BB - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, April 5, 1995

Pioneers faced hardships ®

) HERE: ‘N THE
YVONNE MOEN

THIS WEEK I would like to
tell you a little about my very
good friend, Dorothy Hippisley,
nee Egan,

Dorothy was born on March 28,

1928 in a little log cabin in’

Resswood, B.C. Dorothy grew up
in Rosswood, experiencing many
of the hardships early pioneers in
the Skeena Country faced,

Dorothy’s father, an Australian
named Alfred Sam Egan, came to
the Rosswood area in 1910, Her
mother, Christine Allard came to
Rosswood when she was 18 years
old to visit her uncle.

And now I will go back in time
a ways, to Dorothy's birth,

Because her mother was experi-
encing some difficulties,
Dorothy’s father. snowshoed 30
miles to town to get the doctor. A
few days later he returned with
Dr. Brummett.

Dr. Brummett went into the —

bedroom to see how Christina
was doing. When he came out he
told .Dorothy’s father he could
save either the baby or his wife
and Alfred told the doctor to save
his wife.

Well, Dorothy was always a bit
stubborn, so she came along right
away. Thank goodness for Mrs.
Nightwine, the midwife, who
looked after her mother and her
so Well before and after the birth,

Dorothy lived on 160 acres her
father had pre-empted on Egan
Rd, four miles north of Kalum
Lakes.

When Alfred first came to
Rosswood he farmed and pros-
pecled, clearing his land the hard
way with grubhoe and lots of el-
bow grease,

During WWI he went overseas, _

.. and when the war ended, he
=” “returiied to” his’ honiestead at
- Rosswood. It was here that he
met and married Christine Tina
Allard.

As I said earlier, Christine had
=. come to Rosswood to visit her
: uncle, well known pioneer Matt
Allard and her aunt Chrissie
"Warner,

‘ Afler a couple of months there,
>) , She met and married Alfred Sam
Egan. Their wedding was in Ter-
race and they honeymooned in
~ ' Prince Rupert. Then they retumed
to Rosswood to live in a one-
-.° room cabin, and Dorothy was
‘> ‘ born,
’ « In the summer months they
. used to go up the mountain to
Douglas Creek where her father

: used to placer mine and pan for
gold. Alfred built a cabin for

them to live in up there.

As for furniture, Alfred made it
out of blocks of wood, with cedar

. boughs for a mattress.

Dorothy remembers the mice
used to nin through the branches
at night while they slept, and her
mother used to get pretty mad at
her father about their living con-
ditions.

Asa child, Dorothy thought the
mice were just part of the family.
She coulda’t understand why ber
mother would get so mad,

Dorothy's brother, James Egan,
was born in September 1934, and

i+! her sister Bileen Friesen, still
lives in the original homestead on
Egan Road in Rosswood.,

As for schooling, Dorothy's
parents taught her by cor-
respondence.

When Dorothy was 12, she was

given an opportunity to atiend

-: school for one term at the convent
in Priace Rupert. When the term
was up, she retumed back to the
homestead. There she helped her
mother with housework and the
garden, and helped her father at

“+ haying time.

“+ Haying was done by hand.

.- Alfred would use a scythe and

Dorothy would rack it with just a

: garden rack, Then her father

- + would pack it on his back.

Life on the homestead was
: hard, Once they only had potatoes

‘y:* to eat, so her mother made a fish-

‘+ ing line from a bent nail, some
string and a stick. And off
Dorothy and her mother went to

- + catch some trout in the creek on

.¢ the property.

:* Dorothy remembers a dug-out

:: canoe her father made. He
painted it green, and they called it

* the '‘Dill Pickle.”’ The Dill Pick-

‘ Allard, Dorothy once became

* Dorothy was quite scared by that

+ brother were killed in a fire on

“jnto ‘town, and passed away on

BRS eriestd

eee

eae ee eee

DOROTHY HIPPISLEY is one of the Skeena Valley's pioneers.
She was born in a log cabin, and face many hardships in her life,

such as sleeping on a mattress of cedar boughs, with mice for |i :

nighttime companions, instead of teddy bears.

open up the Skeena Country.
Now many pioneers are laid to
rest at the old Kalum Cemetery,
which I feel is disgrace. The least
we can do is be proud of the
‘pioneers who suffered so much
hardships. Why not take care of

le could really ride the waves on
Kalum Lake,

In the winter they would waik
across the frozen lake, sometimes
to visit relative like Uncle Matt

snowblind, and her father made

Fountain Tir in theWest.

