/

Harry Viebster- June 11, 1985.
I was born in Calgary, Alberta on September 19 1911. We
In 1923 we came North by
boat to ~ince Rupert, and by train from Rupert to Hazelton •
•.Ie settIed in Two-Mile.
"'hat is, my father, my mother and
brother
and sister and I.

~e.:tCalgary in 1930-21 to Vancover.

(

(~)

Were your

parent s orj gina]] ~T from Calgary?

(if) No. My father was from England.
Scotland.

My mother was frorp.

ff)
Nell, I came to Hazelton because I was going to have a job
on the Yukon Telegraph trail. Wbich was colsed down the year
we got here, so t didn't get a job. But my father was retiring
anyway 8nd he wanted to come North that's why we came actually.
(E)

'Has that mai.n l.y-why

(H)

'''lell,
no there

(E-)

·

What

(II)

There weren't any '6)£ 6

'-L)

Thgt was during the depression~

C

people c.ame to Haz.el~~?

·••••
ere nG mines operating

jobs v,'eee availablB

Y~hell

then.

you garnete?

+I~d...~/?

~

/~ c--uczS

(H) ~
Everybody h~lped everybody out. You want something
and you Nork for that fella and he worked for you. It was kind
fa barter system.

C

(L)

But »e did get 2 days work a month from the public works.
That'

e not

very mm:h.

(H) That paid us 3.40 a day, but that's e~.So was adequate,
you could buy anything you wanted fof a month on that. T~at
1S, you know, necesseties.

(

That d'-7.00 would car-rv

you taPeUgh---the ...whole
month?

(-iI) Well no t t,lIrough the" wbole I:'lonth,
you in tobacco anyvray.

Cc;.I

efally maybe-.

(S)

Did you go to school when you were here?

(H)

No.

(E)

Was there a sc~ool?

Kept

Or) There was a school. In fact there was two. There was
an Indian School up cn the bench. \Vhich WGS run by some church

Harry Webster- page two
The actual school in town' as a bu i Ld i ng wher-eSmol-ceyIJ!orrison
IS
is no s ,

house
(

(~)

V':)1l

~')n't

en

Tim

noL

kno"] ·H~l:e!1tqey
8.11'I"':

J~

·v.,....g ;;l::;c.alga::;c.ato";':!'

T k.io v it

t:1C',t.

·,'1':',s

abo.rt

1950 when t.hev

built the ~irst section of the pre~~~s~~
thet

(L+--sm~y~rrison's
house i
jl:H3t where it ',vas~~pke.v/)~~

the

same bui14ing-or is

(II)
No. I think ~ was torn down and started over again.
should say Rosie Morrison's house.

(E.)

Do you know when Hazelton

that

I

was ineorpopate,1?

(H) Not exaC tly, bu t that wouldn't bQ hard to :'ino au t. - I
was here at the time. I c:iln'f remember th@ @X8ct year.

l -C)

(

two-mile?
(H) ~ot rQally. Except I bearo it was a recreation center ~or
the employees who were building the railway.
(-fr)

/(~)

'Phat' s where

the dance hell

~e«-~~"fiav~

l..--~t the

one I mentioned

1OC~tted, in

Two-rn.H:-e-?

one the:De.-.8t

one time.

vilas

located in 'jld""o-wnhere, where
June's garage is. / It ;:;~"A:leJl Be.ns9n's ganage rt that time.
He had a taxiJ /-f-.L/ <J'----Y ~
~
,
E-L) Was he the

·~!DS

only guy who wwned a taxi'?

(.~-vB"Se

~)l.."-----:f1[,j.·e:e'wll-rnm:aar!'ln~Y'--fp~e~on:l:r:jlhe~o5"·,mvnnee
ao-ccaaxr-ssnt1'hueilnf?7

~ell,the station agent iB South Hazelton had a car
enson had a car.

(H)

(':E)

In

the Hazelton

~

Allen

8r~a?

There was maybe 3 cars, maybe 4.
That's

whet Ward tole me.

:rn--tne Y'~~e_)~ea~tlJe!
aroundJ

e

just 3 cars.

vz:

How did people

~,'-"~f/

On foot.

---

·~--~O=n~f~o~o~t~'?~~M~u~st
h&ve had to really plan ahead.
o

) I never thought anything 0:' walking into town :'rom two-mile,
maybe 3 times a day.

