Lardeau Valley Historical Society
13435 Highway 31 North V0G 1N0

A huge thankyou to George Brinkman and Kelly Abey for bringing our monstrous steam-donkey engine to its concrete base yesterday. Come early spring, we'll make some adjustments, put all of the donkey's pieces together, and construct replicas of the wood-bin and operator platforms. With all this amazing local help, we make progress, step by step!

And, finally, here's Panel #5 about our steam donkey engine. Be sure to click on the image to make it larger and readable!

Zan Mautner donated this tractor; Duane & Aidan securing it to the trailer for safe transport.

Charlie Beguin's 1920s Fordson tractor made it to the Lardeau Valley Museum today. Many, many thanks to Zan Mautner for donating it, and to Duane Adrian and Aidan Hobgood for generously volunteering to haul it from Argenta where it sat for over 50 years!

The search is on for steam-donkey ditch-digging parts! Thank you, George & Irene Brinkman for permitting us on your land; to Nathan Adrian for leading us to the likely site where the steam donkey sat before being hauled to Alberta 57 yrs ago; to Mike Campbell for loaning his metal detector; and to Sandra Martens and Peter Jonker for searching & digging. So far, we've discovered heavy chain, some cable, large hooks, an improvised collar for a ditching-logall buried in 1"-8" of wet soil. More discoveries to come.

Jack Healey of Healey`s Landing on the Duncan River near Poplar Creek / Howser of the Duncan River Valley area long before the dam. BC Archives 1931.

A huge thank you to Kul Nijjar for donating (on behalf of the late Ken Wapple's estate), and to Clint Carlson & George Brinkman for transporting/unloading this well-preserved 1929 tractor that originally belonged to Argenta (Ooops, I mean Johnsons Landing) pioneer Jim McNicol. What a fine thing to see our community members work together to collect and preserve our amazing historical artifacts! We're hoping to house our collection of large agriculture machinery under a single roof next year.

An early snow at the museum.

Here's Panel #4 about our steam donkey engine:

Here's Panel #3 about our steam donkey engine:

Here's Panel #2. Thank you to Art Carson for helping provide content!

A volunteer has been developing interpretive panels for the steam donkey that has been given back to us by the Reynolds-Alberta Museum. This is the first of five panels. Because it measures 18" X 12", you may need to zoom in to read it more easily. Enjoy!

Our community has reason to be proud! Thank you, Heritage BC and CBT, for your core support! Thank you to the many local volunteers!

Hello everyone! Just a reminder that next weekend is our last official weekend open for the season! We will be open for the fall fair, but next weekend is our closing weekend! Please feel free to stop in and have a look at the museum! We would love to see you!... ~LVHS

Hello Everyone! Happy Saturday! Sadly, today's the day... our final post for our pioneer segment. We hope you enjoyed reading the posts as much as we did making them!... Today's pioneer is none other than Billy Clark! Billy Clark (1887-1970) came over from England in 1908 at the grand age of 21 with hopes of starting new and prosperous life in Canada. After searching for a place to call home, he stumbled across the Lardeau Valley and the Hincks brothers, who owned a large orchard in Howser. Due to many similarities between the men, Billy was quickly hired and began his rural life working for the Hincks brothers farm. Due to his friendly mannerism and stellar work ethic, Billy was quickly welcomed into the community and was soon considered "one of the locals." After a few years of working for the Hincks brothers, WWI and a battered economy took hold of the world and it was soon felt within the Lardeau Valley. Due to this, the Hincks brothers made the tough decision to abandon the ranch and orchard. As there was no doubt that Billy had fallen in love with the valley as a whole, he decided to move across the lake from the farm and build his own cabin. The cabin on the museum grounds today was the result of his efforts back then. For the next 45 years, Billy carved out a living within the Lardeau Valley by trapping, logging, prospecting and hunting. As cameras started to emerge into the everyday-life of the Lardeau Valley, Billy's life in particular was soon being captured from behind a lens. In fact, one of the most iconic images originating from the valley was captured as a result of his actions. Anyone who has heard of the Lardeau Valley or typed it into a Google image search will likely come across an image of a magnificent grizzly bear hide placed against a log cabin. Well, that was Billy and a bear that he had recently taken. Billy himself took several pictures of the Lardeau Valley pre-dam construction. Several of his photos are in the museum archives. Adding to this however, one of the most significant and iconic things that Billy was known for was manufacturing his signature snowshoes. Due to their distinct style and functionality, Billy soon found himself engulfed in orders and people just trying to get a pair of his snowshoes. At his peak, Billy was making close to 175 pairs of snowshoes a year! After 45 years of living in Howser, Billy later retired in 6-Mile and lived out the remainder of his years there. It is clear to anyone that Billy Clark has successfully earned his place in the history books as an iconic pioneer of the Lardeau Valley. His friendly nature and sharp wit will be remembered by many for many years to come. All information used for this post was cited from various interviews through the "Oral History Project"

