Shuswap Passion

North Shuswap pioneers, circa 1910

 The pattern of early settlement in the Shuswap was influenced by the location of arable land, the modes and challenges of transportation and the early lumber industry, which resulted in a multitude of communities, most of which continue to thrive today. As settlers flooded into the Shuswap between 1896 and 1915, their transportation options anywhere except near the railway were limited as there were no roads.

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Shuswap settlers successfully lobbied Prime Minister Wilfred Laurier on his western tour in 1910 to ensure the size of their homesteads was not reduced

When the first settlers began to arrive in mass after the railway was built, they faced enormous legal as well as physical challenges. They arrived to stake out their “free” homesteads” with visions of bountiful harvests of fruits and vegetables only to be faced with years of difficult, back-breaking land clearing and a bureaucratic nightmare that resulted in many of them being labeled as just squatters.

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Prior to 1896, there were few permanent settlers in the Shuswap. Other than the early-formed settlements in Chase, Westwold (Grande Prairie), Fortune’s Landing (Enderby) and Sicamous, most of the Shuswap was still vacant land except for the small Indian reserves. With the election of Canadian Prime Minister Wilfred Laurier, a settlement campaign began called the “the last Best West,” named because by then most of the best land in the U.S. had already been settled.  This campaign led to first a trickle and then a flood of settlers moving to the Shuswap.

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Eagle Pass Landing in 1886, Maynard photo courtesy of the BC Archives and the Kamloops Art Gallery

While the story of the Shuswap’s first town of Seymour City (Ogdenville) that was built and mostly abandoned in just one year, 1866, is fairly well known; fewer people are aware that in that same year the town Eagle Pass Landing was also built at the mouth of the Eagle River. The story begins in July 1865 when Governor Seymour was concerned about the need for a trail from Ogdenville to the Big Bend gold fields on the Columbia River.

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The multiple economic benefits that could be achieved by paying better attention to changing demographics was the focus of the last column and this strategy has been at the center of University of Toronto economics professor David Foot’s work. His series of books, “Boom, Bust and Echo,” demonstrate the power of demographics to help understand the past and predict the future. In a 2008 article, Foot explained how small towns will benefit as many Boomers will seek a slower paced life upon retirement where they can enjoy nature, culture and a lower cost lifestyle.

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Graphs courtesy of Footwork Consulting (David Foot)

There is no doubt that a great deal of effort went into producing the Salmon Arm Economic Development Society’s (SAEDS) 5-year Economic Development Plan. However the plan misses some key opportunities that mesh with one of the main drivers of our local economy. The consultants that prepared the plan, Miller, Dickenson and Blais, reviewed data, interviewed local businesses and held planning sessions with city staff and politicians. The resulting plan does provide a blueprint for many key actions that would help to boost our local economy.
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Rolf Walgren Bruhn in 1937 after reconstructive surgery from burns suffered in a boat accident. Photo courtesy of the Sicamous and District Museum.

George Abbott was not the first Shuswap politician that rose to prominence in Victoria. Sicamous pioneer and renowned lumberman, Rolf Wallgren Bruhn was first elected to the legislature in 1924 and during his long political career he served as a cabinet minister and became well known for his honesty, independence and sincerity. Interestingly, Abbott wrote the only biography of Bruhn that is also available online.

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Photo of the Social and Dramatic Club entry into the Fall Fair parade.
Pre-1917, Photographer unknown, photo courtesy of Salmon Arm Museum at RJ Haney Heritage Village, Early Silver Creek settlers arrived in covered wagons like this one

As was explained in a recent column, the city of Salmon Arm originated as the Salmon River Valley farming centre and Silver Creek was then and still is the heart of this valley. Silver Creek began as a close-knit community and it remains so now, as the locals continue to join together for events throughout the year at their community hall, that was built sometime in 1927, and at their local community park.

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With just 18 km of groomed and track-set trails, the Skmana cross-country ski area is small in size, but there is a huge amount of local volunteer support that has made this true gem of a winter playground a major success. Just a few years ago, the Skmana Cross-Country ski club had dwindled down to just 25 people, and its Bombardier trail groomer was becoming old and unreliable.  Under the leadership of the then president, Brian David, the group began an ambitious fund raising project in 2011 to raise $25,000 to purchase a new grooming machine.

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By the number of vehicles in the parking area, it was clear that the word is out about the advantages of ski-touring in the Queest Mountain area. A friend and I arrived at about 9am with two snowmobiles on a trailer that were not needed because the road had been plowed by Louisiana-Pacific, the forestry company that logs in the Gorge Creek area. The day after Boxing Day is one of the most popular days at ski resorts, and so too was it here as there were approximately two dozen skiers and snow boarders ready to enjoy the deep powder on the steep runs without any need to buy a lift ticket.

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