Harry Webster-~age
~+-~~~sn

three

qUl e a hike.

j.E)
W!1Ct ~esof ent-ertcin1Tlef1t were-there-?
~as there
radi·o-,- t ~
v., S40 rtJs-?-'
-(Qr
e.-n-k v-~~
(E)
,there
was no t.v.,
and very few "Oeo':)le owned radios.
There
~,as no -the2ter,
no moving pi c .ur e s ,
(

(L)

Dlod ;)loa

ha.ve

(H) .;[[.~
New Hazelton.
it out and it
fB)

a locel

lIem33Elger?

~a
Harold ,~
published
right
A fello named Chuck Sol owned it.
moved to Terrace.

Phe:t I s probably

(H--) Gould b~,

Lhe Daily

Herald

"W e r e .c/« r~
d an c e S '(
I

'--',-Wlt-+-----¥\~::e'
th e re

~

~
•

-two
Maybe -2- or three
Did ye a c.t Lend wry
art ;yes, I never

/\B)
~~~d?
~H)
Roy ils~d
Wild Wood Orchestra.
Chrls

Herrls

Jeff

Harris,

!1:;1

a f tho

missed

a year.
dance,sZ-

any of them.

J

~stra
Jona~han

from Ki s nLox , the
Johnson, Roy-Wilson,

been interesting.

~~-~~'H'O'H-~'t--kno'.
wher e
I

now?

dTP S • -

--r.:-

]f)

here in
He sold

t he

name Wild Wood carne from?

r.c ve 110 idee: •

I al~

S

\J.o..II

f J.. 1./LL ~
~

t~

te d to }mev, thai; •
/t.A:?

liquor

at these

dances

f~o "
No?

/;~apr
yes. You had co order ~from
The closES; liquor
store we in Smithers.
arlor and there was a hotel.

Smithers though.
There was a beer

) kll,

":")--t-fie-r-e,vas a bee:r;: p3.rlo r?
~)

Was that

(H) ~,
now.

that

0

.K.-

ehe rfda11de r Hotel?
WeS

the hotel

where the

li b ra ry building

is

Harry

Vlebster

(Q-j go there

page

a Hotel

WES

W;;..s theree;;l'H;ttel

.:B#-5 ~

(

(H)

Haze Lton

(Q )-interviewer,

four
in

Hotel,

:EIteL was

t-oo.

six

2IIO~lrer
que-s-ti-o-n;
Llre llal!le of Lhe hotel?

What was

tovm?

(H )-Harry

beer

roons,

a Ge:e- pa r-Lo r wr i.ch

held

24

PeOPle.

E
.

TIT;r-0-'-oy::
t-~'6e ef t't
110u
~ ~'0'ej r.~~~
l
s l' n
_ g Wc.S
l c-'

(A)

\ ""

""cCU'lf

fa

~

.J

.(.H) Oh, there
was only one ~t
communi.ty
it was in t"\.'o-mile.
we first
came here till
we built
houses
of 2.ny kind.

house in the who Le
We no ve d into
it when
our own , ~ere
was",'

~:
C

or

w:.

(Q)

(

J)

H)

__",3

,.."'-

kind

rra;

~isted

~Q)

1

Cl.f'

high,

JN2S

it Ie'll!?

five
dollars
a month.
yo a called
away to se I ve in tho

J

in

-n::.

thirty-nine

/"

SO"n-/tJ..

the

enl,,{ en@ from

bere?-

(H) 011 no,
olomon Jack,

Jeff

Wilson~

_, Smokey Morrison,
Sterritt.

/

enJolIe

close

La

Neil

;}leu: go'?..

, my b ro t.h r was turnecl
Bid sou

(~)

<--7d/

down , he only

q-tJ

~Q)

P:r:ineeRupert

COdS

W2r defending

(H) ~
Provinciz

there
W2.g Mounted
1 Police
both here.

used

live

in

the

the

building

~

/\.

(~H OM YAM:
III what vlay?

~

coast.

Got c.s fElr 2.S

'6elice?
Police
and there
was the
The Mounties
he d an office
that

and the P'rovf.nc.i e.L Police
were
(Now the Museum down t.own )
l:las Hazelton

us

existed?

Pre e:ri1l1es'?=••• How ~beut

h;-- ~~~

(Q)

gc:inst

eye.

b?"

Whet tY"9CB of erimes

to

one

~

the wnole
coast.

(H) ou!Dt~ases were up End down the
Quebec
~time on my W8Y overseas.
(Q)

had

go otJerse2s?

/.

(H)
,spe~
Jap2nese
on the

(<;t)

Yla.r'f

t? ~

yoa

Were

Did

C

rent

RuvtTh~~~a~""0
hf3i~:g~l:' thV!ieOSree
times,

\ "" _

(:

Was the

+

in

since~

used

to

be Pem Mchoney's,

this

building

here.

and

Harry

Webster-page

five

(H)
There's
ro::..'eiouscs
and the whole a re a h as

now end
developed.

"here

pre

be tt e r fecilities

thet

Which wc u.Ld you say cs me first?
WeS it
CEme in or WGS it the people
t at w8nted

(H)

Oh I

(Q)

+.11e ae t t Le re were

think

here

he Hounted
to settle?

first.

(Q)
And "he r.Tounted Police
cr rne in later?
Whet s bo u't
hos~it21,
did they come about the S8me time?

(H)
th2t
uilt

I t ink it ws 1910 vh en the first
wa the wooden building,
and
hink
the one they just
tore
down.
Di~u

p6'.y pro,?crty

'r-~~~~

.J:n

(~)

];)0 yo o. knOYl ?nytbj ng cbout

(H)
wife

v ere

-7~~L~~

now Beetema s store?
I WeS involved,
my
in organizing
th2t
communi ty centre.
