From prospector to milkman | In the spirit of Heritage Week, community correspon- dent Yvonne Moen did a little research on some of the people and events from the city’s past. Below she recounts the story of the Franks, one of the ploneer JSamilies, In 1893, Henry Frank ‘and partner Charles Kendell climbed ‘sea-soaked and weary from the 20-foot skiff which had brought them from the Washington state ~ to Port Essington, After resting up for a day or so and having come ‘across a. faded map of the ‘interior’, the pair headed up the Skeena to do some prospecting. A few mon- ths later they parted company ‘with Frank electing to stay for the winter trapping, * In 1904, he became a settler -himself and worked as the local fish commissioner, a job that Tequired him being away from ‘home for three to four months at atime. He remained i in that - post until 1917;: Henry: was joined in May 1908 by wife Mattie, and their four children —. Luella (7), Ivan (5), Floyd (3) and Belle. (1). Home was a: 16 foot square, one-room cabin up on the Bench, just behind where the Northwest Community College is today. By November of that: year, their 3 new house on Frank Road was completed. (It was to re- main home for the next 27 years and is still there today). Although most dwellings at the . time were built of‘ logs, the Frank’s was ‘constructed. of railway ties cut by Mr. Lillisberg. April 18, 1909 saw a new ad- dition to the family, Jack, the Home was a 16 foot square, one-room cabin up on the Bench, just behind where the Northwest Corm- _ munity College is today, The family quickly settled in with Mattie cocking on a camp- - stove and baking bread in a drum oven on the stove pips. Smudge pots were kept going both outside and under the table . at meal so that they could get some peace from the hordes of mosquitoes, ‘first non-native child to be born in the valley, Pioneer settlers marked the event by presenting the youngster with an inscribed, silver cup on the day of his bap- tism in the home of Rev. Marsh, The following year the Frank Dairy started up, the beginning of a 32 year operation for the . VALLEY VIEW, Seen from the old cernetery up on the Bench, the Skeena Valley looked very different the days when the Frank dairy used a converted Model A to deliver milk to its customers. Evident toa are the fruit trees that helped give the area the reputation of being the Okanagan of the north. From small beginnings As with afl fledgling com- munities, the first educational institution established in Ter- race was a one room schoolhouse presided over by a Miss I, Pearson. Originally housed in the back Toom of a building at the corner OF Kalum and Greig, it then -moyed to the basement of the Anglican Church which stood on Kalum where BC Tel is to- -day. From there it was on ta “another basement the “Presbyterian church’s this time — on the 4500 block of Lakelse. =, A growing population led toa sMeeting of Terrace and Kit- ‘sumgallum residents and the ’- decision to establish a second one-room school. The Kalum ~ : school was completed in June of 1914: and began classes that ‘ “September with Miss Hannah as éteacher, -By° June 1918 there were a ‘total, of 32 students and by the ‘following year a second “classroom had been added. The