Hello Everyone! Happy Friday! Today's pioneer is Archibald Rory MacDonald!... Although he was not a full-time historical figure in the valley, he had a significant role within the Valley (at least that is how the story goes) All information for this post and the original article in the Valley Voice was cited from the book "The Rainbow Chasers " Written by Archie's relative Ervin MacDonald

Hello again everyone! Happy Thursday! Here is Thursday's pioneer!... Norman "Red" McLeod Red McLeod was a young Scot who began his career as a drunken horse thief. His crime spree took place in Creston, BC for the most part. However, before the law could catch up with him, he managed to escape over the Purcell Mountain Range. Within the museum, we have Red's gun belt and boot spurs from those days on display. Although he was headed down a dark path of crime, his life changed for the better when he entered the Lardeau Valley. Here, he became an honest prospector and lived a humble lifestyle within the valley. As for what spurred this change, there is much debate, but this is what we know for sure: On a rare occasion in 1897 when Red emerged from the back-country for supplies, he met a fellow prospector by the name of Archibald MacDonald. After a few drinks and decent conversation, it was decided that they would purchase a plot together and become mining partners. They both had had their eye on a particular spot up a steep side of a mountain (later named Lavina Mountain) and decided to explore in hopes of striking gold, so to speak. After gathering their supplies and setting out from Argenta in a homemade rowboat, they soon reached the mouth of a creek (later named Hamill Creek). From here, they began their harrowing hike to the top. When they reached the top, they began to explore their hopeful site and soon realized that luck was on their side. Red and Archibald staked two claims and began mining. Sadly, exactly one year later and after a successful partnership, Red and Archibald decided to go their separate ways and sold their claims. With the money he earned from the claim, Red built a cabin in Argenta and continued to prospect for the next few years. Within this time Red also hired a lawyer to clear his name as a horse thief. He then retired to his cabin and lived out the rest of his life there. All information was cited from the book "The Rainbow Chasers" by Ervin Austin MacDonald (2008)

Hello Everyone! Here is our post that was supposed to be for yesterday! Dave Wilkinson... Doctor Wilkinson, otherwise know as "Doc" was one of, if not the only original dentist in the Lardeau Valley. After their wedding in 1932, Doc and his wife Marge decided to make a change from their urban lives in Vancouver, BC to a more rugged and rustic lifestyle in Nelson. This is where Doc set up a dental practice with Dr. Shaw. When WWII began, Doc joined the Canadian Dental Corps and was stationed up in Prince George, BC. He served as a dentist for the corps until after the war and then returned to Nelson and to Marge. It was at this point where Doc's love of the wilderness called him further into the unknown. Now, semi-retired, Doc and Marge moved to a property within the Howser settlement. Here he enjoyed every moment possible in the wilderness. From hunting and trapping to hiking and gold-panning, Doc slowly, but surely started to become a true romantic mountain man. When talking about nature, Doc had a way of speaking about it that left both himself and his listeners in awe. Although he was semi-retired, Doc continued to practice dentistry within the Lardeau Valley and was the guy to call if someone had a tooth ache. A few of the locals today have even said that they still remember having their teeth worked on by Doc. Most of Doc's tools are now on display within the museum. Doc and Marge later moved to Sooke, BC and lived out their final years there. Doc was an amazing doctor, friend and an all-around good person and one that history will not soon forget. All information was cited from various interviews through the "Oral History Project"