_ r 88 the dr nc e hell
end then +he re , sO"le movies
sho\vn then.
that

Not that

is

cen

I

rember.

~

The one th2t

burned

down?

to

dance

you l:now anythJ.ng 6lbout-

Ya:

GH)

Ya-, we used

Q-1

Whet

el~e

go to

] j ke

tb ere,

/TLkU. ~

I<~)
(

eOl,t.:twri ~y hc.ll'?-

the

and I were involved

~
H)

hospital
wrs bui Lt
it W8.S 1930
they

';-hink so, no.

(~H)r---+D+'l:i:-d-they
h8ve ~ert2inm'6nt

eN)

the

ba).cs?

h)

t

Police

'3.•..
,- ge shOWS'?

G/h.~

--he Gi ClilffID:X" Hall?

.he re

Quite

often.

l,t('Qnton there'?

(H) .Well .•..
I ~on't
think
there
no Bi.ngo l.. 2 (, I CEn rember.

was

Q) ~ou
knoV! rny recreC:.tlo11cl
Did YOll:,>artieipc:te
in 6Ily?

much else.

There

things

wel9:t on?

thct

was no

H)
~'_ ~- tad base ball
teams,
Ol~ C:ovm, New To\vn, South
t.own ,
I believe
.;:,ere was some hockey.
There used to be
an outdoor
rink behind
the B.C. Cr.f'e ,
thet W2S all ve carrt lots.
e
skated
on hospital
lake too vrhen the conditions
were good •
(Q)

(
H)

(4)

SO that

mUBt roa3n the

Wrnl-e-rs
YfaS,

the,y were

ThE (; WES anether

then;

wil9:te:cs

were pl'e ~~:rcoM?

much colder

qE'6Stj on,

than

now.

WQre th'6y

co] dor

now.

Harry Webster-page

six

(H) In 1950 , the first of J2YlUcry the temp erc:ture dropped
to 45 below 2nd it never wermed up one d~~£~ until the middle
o f Fe bz-uary I SL" weeks at 45 degrees below weather.
d'clring those

HI) ell

:times,

l ilce El.id

hsve to

YOll

tio.

\
eO,?le hove to go o..u:tDn the-tre-.:pline
En- those oondi tj on'S?
So busines-s as usual.

fnd

stuff?

H)
That was the wi n t.er- the r~ver froze solid and they took
a thirty-nine ton shovel across the ice, because they needed
it that summer~ they bujlt the four-mile bridge. They needed
the shovel on the far side. I dontt know how they would hate
ot
it across otherwise.

(Q}.

(

'Phat must tmve taken

qu1.te some time

t"O

get

it across.

'r
fTlheyjust walked lacross.
They did have some pumps and they
flooded G roadway across to make it stronger than the natural ice.
H)

~Q)

'tVere,'IOU ift-.;olved ill build trIg the hI idge?

i) -N-e-. Dominion Bridge)

C

(~)

':los there

i.: If ~

clI.Yone that

Jf/h/ie ~//F?

100 knew of involved?

-I) .~t around he-re, it was all contracted. I do have a complete
set of photographs though, of the building of +hat bri~e and how
it was built. I dontt know i::you know or nott --theybuilt a Bailey
Bridge, from the far side. \~at they call a triple Bailey. Then
they pushed it across. Then they stripped down to~straight bridge.
~hey laid railway tra~ks on it. The present bridge WBS built from
this side, on ~ollie and t~ey wheeled it out on this bailey bridge,
and then lowered it Gnd they took the bigger bridqe apart. I
have a complete set of pictures of that operation(.

C

tQ)

Tl:!.:~!8fhd YOIl say it too" to build

the whole V..ing1

(H)~ Two of three months.
ot anymore than that ••••the original
bridge was a wooden suspension bridge, which would~~arry anything
but a team of horses maybe.

How long was the original bridge leftt standing before it
G~)
was repJaced? {L.,' / ,-'.)
/ c.
~

:{)

(~

~~"

.Qb they

/A)tL4

~v

f.ow-i-t- down Lnned i at.e Ly

So 1 twas ;nor.eOI less a temporery

d'S

thing.

~~bIutlfb

.44:

(II)
was a permanent bridge from the Kispiox Valley ~.
Untill they replaced it with a suitable bridge. It was a sad
bridge. Norn out.
(Q)
Can we jllst go back to the Visr. IJbpt was it like here!'
we;ce~lot
of men that were gana, right'f

~ber9

Harry Webster- page seven
~on' t know,

(H)

v~,:L

(Q)

How long

(r)

~he

I wastl' there.

wez~g°l!r

&u.7~-

army six years 1939-45.

G ::~
::,::::s::8
e

:~::r
a~: r b~:: :::~:it
end Smokey!!orri son
nd a12· t};;l'em.f
Vie!e they all in the 8r!B;'Y torr7

H) Vlell,ya, I think they were all army. Either the infantry
(15r)the ar t i llary. I was 'i n artillery myself.

~

Sol was the leader of the motor gang.

Motorbike.

Ya.
~
(H)

didn'

