewing ties.
bridge; buildings; divisional point; farms; government building; location; population; railway stations; stores; townsite
Hubert
Reg discusses his 25 years spent working for the school district as a bus driver and maintenance worker. (Note: interview ends suddenly without a proper conclusion).
bus drivers; bus driving; buses; employees; maintenance work; repair work; repairs
employment; School District 54; work
Interview with [Ben Ridennoure?]
https://search.bvmuseum.org/link/descriptions12272
- Date Range
- [1991?]
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- GMD
- sound recording
- electronic record
- Scope and Content
- Interview with [Ben Ridennoure?], recorded by a Smithers Alternate School student, likely as part of their 1991 interview series. Includes raw and edited .WAV files and an .MP3 access files.
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- Fonds No.
- C5
- Item No.
- 2021.21.69
- Accession No.
- 2021.21
- Physical Description
- 940 MB of digital records
- Date Range
- [1991?]
- Scope and Content
- Interview with [Ben Ridennoure?], recorded by a Smithers Alternate School student, likely as part of their 1991 interview series. Includes raw and edited .WAV files and an .MP3 access files.
- Notes
- The interviewee is never identified at any point in the interview. File previously labelled as "Curtis Riding," but no record of any person by this name could be found. In January 2022 it was determined that the interviewee is likely Ben Ridennoure due to similarities in profession and life story (owner of Copper River Ranch, history of trail riding, familiarity with specific horse breeds, etc.). "Curtis Riding" may instead refer to the name of the interviewer and the subject of discussion.
- Type of Record
- Archival Description
Audio Tracks
Interview with [Ben Ridennoure?] - April 1991
Interview with [Ben Ridennoure?] - April 1991
https://search.bvmuseum.org/media/Digital%20Fonds%20and%20Collections/C5%20BVM%20Oral%20History%20collection/2021.21.69_Ridennoure,%20Ben/Ridennoure,%20Ben%20ACCESS.mp3
Ridennoure discusses giving summer trail rides at Copper River Ranch. (Note: recording seems to begin mid-interview without a proper introduction).
Copper River Ranch; Norwegian fjord horses; wildlife
horse riding; horseback riding; trail rides; trail riding
Ridennoure recommends that individual riders be at least 12 years old, and discusses options for younger children on his trail rides (ex. sharing a horse with their parents).
children; ponies
horse riding; horseback riding; trail rides; trail riding
Ridennoure discusses the possibility of taking guests on sleigh rides and why he doesn't do it.
sleigh rides
Ridennoure answers how many horses he owns and where they are kept.
McDonell Lake
horseback riding; horses
Ridennoure discusses which gaits (walking, trotting, galloping) are used most often on his trail rides.
galloping; trotting; walking
horse gaits; horseback riding; riding; trail rides; trail riding
Ridennoure explains how he advertises Copper River Ranch to the public.
Chamber of Commerce; Northwest Travel Bureau
advertisements; advertising; publicity
Ridennoure states that he takes riders of all skill levels on his trail rides, and explains the ideal size of a riding group.
horseback riding; riding; trail rides; trail riding
[Ridennoure] states his favourite breeds of horse, explains why he got into the equestrian business, and describes his favourite type of riding trail.
Copper River Ranch; Norwegian fjord horses; Quarter horses
horses; riding; riding trails; trails
Ridennoure discusses what time of year people visit the Ranch most often, how long they tend to stay, and what activities they do there.
guests; long weekends; outdoor activities; tourism; vacation
Copper River Ranch
[Ridennoure] explains why he enjoys horseback riding so much and has had such a positive experience with it. (Note: interview ends without a formal conclusion).
companionship; insurance; liabilities; relaxation
horseback riding; riding
Interview with Mel Raymond
https://search.bvmuseum.org/link/descriptions12291
- Date Range
- February 7, 1995
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- GMD
- sound recording
- electronic record
- Scope and Content
- Interview with Mel Raymond, recorded on February 7th 1995 by Carly Blair for the Bulkley Valley Museum. Includes raw and edited .WAV files, .MP3 access files, and a .jpg release form.
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- Creator
- Carly Blair
- Fonds No.
- C5
- Item No.
- 2021.21.68
- Accession No.
- 2021.21
- Physical Description
- 923 MB of digital records
- Date Range
- February 7, 1995
- Scope and Content
- Interview with Mel Raymond, recorded on February 7th 1995 by Carly Blair for the Bulkley Valley Museum. Includes raw and edited .WAV files, .MP3 access files, and a .jpg release form.
- Type of Record
- Archival Description
Audio Tracks
Interview with Mel Raymond - February 7, 1995
Interview with Mel Raymond - February 7, 1995
https://search.bvmuseum.org/media/Digital%20Fonds%20and%20Collections/C5%20BVM%20Oral%20History%20collection/2021.21.68_Raymond,%20Mel/Raymond,%20Mel%201995_02_07.ACCESS.mp3
Mel Raymond discusses his early life, education, and employment in Smithers, including how he came to own Mel's Hardware.
Bill Raymond; children; Eby's Hardware; Elaine Foster; Great Depression; hardware store; hospital; Joyce Raymond; Mel's Hardware; Michigan; mining; mining claims; Pete Bergen; Pete Eby; post-secondary education; railway passes
childhood; education; employment; jobs; marriage; school
Raymond discusses the few trips outside of Smithers that he has taken in his life, including a post-retirement cruise to the Caribbean with his wife.
Bill Raymond; Caribbean; cruise; freighter; Michigan; Toronto
travel; travelling; vacation
Raymond discusses sports he was involved in as a child, and how an injury forced him to give up these activities.
baseball; Fall Fair; hockey; horse races; injury
athletics; horse riding; horseback riding; pony riding; recreation; sports
Raymond discusses which schools he went to as a child.
education; high school; Smithers Public School; Vernon Crockett
Raymond discusses his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
children; family; grandchildren; great-grandchildren
Raymond discusses his school days in Smithers, including the use of corporal punishment on students.
class sizes; grades; Miss Lauder; punishment; spelling bee
education; teachers; teaching
Raymond discusses where in Smithers he lived as a child, how many siblings he had, and the house & neighborhood he grew up in. He identifies various other families who lived on his street (identified first as Broadway and then as Alfred). Note: interview stops and re-starts around 11:00; this was left in to explain the abrupt change in topic.
Alfred Avenue; Broadway Avenue; Elks Dinner; houses; log house; siblings; Wilf Watson
childhood; children; family; neighbourhood
Raymond discusses a new book written by Wilf Watson about the families in the surrounding district.
books; Wilf Watson; writing
Raymond discusses hunting for moose and deer in his youth and explains how meat and other food was preserved.
canning; deer hunting; fruit; moose hunting
food preservation; hunting
Raymond discusses various topics related to his childhood: whether or not kids got into arguments; neighborhood skating rink; how the CNR supplied water to the rink; his interests and activities as a child.
arguments; baseball; Bigelow Lake; Canadian National Railways; fishing; lake; mining claims; park; skating; trains; water supply
childhood; leisure; recreation; skating rink
Raymond estimates how big Smithers was during his childhood and remarks on its steady growth rate.
businesses; Duthie Mine; economy; employers; growth rate; housing; payroll; Silver King Division
development; population; Smithers; town growth
Raymond describes running Mel's Hardware store over the course of three decades.
building homes; Leach Bros; mail orders; money
hardware business; Mel's Hardware; work
Raymond discusses the Bulkley Valley District Hospital, its debt problems at the time of the interview, and the quality of life of vegetative patients.
Bulkley Lodge; debt; doctors; funding; grants; health care system; maternity ward; operations; quality of life
Bulkley Valley District Hospital; health care; hospital
Raymond and his wife were married on the eve of the Second World War. He discusses how many of his friends enlisted and went overseas, but he was unable to due to a knee injury.
Elaine Raymond; injury; nursing; veterans
marriage; World War II
Raymond describes his activities after selling the Hardware Store, such as vacationing with his wife, building townhouses, and working at a liquor store. (Note: interview ends abruptly without proper conclusion).
Babine Lake; Bill Raymond; business trips; Caribbean; liquor store; Mexico; New Zealand; Panama Canal; Toronto; townhouses; West Coast
retirement; travel; travelling; vacation
Interview with Angelika and Peter Langen
https://search.bvmuseum.org/link/descriptions11947
- Date Range
- January 25 2021
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- GMD
- sound recording
- electronic record
- textual record
- Scope and Content
- Interview with Angelika and Peter Langen, founders of the Northern Lights Wildlife Shelter. Recorded January 25 2021 at the Old Church in Smithers by Cassandra McKenney, BVM oral history intern. Includes raw and edited .WAV files, MP3 access file, PDF bibliographic form, photo from day of interview…
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- Creator
- Cassandra McKenney
- Fonds No.
- C5
- Item No.
- 2021.21.9
- Accession No.
- 2021.21
- Physical Description
- 2.63 GB of digital records
- Date Range
- January 25 2021
- Scope and Content
- Interview with Angelika and Peter Langen, founders of the Northern Lights Wildlife Shelter. Recorded January 25 2021 at the Old Church in Smithers by Cassandra McKenney, BVM oral history intern. Includes raw and edited .WAV files, MP3 access file, PDF bibliographic form, photo from day of interview, PDF and .docx copies of question prep, and .csv file of subject indexing.
- Type of Record
- Archival Description
Audio Tracks
Interview with Angelika and Peter Langen - January 25, 2021
Interview with Angelika and Peter Langen - January 25, 2021
https://search.bvmuseum.org/media/Digital%20Fonds%20and%20Collections/C5%20BVM%20Oral%20History%20collection/2021.21.9_Langen,%20Angelika%20and%20Peter/Langen,%20Angelika%20and%20Peter%202021_01_25.ACCESS.mp3
The life of Peter that lead to a love of animals and working in the zoo, had to pick a profession after leaving a German refugee camp around 1959.
animals; apprenticeship; exam; Germany; refugee camp; zoo
German refugee; zoo
Wanted to be a horse trainer but failed to meet the requirements so went in to become a zoo keeper instead.
birds; hobby; horse trainer; owl
profession; zoo
Wanted to immigrate in the 70's to build a guest ranch but failed due to recession.
guest ranch; immigration; recession; Smithers
immigration; land
First thoughts of Smithers and what it was like.
beautiful; British Columbia; connections; kind; land; pregnant; Smithers
Smithers
Learning a third language quickly in Smithers.
English; German; reading; Russian; writing
English; language
Jobs were hard to find; they worked odd jobs at local shops.
Aspen; chimney; contracting; cook; houses; jobs; mother; Smitthers; town sign; waitress
employment; jobs; occupations
Horses were very important so they joined the Saddle Club and then gave guided tours
business; Fall Fair; guides; horses; license; president; rescue; Saddle Club; trail rides
business start-up; horseback riding; Saddle Club
Why they thought that Smithers was in need of a shelter.
animal shelter; isolation; knowledge; local; moose; permits; PETA; pets; provincial; rescue; wildlife
animal rescue; wildlife shelter
Conference in the States where they could learn how to take care of wild animals including their special needs.
bear; deer; experts; links; manuals; moose; National Wildlife Rehabilitation Association; shelter; U.S.A.; worldwide
animal rescue; conference; rehabilitation
Experts would come to them for help, like how to avoid so many car crashes in the summer.
car accidents; car crash; CN; Greece; ICBC; kids' camp; moose; research; Romania; summer camp; sun bear; Teflon; vehicle accidents; Vietnam
animal rescue; research
Offering training programs for students and those doing research.
bears; defense; handlers; release programs; science; students; teaching; thesis; training; volunteer; wildlife
rehabilitation; training
How the animal-rescuing process takes place at the shelter.
Bandstra; BCAA; bear; Bella Coola; Chain of Love; conservation officer; grizzly; Highway Angels; volunteers
animals; transport
How the shelter receives its funding.
charity status; donations; ethics; Facebook; hospital; Purolator; riding tour; trail guide; waitress
funding; promotion; self-funding
The start up of the shelter and how its been changing over the years, as well as how they gained respect from others.
animals; buildings; celebration; Covid-19; help; machinery; Northern Lights; wildlife
change over time
Raising a family and upkeeping the shelter.
children; doctors; family; immigration; pregnancy; shelter; vacation
family; shelter
Saving animals that would have otherwise been put down.
cougar; funding
animal rescue
Cementing public interest in the shelter, once a year.
community; education; funding; lynx; open house
public interest; schools
Favorite story of healing a moose.
bear; healing; knowledge; Mexico; moose; SPCA
healing; story
Starting up a documentary that lasted three years with 36 episodes.
animals; CTV; documentary; Fall Fair; Greenpeace; habituated; provisions; reality show; soil; television; TV show
documentary
Smithers businesses that help out the animal shelter.
