Page 4 Cassiar Courier September/October 1988

= Lorraine Lanteigne

Editor’s Note: This is one of the articles prepared
by Lorraine for our September issue. Although a little

late, we are running it as is,

“In mist filled mountain valleys
Deep in the heart of no mans land
There dwells the shadow people
A mysterious and elusive band.”

From Shadow People
by Lorraine Lanteigne

Goodbye. This is the most often used word
at Erickson these days. The summer students have
left, each ‘returning to pursue their futures. People
such as Steve and Penny Kenny have moved with their
children, Kyle and Gavin after eight years at Erickson.
Gigie McGlynn, ‘Nema, Natalie and Aidan are now citi-
zens of Montreal. Ian Webb, better known as the man
with the runners has left, after over a year of employ-
ment at Erickson. “Goodbye” - meaning good journey,
fortunate life, a toast to a future planned in the lonely
silence that is part of life in a mining camp.

I said half a goodbye last fall when my family
moved into Cassiar. I continued writing the Erickson
column. I kept in contact. Now it is a full-fledged
goodbye I say. It’s hard for me. The impact that this
mountain home has had on my life is monumental.
The push of life became a mighty thrust forcing me to
experience life in dramatic confusion, hilarious antics,
stressful challenge, quiet meditation and constant
growth through the good, the bad and the ugly. I will
not forget! I will miss it, all of it, especially the people.
The distant loneliness, my intuitive nature feels, lays in
wait for me. It is then that I will reflect. This is a hard
leaving; I can only hope it means a happy birth into a
different lifestyle.

It’s nice to see my buddies, Clark and Tates,
back at Erickson, and on the straight and narrow!
There really are miracles under heaven. Chris did
wonder, however, when he would be close to finishing
up his sentence on the rock pile. 4

Bill Hale passed through Erickson near the end
of August. He is now the project engineer at Windy
Craggy.

Congratulations to Art Ramsey, who won
Erickson’s Pool Tournament in August. There were
fourteen entries. Art played between eight and ten
games, not losing one. Arrangements are now taking
place for a championship trophy competition.

Frank and Carole Kollar recently visited Erickson.
They were guests of the Anderson Lodge. Frank said
that the lake left a little to be desired, but he did sit
out with Carole waiting for the mud wrestling to begin.
Rumour has it that John and Elwood have challenged
Tom and O.B. However, the betting was so lopsided that

Erickson Creek

Erickson now has a mine rescue team. Norm
Lapointe, Terry Brown, Ben Trump and Joey Watson
are some members. If you are interested in getting
involved contact Terry Brown.

Lee Callow has not (as of this report) missed
a shift in three weeks. He is quite pleased and says
‘its some kind of record. Now Lee. .. :

Hats off to Bob and Donna on the birth of their
daughter in Merrit. Bob says that the baby girl was
born on the eighth day of the eighth month at 8:00
a.m. in 1988. Sounds like a lucky baby to me!

Tom McGrail says Sugar Ray Lanteigne is doing
well on his comeback. I say these two should spar off
in the tailings pond! Lanteigne, a freelance miner (some-
what different from a tramp) is doing well and enjoys
being back at Erickson.

The exploration project at Erickson has been
in full swing over the past few months. According to
Jim Lehtinen, Project Geologist for the Erickson property
there’ were twenty-three people on the team ranging
from geologists to geology students and labourers.

The program involves diamond drilling, backhoe
trenching, contract geophysicists who are involved with
I.P. Magnetometre VLF—EM, all to look for subsurface
rock expressions, mapping and prospecting and soil
sampling on precut grids. “We have a target area that
is concentrated on,” says Jim. “This is decided upon
by me and our western exploration manager, Alex Bo-
ronski. We reach our conclusions from previous years
results and a potential good geological environment.” The
program started February 1st and finishes when the
budget is complete.

Some exciting projects for Jim have been the
drilling program on the Cusac extension and the potent-
ial development of the Katherine vein. “The Katherine
is a pretty “hot” area,” says Jim. “It has all the right
ingredients such as gold bearing quartz veins. Although
the concentration of gold is good in the smaller veins
the exploration department is looking for bigger struc-
tures.”