~~~~
wounded.

~::

t come home v,rith-any

me,\aJ

51(

you for being in the army. I never
I never got shot at. I never shot anybody.

So you cidn' t

see Bny a:ction, just more <Jefens-e.

~H)
I was upon Tancover Is. when that Japanese submarine shelled
Bamberton lighthouse. That was the closest I ever got.
(Q)
~

:"OU

!Meren't

just stationed in Vancover.

You uen't over

to

(H \knt back on a course to Quebec. But I was anti-aircraft.
A troop of us was stationed on every air base. Then we rotated
between every air base. Anti-aircraft protection.
(Q)

W~ asked about the epedemic, and you weren't

(H)

I wasn't here, t~at was in 1918.

(Q)

Would you know how many doctors were here at the hospital?

(H) I don't think there was more than two.
three or four nUBses.

I

here?

And not more than

(Q) Do you know anything about :he nursing school?
(H)

No.

(Q) When did the steamboats quit coming?
(H)
That was in 1910, from what I~m told.
was completed anyway.

That's when the railway

(Q)

•
or+' the railroad make a noteable change?
Did the c onn.ng

(H)

Oh, I'm sure it must have.

They were previously in the country.

Itarry rebster - page eight
T

(c;.)
From what I under-et and , the railway didn't go right through
, to Prince Rupert. It stopped in Terrace or something.

(H) I don't think so, they built it from both enas. I'm sure jt
was put right th.rough. T was here when the highway Vvebt through.
That was during the war.
(Q)

"'hat was the price of a train ride from Rupert then, from

here?
(H)

No iden.

(Q)

~Vhen was electrici ty made available here?

Sargent had a~A
direct current plant thst supplied
some of the houses in town and the stores and I don't know the
exact year when B.C. Hydro came in. 'T'heyfirst came in, they took
over t~e hospital plant and set up there 2nd operated 'till they
got their own building built and got t eir own box plant.
(H)

(

Did

it cost much~

(II) I don't
(oQ)

Bid

rember

that either.

everybody have Qlectricity like, only B.C. Hydro got hruge?

C·1) 1a. 'Phere .\fa", alot of it. ~~vailable
to everybody.
That IS, within a restricted area. They didn't push the lines
out to Kispiox or ].oricetovm or Kitsegukla, no 'NSY they could.
(Q)
mhe'y set up their own plant,
right here in Hazelton.
'.'t'hat
happened La Sal'gent's ~d
thQy j1Jst give Ilr the mono.p.~

(H) 1. ~~
~
them his lines.
His power plant was·..
WhePf!
~,
this building heTe on the river bank where the laundry used
to be. 'T'hatwas Sargent's power plant. He had three engines in
there ana had three generators.
(Q..)

Is thl:l:tone of the engines, that's

on the corner?

(It) hat's one of the engineS,~~~s
a twin c linder
i~:eFS deisel.
hen he had two single cylinders. Some type of
eng1ne.

C

(-Q)

HmJ

aid he get

Ute

fuel

(H) ~~~ng

up?

'1'he dcise17

came by train. ~.~

(Q)

From Pl'ince Rupert?