Bakery; Bandstra; birthday; Bulkley Valley Wholesale; conservation; cupcakes; Feed Store; First Nations; fundraiser; Mills; Paul's Bakery; Pet Hospital; Safeway; Smithers Lumber Yard; vegetables
businesses
The plans for retirement and for the future and a thanks to those who helped them
donor; proposals; stories; trail rides; weddings; writing
future; past; retirement
What the couple did in their off time
convinces; New Orleans; photography; reading; showing; traveling; Virginia
hobbies
How Smithers has changed in a popular way for tourism.
change; commercial; family; home; positive; proud; special; tourism
Smithers; tourism
Interviews with Al Fletcher
https://search.bvmuseum.org/link/descriptions12245
- Date Range
- [August-September] 1996
- July 10 1997
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- GMD
- sound recording
- electronic record
- Scope and Content
- Two interviews with Allen 'Al' Fletcher. One was recorded around August/September 1996 by Carol Morgenthaler as part of a BVLD radio show ("Our Heritage"). The other was recorded on July 10th 1997 by Misty Jorgen of the Bulkley Valley Museum. Includes raw and edited .WAV files and MP3 access files.
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- Creator
- Carol Morgenthaler;
- Misty Jorgen
- Fonds No.
- C5
- Item No.
- 2021.21.38
- Accession No.
- 2021.21
- Physical Description
- 1.12 GB of digital records
- Date Range
- [August-September] 1996
- July 10 1997
- History / Biographical
- Allen ‘Al’ Fletcher (1918-2004) was born in Hazelton to Eli and Laura Fletcher. As a youth in the 1930s and 40s, he was one of the last people to work on the pack trains in the Bulkley Valley. He also acted as a horse-logger, guide-outfitter, and predator control officer for the Fish and Wildlife Branch. In 1949 he shot a record-breaking mountain goat for an American tourist, an event which is commemorated by the mountain goat statue at the intersection of Highway 16 and Main Street in Smithers.
- Scope and Content
- Two interviews with Allen 'Al' Fletcher. One was recorded around August/September 1996 by Carol Morgenthaler as part of a BVLD radio show ("Our Heritage"). The other was recorded on July 10th 1997 by Misty Jorgen of the Bulkley Valley Museum. Includes raw and edited .WAV files and MP3 access files.
- Type of Record
- Archival Description
Audio Tracks
Interview with Al Fletcher - August/September 1996
First BVLD radio interview with Al Fletcher, after whom the Fletcher-Gardiner trail in the Babine Mountains was partially named. The trail was initially cleared by Fletcher's father Eli and later extended by Lefty Gardiner. Fletcher discusses how he guided pack trains and big game hunters (including an American who shot a record-breaking mountain goat) along this route for years. He expresses his displeasure that horses are now banned from the trail.
Babine Mountains; BC Parks; big game hunting; Eli Fletcher; Grassy Mountain; guide-outfitting; horseback riding; Lefty Gardiner; mountain goat hunting; pack trains; prospecting; Sunny Point; timber; Two Bridge Lake; world record goat
Fletcher-Gardiner trail
The song
country music; Edison Fletcher; music; song
Second BVLD radio interview with Al Fletcher. He recounts leading pack trains along the trail through harsh weather conditions, including one instance where he spent 65 days carrying diamond drill equipment for a mining operation.
Art Cope; Canyon Creek; Cronin Mine; diamond drilling; Highland Basin; Little Joe Lakes; mining claims; pack horses; park warden; prospecting; Silver King Basin; Victoria Basin; weather conditions
Fletcher-Gardiner trail; pack trains
Third and final BVLD interview with Al Fletcher. He recounts how he started out in the packing business, first working for Ben Nelson as a teenager before starting his own operation. Also discusses the difficulty of loading packs, the ideal pack horse, and how the horses are trained.
Ben Nelson; Driftwood Creek; horse training; pack horses
horses; pack trains; packing
Interview with Al Fletcher - July 10 1997
Interview begins with a brief discussion of Al's father, Eli Fletcher, and his arrival in the Bulkley Valley in the early 1900s. The topic then switches to Al's job horse logging for the many small sawmills in the area, and a comparison between old and new forestry methods in terms of environmental impact.
1947 Pontiac Coupe; Eli Fletcher; environmental impact; layoffs; logging practices; logging regulations; lumber prices; Repap; shutdowns; Simon Gunanoot
forestry; horse logging; sawmills
Al Fletcher describes his work on pack trains in the 1930s and 40s, primarily in the Babine Mountains. He was one of the last people in the Bulkley Valley to work in the packing business. Also some discussion of the earlier history of packing and pack trails in the area.
Babine Mountains; Ben Nelson; Cataline; Duthie Mine; George Beirnes; government survey; Hazelton; horses; McDonnell Lake; Messners; morse code; pack horses; pack trails; prospectors; Silver King Basin; summer; telegraph cabins; Telegraph Trail; Wrinch Memorial Hospital
Babine Mountains; pack trains; packing
Fletcher discusses the Fletcher-Gardiner trail in the Babine Mountains, which was cut by his father, Eli, and later named after himself and Lefty Gardiner. He was appointed honorary park ranger after protesting the exclusion of horses from this trail.
Babine Mountains; Billy Gardiner; Eli Fletcher; honorary park ranger; Lefty Gardiner; Sunny Point; Two Bridge Lake
Fletcher-Gardiner trail; horseback riding; horses
The story of how Fletcher guided the man who shot the largest mountain goat on record for 50 years. A statue of the goat was later erected in Smithers.
1949; Ernest Hasse; miniature statues
big game hunting; goat statue; guide-outfitter; guide-outfitting; hunting; mountain goat; world record
After guiding for several years, Fletcher was approached to serve as a predator control officer for the Fish and Wildlife Branch. He served in this role for 16 years, helping control the numbers of wolves and bears in order to protect livestock and increase prey populations. Fletcher mentions several close calls during his experiences and recounts the hospitality and friendliness of people he met through the job.
Alberta wolves; bounties; bounty system; game warden; Kispiox Valley; snowstorms; weather conditions; wolf bounties
bear hunting; conservation; Fish and Wildlife; predator control officer; wolf hunting
In a continuation of the previous section, Fletcher expands upon his thoughts regarding animal conservation and predator control, as well as the opposition he has faced due to his job. Note: interview ends abruptly without a proper conclusion.
caribou count; feeding wildlife; moose count; Telkwa Mountains; Terrace; wildlife relocation
bears; caribou; conservation; population control; predator control; wildlife; wolves
Interview with Jim Goodacre
https://search.bvmuseum.org/link/descriptions12247
- Date Range
- April 23 1991
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- GMD
- sound recording
- electronic record
- Scope and Content
- Interview with Jim Goodacre, recorded on April 23rd 1991 by Smithers Alternate School student Curtis Barger. Includes raw and edited .WAV files, a MP3 access file, and a .jpg release form.
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- Creator
- Curtis Barger
- Fonds No.
- C5
- Item No.
- 2021.21.40
- Accession No.
- 2021.21
- Physical Description
- 1.36 GB of digital records
- Date Range
- April 23 1991
- History / Biographical
- James ‘Jim’ Goodacre (1925-2010) was born in Telkwa to Clarence and Winnie Goodacre; he moved to Smithers with his family in 1927. Jim served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War and afterwards joined his father and brother in running the family grocery store, Goodacre’s. He married Margaret Dunn in 1949 and had five children: John, Bill, Mary, Patti, and Donald.
- Scope and Content
- Interview with Jim Goodacre, recorded on April 23rd 1991 by Smithers Alternate School student Curtis Barger. Includes raw and edited .WAV files, a MP3 access file, and a .jpg release form.
- Type of Record
- Archival Description
Audio Tracks
Interview with Jim Goodacre - April 23 1991
Interview with Jim Goodacre - April 23 1991
https://search.bvmuseum.org/media/Digital%20Fonds%20and%20Collections/C5%20BVM%20Oral%20History%20collection/2021.21.40_Goodacre,%20Jim/Goodacre,%20Jim%201991_04_23.ACCESS.mp3
Jim Goodacre begins the interview by recounting his school days, in particular how his high school graduating class had only 3 students due to so many joining the war effort.
air force; corporal punishment; discipline; graduation; Harry Kenney; principal; Vernon Crockett; war conditions; work
education; high school; school; war effort; World War II
Goodacre recounts his experiences in the Air Force during World War II, as well as the presence of military personnel, aircraft, and airstrips in the Bulkley Valley.
airports; Aleutian Islands; army; army training; Duthie Mine Road; Fred Riffel; highway; Olaf Hanson; pilot training; planes; Summerside, Prince Edward Island; Tatlow Road airstrip; Telkwa airstrip; Town Hall; VE Day
air force; military; World War II
Goodacre discusses working at the family's store, which was founded in 1937 and later became a Super Valu.
bartering; credit; Cyril Mehaffey; farmers; Fred Watson; Jean Mehaffey; Super Valu; unpaid work
business; Clarence Goodacre Sr.; Goodacre's Store
Goodacre discusses the rise and fall of Aldermere, to which his father (Clarence Goodacre Sr.), grandmother (Mrs. Robert Burns), and great-grandfather (R.J. 'Black Jack' McDonell) had come in the early 1900s. He also mentions how many residents of Telkwa gravitated towards Smithers as the town grew in size and stature.
Black Jack McDonell; Clarence Goodacre Sr.; hotels; Hudston Bay Ranch; Mrs. Robert Burns; Port Essington; R.J. McDonell; railroad; riverboat
Aldermere; family history; Telkwa
Goodacre discusses growing up in Smithers during the 1920s and 30s, including what amenities were available, what was done for recreation, and what modes of transportation were used in the area. He also mentions his family's early days in northern BC and where they originally came from (segment starts around 19:27).
alderman; baseball; Black Jack McDonell; cars; Clarence Goodacre Sr.; Fort George; Hazelton; heater; hockey; hotels; livery barn; Mr. Jones; Nottingham, England; principal; R.J. McDonell; skating; skating rink; skiing; Smithers Public School; stagecoaches; steamboats; taxis; tent town; train; Victoria; water pump
amenities; childhood; family history; recreation; school; Smithers; sports; transportation
Goodacre discusses housing prices and construction, the family home, the struggles of building a town on a swamp, the general layout of Main Street and Railway Avenue, the maintenance and eventual filling of the Main Street ditches, and how poor road conditions made it difficult to deliver groceries from his family's store. He also explains how his brother 'Slim' received his nickname.
basements; Bigelow Creek; boardwalks; building foundations; Chicken Creek; Clarence 'Slim' Goodacre; corduroy road; deliveries; drainage; family home; Goodacre's Store; housing prices; piles; piling; Railway Avenue; road collapse; road conditions; sidewalks; Sorento Motel; swamp
buildings; construction; houses; infrastructure; Main Street; Main Street ditch; Smithers
A brief story on how Jim Goodacre received his driver's license at the age of fifteen.
Charlie Wilson; Constable Grant; ice cutting; ice harvesting; ice houses; Lake Kathlyn
driver's license; driver's test; driving license; driving test
Continuing on from the driver's license story, Jim Goodacre discusses elements of winter in Smithers, including as ice cutting at Lake Kathlyn and sports such as skiing and skating. He also mentions how he collected beer bottles in order to save up money for a bicycle.
BC Ski Jumping Championships; beer bottles; bicycle; Bigelow Lake; biking; Canadian National Railways; canneries; clearing streets; Hudson Bay Mountain; ice saws; ice sculptures; Lake Kathlyn; Prince Rupert; shovelling; skating; ski jumps; skiing; sledding; sleighs; snow chains; snowfall; temperature; Warren's Hill
ice cutting; ice harvesting; recreation; sports; winter
Goodacre lists other businesses in Smithers during the 1920s-40s, including some of those which burned down in the devastating Main Street fires of 1944 and 1945.
bakeries; Bill Grant; Chuck Morris; Eby's Hardware; Leach Brothers; Marcella Edmonds; meat markets; Newberry Bakery; Noel's Department Store; Telkwa Hotel; Watson's Store; Wing's Bakery
buildings; businesses; fires; Main Street; Main Street fires
Goodacre concludes the interview with various additional memories, including: picking up produce/delivering groceries to the farms around Smithers; the brass band he played in; the population of Smithers and nearby towns at the time; farms which were settled after WWI, abandoned during the Depression, and taken up by newcomers after WWII; his maternal grandparents' (McDonald family) farm and house in Telkwa.