Howdy folks! Sorry for not posting our next pioneer today. Our computer had a glitch. We will post two tomorrow to make up for today. ~LVHS

Hi Everyone! Happy Tuesday! Next up is Maude Haley!... Maude Haley With the death of her parents, Maude Haley came over to Canada from Ireland when she was gracing her teenage years. Her uncle, a boarding house owner, lived at the far end of Duncan Lake (the site was later named Haley’s Landing) and agreed to look after her in exchange for her taking on the role of the cook. Anyone who knew Maude would tell you that she was an amazing cook. This was credited to her years spent cooking for miners, prospectors and firefighters as they passed through the valley. Maude was an incredibly tough woman, despite how small she was, and was able to hold her own in any type of situation. Many would recall the story about her slinging a rifle over her shoulder and going out to hunt a grizzly bear twice her size. Maude was also known for a number of borderline scandals in her time. The most significant being that she was an unmarried woman living with an unmarried man by the name of Harry Tomlinson. Although he claimed that she was his house keeper, it was known by a select few that they were in fact a couple. This never led to anything though; they never married and never had children. With the flooding of the Duncan Valley, Maude was forced to move to the upper settlement of Howser. However, this worked out for Maude as she was placed next to her long-time friends Mae and John Greenlaw. Mae recounts that Maude would come for coffee every Sunday morning because the lake water was far better for making coffee as opposed to her well water. Mae would always offer her breakfast and she would always decline. However, when John had his breakfast in front of him, Maude would always pick away at things on his plate. Maude was a true legend of the Lardeau Duncan Valley and is a true testament to the strong women of the valley today. All information was cited from Mae Greenlaw's interview from the "Oral History Project"

Happy Monday Everyone! Continuing on with our pioneer segment, next up is Ernie Severeid! Ernie Severeid... Ernie was born in 1914 in Goldstone, Montana to his parents, Charles and Gia Severt. When Ernie was young, the family moved up to Alberta (1921-1930) to answer the call for settlers by the Canadian Government. Here, they built a family homestead and Ernie lived there until roughly 1958 when he moved to the Lardeau Valley. In order to make a living and a little extra income, Ernie sold whitefish for three cents a pound, had over three-thousand strawberry plants to tend to on his farm and trapped everything from coyotes to marten on his trapline. Later on, once he was an established carpenter by trade, Ernie had an extensive career around the Lardeau Valley and built roughly nine houses in his time. When asked where he worked in the early years of living in the Lardeau Valley, Ernie stated that I was everywhere, from here to Kaslo, if they needed a carpenter, I was there. Ernie also talked about constructing his own home out of bits and pieces from various other houses and hotels from around the valley. He said that if he didn’t save those things and parts, who would. For example, The Miner’s Hotel table located in the museum was donated by Ernie and serves as a centerpiece to our dining room space. During the pre- and post-construction of the Duncan Dam, Ernie worked as a carpenter and later an employee of the Dam for a total of ten years. One of Ernie’s main jobs was to keep the lake and top of the Dam free of wood debris that would be carried into the lake with the winter melt. To do this, Ernie would use a tugboat and boom sticks to round up the wood and take it up towards the Duncan to be burned at an established wood lot. In his oral history interview, Ernie talked about how rough the lake would get at times and how sometimes he would have to radio back to the Hydro office to get a ride home because of how rough the water was. Another story Ernie loved to tell (how true it was is really up to the reader or listener to decided) was how in rough water, Ernie could hop over the boomsticks with the tug boat and on two occasions, go completely under them due to the waves and the wind. As anyone who knew him could tell you, Ernie loved to talk and be around people. In his interview, he would talk about times spent with fellow pioneers Billy Clark, Slim Hatfield and even Maude Healy. All were happy memories spent in the Lardeau Valley. Ernie was a colourful character within the Lardeau Valley and one that many will talk about for years to come. All information was cited from Ernie's interview through the "Oral History Project"