(if)

la.

~e

brought

line

come ri~t

d01Am this way? (Down town)-

~

Harry

.veDster- page nine
it is?

8-0 it me-ooB--i-t-w-as

cerri-ed down-fr...o.m

(H)
Allan Benson and his dad had a small trucking outfit.
They
brought all the groceries down for the stores.
And also they
,owned a car taxi.
(Q)
Does that meBn they hac'!to pay to get it from Prince
Rupert here, plus from New Town here?
Vlow!! That must have
jack9d the prices of the goods up little bit?

~erything
was so cne-a-p-i-n those--..Qays, we dj d~~.
of course at this ti~e the bridge was Dcross the Bulkley.
traffic came from South Iazelton to here.
(~)

':lhat happened

to

All

~;~;-'f?4---~

High water in '36rl~he logs started piling up end the
ublic Vorks decider] t o "b'l
as t the log jam. They did such a good
'ob, they blew the bridge out.

(H)

1

it ever replaced?

(Q)

':fuy wasn't

un

~leed,
llhere was the suspension bridge at Hagwilget.
would be in '42 when that bridge went up.

,(,That
(Q)

-:

e

Wnat brought

you back to Hazelton?-

J~~;?;~~/7~~

n)
Had a chance to run S'arg~Hotel for him. It was a job.
hat's the old hotel, which was where the Li br-arv is now.

,,~

~ecause
~

Everyt~l1ng was pretty 'Nell located

close to the river

of the steamboat
::::l:~:::J::':ar

C

Place thet they stopped
flats?

3S

the baots came up••••Waeft'tlllierea

in Kitsegukla

they called

steamboat

(H")
Probably.
They had to take on cord wood all the W'3.yup
the river and down again.

~#f
(Q)

~ried

that or boomed

it?

(H)
No, ~ W9S cerried, loaded'
on deck.
Previous to '36,
there wes ancther street and a row o~ houses behind my house.
In fact Dick Brown's house was moved from there. ~
the present
Sunrise Cafe building was moved from the river bBn~, that was
Jim Hunter's pool hall.
(~)

/

U~)

~.

~
Sargent's house has an interesting
be three dif~erent houses?

story ~ ~,

)

it used to

Harry Webster- page ten
(H' ~
three pieces r-ul.Le d together. Jeff -Nilson's house used
to be on the river bank-next to my house. It was the Hudson Bay
house at that time.
(Q)

Is 7iour hotlse an original hOUse?

(J:O uh huh.
(Q-}

Wae that al'/mys vours?

(H) ~~
to Sargent's originally I believe. A
fellow by the name of Chapel who was Sargent's store ~anA.ger lived
in it. And Sargent's lived in it. When we came back from the
war, I bought it from him.
(.Q)

"ou must have got a royalty or sometnlng from the war for

& Ufl ~

serv!J:t?
(q)
~,we

got paid, twenty-five cents

a

day.

(Q)

I guee8 that would gmount to (ftlite-a bit after six yeara?

(Tn

Vie spent it as f'as t as we got it.

(Q) Were you
H)

I got married

There
H)

married bePore '.loaentered the war?

~

during the war. ~~

did you meet you!' wife?

W8S

the di2tician here at the hosDit01.

H) 0h, ya we were going together befofe the war.
(~Whet

events

surrollllded-q,
:'S--WdOY?

Illm~::t

WQddifig? What happened?

(H) -Ne, very quiet weddiIJg, in the United Church in Rupert.
'rwo people from here came down. 'v'eonly hac three t./aysand
then back.
Woe tk:ere a c]ance or
No, nothing

;/

f:~~

like tha-t. We had a party at a private house.

(oQ)

Were all the weddin~he

same way, like pretty quiet?

(q)

Pretty well, yo.

(Q)

How about people that were gettting married, were they
younger or elder, than the people getting married now?

(H)

I think they were older than people ~etting married now.
Nobody could afford to get married. Unless they had a job.

(-Q)

Did you attend school

There 'was one big wedding.

gt al1~

Harry Webster

page eleven

S'u~~

In Calgary. Net~9tW much, I quit in grade ten.

/ «::

L

Ie that wh. t lIl<+S4""Ple--<lid?

