Page 2 ‘October 1984 Cassiar Courier Conservation Office to be Relocated in Dease Lake The B.C. Fish and Wildlife Branch is moving its District Conservation Office from Cassiar to Dease Lake in October. District Conservation Officer Gordon Pearson is transferring to Dawson Creek after spending five years in the district. He said the office is being moved because Dease Lake is a more central location. The district ranges from the Yukon border to Stewart and includes Lower Post to the Ketchika River, an area of approximately 350 miles. Pearson said the district is probably the largest in B.C. that the department has to cover. He said that they are planning to hire another man to work six months of the year. This two man detachment will probably commence next year. The second officer would also work out of Dease Lake. Pearson, his wife Helen and two children, Shawn and Terry, will be leaving around October 15th. His replacement will be Lance Sundquist from Terrace. Sundquist is also expected to begin work in Dease Lake COLLEGE CORNER The Northern Lights College Board held their mon- thly meeting in Cassiar in September. The college, which is a multi-campused facility serving northeastern British Columbia, has only held one other board meeting in Cassiar. Members of the board include Syd Cooper of Dawson Creek, Jim Inglis of Fort St. John, Ted Maisonneuve of Fort St. John, Charlie Lasser of Chetwynd, who is Chair- man of the Board, Jan Edwards of Fort Nelson and Mark LaLoge of Pouce Coupe. Also visiting Cassiar were Dean of Administration Ted Byng, Dean of Instruction Al Westcott and Chief Executive Officer Jim Kassen. At the present time there is no board member from the Stikine area. Board Chairman Charlie Lasser said that the government has not made an appointment for this area yet but the board is hoping to have one soon. Lasser said it is important that the appointee be a person from the Stikine district who has personal interests and know- ledge of our area. Cassiar resident Sherry Sethen held the position until last year when the provincial govern- ment ruled that a member of a local school board could not also be a member of the college board. The college board and some invited local guests were treated to a dinner at the Curling Club following the board meeting. In his after dinner speech Lasser said the converted recreational vehicle now operating in the Stikine area is “an experiment in learning. It is a vehicle to serve the north.” Local college administrator Tom O'Connor provided the board with a tour of the mobile unit. He said they are still sorting out how the vehicle will best serve the area in its tour of the communities each month. O’Connor also said he is trying to make the college aware of the needs of the non-traditional students here. “Half the population in the Stikine district is native and as students they have special educational require- ments,” he said. A Basic Training and Skills Program will be offered in most local communities. Some students will qualify for a training allowance from Man Power. In addition, the government offers allowances to train native people. Students who do not: qualify for allowances can buy into the program at $30 per month tuition. The Basic Training Program will be offered on a full time basis of 30 hours per week to a minimum class of 10 students. Instructors will have at least a Bachelors Degree or equivalent training. In addition to the courses in each community the mobile unit will be visiting Cassiar, Good Hope Lake, Telegraph Creek, Dease Lake, Iskut, Lower Post and Atlin on a rotating basis each month, In addition to Tom O’Connor, who is the local college administrator, Ellen Corcoran oversees local non-credit community extension programs in Cassiar. Town Council Town Council, due to circumstances that have arisen, have had to postpone our Annual General Meeting, Nominations for new councillors, and the Election of new councillors until late in October. Under our rules of order, this is allowed, as long as they are held in Oct- ober. Again! A reminder to get your submissions, club and businesses, to Town Administration, for the Welcome Wagon folder. Anyone reading the folder will think this is a ghost town so far. To date there have been a grand total of zero!! A Visit to Boulder Creek ,...... There’s gold in them thar hills!! That refrain has been sung by gold miners in the Cassiars for over a hundred years. Placer mines have sprung up along our rivers and creeks and the sound of water gushing through sluice boxes continues to ring through our mountains. This summer | was lucky enough to visit one of our Cassiar' placer mines, Boulder Creek, owned and operated by John Schussler, Ernie Hatsell and Doug Brown — all well known characters in the local mining scene. The operation is nestled in a beautiful valley about a 45 minute flight out of Dease Lake. We flew in a single engine Otter and shared the cabin with hundreds of gallons of fuel bound for the placer mine. The Otter was big and awkward looking. But this workhorse of the skies flew a smooth flight across the valleys, dodging clouds and finding an opening in the rain hanging over the mountain pass that led to Boulder. The big orange plane set down on a lake outside the “Boulder City Hotel”. The ‘hotel’ consists of a kitchen and dining hall that serve the gold camp. It is flanked by small, individual log cabins for the approximately 12 people on site, an interesting alternative to the usual trailer style bunkhouse! We were met by Doug Brown who gave us some of the history of “Boulder City”’, Boulder Creek, known in official government papers as Wheaton Creek, is a tributary of the Turnagain River which eventually flows to the Pacific via the Stikine. In the annual report to the Geological Survey of Canada, 1887-88, George Dawson reported that in 1874 prospectors found coarse gold on creeks tributary to the headwaters of the Turnagain River. Prospectors went into the headwaters of the Turnagain but did not find gold-bearing gravel worth working. It wasn’t until 1932 when a party of about 10 pros- pectors discovered coarse gold on Boulder Creek. In 1937 a 52 ounce 15 dwt. gold nugget was found on Alice Shea Creek, a tributary of Boulder. (It’s interesting to note that this nugget was re-discovered this year in a forgotten container in Victoria.) In 1938 rich, shallow pay gravel was discovered on the Peacock lease on lower Boulder Creek. Between 1935 and 1939 a total of 4,848 ounces of crude gold valued at over $140,000 (at approximately $29 per ounce in 1939 dollars) was recorded produced from Boulder Creek and its tributary Alice Shea Creek. These are the facts from government reports. But Ernie Hatsell told us a wonderful story about the dis- covery of gold on Boulder Creek. While we stood above the creek, looking out over the workings, he told us how Percy Peacock came into the area, not as a prospector, which he was, but as a friend — to visit an old trapper living in a sod roofed log cabin near Boulder Creek. The two men visited and shared news of the country- side. One day Peacock was enjoying the sunny weather when he noticed something shiny in the sod roof — something reflecting the sun’s rays. It was a gold nugget!! And the rush was on.... There’s evidence of the old timers’ activities all over the area. Rusting pieces of equipment, an old crane and a cat, old cabins, big trenches, can be seen near the creek. The modern placer miners have made an even greater impact. Using 20 ton Volvo trucks they can haul the gravel longer distances and in greater amounts than the old timers could ever have dreamed! The trucks dump their loads into a long sluice box. Water pumped from the creek pours over the gravel, washing the material over the riffles, catching the gold nuggets in the bottom of the box. What a pretty sight to see the gold shining in the box! We sifted through the fine gravels to find the nuggets and» they were there - small, shiny and bringing a light to the eyes of the miners cleaning out the box. The Boulder operators also drilled some diamond drill holes this summer. The information gathered from the drill core, along with other known facts, will be used to determine the feasibility of mining underground at Boulder. If they decide to go underground, the owners would be looking for a major company to form a partner- ship in the venture. We also had a chance to visit with Agnes and Jerry Davis who spend their summers near Boulder Creek. Davis previously held the mining claims there. He also held the Erickson claims before David and Kristian Ross. We sat for a while in their log cabin, had cake and coffee and. talked about the old timers they had known in the Cassiars: Glenn Hope, Joe Reed, Bob Wilms, the Callison brothers. , Agnes asked us to sign her guestbook, which showed they had a visitor nearly every day, there in the little log cabin, reachable only by small plane or over a gruelling cat trail cut out of the remote landscape. The day was soon gone and we had to catch the Otter back to Dease Lake. We were home at McDame Lake within a few hours, a far cry from the days of pack horses and river boats and long treks over the countryside. The old days are gone. But gold and the dreams it inspires continue to stir the minds and imaginations of men. tour of their property! RCMP NEWS DOG OWNERS BEWARE! . The Cassiar Detachment of the RCMP plans to charge dog owners who do not control their animals. The RCMP press release states there are numerous dogs in Cassiar which are allowed to run at will by their owners. The Detachment feels the only way to ensure owners look after their dogs is to have them charged and appear before the Judge. The owners would have to explain to the Judge why they cannot control their animal(s). This action could result in a fine, possible _loss of the right to keep an animal and the indignity of having their name in the court news of the newspaper. The Livestock Protection Act states that dogs must be kept tied up, in a fenced enclosure or under a person’s direct control. Residents having problems with a dog or dogs in their yards are asked to keep track of the time, day and descrip- tion of the dog as well as the name of fhe dog’s owner. After four or’ five incidents are recorded residents may bring the notations to the police office and an inform- ation will be sworn and the owner summoned to the court at the next sitting. “ KKKKKKKK On August 27th, Danny Harrison was involv- ed in a single car accident near Joe Reed’s hill, travelling off the road and ending up about 50 feet down an embankment. He was seriously in- jured and subsequently taken to hospital in Whitehorse. Danny WAS wearing his seat belt, which probably saved his life. He has been charg- ed with speeding. On September 9th, near 4 mile, Rosemary Clarke was forced off the road by an unidentified Oncoming vehicle which would not give her half the road. She was forced into the ditch and rol- led. Because she was wearing her seat belt, she es- caped injury. On September 15th, Dave Tripp was attempt- ing to turn a corner on his motor cycle when the wheel caught and the