The spirit of 52 The recent release of Terrace’s new economic and tourism development stragegy punc- tuates.a long period of concern over the direction the communi- ty is taking and the means by which growth and stability can be achieved. Those concerns are not new to- this community, however. The following piece is a transcript of a CBC radio feature aired. in 1952, one segment of a series done by broadcaster Peg Deeder called “‘Boomtowns’’. It shows clearly that the people who lived in the much. smaller Terrace of. that era had the same concerns and were directing their energies toward the same goals. The transcript was supplied by Terrace resident Edith Kawin- sky, daughter of Terrace founder George Little. Boomtowns by Peg Deeder ‘Terrace is unique as a boom- town. Although during the past year there has been terrific in- dustrial expansion, sound plan- ning by the Terrace ‘‘city fathers’? has prevented the dis- organization found in other towns in central B.C. when caught unprepared by the sud- den charge laid upon them by new industry. Terrace was pre- pared, Prior to the late war, this village, like all the other centers along the CNR ‘branch line run- ‘ning from Jasper to Prince Rupert, was stagnating. Located on the Skeena River, about 90 miles east of Prince Rupert, it was indeed a very small dot on the provincial map. Terrace lies in the center of a great valley, which is, itself, the hub for six valley spokes. Valley runs east and west. The Kitimat Valley runs north and south, with a due line through to Aiyansh on the Nass River. Six miles ‘southeast of Terrace lies the Copper Valley. Seven miles. west of Terrace lies the long valley of the Zymacord. Twenty- some miles north of the town is Sand Lake which is the which is the height of land, with its waters flowing south through Kalum Lake to the Skeena and north through. Lava Lake.to the Nass. Separating these lovely wooded valleys are rolling mountains; with sometimes a. jageed glacier peak thrusting itself into: the clouds. The. breath-takingly . scenery is beautiful. , The elevation of Terrace is 218 feet and the average rainfall is 46 inches. During. the war years Terrace joined with the other centers along the line in helping to meet the tremendous demand for forest products. The woods ‘operators ‘worked under one very serious handicap, however. The Skeena- Progress brings along its own set of problems. This photo, provided by Edith Kawinsky, captured what was probably one of Terrace’s first motor vehicle accidents. It’s dated 1911 and the car was reported to having been going about three miles per hour. An estimated 35 percent of the local timber hemlock, which makes a very heavy timber. Under the timber- limit licences all merchantable timber must be cut. With a specified delivered price for lumber it is understandable that the extra freight costs of the heavy hemlock was an undesir- able factor. The spruce was good, however, and the cedar definitely highgrade, with some poles up to 125 feet in length. _ The village underwent a sound and steady progress during the forties. Military installations: and the considerable numbers of troops stationed at Terrace con- tributed to the prosperity of the local businessmen. The advent of Columbia Cellulose started boom condi- tions in the valley. No longer was hemlock a headache to the lumber operators, for it is favored of all woods for pulp. The ugly stepchild of the forest was now the most valuable member of the family. Every stick of timber in the vast forests of the area will be utilized to the fullest, and the 50-year re- forestation plan under which Columbia Cellulose operates en- sures perpetual yield. Immediately the boom started Terrace put into effect a planned building arrangement, There was to be no haphazard mush- rooming of building in this town. As the town spread out rapidly, every broad new street was laid out according to plan, and each new building was built under specification. Fortunate- ly, the village had been founded by a man of vision, who careful- - ly avoided ary bottlenecks against future expansion, You will hear more of the ‘Father of Terrace” later on. So Columbia started a mild boom in Terrace. But when the _Aluminum Company of Canada _ moved into central B.C. last spr- ing, the boom increased in tem- po. Kitimat lies only 40 miles southwest of Terrace. A railroad spur and a highway are slated to be built into Kitimat. Is it any wonder that people flocked into the town? They wanted to be in on the ground floor of what-is certain to be a great industrial consists of . ‘the influx? Why, they have a era. How did Terrace cope with housing project, of course. The community planning board ex- tends every possible assistance to new settlers. Also a private com- pany surveyed out 200 parcels of land in a block, the choicer parcels consisting of one acre. Last May alone, 70 of these parcels were sold to new settlers. Columbia Cellulose has a hous- ing project of its own which cares for over 200 new families. The policy of the company is . based on the desire-;to hire, wherever possible, employees with families who will make per- manent homes, send their chil- dren to local schools, and become valuable members of the community. . Men of vision in both Terrace and Prince Rupert see another industry in the offing. Seventy miles north of Terrace, on the Nass, lies a great water power potential. It is possible that Alcan has its eye on this for another aluminum development. Seven miles northwest of Ter- race lies the source of another 35,000 HP which can be in- creased to 50,000 by damming MOND Late Night — the north end of Lava Lake. Three or four miles from- Kitimat, on the Terrace side a compass is useless because of the big iron deposits. Out on the road to the airport lies a peculiar sand-clay forma- tion consisting of thousands of acres, and lying 50 feet deep. A sample of the clay was sent to the Department of Ceramics, University of Saskatchewan. The Terrace Board of Trade is thrilled at the report: the sample was found to be ideally suited to the making of surface brick. The Hotsprings of Lakelse are awaiting a major development. The waters have been analyzed and have been found definitely medicinal. The spring is 60 feet across,. and in the center the water registers 186 degrees. Actually, the people of Ter- race do not like their town dub- bed a boomtown. They point to all these bountiful natural resources and say, ‘“Booms usually burst. Ours is a sound progress, not a boom.” That’s the way the ‘‘Father of Terrace”’ feels. He says, ‘‘When you talk about Terrace boom- ing, you be might sure to explain that this is not one of those AY: fi th *". Kinsmen Club (Alternate): E-WELCOME! 2 Nisga'a Tribal Council (Teitace Local) URDAY: B.C. Paraplegic Foundation ~~ Terrace Peaks Giymnasti¢:Club bustin’? booms!” . Who is the father of Terrace? George Little. He founded Ter- — race in 1905. There was no Ter- race or Prince Rupert when George came in January of that year, on foot over the Kitimat Trail. Port Simpson was the government office and Hudson Bay headquarters; Port Essing- ion the steamboat landing and cannery supply center at the mouth of the Skeena. Hazelton was head of navigation on the Skeena and the fur-trading and distributing center for the in- terior. i George Little was a prospec- tor: but as he walked across the flat to the Kalum in March, he conceived the idea of a townsite. At that time the land was all under reserve for railroad -pro- tection. But the reserve was opened on Dec. 8 of 1905, and George Little, along with several others, staked and recorded his chosen parcels. Within a short period the railway surveyors moved in. Their choice of a_ station grounds was held by George. Figuring he was land poor any- way, George cheerfully donated . Continued on page B16 AT 4:30 P.M. jank you! Have a Nice day!