Well most of them qui t, I don't know what they ct \u\ na{.e \ ~
b~
in C'algary, I had a chance at a job which was unusual
in,hose days 19~8-?9. But I d~d take grade 10.
Tfiat.!e a lJretty long ways

:u -,

in those days,

to go .csn't it graae

is?

yt2A~ .~

could have come up here and taught school
with that education levell

fiG you probably

Yes.
Nas t:l ere anyone else? There was a school on +he reserve
and t-here was one wnere else?
) Where Smokey's house is •
.(~:as
(H)

there regular school then, everyaa.y-T

err-'.ra, I believe elere was a school in New Town too. It
wasn't here until recently, they built around it. And
there was one in SoutO h 'I'o
vn and was one at Seely Lake too.
That's

quite 8; :ew aetually?

Of course, there ;,as no bus\e~~
The classroom would te nr-e t ty well f()ne room and small
land o:'pe~
eame to teaefi?---L.Where
thev singl-En'
Single women ~

T

~(;tHO-»"------l...L don't remember who ..!JllLte.a.chers
'llEI'e.

au -came

ere?

~~

~:y-es-;

&)

$-

(ll)

In fact, all the land by Ben McKenzie wher~th igh scho 1 is
now that was all part of the reserve at that tlme. 'Jl1ey
were then. Charlie Sterri tt he. d a ranch right her-e ,
Old CljarlieSterritt He's been deed for years. Neil'3
father.

(~

Did his

(H)

No, he just raised hay, cause he had a team of horses. He
was into the cedar pole business.
.!..Le needed horses
to skid
t.he poles.

(~

thoy

that

~

8{{'a;,,~r

raITc~ 8uJ:lply SQrgent' s store'?

ho .••
: l'Ieil got involKred wi th that through his dad~

Page twelve
I"would

think so, Probabl~.

Ufif6{.e
Did .yOU

or less carried
for him?-

on from where Charlie

lef.~ off1

'.'••ork

No.
Vilio ~rked

for

him. 'liould

Sol •••

H)

They pretty well worked themselves,
didn't hire anybody.

a family

affair.

They

(

(Q)

Did Percy

':

(H)

He was here, yes. But I can't remember

(Q)

'[eret here fresh vegetables

(H)

Oh, just what you grow yourself.
.2:arden.

(Q)

There was no s tore +that sold them though?

(H)

Well,

(Q)

Vfuat kind of food were made available?
that aren't available now.

(H)

Staples, you have more choice
choice1 of beef.

(Q)

Mostly all the beef and all the bulk food came from Prince
Rupert?

(H)

Well. mostly from Edmonton I t.hink , Some c cme from VancDuve.r
uj) through Rupert.
But the beef all came through from
Edmonton on t.he railway.
Alberta
But we didn't buy Jlueh
meat;;e just had to hunt game. moose, and deer.

(Q.)

D; d you have t 0 b!1 sj ne s s fop-tha t'r -

fiork with his dad?
if he'did

or not.

ava;/"
bl-e.IDrsilhle!
Everybody

had t~ere own

they c ou.l.dn ' t bring them in profitably.

(Rt- No ~j shjng

husiness,

0 f

no hunting

come in ef'-ect

That were available

produce

no~nd

a better

licenses-.-

(Q)

When did that

(H)

Some 1ime during the ~ar I think.
I~now when T come back
from being in the army, we had to have a fishing
licenses,
I was pretty upset.

(Q)

There were rules and regulation

(H)

Oh ~a, I cant Bemember if there were any_
police never bothered you anyway.

No, the

(Q)

They wouldn't

then"

(H)

No. Vie u.sed to f!.O fishing even Sunoay
tne HagwiLge t 15rrdge_ Whe-re tn~ Ind1ahs

t'1en'?

s you had to f'o l Lc., them?

have had the fisheries

dep't

down
f1Sh

Page thirteen
we used to be able to fish off their platfo~.
(Q)

You can catch as many fish as you wanted?

(R)

One spring was plenty

(Q)

What kind o~ a set up did they have, were there smokehouses?
Were they there for the summer or ~id t~ey just come back?

(H)

Yes, Oh they used to gp down the coast fo~ the summer some
of +hem stayed here and cau~ght fish. Most of t'1.emleft
here and ~ent do'nn the coast for commercial f&shing.

(Q)

Di.dyou ~t Lnvo lvec'lin hunting and fishing at all?

(H)

Oh ya.

(Q)

How
has it been since the blasting of ~he Hagwilget
canyon?

(H)

I was here when that was done, but I can't remember what
year it was.

(Q)

That really upee t

(H)

No, it let alot more fish up the river.

(Q)

It mid?

(H)

Oh ya, you could watch them climb to get over that rock.
They'd fall back and fall back,

(Q)

Tt was blasted so they could get up?

UI)

So they could get up the river.
I don't think they were
t'1atupset. The indi.ans gaf-"'ing:'i.3hlate~
It was a great
place to gaf'" in t he face of. fhat rock.