Jim began as a graduate from the Haileybury
School of Mines as a mining tech. He attended U.B.C.
attaining a Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in geo-
logy in 1984. Home is Vancouver. He enjoys skiing, both
cross country and downhill, hockey, and used to like
chasing women, but has now quieted down! A friendly
person, Jim is an added dimension to life at Erickson
and earns the quiet respect of all who know him.

Erickson’s kitchen is cooking very well these
days. Jude is really doing well (except after birthday
parties) and Derek says he is looking forward to winter
as the summer has been so poor. Myrna’s baking just
gets better, and I’d like to thank her, Tim and Derek
for all of the help they have given me in the past.

Get well wishes to Joe Hebert. Everyone misses
Joe and Joyce and we all hope to see you soon.

Then there is the one about Elwood and Tom
climbing ladders. Elwood’s faster, but according to
Tom, Elwood needed a lot longer rest then he did. So
many stories!

Goodbye mountain people. May every dream
you hold dear come true, and may you all enjoy a life

the contest was cancelled! full of true love and good fortune.
BE Ns ee eee ————————eEeEeEEEE

GOODBYE

May the fine drama that is life steer your
responses to its actions, as players knowledgeable
of the dimensions on the planetary stage.

Cassiar, the place and its people, will not be
forgotten by any of us.

Thank you to our friends:
shine on all of you. 5

Our door is open and we hope to enjoy
visits with you in Abbotsford.

Goodbye.

may fortune

The Lanteignes
John, Lorraine, James, Katherine

Goodbye, Lorraine

by Don Campbell

Lorraine Lanteigne is going home. After five
years at Erickson and Cassiar, and many more years at
other mining communities and camps across this country,
she is returning to where she was born, but only for a
while. —

You might find it strange that I’should be doing
this article, never having worked with her, and having only
recently met her. Our paths almost crossed in Yellow-
knife: John and Lorraine had left just before we arrived.
Now they are leaving once more as we arrive.

We sat in the Courier office the other day, had
coffee and talked about many things. I came away with

some -strong-perceptions- about-Lorraine; -may-be-she will - -

tell me if I’m right or wrong, sometime.

‘of life every minute.

She’s a community oriented person. She can’t
deny this one; her interest and participation in
community groups is well known. She’s a family person.
She talks about John and the kids with love and under-
standing. A person with empathy for her fellowman or
woman. You could say Lorraine is a funloving person,
with a good sense of humour; one who gets the most out
I got a sense of a deeply spiritual
person, not totally in the religious sense, but more in tune
with the world around her. These are some of my im-
pressions of Lorraine, but more than these I believe

. she has a deep feeling and a great understanding of what

miners and mining communities are all about.

Some time ago Karren and I visited the deser-
ted Discovery Gold mine just north of Yellowknife.
I believe it operated during the forties. It left us with
never before experienced feelings to find rubber boots
still standing in the dry, ready to-put on, and dishes still
on the tables in some of the homes. We found a book
in the Post Office with names and forwarding addresses
to places all over this world, and we- wondered about
those people: Talking to Lorraine the other day gave me
a new insight into that perience and helped Bune those

. names to life.

Lorraine’s plans include sonie courses in jour-
nalism and writing. One of her projects will be a novel
set in a mining town. We will be waiting for that!

Needless to say, her person, her energy, and her

‘ambition will be sorely missed not only at the Courier,

but in the community as well.

To Lorraine and family, good luck in your future
endeavours, travel safely, and thanks for being a vibrant
part of this community.

Fundraiser ‘a Success
Cassiar’s hospitality and its willingness to assist
others in trouble was evident in the fundraising evening
held at the lounge in August. Organized by Garry Periard
and supported by the business community, the charitable
event was in aid of Bob and Tilly Lochner and their fam-
ily, who were stranded in Cassiar for several weeks when
their 1947 bus lost its transmission.

Three hundred ninety-one dollars was raised in

the lounge, and another one hundred dollars was donated
- by the local Lions Club.

Bob thanked the community for its assistance,
not only the financial help, but also for the friendliness
and caring of the people of Cassiar.

_ By August the family was finally on its way home
to Alaska. Good wishes go with them from Cassiar.