Alex Murray; ball park; bandstand; brass band; Doughty; Helen Murray; heritage house; McDonald house; Telkwa; Tom McDonald; Tyhee Lake; Victory Bond tour
band; deliveries; farms; McDonald family; memories; population
Interviews with John Lapadat
https://search.bvmuseum.org/link/descriptions12259
- Date Range
- December 13 1988
- October 2003
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- GMD
- sound recording
- electronic record
- Scope and Content
- Two interviews with John Lapadat. One was recorded on December 13th 1988 by Ruth Murdoch as part of the "Growing Up in the Bulkley Valley" series. The other was self-recorded by John Lapadat in October 2003. Includes raw and edited .WAV files, .MP3 access files, and a .jpg release form.
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- Creator
- Ruth Murdoch;
- John Lapadat
- Fonds No.
- C5
- Item No.
- 2021.21.52
- Accession No.
- 2021.21
- Physical Description
- 1.14 GB of digital records
- Date Range
- December 13 1988
- October 2003
- History / Biographical
- John Lapadat (1926-2004) was born to John and Anna Lapadat, farmers in the Glentanna area. He was involved in many community organizations, including the Smithers Ski Club, of which he was an original founding member. He and his wife Lois had four children: Judith, Lawrence, Ron, and Tony.
- Scope and Content
- Two interviews with John Lapadat. One was recorded on December 13th 1988 by Ruth Murdoch as part of the "Growing Up in the Bulkley Valley" series. The other was self-recorded by John Lapadat in October 2003. Includes raw and edited .WAV files, .MP3 access files, and a .jpg release form.
- Type of Record
- Archival Description
Audio Tracks
Interview with John Lapadat - December 13 1988
John Lapadat introduces himself and describes the Glentanna farm on which he grew up, some of the chores that were performed, and a few incidents such as being burned by a cookstove and dealing with bed bugs.
1920s; Anna Lapadat; bathing; bedbugs; bricklayer; carrying water; cows; farm animals; Grand Trunk Pacific Railway; injury; John Lapadat Sr.; knitting; livestock; log house; McClary wood stove; pigs; roundhouse; shearing sheep; sheep; siblings; ticks; veterinarian; Victoria
birth; childhood; chores; farm; farmhouse; home; house
Lapadat describes a number of contributions his family made to the Glentanna School: they donated the land on which it stood, his mother served on the school board, his attendance allowed the school to receive provincial funding, and as a young boy he worked as the school janitor.
chores; cleaning; donating land; provincial funding; raise; school board; wages
duties; Glentanna School; janitor; responsibilities; school
Lapadat describes the work that he and his family did on the farm, including looking after the livestock, breeding and training racehorses, delivering produce to Smithers, and raising hogs for the government during the Great Depression.
agriculture; Burns & Company; butchering; butter; chickens; cream; crops; delivering goods; Great Depression; horse races; milking cows; mixed farming; prices; racehorses; smokehouse; trading; vegetables; Watson's Store
chores; farm work; farming; livestock; produce; raising pigs
Lapadat discusses special places where he liked to play as a child, and what games and sports he occupied his free time with.
Bennett buggies; buried treasure; Christmas concerts; Columbia Street; Driftwood School; gardening; Glacier House; Glacier Roadhouse; Glentanna School; horse racing; horse training; horseback riding; Hungry Hill; hunting; Olive Evan; roadhouse; ski jump; sleigh rides; softball; tent; transportation systems; weeding
favourite places; games; locations; playing; recreation; sports
Lapadat discusses his school days, including the harsh treatment of his sister for being left-handed, the ways in which teachers tried (and failed) to maintain discipline, the chores performed by students, and the annual Christmas concerts.
31 Model B Ford; car; carrying water; corporal punishment; Della Herman; ghost stories; horse barn; left-handedness; Mackenzies; MacLean Method; Mary Simpson; misbehaviour; Mrs. Chapman; repeating grades; Santa Claus; singing; skipping grades; song; stage; stockings; trauma
chores; Christmas concerts; discipline; Glentanna School; grades; lunch; school; teachers
Lapadat talks about what means of transportation were used to get to and from town, as well as the usual reason for making these trips.
automobiles; Buick; cars; Chrysler; hauling wood; Model T truck; sleighs; wagons
Smithers; transportation; vehicles
Lapadat returns to the subject of Christmas, discussing how the family would often share the holiday meal with itinerant workers during the Depression.
cooking; food; geese; goose; turkeys
Christmas; Christmas dinner; Great Depression; meals; workers
Lapadat discusses the dances that were held at Glentanna School. He also mentions how his father was forced to sell the family farm during the Depression.
desks; Louise Gilbert; music; musicians; Oscar Engman; Ralph Dieter; schoolhouse
dances; dancing; Great Depression; social events
Lapadat concludes with two brief stories: one about a meteorite crash that occurred while the family was returning from Smithers, and one about the reading material available to him as a student.
animal euthanasia; Mr. Griffin; National Geographics; retired professor
accident; books; education; horse; meteor; meteorite; reading; resource materials
Interview with John Lapadat - October 2003
John Lapadat recounts some of his memories of Hudson Bay Mountain, including the first annual ski championship he remembers watching, a youth ski camping expedition which became stranded in low visibility conditions, and the time his son Ron was caught in an avalanche.
'Sleeping Beauty'; avalanche; Chris Dahlie; hauling snow; Hudson Bay Mountain glacier; low visibility conditions; Nancy Greene league; Ron Lapadat; shelter; Simpson's Gulch; ski jumping; Smithers Ski Club; the Prairie; Tony Lapadat; youth
annual ski championship; avalanche; Hudson Bay Mountain; recreation; ski camping trip; ski tournaments; skiing; sports; stories
Lapadat discusses how the Smithers Ski Club developed the ski hill on Hudson Bay Mountain and gave ski lessons to revive its declining membership.
Canadian Ski Alliance; Chris Dahlie; Daryl Van Tine; Duthie Mine Road; Everett Person; fire protection road; first tournament; Jorgen Dahlie; Prince George; Ross Phillips; ski accident; ski cabins; ski tow; the Prairie; Town of Smithers; Warren Hill; water reservoir; Zobnick Road ski area
Hudson Bay Mountain; instructor's courses; membership; ski hill; ski lessons; skiing; Smithers Ski Club
Lapadat concludes with the story of his unsuccessful attempt to hike the highest peak of Hudson Bay Mountain with a jar of ashes from Mount St. Helens.
hypothermia; Lois Lapadat; Oscar; peppermint schnapps; Swiss Club
eruption of Mount St. Helens; highest peak; hiking; Hudson Bay Mountain
Interview with Hans Tugnum
https://search.bvmuseum.org/link/descriptions12511
- Date Range
- January 6, 2022
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- GMD
- sound recording
- electronic record
- Scope and Content
- Interview with Hans Tugnum, recorded by Sonja Lester for the Bulkley Valley Museum on January 2nd 2022 as part of the New Horizons for Seniors oral history project. Includes raw and edited .WAV files, .MP3 access files, and a .pdf release form.
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- Creator
- Sonja Lester
- Fonds No.
- C5
- Item No.
- 2021.21.87
- Accession No.
- 2021.21
- Physical Description
- 1.40 GB digital records
- Date Range
- January 6, 2022
- History / Biographical
- Hans Tugnum emigrated from Switzerland to Canada with his family in 1936 and settled on a farm in Glentanna. His interview primarily concerns 'old timers' of the Valley and events that took place in the decades before he arrived in British Columbia
- Scope and Content
- Interview with Hans Tugnum, recorded by Sonja Lester for the Bulkley Valley Museum on January 2nd 2022 as part of the New Horizons for Seniors oral history project. Includes raw and edited .WAV files, .MP3 access files, and a .pdf release form.
- Type of Record
- Archival Description
Audio Tracks
Interview with Hans Tugnum - January 6, 2022
Interview with Hans Tugnum - January 6, 2022
https://search.bvmuseum.org/media/Digital%20Fonds%20and%20Collections/C5%20BVM%20Oral%20History%20collection/2021.21.87_Tugnum,%20Hans/Tugnum,%20Hans%202022_01_06.ACCESS.mp3
Tugnum recounts how he and his family emigrated from Switzerland to Canada in 1936, lived in Prince George and Smithers for brief periods, and eventually settled on a farm in Glentanna.
Conrad Tugnum; Prince George; Switzerland
farming; Glentanna; immigration; moving; Smithers
Tugnum discusses his education in a one-room schoolhouse at Glentanna.
childhood; Della Carpenter; Della Herman; Driftwood-Glentanna border; Florence Lundstrom; friends; teachers; transportation
education; Glentanna School; school
Tugnum briefly describes moving to the Driftwood area (as an adult), where he purchased property and worked in the logging industry. He also talks about snowmobiling to Babine Lake with his friends.
Babine Lake; Bev Brinkhurst; buying land; John Schroeder; outdoor recreation; Ron Gilbert
Driftwood; logging; snowmobiling; work
Tugnum discusses an unsuccessful gold rush which brought many old-timers to the China Nose area (near Houston) in the early 1900s. He gives various stories as to how the mountain may have received its name.
Bill Wilson; Charlie Sieh; early 1900s; Ed Wilson; etymology; history; Joe Griffin; prospecting; surveying; Wilson brothers
China Knows Mountain; China Nose Mountain; gold rush
Tugnum discusses, and identifies the sites of, various early trails, bridges, roadhouses, and ranches in the Bulkley Valley.
Bulkley River; Chicken Creek; Danny Moore; Driftwood Creek; etymology; Glacier House; Glentanna; Harry Zogoff; Hudson Bay Mountain; Hudson Bay Ranch; Hudson's Bay Company; Naegli property; rose bush; telegraph trail; Telkwa High Road
bridges; history; infrastructure; ranches; river crossings; roadhouses; roads; trails
Tugnum discusses Glentanna farmer Charlie Newitt, who fought in the Northwest Rebellion of 1885 and was later killed by a bull.
death; Glentanna; Mounties
Charlie Newitt; North-West Rebellion; Riel Rebellion
Discussion of roadhouses, including the Glacier House and the building which the Tugnum family used to live in. (Note: the Glacier House was built by George Duhamel around 1905-06 and burned sometime between the mid-1920s and mid-1930s.)
Danny Moore; Flint farm; Stanfield Flint
Glacier House; roadhouses
Tugnum recalls his family's involvement in local social events, such as the Fall Fair and Stampedes, during his childhood (1930s-40s).
cattle; Oultons; Tugnums
community events; Fall Fair; social events
Tugnum recounts stories of prospecting and exploration in the Babine Mountains, including the establishment of Cronin Mine and the naming of Chapman Lake. Also some discussion of Peavine Harvey and how he got his nickname.
C.G. Harvey; Chapman farm; Charles Chapman; Charlie Chapman; Cronin farm; Cronin Mine; Indigenous trails; James Cronin; Katie Chapman; Mount Harvey; Peavine Harvey; trails
Babine Mountains; exploration; history; prospecting
Tugnum reminisces about several 'old timers' from the Bulkley Valley, including Joe Griffin (the 'bee man'), Bill 'Scotty' Warren, George Sharpe, John O'Hearn, and Guy Farrow.
bees; Bill 'Scotty' Warren; farms; George Sharpe; Guy Farrow; Joe Griffin; John O'Hearn; Snake Hill; Telkwa
history; old-timers; pioneers; settlers
Tugnum recalls Gertie Gunderson Douglas and discusses the history of her property (the barn was later renovated into a farmhouse owned by Lamont 'Monty' Bassett. This is also the property which later became known as Hat Rack Ranch).
'Gertie's place'; Bill Wilson; Gunderson barn; Lamont Bassett; Monty Bassett; Quentin Robbins
Gertie Gunderson Douglas; Gunderson property
Further discussion of 'old timers' and other longtime residents of the Bulkley Valley, such as Bill Bourgon (?), Fortunat L'Orsa, and Abraham Nikal.
alcoholism; Babine Mountains; death; home brew; Indigenous labour; Indigenous people; lead poisoning
Abraham Nikal; Bill Bourgon; Fortunat L'Orsa; L'Orsa family
Tugnum discusses post-war developments in the Glentanna/Driftwood area, such as the extension of hydro lines and a government land-clearing project. He also mentions the arrival of the telephone before World War II.
BC Tel; Driftwood; Glentanna; Katie Chapman; Margaret Tugnum; post-War era
clearing land; hydro lines; land-clearing; telephone office; telephones
Tugnum recalls the names of some early Bulkley Valley settlers.
Glentanna; Joe Griffin; Snake Road; suicide
George Mandreshora; John Backlund; old-timers; Walter Fay
Tugnum discusses the poor condition of roads in the early days. He also mentions how the former Bulkley Bridge was destroyed by ice (in 1966, not 1964 as he states).