(Q)

It's just like Canyon in U~rkil1eWR t'1.en? Just blasted
dovm. It didn~t really affect the fishing season at any
time though did it?

(II)

No.

(Q)

~~at about the traplines, I know the TIudson Bay was established
here and had a monopoly over this area fo~ a long time.
They bought all t.he furs?

(H)

1Nell, the Hudson B~y bought ~' when we f'i as t came here, and
:&udDawson had a s'1rnrewhere Alice s store is now, there
was a novelty store and he bought fur. When the trapping
was "really" good, when the~ comein the spring, the fur

0

:~l

~

r

he spawning grounds didn't it?

Me)'"\ c.--efR;V"r\

t

Page I'ourteen
buyer came up 1rom Rupert

these furs.

(Q)

also,

md they'd

have~biddin

So, the Hudson Bay didn't really control

~n
,0

~tthen?

( ) No, meybe they did originally, but they certainly dirl~'t
recently.
What type of furs did they bid for? ~as it just beaver?
Beaver in season, mink, martin"fisher, squirrel, lots
of
.1 skin.
S'U~Yr~\
I remember my brotller,,when they were still in their

young teens, it couldNlt have been anymore than 15
years ago they were qtill selling squirrels to Hudson
Bay, skin 1&11'\ and dry ~1Tl
(Q)

Were the prices good?

(H)

The only time I was really involved in it, the prices
were high, that must have been in 1947-48. I t.h i.nk,
it was the Love Boys Wally and Billy and Jack Lee ~~t
came in with a terrific catch o~ furs. They took a room
in the old hotel 'here the buyers ca~e 8nd bjd in there.
Prices were high that year. Squrrrel was a dollar and a
hal~, dollar sevent~ive each.

(Q)

You got money foft it then?

(H)

Oh no, all cash money. Perhaps the Hudson Bay would trad~
because the trapper would be into them for stake for
groceries and stufI',recause they'd owe them money. The rest was
cash, ~hen the bills were paid off.

(Q)

Did Y01take part in the fur trapping too?

(H)

No.

(Q)

Guys mostlr,

(H)

They all trapned and the Native People all had their own.

(Q)

People would more, or less make a living doing ths.t , trap
all·' inter Long?

(q)

Yeah, they go forf the whole winter.

(Q)

Did they stay out there or go in and co~e out?

(H)

Mos t of them stayed out there, yeah.

the guys living

You didn(t take trade or whatever?

out in the Valley then?

@
Page fifteen
(Q)

'/I'hat
did YOU do during the wiIlttermonths?

(T-1)

Me personally.

(Q)

veah

(3)

No, cut ~ood or something

(Q)

That was just f'or your own personal use?

(H)

Yes.

(Q)

You wouldn't have gone ice Fishing?

(H)

No, I never did.

you didn't work or anything?

(Q) Did you co this all on your o~n or did you have afumily
with you:
(H(

-.veIl,»e "-Herea :'amily yes.
and sister.

(Q)

You mer-e orless wor-ked tQp;ether?

(H)

Ya, I've actua~~y gpt a sleighs and a team of ~orses from
trackin' and bar f'l'nan~
working.
I've l;l,eard
th'§-rtPr.:
ave nur-chased logging trucks rid stuff
just from skiddlng logging~

(J

Yes, Frank Pipe, my br~er
and I and Bernard Hindle started
a cord wood business. A fellow, you may have heard of him
Micheal
, gave me a ranc.h, across the four mile
bridge, a hundred and' sixty acres, practically all birch •
We used to go out there and stay all winter and cut cord
wood 1 birch. About, oh the end of January, I'd starting
hqti~~ng this wood/ane? l..:t. all in Louis Marrows' field, and
sold it all to r,~arshallBros. I was paying 'twodollars a
cord for birch, have it·cut. And make a road available so
I can bring a team>~eigh.in.
I was ~etting
50 a cord
on Louis Jarrows' :'ield.

(Q)

',vasthat qui te a distance then, to be going fromthe bush into
the field"

(H)

No, only half a mile.

(Q)

But it made a deller fi:'ty's dif"erence?

(H)

Thad

(Q)

How many +rips did you make in one day?

(H)

Three or Pour, No hurry about it, as 101g asve got it all
out before spring break up_

cl~'~Q)

a sI!1s11team.

Mother and father and my brother

ho/q

I could only ~

half

Page Sixteen
(Q)

That ou]d really slow t.hi.ngs do vn, hey, All t~~round
thawin~ out. There ?·~arshallBros. wo.i ld come I:-,ick
Lt IIp
f'r-om. ·there?