More Unscheduled Visitors

by Lorraine Lanteigne

AUGUST - Breaking down in Cassiar while touring
the North can be frustrating. The location of the com-
munity and its lack of tourist facilities, as well as mech-
anical part availability can be annoying.

Not so for one couple, Clay and Georgia Taylor
of Pomona, California, They had already toured Alaska,
which was the fiftieth state they have visited . Heading
home, they had planned to stop in Jasper and Banff.

Twenty miles outside of Cassiar, the master cylin-
der on their Pace Arrow Motor Home broke down. Clay
was told there was a garage here that could help him, only
to find out differently when he finally made it into town.

“They were very helpful, though,” said Clay.
“The young fellows at the gas station contacted Garry
Periard, who waved us into a parking place by the Com-
munity Centre. I realize that this is unusual, but in an
emergency it was alright.”

Clay ordered a part through his brother in Cali-
fornia and he and Georgia await its arrival on the bus.
John Babiuk of Cassiar took out the old part and will
replace it with the new one.

Clay and Georgia remarked on the sociability and
hospitality of Cassiar. They certainly expressed im-
pressiveness over our town.

Clay is retired but has an interesting work his-
tory. He was involved with the Mariner Mars Project in
the branch that made the infrared spectrometer that
analysed gases existing on Mars. “We were looking for
life on the planet,” says Clay, “but there proved to be
none.” He was with the project from 1966 to 1969.
After this he continued work with the College of Chem-
istry at the University of California at Berkley. “My job
was to assist graduate students to obtain their degree
through experiment. The final outcome of their work
would be the attainment of a Doctorate of Chemical
Science after the completion of a thesis.”

Clay’s background is in electronics, ceramics,
metallurgy and the building of research apparatus. He has
been retired since October of 1983.

Georgia says she has been “just a housewife” for
most of her life. However I informed her there isn’t
such a thing as “fjust” a housewife. She laughed and
offered that she had worked in a men’s wear shop in Las
Vegas, and as a clerk at the Credit Union. ~

Clay and Georgia have been married for four
years. “We met at church, but got to know one another
at dance class,” says Clay. Georgia adds, ‘We failed the
dance lessons as we spent so much time talking!” Both
have raised children from previous marriages: Clay, one
son and two girls, Georgia, two girls and one son.

The couple says they enjoyed Cassiar and thank

~* everyone for thieirassistance: ~~ ~~~ ~~ ~~ ~~~"

Cassiar Courier September/October 1988 Page 5

IS THE MEAT WORTH THE MONEY SPENT?

by Don Campbell

Ever since arriving in town a couple of months
ago, I have been dreading this time of the year, the
“annual safari’ to bring home the winter meat.

Now don’t get me wrong; I love the outdoors and
hunting and everything connected with it as much as the
next guy. It’s just that I have never become very good at
it. On top of this is the fact that I never know where to
go. Now, to make matters worse, I’m not sure of who to

go with OR where to go.

Fortunately, I have had a couple of offers to come
along on a hunt, from what appear on the surface to be
some pretty good guys. However, maybe a couple of my
previous experiences will explain my HO to jump
in and go. :
A few years ago in Alberta, four of us worked at
the same job and were pretty good friends. We decided

“that we should hunt together and get a couple of moose.

One of the partners was into canoeing and decided that
was the way to go.
canoe out of a bed sheet and a couple of coats of fibre-
glass. The plan was simple: two of us would hunt at
the departure spot then drive around to the pickup point

-and hunt-there, while we waited for our buddies to come

down. Everything went wrong . . . it turned cold and

“started snowing. We put our two buddies in the canoe

and decided that a fifty mile drive back to town and a
warm motel were preferable to a soggy camp in the bush.
The weather stayed bad and we stayed in town. Mean-
while, back on the river, our partners hit a rock and tore
the bottom out of the canoe, lost most of their supplies
and got wet. . After a cold night out,. they came looking
for our camp; they were not too happy to find us gone.
They were even less happy after walking most of the way
to town to find us enjoying the fireplace and the bar.
Needless to say, no moose that year. Back at work there
was considerable laughter at our expense, at least: until
the two guys working the powerhouse came back from a
hunt with a dead horse in the back of their truck.