Bulkley Bridge; public works; telegraph trail; Telkwa High Road; transportation
bridges; infrastructure; road conditions; roads
Tugnum discusses Bill Morris, who took over the Sealy (Seely/Seeley/Sealey/etc.) Ranch and raised cattle there. He also mentions other residents of, and roadways in, the Sealy Corners area.
Bill Curtain; cabin; Carr ranch; cattle range; Charlie Morris; Chuck Morris; farmland; ranch; range riders; roads; tie-cutting; Two-Bridge Creek
Bill Morris; Sealy Corner; Sealy ranch
General discussion of the Experimental Farm and its functions.
agriculture; District Agriculturalist
Dominion Experimental Farm
Vague recollections of the Flint/Mortenson (Mortensen) families. (Note: based on Interior News records, Stan Flint was not Louise Flint's father, but her father-in-law (through her husband Bill). Her father was Carl Mortensen/Mortenson, a member of the Smithers Farmers' Institute and the regional director of the Bulkley-Nechako Regional District.)
Bill Flint; Carl Mortensen; Carl Mortenson; Louise Flint; Stan Flint
Flint; Mortensen; Mortenson
Brief, general discussion about how settlers (including Tugnum's father) were attracted to Smithers by advertising campaigns and promises of free land.
advertisements; Conrad Tugnum; free land; Harry Bowman
settlement; settlers; Smithers
Tugnum recounts how his father and Ray Oulton founded the Bulkley Valley Credit Union.
banking; Conrad Tugnum; Credit Unions; locations; Ray Oulton; Royal Bank; Walter Boissevain
Bulkley Valley Credit Union; BVCU
Tugnum concludes with his thoughts on the Bulkley Valley and the history of clearing land for farming.
burning land; elk
Bulkley Valley; clearing land; land clearing
Seniors' Talk audio interview series
https://search.bvmuseum.org/link/descriptions12293
- Date Range
- [1987?]
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- GMD
- sound recording
- electronic record
- Scope and Content
- Oral history series conducted by Carol Morgenthaler of BVLD Radio with seniors from the Bulkley Valley and surrounding region, circa 1987. Consists of two audio recordings, each containing multiple short (~4-5 min) interviews. Includes raw and edited .WAV files and .MP3 access files.
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- Creator
- Carol Morgenthaler
- Fonds No.
- C5
- Item No.
- 2021.21.72
- Accession No.
- 2021.21
- Physical Description
- 3.46 GB of digital records
- Date Range
- [1987?]
- Scope and Content
- Oral history series conducted by Carol Morgenthaler of BVLD Radio with seniors from the Bulkley Valley and surrounding region, circa 1987. Consists of two audio recordings, each containing multiple short (~4-5 min) interviews. Includes raw and edited .WAV files and .MP3 access files.
- Notes
- Part I includes interviews with: Margaret Long, Lois Campbell, Dick Mosdell, Hugh Neave, Phyllis Matthams, Fran Bonneville, Beth David, Lulu Beaver, Henry Groulx, Jean Kilpatrick (twice), Nancy Vlaar, Dewey Cummins, and Fred Sterns. Part II includes interviews with: Jean Kilpatrick, Vern Hoff and Phil Leroux, Jim Mahoney, Ivy Strimbold, Ella Glans, Phyllis Davidson, Dorothy Adamson, Eleanor Anderson, Bunny Funk, and Winnie and Clary Goodacre.
- Type of Record
- Archival Description
Audio Tracks
Seniors' Talk - part I [1987?]
Interview with Margaret Long (nee Seely), who taught school in Palling during the first half of the 1940s. (Note: introduction has been cut off).
Burns Lake; camraderie; country school; fire; piano lessons; piano teacher; retirement
Palling; schools; teachers; teaching
Interview with Lois Campbell (nee Munger), a long-time resident of the Bulkley Valley. She recounts her memories of growing up in Telkwa and Houston in the 1920s.
coal; farming; Fort Fraser; guide; industries; Jack McNeill; Ladies' Auxiliary to the Royal Canadian Legion; mines; packer; Roy Munger; Sargent's Store; sawmills; school; Senior Citizens' Association; Summit Lake Road; tie-hauling; tie-making; Walcott; Wallace house; Women's Institute; World War I
Houston; Telkwa
Interview with Dick Mosdell, a former sailor from the Maritimes who later moved to Kitimat and retired near Smithers.
Aluminum Company of Canada; bowling; church choir; concert; education; fishing; gardening; Halifax; Kitimat; livestock; machinist; Newfoundland; repair ship; Senior Citizens' Association; Seymour Lake; singing; telegraph cables; Vancouver; Western Union Telegraph Company
activities; hobbies; retirement; sailing; sailor; Smithers
Interview with Hugh Neave, who came to the Francois Lake area from Saskatchewan with his family after the Depression.
Andy Anderson; Burns Lake; Farmer's Institute; ferry; Francois Lake store; Fred Knowles; hardships; Lee Cooper; Marilla; post office; Saskatchewan; school; typhoid; Verne Taylor
Francois Lake; Great Depression; Hansons; Lakes District; moving; Ootsa Lake
Interview with Smithers resident Phyllis Matthams about the development of Hazelton over the past 30 years.
'Ksan; arena; Birch Grove; campgrounds; college; French immersion; graduation; heritage designation; high school; hospital; John Field Elementary School; motel; motorboating; playground; post-secondary education; RCMP building; restaurant; road conditions; Skeena River; sternwheelers; Wiggins Way
education; entertainment; Hazelton; recreation; school; town development
Interview with Fran Bonneville, a former Hazelton schoolteacher.
bingoes; Cancer Society; Catholic Women's League; Chinese cafe; exercise; kindergarten; McDonald's Store; RCMP building; Senior Citizens' Association; St. Mary's School; TOPS
Hazelton; hobbies; New Hazelton; retirement; teaching; town development
Interview with Beth David, whose husband Tom ran the Bell Pole Company yard in Hazelton. (Note: interview contains objectionable viewpoints towards Indigenous people).
Bulkley Canyon; cutting poles; history; horse-logging; lumber; paving; pole yard; pulp mills; road conditions; roads; Senior Citizens' Councillor; telephone poles; timber
Bell Pole Company; Hazelton; Tom David
Interview with Lulu Beaver (nee Morgan), a longtime resident of the Lakes District. Her parents and uncle were early settlers in the region.
Bennetts; education; farmers; farming; Great Depression; Hazelton-Bella Coola trail; hobbies; Jim Morgan; Ootsa Lake; Ootsa Lake flooding; pack train; packer; quilt-making; retirement; rug-making; school; skating; South Bank; Tahtsa Lake
Harry Morgan; history; Lakes District
Interview with Henry Groulx, a retired miner from Ontario who moved to Granisle in 1967.
back road; development; Granby Mining Co.; Great Depression; mining equipment; Ontario; pulp-cutting; retirement; roads; shaft-sinking; wages
Granisle; mining
Interview with Jean Kilpatrick (nee Grant) of Smithers. She discusses working for the Union Bank, meeting her husband Norman, his job for the Land Settlement Board, the family's association with the Fall Fair, and why she has stayed in Smithers for so many years.
dance; exhibition; Land Settlement Board; life memberships; marriage; postmaster; Prince Rupert; World War I
Allan Kilpatrick; bank teller; community involvement; Fall Fair; Norman Kilpatrick; Union Bank
Interview with Nancy Vlaar, who moved to the Houston area from Holland in 1939.
buying land; children; clearing land; death; development of Houston; Harry Anderson; road conditions
Holland; Houston; immigration; work
Interview with Dewey Cummins, a sheep rancher from the Hazelton area.
bears; cattle; clearing land; coyotes; fishing; horses; sheep; wolves
Hazelton; retirement; sheep ranching; wildlife; youth development
Interview with Jean Kilpatrick about life in Smithers in the late 1910s and 1920s.
adding machine; airplane spruce; bands; barbecues; cashing cheques; Charlie Barrett; Cronin Mine; dance hall; excise stamps; Gray's Jewellry; Gray's Orchestra; hockey; Ivy Strimbold; Jim Cronin; mail; money; pool hall; Round Lake picnics; theatre; Union Bank
banking; community events; entertainment; mines; railroad
Interview with Fred Sterns of Burns Lake, explaining why the highway in that area is crooked. He also discusses his own family's history in Burns Lake. (Note: audio is choppy in some areas).
Collins Overland Telegraph Line; crown lands; hardware store; Indian reserve; Miss Addleby; railway construction; Royal Bank; school; settlers; swamp; telegraph trail; tent town
Burns Lake; highway; railroad; transportation history
Seniors' Talk - part II [1987?]
Interview with Smithers resident Jean Kilpatrick (nee Grant) about coming to Hazelton by riverboat in the early 1910s.
baseball; bonfires; cargo; dances; dog sled rides; Hazelton; hockey; homes; horseback; houses; Little Canyon; parties; picnics; population; Portland, Oregon; Prince Rupert; Seeley; skating; snowshoes; supplies; tennis
paddlewheelers; recreation; riverboats; Skeena River; steamboats; sternwheelers; teen life; water transport; youth
Interview with Vern Hoff of the Canadian Elks Lodge and Phil Leroux of the Smithers Elks Lodge about their involvement with the Elks organization.
children's camps; community calendar; Elk Ness; Elks Hall; Fall Fair; food booth; Ladies of the Royal Purple; membership; pancake breakfast; Purple Cross; summer camps
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; BPOE; Canadian Elks Lodge; clubs; community service; Elks; fraternities; fundraising; organizations; Smithers Elks Lodge
Interview with Jim Mahoney of Granisle, primarily about logging and trucking work in southern B.C.
Babine Lake; car repairs; cars; fishing; logging camps; logging trucks; logs; meals; milling; trees; wood
hobbies; labour; logging; truck driving; trucking; work
Interview with Ivy Strimbold (nee McInnes), who relates her stories of life in the Bulkley Valley in the early 1900s. Her parents, Archibald and Jessie McInnes, owned Pioneer Ranch at North Bulkley (between Houston and Topley).
Aldermere; Archibald McInnes; Billy Henry; Carr brothers ranch; cars; Cataline; Charles Barrett; Clark's ranch; community; cross-country skiing; Diamond D Ranch; dog teams; George Beirnes; Jack McNeill's ranch; Jack Seely's ranch; Jessie McInnes; Lowe's ranch; Mill ranch; mowing machine; pack trains; Pioneer Ranch; railroad; ranches; Smithers; travel routes
history; McInnes family; pioneer life; transportation; travel
Interview with Ella Glans of Burns Lake, discussing her arrival to and life in the area.
cabin; family; hobbies; Jonas Glans; livestock; marriage; railway work; school; Senior Citizens' Association
Burns Lake
Interview with Phyllis Davidson (nee Cummins), a longtime Bulkley Valley resident and former schoolteacher.
Anglican Church; dances; Evelyn; Galena Bay; grades; janitorial work; marriage; Normal School; one-room schoolhouse; responsibilities; Revelstoke; Ron Kilby; salary; school supplies; Senior Citizens' Association; teacher training
Evelyn School; Fall Fair; Muheim Memorial Elementary School; school; teacher; teaching; Walnut Park Elementary School
Interview with Dorothy Adamson, who spent most of her life in Ontario and Quebec before retiring to Houston.
Activity Centre; butcher shop; Chateauguay, Quebec; family; French; garbage man; marriage; Senior Citizens' Association; Stayner, Ontario; Toronto; tourist resort; Wasaga Beach
activities; family; hobbies; Houston
Interview with Eleanor Anderson, president of the Hazelton Senior Citizens Association and Women's Institute,
Fall Fair; gardening; health; Lions Club van; monthly themes; outings; picnics; rivet heater; rivet heating; shipyards; shopping; trips; Women's Institute; World War II
activities; events; Hazelton; hobbies; Senior Citizens' Association
Interview with Marjorie 'Bunny' Fink, a longtime resident of Telkwa and Smithers.
Bella Coola; Ben Fink; Betty Mine; blaster; blasting; C.P. Bussinger; Ernie Bradley; Fink sawmills; government office; hobbies; mining; Prince Rupert; Queen Charlotte Islands; Senior Citizens Association; Telkwa Hotel; travel; trips; Tyhee Lake; Tyhee Mary; vacations
Smithers; Telkwa
Interview with Winnie (Winifred) and Clary (Clarence) Goodacre, the founders of Goodacre's Store in Smithers.
buying goods; Doodson's Store; employees; Gray's Orchestra; Great Depression; Harold Mehaffey; Royal Bank; Watson's Store
Goodacre family; Goodacre's Store; grocery business; Smithers; Telkwa
Interview with Cornelius Bot
https://search.bvmuseum.org/link/descriptions12231
- Date Range
- January 23 1995
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- GMD
- sound recording
- electronic record
- Scope and Content
- Interview with Cornelius Bot, recorded January 23 1995 at the Bulkley Valley Museum by Carly Blair. Includes raw and edited .WAV files, MP3 access file, and .pdf release form.