(H) Ya, the had a truck. 7hen theytD cut it into stove
leng!he and sell it by the cord to the people here.
Everybody b~rnt wood, There was no oil ~/urneces, it was
all wood. ~ome coal would help ~he hosnital and so~
o~her buildings had coal stoves(stokers)
(Q)

·,Vas·
there a saw mill?

(H)

No.

(Q)

There was none around at all? What about fhe poles that
8territts cut, were they exported?

(H)

They were all ta~en ove~o

(Q)

Did the.' know where it was going to?

(H)

No. Then there was a let of the tye cutting. Most of Swedib
and Norweg i ans were out hacking tyes wi th a broad axe.
Hanson bought all that. F!1! was the M.P. He had a ranch in
Sm i thers where the airnolH/is now. In fact, he svLd part
of the ranch to the governmen+ where the airport is,
And that place on the lake Barb !.cGowanhas That whole place \'BS + he
Hanson ranch.

(Q)

He bought up all the tyes?

(H)

And all lhe poles too.

(Q)

Did these peip'l e that came in tthat cut the tyes, did they
just do that and then they were gone?

(H)

No, they all lived hereo

(Q)

~:vl1ere
t~ere ne onLe he r-e when you arrived?

(H)

Oh ya.

(Q)

It was all settled and euerything before you got here?

( T)

Oh ya, nothing like it is now.
there was mostly vaccant land.
Swed~

(Q)

You mentioned that there was s~,e baseball t eams ,
Were the.Y~ry competitive? Di~hey travel to Terrace/Smi thers

(It)

No.

(Q)

It was just in the surrounding area.
with that?

(H)

No.

the railway and shipped out.

Very few peoplein Two-~lile
A few bachelors and

v~'ere
you involved

Page Seventeen
(Q)

',Vasthere anybody that you remember?

(H)

Burt Spooner.

(Q)

There was always someone tha:t's an all-star right?
That's rally good at the sport. ~as that him then Burt Spooner?

(H)

\'/ell,I would t.hi nk so, ya, as good as any, p good ;/
pitchero

(Q)

Did he have a good pitching average?

(H)

Nothing lime that was even thought of.

(Q)

The baseball qames,were they played at Totem Park?
that exist then?

(H)

Totem Park did~xist

(Q)

Did they have a name for it?

(H)

Not that I know of>.

(Q)

.Vasthat right in New Hazel ton?

(H)

.10,

(Q)

It was just out o~ town a little bit?

(H)

',VeIl,i guess it's Hagwilget Park now. That's where the
s,
new Hazelton had their picnics and 'all garr.e

(Q)

Did the whole commgnity get involved? Down here?

(I{)

Oh ya.

(Q)

They must have had tournaments there?

(H)

Sort o-f'ya.

(Q)

~Jere there dances?

Strike Outs?
They just played tell
Or did

,-(

then. Low Hazelton had a park.

Just a ball~ ~ark.

it was where it is now,

J

(HQ) Yeah.
(Q)

Was there auch a thing as a beer gardens thel'lE\?

(H)

They did when the hall is where the theatre is now, had
a danec where you could reserve your table and you comld
bring your li~uor. That only hap~ened once tha~ I can
rmember. Of course, only the rich peo"le could buy liquor
£n those days I was running a stile
It was 2t the ranch
where we cut cord wood, mal<:ecern whiskey. A bunnh ofus
reserved a table and I spent all afternoon w i th burnt sugar
colouring it so it would look look like rye whiskey. ~hat's
what we took to t.hedance anyway, Jimmy,. Werd and his wife
Alice were the Mounties here at the time, ~reat :riends of
ours. Ofcourse they stopped at the table :or a drink

Page Eighteen
and I was scaredsti:ff.they knew what it was.they knew
I wasn t selling it, I was just making it for my own use.
t

(Q)

Did it cost much to buy liquor.

(3)

No, pretty ch?a~~

(Q)

It was a long way t.o tr+ng it?

on

Yeah

(Q)

-Nnowould do that?

(H)

We ~8ea'
to get it by mail actually. Vrite to the liquor
store and they'd send ~them
up or if anyone ~s going in
to Smithers they'd pick it up bring it back.

( Q)

T.-

',as it just one person or just anybody?

ould they ri ve there?

(H)

Oh yeah.

Q)

Just the people with car more or less then?

(!)

~reah.

(Q)

Where were just dirt roads then~

(II)

Yeah, Thms 1m talking about was after the wap previous to the war.