Hello Everyone! As promised, here is our first post in our pioneer segment! Joe and John Logus:... Joe Logus: Joe Logus (December 7th, 1893 November 30th, 1978) immigrated from the Ukraine to Canada around the year 1910 and married Catherine Logus on February 10th, 1918 in Nelson, BC. Together, they had two children, John and Lee Lena Logus. Joe, Catherine and their young family initially lived across from the established Poplar Creek townsite before moving one-kilometer South to their homestead (1921 1968). On the farm itself, they raised cattle, had hay fields, tended to a large garden and raised a number of different farm animals. Most of the farming related artifacts within the museum originated from the Logus Family Farm. Catherine also had an extensive museum display on their homestead in Poplar Creek as well. Before WWII, Joe worked on the farm, mined on several claims within the Poplar Creek area, maintained trails throughout the valley and later, aided forestry surveyors when needed during the 1960s. Due to this, Logus Lake was named after Joe in honor of his contributions to them. John Logus: John Logus (1919 - 2006) was born and raised in Poplar Creek and spent most, if not all of his childhood on the family farm. He married Medina (Nee Ashton) Logus on September 1st, 1945. Together, they had one son, Wayne Logus. Before WWII, John worked at the Silver Cup Mine (1936) and briefly worked at the Marblehead Mine in and around the time of its closure. From 1941 1974, John was in the RCAF and retired with the rank of Chief Warrant Officer. During WWII itself, John trained to become a Flight Engineer and was posted for training to Brandon, St. Thomas, Claresholm, Vulcan, Vancouver and Aylmer. Once certified, John was posted to various stations in Canada, Grostenquin, France, Zweibrucken and Baden in Germany, and El Arish, Egypt. After the war, with 414 Photographic Squadron, he stayed on as a Flight Engineer in Watson Lake, YT where they were tasked with mapping the Northern landscapes. Upon retirement from the Air Force, John and Medina moved to the North Shore of Nelson. There, he worked on the Harrop Ferry for over a decade before finally retiring and spending time on his large yard, fruit trees and garden. Over the course of his Air Force career, John received the following medals: Canadian Volunteer Service Medal, War Medal, UN Emergency Force Medal, Canadian Centennial Medal, Canadian Forces’ Decoration and Clasp and Flight Engineer Badge. Both men had exceptional lives, both in the Lardeau Valley and around the world and are a true testament to the unbroken spirit of the Lardeau Valley. A big thank you and credit goes out to Wayne Logus for sharing his Family's history with us! We are so grateful for your support and your entire Family's support of our museum over the years!

Hello again everyone! We have an exciting event planned for over the course of this coming week! We have been going through our records and have put together some information about the pioneers of the Lardeau Valley! ... Starting on Sunday, we will be posting one pioneer per day until Saturday. We are excited to share this information with you! If you would like to know more about the featured pioneers or have additional comments about them, please feel free to swing by the museum or contact us on this page. The more information we know, the more we can preserve it! ~LVHS

Hello Everyone! Happy Saturday! We officially have less than a month left in our season (plus the fall fair)!... Please feel free to stop in and say hello, see what's new and learn about the history of the Lardeau Valley! We would love to see you! ~LVHS

A lot of work by many community members went into this! So rewarding to see all of the effort come to fruition!

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