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- Creator
- Carly Blair
- Fonds No.
- C5
- Item No.
- 2021.21.25
- Accession No.
- 2021.21
- Physical Description
- 747 MB of digital records
- Date Range
- January 23 1995
- History / Biographical
- Cornelius Bot (1910-1998) immigrated from Holland to Smithers in 1958 with his wife Alida and their eight children. He established a chicken farm in the early 1960s and was an avid equestrian, member of the Northern Saddle Club, and contributor to the Fall Fair.
- Scope and Content
- Interview with Cornelius Bot, recorded January 23 1995 at the Bulkley Valley Museum by Carly Blair. Includes raw and edited .WAV files, MP3 access file, and .pdf release form.
- Type of Record
- Archival Description
Audio Tracks
Interview with Cornelius Bot - January 23, 1995
Interview with Cornelius Bot - January 23, 1995
https://search.bvmuseum.org/media/Digital%20Fonds%20and%20Collections/C5%20BVM%20Oral%20History%20collection/2021.21.25_Bot,%20Cornelius/Bot,%20Cornelius%201995_01_23%20ACCESS.mp3
What life was like being an immigrant and moving to Canada without speaking English.
immigrant; mill; old country; pay; St. Joseph's School
immigration; Smithers
Building a house with his family and sharing pay cheques in order to build and live together.
building house; bush; Holland; hospital; lots; money pile; old way; plane; years
family; house
Selling eggs in Smithers and making a name for himself with big businesses.
1930s; acres; brothers; chicken house; cows; egg farm; farm; festival; full-time; grade 8; potatoes; Super Valu
farmer
Why Bot married his wife, and why his father died.
brain cancer; engagement
death; family; marriage
Working in Smithers and balancing life with the egg business.
bar; Bulkley Hotel; burnt down; eggs; fire; First Nations; Hazelton; highway; horses; house; wood roads
business
What Bot did in his spare time like teaching his wife English, building, dancing, and so on.
Anna Bot; brother; dancing; horses; playing cards; sister; soccer; workshop
hobbies; language; recreation; Smithers
Interview with Ruby Hoskins
https://search.bvmuseum.org/link/descriptions12254
- Date Range
- August 13 1990
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- GMD
- sound recording
- electronic record
- Scope and Content
- Interview with Ruby Hoskins (nee Williams), recorded on August 13th 1990 by Lori Hudson. Includes raw and edited .WAV files, an .MP3 access file, and a .pdf release form.
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- Creator
- Lori Hudson
- Fonds No.
- C5
- Item No.
- 2021.21.47
- Accession No.
- 2021.21
- Physical Description
- 1.37 GB of digital records
- Date Range
- August 13 1990
- Scope and Content
- Interview with Ruby Hoskins (nee Williams), recorded on August 13th 1990 by Lori Hudson. Includes raw and edited .WAV files, an .MP3 access file, and a .pdf release form.
- Type of Record
- Archival Description
Audio Tracks
Interview with Ruby Hoskins - August 13 1990
Interview with Ruby Hoskins - August 13 1990
https://search.bvmuseum.org/media/Digital%20Fonds%20and%20Collections/C5%20BVM%20Oral%20History%20collection/2021.21.47_Hoskins,%20Ruby/Hoskins,%20Ruby%2008_13.ACCESS.MP3
Ruby Hoskins begins the interview with an overview of her childhood in Wales and her family's immigration to the Bulkley Valley in 1928. She discusses the family's reasons for moving to Smithers, how they travelled from Britain to Canada, and what they did shortly after their arrival in their new home.
arrival; Bulkley Hotel; Cardiff, Wales; dairy farm; Driftwood; farm; farming; log cabin; ranch; RMS Empress of France; Soldier Settlement Board; Telkwa; Thomas Williams; train; train cars; transportation; travel
childhood; immigration; Smithers; Wales; Williams family
Hoskins discusses how she worked as a waitress in the Bulkley Hotel shortly after her arrival in Smithers. She includes a story about the hotel's cook, Sam Hunt, and an interaction with some uncooperative customers.
cook; customers; dining room; drunkenness; houses; prospecting; restaurant; Sam Hunt; San Francisco earthquake; Smithers Hotel; visiting; waitress
Bulkley Hotel; employment; work
Hoskins discusses working for the Carr family, who helped her adjust to her new life in Canada.
children; Christmas; Jack Carr; jobs for young women; Katie Carr; sayings
Carr family; employment; work
Hoskins discusses her work at the Smithers post office and how mail was transported in the 1920s/30s.
proposals; sorting mail; train
communication; employment; post office; work
Hoskins discusses her marriage to Oswald in 1934 and the opening of his business, the Hoskins Service Station, during the Great Depression. She also mentions some of the differences between life in Wales and Canada.
Anglican Church; banker; Duncan, BC; economy; Great Depression; Henry Motors; honeymoon; jobs; mechanics; politics; Prince George; road conditions; roads; school; Wales
business; Hoskins Service Station; marriage; Oswald Hoskins
Hoskins discusses the first house she rented with her husband, as well as general housing in Smithers at the time.
garden; homesickness; Hoskins home; log houses; rent; tablecloth
buildings; homes; houses; housing
Hoskins gives her first impressions of Smithers' Main Street and its businesses, and tells of a miscommunication between herself and a shopkeeper at Dunlop's Store regarding cotton thread. Note that the audio cuts in and out around 31:25.
bathing suits; benches; buildings; clothing store; cotton thread; Eby's Hardware; Main Street ditch; miscommunication; Miss McLaughlin; Mrs. Dunlop; prospectors; sidewalks
businesses; Dunlop's Store; Main Street; Smithers
Hoskins gives her first impression of the Indigenous residents of Smithers and the Bulkley Valley. She talks of their reception in town and their contributions to the workforce, as well as differences in how ethnicity was viewed in Canada vs. Wales. (Warning that this section includes offensive language and stereotypical depictions of Indigenous people).
Carr family; ethnicity; farm work; post office; shopping
Indigenous labour; Indigenous people; race; racism
Hoskins talks briefly about the scarcity of electrical appliances in Smithers during the 1920s/30s, and how extra electricity was allotted on Mondays for powering the washing machines.
cleaning floors; CNR; wash day; washing machines
appliances; electricity; mechanization
Hoskins talks about the most common livelihoods in Smithers at the time she arrived, as well as the effect of the Great Depression and the Second World War on the local economy.
availability of goods; barter system; boarding house; Duthie Mine; economic diversification; farming; generosity; government workers; groceries; Hellish Mess; housing; mining; Mr. Finnerty; railway workers; ration books; rationing; timber; trading
economy; employment; Great Depression; livelihoods; occupations; work; World War II
Hoskins shares anecdotes about several notable locals: Smithers' first doctor, Cecil Hankinson (44:37); theatre-owner, businessman, and mechanic Wiggs O'Neill (49:24); and James Kirby, a policeman, mining registrar, and Clerk of the Peace (52:50). (Note: Kirby's son Ernest drowned in Tatalaska Lake, not Seymour Lake as stated in this interview).
death; drowning; Ernest Kirby; mail; movie theatre; photographs; post office; Seeley Lake; skating party; sorting mail
anecdotes; Dr. Cecil Hankinson; James Kirby; Wiggs O'Neill
Hoskins discusses some of the work she undertook later in her adult life: volunteering with the women's auxiliary for the Bulkley Valley District Hospital, and working as one of the first employees of the Tourist Information Centre. (Note: interview ends abruptly without proper conclusion).
accommodations; bazaar; bridge; bridge parties; Chamber of Commerce; children's costume ball; first aid courses; Halloween; hotels; Indigenous people; Katie Carr; Lake Kathlyn; maps; racism; radio station; Red Cross; Seeley Lake; swimming pool; World War II
employment; fundraising; Hospital Auxiliary; social events; tourism; Tourist Information Centre; tourists; volunteering; work
Interview with Frank Dockrill Jr.
https://search.bvmuseum.org/link/descriptions12243
- Date Range
- August 1991
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- GMD
- sound recording
- electronic record
- Scope and Content
- Interview with Frank Dockrill Jr., recorded in August 1991 by Tom Leach. Includes raw and edited .WAV files and an MP3 access file.
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- Creator
- Tom Leach
- Fonds No.
- C5
- Item No.
- 2021.21.36
- Accession No.
- 2021.21
- Physical Description
- 0.97 GB of digital records
- Date Range
- August 1991
- History / Biographical
- Frank Dockrill Jr. (c. 1910-1999) was born to Frank Sr. and Elizabeth Dockrill and grew up on the family farm near Telkwa. His father founded the Bulkley Valley Collieries, where Frank worked as a young man. He married May Caldwell in 1939 and had two daughters, Beverley and Heather. Dockrill moved to Kitimat in 1957 to work as an electrician.
- Scope and Content
- Interview with Frank Dockrill Jr., recorded in August 1991 by Tom Leach. Includes raw and edited .WAV files and an MP3 access file.
- Type of Record
- Archival Description
Audio Tracks
Interview with Frank Dockrill Jr. - August 1991
Interview with Frank Dockrill Jr. - August 1991
https://search.bvmuseum.org/media/Digital%20Fonds%20and%20Collections/C5%20BVM%20Oral%20History%20collection/2021.21.36_Dockrill,%20Frank%20Jr/Dockrill,%20Frank%20ACCESS.MP3
Frank Dockrill recounts his father's early mining career and how it brought his family to the Bulkley Valley. Note: start of interview appears to have been cut off.
Boer War; scrip; Skeena River; South African scrip; South African War; Telkwa; Vancouver; veterans; Woodmere Road; Yukon
Bulkley Valley; Dockrill family; Frank Dockrill Sr.; mining; prospecting
Dockrill discusses how his father would work on the family farm near Telkwa in the summer. One of the fields was used as an
A.E. Richards; crops; Frank Dockrill Sr.; grain; illustration station; inspector; potatoes; vegetables
agriculture; farming; farms; Summerland Experimental Farm
Dockrill discusses his father's winter job at the Santa Maria copper mine, as well as a brief foray into gold prospecting.
Atlin District; Frank Dockrill Sr.; gold; ore; sleighs; Tacoma
copper mining; mining; Santa Maria mine
Dockrill describes the creation and early days of the Bulkley Valley Collieries, which was founded by his father.
auger; blacksmiths; bunkhouse; coal drill; cookhouse; farmers; Frank Dockrill Sr.; Leach; Lejac Residential School; roads; safety lamps; shaft; Smithers Hospital; tunnel; winter employment
Bulkley Valley Collieries; coal mine; coal mining; Goat Creek; Telkwa Collieries
Continuation of the story of the Bulkley Valley Collieries. Dockrill describes how additional pits (and a strip mine) were dug when the first one became unusable, how changes in technology and regulations affected the work of the miners, and how the coal was marketed and sold.
army; BC Hydro; Charles Melville Hays; Coal Mines Regulations Act; coal pits; electricity; equipment; Frank Dockrill Sr.; generator; Grand Trunk Pacific Railway; Great Depression; machinery; marketing; railroads; strip mine; World War II
Bulkley Valley Collieries; coal mine; coal mining; Goat Creek; Telkwa Collieries
Brief discussion of Dockrill's lifelong fascination with electricity and how this interest overlapped with some of the jobs he worked as a young adult, both in the Bulkley Valley Collieries and while living in Vancouver.
electrician; Great Depression; May Dockrill; radio; Vancouver
electricity; employment; jobs; occupations; work
Dockrill discusses his father's hands-on approach to the running of the Bulkley Valley Collieries and how the family's shares in the company were eventually sold. Also a brief mention of how Dockrill Jr. moved to Kitimat to work as an electrician (begins at 33:15).
coal mining; death; electrician; wages; work
Bulkey Valley Collieries; coal mine; Frank Dockrill Sr.; Kitimat; Telkwa Collieries
Dockrill discusses what his daily routine was like while working at the Bulkley Valley Collieries.
coffee breaks; fans; inspector; shifts; silicosis; smoking; ventilation; working conditions
Bulkley Valley Collieries; coal mining; work
Frank and his wife May Dockrill describe their married life in Telkwa during the 1940s, with a focus on their first houses and how they eventually received modern amenities. Note: interview ends without a proper conclusion.
amenities; electricity; family life; generator; government agent; modern conveniences; Mrs. Goodwill; social life; teas; water pump
homes; houses; Telkwa
Interview with Larry Miller
https://search.bvmuseum.org/link/descriptions11949
- Date Range
- November 30 2020
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- GMD
- sound recording
- electronic record
- textual record
- Scope and Content
- Interview with firefighter and former BC Tel employee Larry Miller, recorded November 30 2021 at the Old Church in Smithers by Cassandra McKenney, BVM oral history intern. Includes raw and edited .WAV files, MP3 access file, PDF bibliographic form, photo from day of interview, PDF and .docx copies …
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- Creator
- Cassandra McKenney
- Fonds No.
