Who remembers the days

_’ when folk reckoned that Terrace

‘would one day becorae a suburb
of Usk?

_ by Brian Gregg

Myrta Kellogg was a pioneer.

of Usk when the rumor was ¢ir-

culating — but she quickly.

points out, a twinkle in her eyes,
that George Little, the founder

of Terrace, had the final say in. ;

the matter. - fe
Shortly after the Kellogs mov-

- ed-to Terrace from the Vander. .

hoof area 45 years ago history
was made when the army mut-

_-inied., Having missed the 1936.
flood’by seven years (the Skeena_

rose as high as the underdeck of
the wooden bridge) the Kelloggs
were not expecting the excite-
ment, they found during their
year and a half in Terrace. ‘“We
had left a lot of supplies behind
“us when we moved, thinking we

* ‘could buy them in Terrace,”’ she

recalls, ‘‘but we couldn’t buy a
” -wash tub or a gas lamp— the ar-
my had jit all.”’ a

Terrace, a town of about 500

people, was the center for about
. 1,500 soldiers during the War,
These were men called, ‘“Zom-
bies'’, the ‘‘walking dead’’,
because they had been con-
scripted but refused to go
overseas.’ Prime Minister King

‘had procrastinated. in his usual -

style by sending them to obscure

' places in B.C. while he figured
‘out what to do. Tle men had:
agreed to: fight Hitler and the
‘ Japanese on Canadian soil; and’

. Terrace was a place where they .

‘could train for. such a. day.
Public outcry forced King to an-
nounce his decision to send them
overseas and the Zombies mut-
inied. Prior to that weekend
event Terrace was the scene of
army construction, military

_ Manoeuvers, and, ‘‘whatever the

army wanted the army got ’’.

Myrta remembers going into .

Jim Smith’s grocery store and

reading a sign over the display of ©

chocolates: ‘“‘For the Armed
Forces Only’’. Since everyone
was on rations, Mr. Smith had
decided that chocolates would
keep the soldiers a little more
content during their stay in Ter-
race. The officers noted the sign
and instructed him to take it
down. When they learned how
scarce choclate bars were they

sent some army supplies to the |

store with instructions to sell
them only to the children.
' The Air: Force lads were

In court.

In Terrace provincial court on
Monday, August 24 Kaka Hun-
-dal was fined $600 and received
a six-month suspension of driv-
ing privileges under a conviction
for impaired driving,
oe ;
In Terrace provincial court on
Friday, August 28 Willis Brown

was sentenced to 90 days in jail,

to be. served intermittently, two
years’ probation, and received a
six months’ suspension of driv-
ing privileges under a conviction
for impaired driving,

neh *

In Terrace provincial court on
Friday, August 28 Gordon May
was fined $40 for a violation of a
municipal bylaw.

: ea *

In Terrace provincial court on
Friday, August 28 Wilson'‘Joyce
was fined $400 for a violation of
the Federal Fisheries Act.

polite, Myrta recalls, but
everyone had to bow to the ar-

‘my. Myrta’s husband, George,

knew something. was up when he

: was asked to drive the officers’:
- families: to.other centers in the-
region.: The officers had. quickly .

learned safe . areas -for their
families from their manoeuvers,
she says, and when the mutiny
began they had them removed to
safety..

“Tt was an exciting couple of

‘days,”’. she says. George came
home and ordered Myrta to stay ©
indoors with the ‘children. She
- was babysitting five children at

that time. They had rented a
house where McDonald’s now

stands. The soldiers began their
.mutiny where the Bavarian Inn

now is. ‘‘George had come back

to Little, Haugland and Kerr.

with a load of logs when his boss .
‘told him to leave the truck and
- go home. George protested, say-.

ing he had logs to deliver, but
the boss insisted: he go home.
The soldiers -were playing war

games among the lumber piles:”’ -
The only real problem during

the mutiny was a disturbance
Myrta-heard about at the Le-
gion, which: was being. used as
the school. The Legion was.

where Wilkinson’s . now. is
The-
_mutineers- claimed they had
wired the entire town to blow.up.
-if their. demands were not met.’

located on Lakelse,

Usk proved to be a quieter
community. There were between
75 to 90 families there at the
time; a store, a hotel, a school,
and a church. George worked as

the full-time ferryman there un-.

til he retired in 1975. He mostly
transported workers ‘across the
river to the mill on the highway

. Side in those early days.

Myrta was born in Newlands,
just east of Prince George, in
1916. Her family moved to Fra-
ser Lake where she grew up.
After she married George they
moved to Pinchi Lake, 75 miles
north of Vanderhoof for several
years where George worked in a
mercury mine. a

Her children include Jack
Davis of Merritt; Micky Davis

of Prince George; James ‘‘Bus-:

ter” Kellogg of Wembley, Al-

_berta; Melvin Kellogg of North

Bay, Ontario; Myron Kellogg of
Barrhead, Alberta; and Irene

‘Davis of Terrace.