Another disastrous hunt with the afore-mentioned

partners found us road-hunting in northern Alberta. We
drove all the back roads between Swan Hills and the Sas-

katchewan border, and all we saw were loads of hunters

doing the same thing.

. After three or four years with the same guys, |
decided to find another partner. My son and I decided
to do a packhorse hunt in Wilmore Wilderness (north of
Jaspe?). Regrettably, we had some green horses that we
wanted to give some trail experience (not a good idea).
We trekked into a small provincial park and camped over-
night, hoping to get an early start the next morning.
Sometime during the night a bear wandered into our horse
herd, and for the next two days we hunted horses, By the
time we got the outfit back together we were quite a
spectacle for the tourists in the park. They were lined up
to see us leave. the next. morning. I remembered one

Jittle old lady saying, “My, that would be a trip of a life-

1?

time!” I’m sure she thought I was crazy when I replied,
“Lady, give me 50 cents and your Volkswagon, and you
take these horses and go on the trip.”

My next partner was more sneaky about his hun-
ting. He introduced me to jacklighting. Unluckily this ad-
venture came to a bad start the first night out. I had

never ends.

€ Arctco Inc. 1988 *

He built this extra big ultra-light |

SEE THE LATEST
FROM THE LEGEND.

THE ’89 CATS ARE HERE.

Stop by and see the latest wonders from Arctic Cat* Sleds
such as the. El Tigre EXT’—destined for fame because of its
incredible handling on the trails—and the Jag* AFS—already
being snapped up for its unbeatable economy ride. The legend

DARREN’'S
CARS

AUTHORIZED ARCTCO® ARCTIC CAT® DEALER

“Trademarks of Arctco Inc

{nuit hunters skinning caribou on Frobisher Bay.

been cutting alfalfa hay for a neighbour, and had seen
deer in the field every day. Unfortunately, in the dark we
got our diréctions mixed up, and shot one of the milk
cows. I lost my job, paid for the cow and didn’t even get
ta keep the meat.

Shortly after, I was transferred to“Frobisher Bay,
N.W.T. and was lucky enough to experience hunting with
the Inuit people. They even set up a walrus hunt for me.
All I had to do was to supply the gasoline. I got called for
a job interview the day we were to leave; I opted for the
interview (wrong choice). I didn’t get the job, the hunters
sailed without me, and they used up my $500 worth of
gasoline. I still regret not going on that hunt.

About this time I decided I should try another
partner. So one fall a group of us chartered a twin otter
for a fishing trip to Amadjuak Lake on Baffin Island. |
wrote a story about it called “Fishing for Caribou on
Baffin Island”. To make a long story short, it was too
windy to fish, but my partner found a caribou which we
chased into camp for another member of the party to
shoot, just outside his tent. We got blisters looking for
another one and finally did, about five miles out of camp.
The editor didn’t believe my story and it was never prin-
ted.

Well, before I bore you all to tears, let me clarify
my point: that is, what you bring home is not that im-
portant, you could probably buy more for less at the
store.. What is important are the experiences and the
memories and the comradeship around a smoky fire.
These things become part of your life forever. I never had
a bad hunt, only some less successful than others. And if
any of my old partners called up today and told me they
had a spare horse or a boat that would float, and they
were going hunting, | would reply, “WAIT FOR ME”!

P.S. If any of you local sportsmen have some luck
this fall, let me know, maybe we can run a “brag sheet” in
the paper. You know - biggest head, best horns, most
tails, or whatever else you would like people to know. I
would like to hear from you.

°

JtMAzunod Mit te Ase

My hideraiety partner on » Baffin nae pce any
recognize the lady?

Ws A SIGN FROM HEAVEN.
"TIME TO-BUY ANEW CAT.’

‘It's snowing. What a great time to get a new snowmobile—
especially Arctic Cat"! Instead of hibernating all winter, you
could be out turning winter into a wonderland of fun. Once you've
got a new Cat, you'll wish it would snow forever.

DARREN’S

CATS

AUTHORIZED ARCTCO® ARCTIC CAT" DEALER

 Arctco Inc., 1988. * Trademarks of Arctec inc

es

> eed
‘3
fe

ong
~~
2a
a
a

body