- C5
- Item No.
- 2021.21.11
- Accession No.
- 2021.21
- Physical Description
- 2.22 GB of digital records
- Date Range
- November 30 2020
- Scope and Content
- Interview with firefighter and former BC Tel employee Larry Miller, recorded November 30 2021 at the Old Church in Smithers by Cassandra McKenney, BVM oral history intern. Includes raw and edited .WAV files, MP3 access file, PDF bibliographic form, photo from day of interview, PDF and .docx copies of question prep, and .csv file of subject indexing.
- Type of Record
- Archival Description
Audio Tracks
Interview with Larry Miller - November 30, 2020
Interview with Larry Miller - November 30, 2020
https://search.bvmuseum.org/media/Digital%20Fonds%20and%20Collections/C5%20BVM%20Oral%20History%20collection/2021.21.11_Miller,%20Larry/Miller,%20Larry%202020_11_30.ACCESS.mp3
Learning about Larry's family, who were early pioneers of Smithers.
apartment; bailer; Bulkley Hotel; Carr; Carr brothers; Carr Ranch; foster; Grand Forks; horses; lumber yard; mines; pioneers; police; Smithers; St. Paul's; Vancouver; WWI; WWII
family; parentage; pioneers
The different businesses that the Carr family owned.
Bill Carr; garage; Hetherington & Hooper; Jack Carr
business; family; lineage
Changing schools, working, finishing high school, and then starting a life.
altar boy; BC Tel; Catholic school; cooking; Fall Fair; girls; hardware store; Harmonettes; high school; public school; Sister Mary Andrew; TELUS
education
Working for BC Tel and seeing how it evolved through the years.
cable; district; line man; management; mill; party line; plant councillor; plowing; splicer; switch board; traveling; trouble shooter; union
TELUS
Miller's life as a fire fighter/paramedic.
assistant; bank; cabins; Fire Chief; fire hall; firefighting; first aid; Heimlich maneuver; industrial first aid; Junior Fire Department; PCP; volunteer
firefighting
What the life of a fire fighter really looks like, the good and the bad.
annual firemen's ball; BC Tel; drinking and driving laws; fire department; hockey; Prince Rupert; safety
car accidents; fire balls
This topic is on the work that Miller did to help develop the Child Wellness Centre, like finding the property, building the building, and finding the staff to run the show.
banker; Child Wellness Centre; Childhood Development Centre; Farmers' Market; farms; young offenders
Child Wellness Centre
After Miller retired he had a lot more time on his hands and he devoted that time to helping those in the community.
children and families; Children's Hospital; community; dances; Doctor Hook; Kinsmen Club; Lions Club; money; pool; rehab representative; Rehabilitation Centre; rodeo; Rotary Club; wheelchair
charity; community; hobbies; rehabilitation
Where Miller got his start in Smithers, first being at his mother's house, then being on his own in a basement suite, to later moving in with his wife.
Bulkley Valley Credit Union; fires; Hilltop; history of fire department; Interior News; rent
housing; photography; youth
How the town of Smithers has changed over the years and how farmers are being over run by the rail way and industrialization.
Bovill Motors; coal; courthouse; First Nations; ice; industry; jail; Kitimat; Lake Kathlyn; policeman; population growth; Post Office; rail yard; railroad; rural people
farmers; industrialization
Interview with Dr. George Mackenzie
https://search.bvmuseum.org/link/descriptions12283
- Date Range
- July 17, 1993
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- GMD
- sound recording
- electronic record
- Scope and Content
- Interview with Dr. George Mackenzie, recorded on July 17th 1993 by Erin Candela. Includes raw and edited .WAV files, .MP3 access file, and .jpg release form.
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- Creator
- Erin Candela
- Fonds No.
- C5
- Item No.
- 2021.21.58
- Accession No.
- 2021.21
- Physical Description
- 1.28 GB of digital records
- Date Range
- July 17, 1993
- Scope and Content
- Interview with Dr. George Mackenzie, recorded on July 17th 1993 by Erin Candela. Includes raw and edited .WAV files, .MP3 access file, and .jpg release form.
- Type of Record
- Archival Description
Audio Tracks
Interview with Dr. George McKenzie - July 17, 1993
Interview with Dr. George McKenzie - July 17, 1993
https://search.bvmuseum.org/media/Digital%20Fonds%20and%20Collections/C5%20BVM%20Oral%20History%20collection/2021.21.58_McKenzie,%20Dr%20George/McKenzie,%20George%201993_07_17.ACCESS.mp3
George McKenzie discusses his early years in the Bulkley Valley, including what his parents did for a living and why they moved to Smithers (from Moricetown/Witset).
Hazelton; Moricetown; section foreman; Smithers Hotel; station house
birth; childhood; moving; school
McKenzie describes the education he received during his elementary school days in Smithers.
discipline; literature; readers; school subjects; teachers
education; school
McKenzie describes what he would do for fun as a young boy in Smithers.
bear cub; curling rink; skating rink; softball
animals; athletics; childhood; entertainment; recreation; sports; wildlife
McKenzie describes how he was orphaned shortly after leaving Smithers and had to find a job as a young teenager during the Depression. He was eventually able to attend medical school in preparation for World War II.
anatomy; dissection; Great Depression; hotel clerk; John Gray; medical school; Vancouver; World War II
death of parents; education; employment; jobs; working
McKenzie describes the type of clothing worn during his younger days in Smithers, as well as how children would get into fights on the schoolyard.
knickers; schoolyard fights; winter wear
clothing
McKenzie describes the type of appliances and amenities available for cooking and food preservation during his childhood in Smithers.
amenities; appliances; electricity; refrigeration; wood stoves
cooking; food
McKenzie tells a story about policeman Anthony 'Big Mac' MacDonald, and describes the 1913 and 1929 bank robberies in Hazelton and Smithers respectively.
Andy Fairburn; butcher shop; Charlie Morris; George Heffernan; Hazelton bank robbery; jail; Pioneer Building; planting potatoes; Royal Bank
Anthony MacDonald; bank robbery; crime; law and order; policemen
McKenzie describes sports and other forms of outdoor recreation in Smithers during his childhood.
baseball; Chris Dahlie; fishing; Fujio Aida; hiking; hockey; ski competitions; ski jump; soccer; swimming
athletics; Lake Kathlyn; recreation; skiing; sports
McKenzie describes a bathhouse run by a Japanese family (presumably the Katsuro family) in Smithers during the 1920s. He also discusses prices during the Depression in Vancouver.
bathhouse; bathing; hygiene; money; prices
McKenzie discusses various aspects of his life after leaving Smithers, including living in Vancouver, suffering from eye problems, training to be a doctor, joining the military, and specializing in pediatrics.
eye problems; iritis; lead-swingers; marriage; pediatrics; Vancouver
air force; army; medical school; medical training; military; military training; World War II
McKenzie describes various forms of entertainment and recreation in Smithers during his childhood, including popular culture such as movies and music.
band; films; fishing; Fujio Aida; John Gray; Lake Kathlyn; Main Street ditches; movie theater; movie theatre; movies; scat singing; shells; silent films; singers; singing; skates; skating; Tommy Hetherington; town hall; violin lessons
activities; concerts; dancing; entertainment; music; recreation
Discussion of Sargent's Store and the types of candy and junk food available at the time.
Al Finnerty; cent candy; Moran's Corner; Sargent's Store; soda fountain
candy; drinks; junk food; shopping
McKenzie describes men riding the rails during the Great Depression, looking for jobs.
Great Depression; railway; riding the rails
McKenzie mentions how he used to love cross-country skiing by moonlight, and compares Smithers' winters to those in other places in Canada/the U.S.
McKenzie expresses his belief that Canadian youth should get to know their country and its history better.
Canada; history; travel; weather
McKenzie talks about leaving Smithers and losing his mother all before entering his teens.
hardships; homesickness
McKenzie discusses living in Montreal and gives his perspectives on Quebecois independence, the right to preserve one's culture, and the importance of French-Canadian history.
culture; history; Quebec; Quebecois
After signing off, interview begins again with discussion of boyhood Halloween pranks in Smithers. (Note: tape cuts off and comes back again around 42:28).
Andy McNaughton; Chong Kee Laundry; Evelyn Hotel; firecrackers; tipping outhouses
childhood; Halloween; holidays; pranks
McKenzie relates the story of how three Knockholt railway workers would sometimes find old socks in their stewed rhubarb.
Danny Matheson; Houston; Knockholt
rhubarb stew
McKenzie names the doctors and dentists who practiced in Smithers while he was a boy, and describes the methods and quality of health care available at the time.
appendicitis; barbers; castor oil; child mortality; cod liver oil; diseases; Dr. Alexander; Dr. R.B. Brummitt; Dr. R.C. Bamford; Dr. Vere Agnew; meningitis; pain relief; patent medicines; quack medicines; Sandy Gazely; World War II
dental care; dentists; doctors; health care
McKenzie gives his views on Americans and compares American and Canadian society.
AIDS; capital punishment; gun control; hanging; public health care
American vs. Canadian society; Americans
McKenzie's closing thoughts and comments.
'Ksan; child safety; hitchhiking; Michael Dunahee (kidnapped boy)
Interview with Hal Windt
https://search.bvmuseum.org/link/descriptions12274
- Date Range
- February 10, 1994
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- GMD
- sound recording
- electronic record
- Scope and Content
- Interview with Harold (Hal) Windt, recorded on February 10th 1994 by Colin Wilmot. Includes raw and edited .WAV files, an .MP3 access file, and a .jpg release form.
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- Creator
- Colin Wilmot
- Fonds No.
- C5
- Item No.
- 2021.21.77
- Accession No.
- 2021.21
- Physical Description
- 988 MB of digital records
- Date Range
- February 10, 1994
- Scope and Content
- Interview with Harold (Hal) Windt, recorded on February 10th 1994 by Colin Wilmot. Includes raw and edited .WAV files, an .MP3 access file, and a .jpg release form.
- Type of Record
- Archival Description
Audio Tracks
Interview with Hal Windt - February 10, 1994
Interview with Hal Windt - February 10, 1994
https://search.bvmuseum.org/media/Digital%20Fonds%20and%20Collections/C5%20BVM%20Oral%20History%20collection/2021.21.77_Windt,%20Hal/Windt,%20Hal%201994_02_10.ACCESS.mp3
Interview begins with Windt identifying people in old photographs and discussing his school days in Smithers.
basketball; Bill Beaton; Larry Warner; Margaret Windt; nicknames; Olga Syrnyk; Pearl Hann; schoolteachers; Smithers Public School; Tom Jones; Vera Doodson
photographs; school; sports
Windt discusses how he moved from place to place after leaving Smithers in 1939, working various jobs in different towns throughout BC as well as training for the Air Force in Ottawa during the Second World War.
business school; Hazelton; Ottawa; road surveying; Vancouver; working; World War II
Air Force; employment; jobs; military service; money; moving; occupations; payment; prices; wages
Discussion of the Central Park Building and how police sergeants used to live on the top floor with their families.
Andy Fairbairn; Bill Service; jail cells; T.J. Thorpe; Tom Thorpe
Central Park Building; police sergeants; police station; Provincial Police
Windt talks about his friendship with Chris Dahlie, who taught him how to ski.
Elsie Dahlie; Hanson's farm; homemade skis; making skis; Malkow Hill; Silvern Lake; ski jumps
Chris Dahlie; Dahlie family; recreation; ski trips; skiing; sports
Windt discusses several large fires on Smithers' Main Street in the 1940s (not the 1930s as he states). He also identifies several buildings in streetscape photos from the 1950s.
Adams' Drug Store; Broadway Avenue; Gray's Jewellery; Henry Motors; Interior Stationery; Juniper Berry; liquor store; Main Street; Noel's Store; post office; Radio Shack; town hall; town office
buildings; fires; Main Street fires
Windt discusses past Smithers resident John Gray and his family.