The big house at Usk was a
mansion compared to her Ter-
race home, she remembers. She
cleaned up after the May, 1948

flood and the June, 1973 flood,
In 1948 the waters’ mud mark,
came half way up the oven door.
That was the year the Depart-

-ment of Highways had planned

to install a new ferry, It was sit-
ting on a rail flatcar when the
river flooded and the old ferry
was washed downstream. The
river almost flooded in 1964; in

May, 1973 it lapped. at the out-
Side porch, and 10 days later

‘came into the house as high as 14
inches. pe,

- “There was muck over every-

‘thirig those years,”’ says Myrta. ’-

“The only -good thing for me -
was the garden grew like crazy.’’:
George was kept: busy ‘pulling
the ferry up-as the waters rose,
and taking it out as they abated.
*¥ love the Skeena, and I have
a lot of respect for her. If you
respect the Skeena River you get
along just fine,*? says Myrta.

She is still a little nervous about. }
riding across on the ferry and §

prefers to stand on the ferry in-
stead of sitting inthe car.
One of the saddest recollec-

tions for Myrta is the day they |

closed the school at Usk. ‘‘The _
community. fell apart after
that,” she says. In the old days
the community was self-

sufficient. The main link to Ter-

racé. was the’ railway; . the’

‘highwaywas very narrow and
. very winding. People often had
‘to back-up to wide spots to pass

each other, Se,
-In the winter time a row boat
was attached to the cable and

passengers. were. taken across jstop them was by producing. a . who. tor
. Single-handed job. The Brophy’s .

that way. “George took the
school children ‘across that
way,’” she said. -
Usk pioneers who come to her.
mind are Harry and Kay Varner; '
Joe and Helen Bell; Dick and
Nellie Adams. Kay Varner now
lives in the Willows; Nellie lives
across the river with her sisters
Elsie Whitlow and Irene Bowie.
Myrta remembers getting elec--
tricity in the 1960's. It was a
mess converting all the homes

‘over but in the end it was worth

it. Cathy Fraser, the local editor,
came out to see the electrical
cable strung across the river.
B.C. Hydro and the Depart-
ment of Highways both learned
to take Mrs. Kellogg seriously
when, in 1972, they condemned
the home where she had raised
her children. On the Highways’
orders a Hydro crew came out to
disconnect the power line. This
was to encourage Myrta and
George to move into a tiny

“4h .
t MA

can
the City of

TERRACE

FALL CLEAN-UP WEEK __
SEPTEMBER 28 - OCTOBER 2,
1987

The City of Terrace’s Public Works Department will
pick up extra garbage and refuse, free of charge, from
Monday, September 28 to Friday, October 2, 1987.

This service does NOT include car bodies, stumps or
industrial waste. Kindly arrange to have this extra
garbage and waste material set out on your regular
pick up day. Please have garbage and waste material in
plastic bags or cartons to assist in the pick up.

' Residents are reminded to check their Add-A-Day
. calendars, as garbage pick up days change following
all Statutory Holidays.

The City of Terrace
. W306

a

‘Terrace Review — Wednesday, September 23, 1987 145 ; mn

While on a recent visit with Terrace-area friends, Myrta Kellogg recalled =
some of the history of Usk experienced first-hand during her decades of liv- _

ing there.

trailer; but Myrta, asserting her

own power and authority as a
housewife, met them at the door
and said, ‘‘No, you can’t do
that; I’m doing the laundry and.

I’m. baking bread.’? The men.~

said that the only, way she could

receipt proving the line was in

her name. She produced a half

dozen receipts and the crewmen

departed. The Kelloggs remain-

3 ‘there until George died in
75.

. Erwin Jewellers

Adult: $10.00 advanced

BALLET

| “Finally our own ballet company
teid fraterson, letivie Durec toe diet ar Pad. drtitie Gaailtant
Baltet British Columbia
R.E.M. Lee Threatre
Friday, September 25, 1987, 8:00 p.m.
Reserved Seating Only
-- Tickets Available at:

at the door
Ticket Prices:

Student/Senlors: $7.00 advanced
Presented by the Terrace and District Arts Council
| and the Terrace Concert Society —

Myrta moved to Wembley in’ -

-1983 to be near her son, James;
but every summer she spends a -

few weeks atthe home of Tom .’

‘and. [sobel: Brophy. ‘‘l always
feel Pm coming home’’,. she | -
says. Tom is one of the ferrymen —

who. took over from George’s

fondly. call. Mrs. . Kellogg,-
“Granny’’, for she is-a part of
the heritage in Usk, a communi- -
ty that is more than just a Ter-
race suburb. |

1

of Gternational stature...”

Skeena Mall

$11.00 at the door
$8.00 at the door

ae