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en " es
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BLAINE MacKENZIE, Manager

black marks under her eyes with
her mother’s eyebrow pencil.

where they are laid to rest?

incident.
Sadly, Dorothy’s mother and

December 18, 1971, in their
Rosswood cabin.
Dorothy’s father later maved

December 19, 1974 at the age of &
91 years, at the Skeenaview lodge
in Terrace,

When Dorothy was 15 she had
moved into Terrace to work as a
housekeeper. Here she met ‘‘that
little fellow”? Archie Stuart Hip-
pisley.

Archie was also from a pioneer
family and was bom in 1909 at
Copper River in a tent.

Dorothy and Archie were
married on December 20, 1952 in
Terrace. After they were married
they moved up to Goat Mountain,
where Archie had a contract.

For their log cabin, Dorothy and
her mother went out in the woods
to galher moss to use for insula-
tion between the logs.

Her parents gave them potatoes
and a moose for meat, Archie
would also snare rabbits for stew.

Watch for this feature in the first issue
of every month to see where you can
save in your everyday shopping!

They later moved back to the "
homestead in Rosswood, and TERRACE
Dorothy's father gave them 69 CARPET DOCTOR 43 A 635-2344 R
acrés, ‘e) eT

After their children started to Offer P , e
arcive Dorothy and Archie de- fers 25%: Discount a cy BOTILERS
cided to move to Kitwanga in enlors dispenser
1963, so the children could attend Ray & Jackie Rio 10 % off purchase of any oler
school there. They lived in 635-961 x 3738 River Drive o% off annual rental of water cO
Kitwanga for 25 years, and 8 Terrace, B.C, 15% 0 hle Ave. , Terrace, B.C.
moved back to Terrace in 1988. i #6 - 5002 Ponte _

On April 16, 1991, Archie Hip-
pistey passed away at the age of ==
81 years. When her husband died,
Dorothy moved around a bit, but Offers A L-C 7 S G LA
as of June 1, 1994, has settled at 10% 3 . SS
the Willows Apartments on . t , = 720 River Drive, Terrace
Kalum St. Now she says she has Discoun OFFERS 10% piscoiy:

; : % DISCOUNT TO SENIO

founda home again, e to Seniors — RS

Dorothy bas five children and ~ 945-3151 Terrace Doug Cl
many grandchildren: Archie Hip- a +. Terrace: 638-8001 oster Kitimat
pisley Jr, of Kitwanga, bom Au- 146 Hwy. 16 East, Owner 632-4800
gust 3, 1954 and his wife Dawn

with their three children Richard,

Tammy and Jennifer; Theresa
Hippisley, bom October 24,
1956, and her three sons, Gerry,
Jamie and Christopher; Susan
Gogag of Kitwancool, born
March 14, 1958, and her
hasuband Dennis and their three Z
daughters Gynette, Lara and ;
Nikala and son Dennis Jr; Peggy

Discouns

635-2439

To ESC
MAPRNCTEDE
Offers 15%

Menday to Thursday

We offer 10% off
materials for Seniors.

[LENNOX DEALER |

ACAD

ACADIA NORTHWEST MECHANICAL INC.
5299 Kelth, Terrace, 8.C.VaG 1L2 635-4770

to Seniors

Skeena Mall
315-474] Lokeke

Watt of Hazelton, born Gebruary
12, 1963 and her husband Rob
and two sons Jessic and Danicl,

and daughter Sasha; and finally
Charlie Hippisley, born February
25, 1965, single.

. . + Full Service
Nowadays Dorothy is hardly Ps Brakes,
ever home. She enjoys the good + Special

life, afler all the hardships she
endured.

: HWY. 16 EA RIVEW,
T hope you bave enjoyed some = ST. RO. BOX 190g AYS
memories of what life was like ; Terrace 635-9392 TERRACE, BC. VEG ayy 8 ¥ PARKING LOTS
for the early ploneers. They came SS 3504 Klum QUALITY WORK

peutamotue

GARY A. HOLLAND

Mufflers, Tune-Ups
zing in Front-end

from all parts of ihe world to

a Ce a