Ethel Gray; Ethel Hetherington; Flo Gray; Flo Parker; Mamie Buchan; Mamie Gray; marriages
Gray family; John Gray
Windt briefly discusses the Aida family as well as the town's original curling and skating rinks.
Aida Cleaners; Fujio Aida; Kintaro Aida
Aida family; curling rink; skating rink; Tat Aida
Windt discusses the O'Neill family and the businesses they ran, including a theatre.
Bill O'Neill; O'Neill family; O'Neill Service Station and Garage; theatre
Windt discusses the Watson family and their grocery store, as well as several other Smithers businesses of the day.
athletics; Evitt's Hardware Store; Morris' Butcher Shop; Sealy and Doodson; sports; Watson memoirs
buildings; businesses; Watson family; Watson's Store; Wilf Watson
Windt discusses the sort of 'trouble' that he and others got up to in their youth.
dances; homemade wine; making whiskey; petty theft
alcohol; drinking; theft; troublemaking
Windt discusses differences between 'now' and 'then' in terms of lifestyle, entertainment, transportation, and people's general expectations.
dances; Driftwood; skiing
differences; entertainment; expectations; walking
Windt discusses the difficulty of finding work in the 1930s. He also mentions when and how his parents first came to Smithers.
Department of Highways; Land Assessor's Office; Provincial Building; Quesnel; riverboat; survey crew; surveying
arrival; employment; Great Depression; work
Windt discusses his current hobbies, including spinning wool, knitting, hunting, and fishing.
fishing; health problems; hunting; knitting; spinning wool; weaving
activities; hobbies; leisure; recreation
Windt discusses skating and fishing in the ditches on Main Street, as well as if anyone ever fell in them while drunk.
Chicken Creek; fishing; skating
alcohol; drinking; Main Street ditches; recreation
Windt discusses beer parlours, hotels, and pool rooms in early Smithers. (Note: interview ends abruptly mid-sentence).
Bulkley Hotel; Downeys; Henry Motors; Kennedy's Pool Room; McRae Hotel; Moran's Pool Room; Smithers Hotel
bars; beer parlours; hotels; pool halls; pool rooms
Interview with Sherry Day
https://search.bvmuseum.org/link/descriptions12471
- Date Range
- January 3 - 7, 2022
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- GMD
- sound recording
- electronic record
- Scope and Content
- Two-part interview with Sherry Day, a Smithers nurse and guide-outfitter. Recorded by Sonja Lester for the Bulkley Valley Museum on January 3rd and 7th 2022 as part of the New Horizons for Seniors oral history project. Includes raw and edited .WAV files, .MP3 access files, and a .pdf release form.
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- Creator
- Sonja Lester
- Fonds No.
- C5
- Item No.
- 2021.21.86
- Accession No.
- 2021.21
- Physical Description
- 1.01 GB digital records
- Date Range
- January 3 - 7, 2022
- Scope and Content
- Two-part interview with Sherry Day, a Smithers nurse and guide-outfitter. Recorded by Sonja Lester for the Bulkley Valley Museum on January 3rd and 7th 2022 as part of the New Horizons for Seniors oral history project. Includes raw and edited .WAV files, .MP3 access files, and a .pdf release form.
- Type of Record
- Archival Description
Audio Tracks
Interview with Sherry Day, part 1 - January 3, 2022
Interview with Sherry Day, part 1 - January 3, 2022
https://search.bvmuseum.org/media/Digital%20Fonds%20and%20Collections/C5%20BVM%20Oral%20History%20collection/2021.21.86_Day,%20Sherry/Day,%20Sherry%202022_01_03.ACCESS.mp3
Sherry Day gives an outline of her background in the nursing field, including where she has studied and worked.
Minneapolis, Minnesota; nursing degree; nursing instructor; Oslo, Norway; Saskatoon; University of Saskatchewan
nursing; nursing education; nursing school
Day recounts why she and her first husband (Dr. Brian Reive) moved to Smithers, and how she became a nurse at the Bulkley Valley District Hospital. She identifies the departments in which she worked, names some of her coworkers, and discusses the effects of the Sisters of Saint Anne leaving the hospital and the transition from the 'old' building to the 'new.'
Birgit David; Christine Kapelar; Dr. Brian Reive; Jean MacDonald; Kate Lindbergh; Louise Watson; Margaret Goodacre; Mary Goodacre; medicine; midwives; moving; Mrs. Eby; pediatrics; Ron Olson; Sisters of Saint Anne; surgery; veterinarian
Bulkley Valley District Hospital; nurses; nursing; Smithers
Day briefly discusses working at a surgical daycare after her retirement.
OR
retirement; surgical daycare
Day discusses the camaraderie that developed between her and her fellow nurses-in-training at the University of Saskatoon.
class reunions; education; nurses' residence; Saskatoon
companionship; friendships; medical community; nurses
Day discusses working in the guide-outfitting industry alongside her second husband, Fletcher Day.
horses; hunting; Jenny Lester; Tahltan; Telegraph Creek; trailing
Fletcher Day; guide-outfitters; guide-outfitting; working
Day discusses her lifelong love of horses and dogs.
dog shows; Karen Stewart; Lakes District Kennel Club; shelties; shetland sheepdogs
animals; dogs; horses; pets
Day talks about how she would accompany patients being medically evacuated from Smithers by helicopter.
air ambulance; aircraft; med-evacs; medical evacuation; medivacs
health care
Day discusses changes to local health care since she first started nursing in Smithers, such as the reduced quality of in-hospital meals and the prepackaging of medications.
cafeteria; decentralization; food services; hospital meals; medications; Northern Health; pharmacist; pharmacy
Bulkley Valley District Hospital; health care
Closing of part 1 of the interview with Sherry Day.
yoga
Interview with Sherry Day, part 2 - January 7, 2022
Interview with Sherry Day, part 2 - January 7, 2022
https://search.bvmuseum.org/media/Digital%20Fonds%20and%20Collections/C5%20BVM%20Oral%20History%20collection/2021.21.86_Day,%20Sherry/Day,%20Sherry%202022_01_07.ACCESS.mp3
Day discusses ways in which the hospital has changed since she started working there in 1973, such as getting a qualified pharmacist and improved cancer treatment.
cancer treatment; cancer ward; chemotherapy; Jean MacDonald; Lynn Shervill; medications; Norma John; pharmacist; pharmacy; Prince George
Bulkley Valley District Hospital; cancer; health care; nurses
Day speaks about the development of the hospital's palliative care services.
health care; hospice care; palliative care
Day speaks about the Hospital Auxiliary's role in raising money for the hospital.
donations; medical equipment
Hospital Auxiliary; New to You
Day talks about the hospital's commitment to continuing education amongst its staff and medical students, and how loss of funding has made this more difficult.
administration course; College of New Caledonia; funding; medical students; Myrtle McIntyre; nurses; practical experience; specialty courses; student practitioners; visiting lecturers
Bulkley Valley District Hospital; continuing education; medical training
Day discusses her involvement with the BC Nurses' Union, and elaborates on the difference between its mandate and that of the Registered Nurses' Association.
BC Nurses' Union; court ruling; Labour Relations Division; mandates; Registered Nurses' Association; Saskatchewan Union of Nurses
nurses' union; unions
Day discusses how Smithers is losing its medical services and specialists (largely to Terrace) as a result of centralization.
hospital administration; hospital leadership; hospitals; ICU; Intensive Care Unit; internal medicine; lab services; mental health care; psychiatric unit; safe room; Terrace
centralization; loss of services; loss of specialists
A brief discussion of the Hospital's maternity ward before the interview concludes.
birth; midwives; nurses; remodelling
Bulkley Valley District Hospital; maternity ward
Lawrence Lapadat, Lois Lapadat, Ron Lapadat, c.1973
https://search.bvmuseum.org/link/descriptions12675
- Collection
- BVM visual record collection
- Description Level
- Item
- GMD
- graphic material
- Collection
- BVM visual record collection
- Description Level
- Item
- GMD
- graphic material
- Fonds No.
- C2
- Item No.
- P9298
- Accession No.
- 2011.34
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph: colour (TIF)
- Scan Resolution
- 200 dpi
- Notes
- Lawrence Lapadat, Lois Lapadat, Ron Lapadat, c.1973. They appear to be wearing ski helmets and winter clothing.
- Type of Record
- Archival Description
Images
Interview with Daintre Riffel
https://search.bvmuseum.org/link/descriptions12273
- Date Range
- April 23, 1991
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- GMD
- sound recording
- electronic record
- Scope and Content
- Interview with Daintre Riffel (nee Goodacre), recorded on April 23rd 1991 by Terry Berg as part of the 1991 Smithers Alternate School students' series. Includes raw and edited .WAV files and an .MP3 access file.
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- Creator
- Terry Berg
- Fonds No.
- C5
- Item No.
- 2021.21.70
- Accession No.
- 2021.21
- Physical Description
- 1.33 GB of digital records
- Date Range
- April 23, 1991
- Scope and Content
- Interview with Daintre Riffel (nee Goodacre), recorded on April 23rd 1991 by Terry Berg as part of the 1991 Smithers Alternate School students' series. Includes raw and edited .WAV files and an .MP3 access file.
- Type of Record
- Archival Description
Audio Tracks
Interview with Daintre Riffel - April 23, 1991
Interview with Daintre Riffel - April 23, 1991
https://search.bvmuseum.org/media/Digital%20Fonds%20and%20Collections/C5%20BVM%20Oral%20History%20collection/2021.21.70_Riffel,%20Daintre/Riffel,%20Daintre%201991_04_23.ACCESS.mp3
Daintre Riffel talks about her school days in Smithers, including what subjects were taught, how education then differed from today, what her favourite grade was, and whether she was taught by her aunt (possibly Jean Burns or Susanna 'Kitty' McDonald).
arithmetic; basketball; eighth grade; extracurricular activities; geography; Glentanna School; reading; school subjects; spelling; teachers; writing
education; school
Riffel talks about different sports and other physical activities she enjoyed in her youth.
basketball; competitions; girls' hockey team; hockey; Mr. Johnson; ping-pong; skating; skiing; table tennis; tournaments; town hall; travel
activities; recreation; sports
Riffel, who has lived in the Smithers area her entire life, explains how her parents originally came to live the Valley.
Goodacre's Store; Soldiers' Settlement Land; Telkwa; Third Avenue; Tyhee Lake
Clarence Goodacre Sr.; family history; houses; Smithers; Winnie Goodacre; Winnie McDonald
Riffel discusses her husband (Fred), his work on the railway, and how he came to Smithers with the army during the Second World War. She also talks about her children, particularly Jim.
14th Aerodrome Defence; air force; carman; Clarence Goodacre Sr.; Prince Rupert harbour; railroad work; railway man; Smithers Airport; Super-Valu; Valerie Riffel
children; family; Fred Riffel; Jim Riffel; jobs; military; occupations; work
Riffel discusses her work as a secretary at the Royal Bank, particularly how much she was able to earn.
Laurel Roumieu; Marcella Edmonds
earnings; employment; jobs; money; occupations; payment; Royal Bank; wages; work
Riffel discusses the changes that have occurred in Smithers over the years, mostly in terms of infrastructure.
boardwalks; corduroy roads; ditches; infrastructure; Main Street; pavement; road conditions; sidewalks
development; Smithers; urban growth
Riffel discusses the houses she's lived in over the years and the amenities they've had.
electricity; Fred Riffel; grandparents; plumbing; ranch house; water pump
amenities; homes; houses
Riffel discusses the growth of Smithers at the expense of Telkwa, the former towns of Hubert and Aldermere, and whether she has ever wanted to move away.
floodplain; floods; jobs; railroad; swamp
Aldermere; Hubert; Smithers; Telkwa
Riffel identifies some of the older buildings in town, including the Central Park Building. She discusses the latter's use as a jail and whether there was a lot of crime in Smithers at the time.
Adams' Drugstore; bank robberies; Bulkley Hotel; Central Clothing; drinking; drunkenness; guns; Juniper Berry; liquor store; post office
buildings; Central Park Building; crime; historic buildings; jail; Provincial Government Building; punishment
Riffel discusses what it was like to grow up in the family store, including having to ration during World War II, what shopping was like before the era of self-serve grocery stores, and how prices have changed over the years.
butcher shop; inflation; peanut butter; World War II
Goodacre's Store; prices; rationing; shopping; working
Riffel mentions more of Smithers' early buildings, such as Mah Yoke Tong's bakery, and who constructed many of these businesses.
Bulkley Hotel; Ernie Hann; Smithers Bakery; Spicer and Roumieu Insurance
Bovill & Hann; buildings; historic buildings
Riffel discusses community events in Smithers, such as school Christmas concerts and Sunday walks to the river. (Note: topic changes abruptly around 26:48; seemingly a section is missing).
Anglican hall; Bulkley River; costumes; dances; Scout Hall; Sunday walks; theatre; town hall; walking
Christmas concerts; community events
Riffel discusses the old-fashioned social mores and values of the 1930s and 40s, sharing the story of a teenaged girl who was ostracized for becoming pregnant.
adoption; schoolteachers
changing values; mores; social standards; societal attitudes; teenage pregnancy; values
Riffel discusses the prominence of the Church in the community and mentions the different hospital buildings which have been used over the years.
church choir; church picnics; nurses' home
Bulkley Valley District Hospital; church; hospital
Riffel talks about Watson's Store and shares a story about Walter Watson helping her brother Jim deliver groceries.
Apollo Automotive; Clarence Goodacre Sr.; competition; delivering groceries; grocery stores
Jim Goodacre; Walter Watson; Watson family; Watson's Store
Riffel names some old schoolmates who still live in Smithers, and discusses how some students had to walk to school all the way from Lake Kathlyn.
Chuck Morris; Gordie Hetherington; Lake Kathlyn; Mary Watson; Pat McCammon; skiing
classmates; school; schoolmates; walking to school
Discussion of the Watson boys, competition between local sports teams, and how the Riffels boarded and coached junior hockey players from out-of-town in the 1970s.
Bruins; competition; Gnats; hockey teams; Jimmy Watson; Joe Watson; Mary Watson; Philadelphia Flyers; Smithers Totems
boarding; coaching hockey; Fred Riffel; hockey; junior hockey; sports
Interview with John Gyger
https://search.bvmuseum.org/link/descriptions12249
- Date Range
- August 8 1997
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- GMD
- sound recording
- electronic record
- Scope and Content
- Interview with John Gyger, recorded at his home on August 8th 1997 by Misty Jorgen. Includes raw and edited .WAV files, an MP3 access file, and a .jpg release form.
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- Creator
- Misty Jorgen
- Fonds No.
- C5
- Item No.
- 2021.21.42
- Accession No.
- 2021.21
- Physical Description
- 1.35 GB of digital records
- Date Range
- August 8 1997
- History / Biographical
- John Gyger was born in Adelboden, Switzerland to Fritz and Rosa Gyger. He and his family came to Canada in 1937 as part of the first wave of Swiss immigrants to the Bulkley Valley. Gyger made a living by farming, logging, and working on the railway. He married Wilma Gorley in 1947 and had three children.
- Scope and Content
- Interview with John Gyger, recorded at his home on August 8th 1997 by Misty Jorgen. Includes raw and edited .WAV files, an MP3 access file, and a .jpg release form.
- Type of Record
- Archival Description
Audio Tracks
Interview with John Gyger - August 8 1997
John Gyger discusses his early childhood in Adelboden, Switzerland, the jobs that his father took to support the family, and how the financial difficulties of the Depression eventually caused them to immigrate to Canada.
Adelboden, Switzerland; Fritz Gyger Sr.; gravel pit; Gyger family; hobby farm; house; immigration to Canada; labourer; money; parents; population; rail car; rock crusher; Rosa Gyger; siblings; snow shovelling
childhood; economic difficulties; family; immigration; jobs; Switzerland
John tells a story about a sleigh that his family used to pull hay and firewood in Switzerland. It was left behind when the family immigrated in 1937, but he had it shipped to Canada as a keepsake almost 60 years later.
farm; firewood; Harold Gyger; hay; hay bales; Switzerland
family heirlooms; sled; sleigh
John recounts his family's immigration to Canada, detailing the economic difficulties that drove them to leave Switzerland, the application process and requirements to come to Canada, how the journey from Adelboden to Smithers was made, and who was waiting to greet them upon their arrival.
Basel, Switzerland; buses; Canadian National Railways; children; Czechoslovakian immigrants; economy; employment; fighting; Fritz Gyger Jr.; Fritz Gyger Sr.; Great Depression; groceries; Halifax, Nova Scotia; houses; immigration advertisements; immigration application; jobs; language barrier; Le Havre, France; money; Paris, France; payment; Polish immigrants; Smithers Railway Station; Swiss immigrants; teamster; train; transportation; travel; wages; work; World War II
Canada; immigration; Switzerland
Gyger recounts events during his family's first few years in Smithers, including losing their first home to fire, sleeping in the train car for a week after arriving in Smithers, being shown around town by two local men, and fishing in the nearby river. He also recounts the first farm his parents bought and what sort of work they did to support themselves.
army; Ben Miller; burned down; burning; C.P. Bussinger; cash; chair; cows; cream; cutting wood; dairy; donations; E.T. Kenney; employment; farm; farming; firewood; fishing; generosity; granary; Jack Chapman; labour; Mah Yoke Tong; odd jobs; passenger car; river; road conditions; Smithers Bakery; Telkwa; train car; transfer business; woodshed; World War II
farm; fire; Gyger family; Smithers; work
Gyger spent a year and a half at school in Smithers before dropping out to work on the family farm. He recounts the building he attended school in (misidentified as Chandler Park School, which did not open until 1963; likely Smithers Elementary/Public School instead), the teachers who taught him, the differences between Swiss and Canadian schools, and the lack of Indigenous students in the classrooms. From around 34:50 to 37:10 he briefly discusses several local Indigenous people and the Lejac Residential School. (Warning that this section may be triggering to some and contains inappropriate and offensive attitudes towards Residential Schools).
Agnes Schibli; classrooms; Della Herman; Grace Ball; gymnasium; Indigenous people; Indigenous students; Jack Joseph; Jean Baptiste; language barriers; learning English; Lejac Residential School; Ralph Smith; reading; recess; school supplies; swings; teachers; Telkwa; Vera Doodson; washrooms; writing
education; school; Smithers Elementary School; Smithers Public School
Gyger discusses the jobs he held after dropping out of school, primarily his time in the logging industry, but with some mentions of farming and railway work as well. He goes into detail about the various methods, tools, and equipment used in logging, as well as the hours the men worked and the pay they received.
army; cab driver; Canadian National; Carmen Gibson; Carr Ranch; Caterpillar machine; Charlie Morris; Chris Dahlie; Claude Dohler; coal; crosscut saws; dairy farm; Dohler Flats; equipment; farm; farming; forestry; Fritz Gyger Jr.; horse logging; Indigenous workers; logging; logging camps; lumber; marriage; milking cows; money; payment; power saws; Prince George; Riverside Dairy; switch ties; timber; tools; trains; Wilma Gorley; Wilma Gyger; Woodmere Ranch; work hours
employment; jobs; logging; sawmills
Gyger describes the army training he received during World War II. The war ended before he could go overseas, but his brother Bill Gyger served in Europe and oversaw prisoners of war.
advanced training; basic training; Bill Gyger; Germans; Ontario; prisoners of war; Vancouver; Wetaskiwin, Alberta
army; army training; military; World War II
Brief discussion of Gyger's marriage to Wilma Gorley and the family they raised. Note: interview ends abruptly with no real conclusion.
children; farming; grandchildren; Hardisty, Alberta
family; marriage; Wilma Gorley; Wilma Gyger
Interview with Marcella Love
https://search.bvmuseum.org/link/descriptions12261
- Date Range
- April 22 1991
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- GMD
- sound recording
- electronic record
- Scope and Content
- Interview with Marcella Love (nee Edmonds), recorded on April 22nd 1991 by Smithers Alternate School student Peter McGuinness. Includes raw and edited .WAV files, .MP3 access files, and a .jpg release form.
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- Creator
- Peter McGuinness
- Fonds No.
- C5
- Item No.
- 2021.21.54
- Accession No.
- 2021.21
- Physical Description
- 1.80 GB of digital records
- Date Range
- April 22 1991
- Scope and Content
- Interview with Marcella Love (nee Edmonds), recorded on April 22nd 1991 by Smithers Alternate School student Peter McGuinness. Includes raw and edited .WAV files, .MP3 access files, and a .jpg release form.
- Type of Record
- Archival Description
Audio Tracks
Interview with Marcella Love - April 22, 1991
Interview with Marcella Love - April 22, 1991
https://search.bvmuseum.org/media/Digital%20Fonds%20and%20Collections/C5%20BVM%20Oral%20History%20collection/2021.21.54_Love,%20Marcella/Love,%20Marcella%201991_04_22.ACCESS.mp3
Marcella Love (nee Edmonds) describes her first impressions upon moving to Smithers as a teenager in 1942. She explains why she did not attend high school in Smithers and instead entered the work force.
boardwalks; Bulkley Hotel; Clarence Goodacre Sr.; Goodacre's Store; highway; Katie Bernie; Main Street ditches; mastoids; mud; Olof Hanson; Prince Rupert; railway; school; short-term jobs; spring; trains
arrival; employment; first impressions; jobs; transportation; working
Love discusses the destructive Main Street fires of the mid-1940s, one of which she and her sisters narrowly escaped. Section also includes brief discussion on how the environment around Smithers has changed since that time.
air force; body cast; development; Edmonds sisters; expansion; fire department; firefighting; Hudson Bay Mountain glacier; nephew; Royal Bank
changes; environment; fires; Main Street fires; McGill building
Love discusses the effects of the Second World War on Smithers, particularly the presence of army and air force personnel stationed in and near the town.
Anglican Church Hall; army barracks; dances; McGill building; mess hall; officers' building; Town Hall
air force; army; RCAF; World War II
Love discusses what she did for fun during her teenage years and how she met her husband Wally.
dances; skiing; softball; swimming
entertainment; recreation; sports; teenagers; Wally Love; youth
Love describes what it was like to work at the Royal Bank and Goodacre's Store during the 1940s.
accounting books; bagging; Bert Kenney; bulk foods; cash registers; clerks; coupons; deliveries; groceries; guns; interest rates; ledger system; orders; pay; prices; rationing; robberies; Union Bank; wages; World War II
duties; employment; Goodacre's Store; jobs; occupations; responsibilities; Royal Bank; work; working
Love discusses the Main Street fires, specifically how they may have started and how she and her family were able to escape.
Blue Goose Cafe; buildings; Bulkley Hotel; forest fires; McGill building; ski dance
escape; fires; Main Street fires; survival
Love identifies various businesses open in Smithers at the time of the fires and discusses how people came into town to buy their groceries and supplies.
Charlie Morris' Store; Elliott's Store; Goodacre's Store; Gray's Jewelry; Hoskins Garage; Leach Brothers' Store; Noel's Store; O'Neill's Garage; Smithers Bakery; tailor shop; Wall's; Watson's Store
businesses; groceries; shopping; Smithers
Love answers the question of whether there were people of diverse ethnicities living in Smithers back in the 1940s.
Babine Lake; BC Cafe; Chinese cafes; Europeans; Moricetown; reservations; reserves; Swiss immigrants; Wing's Cafe; Witset
diversity; ethnicities; ethnicity; Indigenous people; race
Love identifies the types of transportation available during her time in Smithers.
cars; costs; Jim Adams; shopping; Wall's Taxi
transportation; vehicles
Love discusses the house she designed in 1970 and in which she lived at the time of the interview. Section also includes discussion on how the weather has changed over the years.
architectural plans; cold; daughters; fireplace; grandchildren; Hazelton; Kispiox Valley; layout; Second Avenue; shopping; snow; snow removal; winters
climate; home; house; housing; temperatures; weather
Love talks about her husband Wally and his family's background in the Kispiox Valley.
Anna Love; bachelors; England; Farmer's Institute; farming; Grand Trunk Pacific Railway; homestead; John Love; Kispiox village; Sweden
family background; homesteading; Kispiox Valley; Love family; Wally Love
Love discusses how, as an employee of the Royal Bank, she handled mail and payroll for many different business ventures throughout the Valley, such as mines, sawmills, and tie camps.
deposits; Duthie Mine; Hazelton; Houston; Kispiox; Kitwanga; mail; population; Red Rose Mine; Silver Standard Mine; Simpson's Gulch; Topley
banking; businesses; forestry; logging; mines; mining; resource industries; Royal Bank; sawmills; tie camps
Love discusses jobs she held after leaving the Royal Bank, including guiding big game hunters in the Kispiox Valley and operating her own jade-selling business.
Americans; big game guiding; big game hunting; Credit Union; fishermen; geology; guide-outfitting; guiding camps; Hanson Lumber & Timber; hunters; jade business; jade mining; Love brothers; Royal Bank; Smithers Airport; tourists; Tyee Motel
businesses; employment; jade; jobs; occupation
Love answers a few final questions - if there was a year when a large influx of people came to Smithers, and whether her family ever farmed.
Glentanna; railway; Swiss immigrants
farming; immigration; population boom