bike flipped over. He re- ceived only minor cuts and brusies. ACCIDENTS TO DATE: Last year - 41 : This year- 37 Number of people injured this year - 16 1983 saw 11 accidents in October and was one of the highest accident months of. the year. Let’s try to make October 1984 a safer driving month than October 1983. DON’T FORGET —— BUCKLE UP Cassiar Nurses Negotiate Negotiations are continuing between the Health Labour Relations Board and the B.C. Nurses Union in attempts to resolve the problems surrounding the contract for nurses at the Cassiar Hospital. Cassiar Hospital Board Chairman Frank Buckley . said he expects a proposal from the nurses union within a few weeks. The nurses’ contract expired in March, 1982. Cassiar is the only hospital-health care facility in the province yet to sign the contract. Cassiar nurses want to keep fringe benefits which were subsidized by Cassiar Resources when the hospital was a private facility. Now it is a public hospital and the provincial government wants the nurses under the master agreement, the same as the rest of the province. Buckley said all of the nurses in B.C. are under the same master agreement and no other nurses receive extra benefits as those provided in the Cassiar agreement. Benefits which were paid by Cassiar Resources included subsidized room and board and _ utilities, and airfares. Mr. Buckley said the benefits range from about $3000 to $7000 per year, and one nurse’s ben- efits total about $12,000 per year. The government has been paying the benefits since the nurses’ contract expired, but they have indicated to the Cassiar Hospital Board that they will not continue to pay them. Many thanks to Doug, Ernie and John for the great — CASSIAR Bits & Pieces The departure of the Chambers family has left a real void in the community volunteer family. Both Dick and Sue were active in many Cassiar organizations and functions. Dick is now the School Superintendant in the Arrow Lakes School District, and they live at Nakusp. Fred Cadoret—welcome to P.C. Country! Thanks, Ciro, for spending your anniversary in the dark- room just to get our pictures done for the last issue, Understand Alan Davies has a new item in the store at the bargain price of $1.49. Had any sales, Alan? Why does Alice remove her shoes to go to the bathroom? And speaking of bathrooms, a certain lady was mortified to find herself locked in recently. Were the locks too old or too new, Pat? Dave Pewsey’s double has now left town. Lee could tell you who he was, although Dave wouldn't be too flattered! Pat Watson was back in town for a short visit. She tells us Terri graduated from Riverview High, Vidney, Nova Scotia. She also won an award for social activities. Her plans are to work for one year, then apply for a job as a stewardess. A big bouquet to Dave Brocklebank and his army of workers who have done such a marvelous job at the Play- ground, the children’s barbecue and other areas in the community. Louise Hara of the Royal Bank presented a video cassette recorder to Pat Madore recently. Pat was a winner in the Royal Bank’s ‘Play It Again’ campaign. Watch for the new campaign; ten chances to win a Commodore Plus 4 Com- puter, Details are available at our branch. _ Did you hear about the two who came to dinner and tried to take the table home on their roof rack. We understand they put a hole in the roof. Is that true, John and Betty? We've heard of people taking alternate means of trans- portation home after a party, but just how were you going to get that canoe down Connell, Frank and Karen? Talking about safe transportation. We hear Bob decided to try a 10 speed after the Courier party. We also hear it started out as a 10 speed, but finished up 2 speed! It also appears that Jeff has trouble telling the difference between oranges and candles. Guess he tried to put it on a Ritz Cracker to make it taste better. FAREWELL TO: Sue Omura, our Public Health Nurse who is off to Kim- berley, B. C. Cindy and Sterling Stump who have moved to Tumbler Ridge. f Helen, Gordon, Terry and Shawn Pearson who are going ~ to Dawson Creek, where Gordon will be in charge of the Conservation office. New Dentist — We welcome to Cassiar Gerry and Paul Comparelli, and their young daughter Sidney. Paul is the new dentist and Gerry is his assistant. They have been at Dease Lake for the past year and hope to provide service for both com- munities on a weekly basis — part-time in both locations. Ove Anderson Retires Ove Anderson retired on June 30th 1984, after 25 years employment with Cassiar Resourses. He began as a laborer in 1959 and progressed to Mill Shift Foreman in _ 1964, a position he held at his retirement. He is now living in Kelowna. YAKIELASHEK — GUNNING St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church, Vancouver, was the scene September 8, 1984, of the marriage of Brenda Yakielashek, daughter of Mike and Ann Yakielashek of Powell River, formerly of Whitehorse, and Dave Gunning, son of Don and Patty Gunning of Delta. Brenda wore a long white gown trimmed with lace and a short veil. She carried a bouquet of pink and white roses. Matron of honor was Charlene Levis of Victoria and bridesmaids were the groom’s sister and the bride’s two sisters. They all wore dresses of soft mauve, The best man was John Robins of Chase, B.C. The ushers were the groom’s two brothers and an engineering classmate of the groom’s. A reception was held at the U.B.C. Faculty Club for 137 guests. Friends and relatives came from the Yukon, Alberta, Toronto, various points in B.C. and the U.S., including the groom’s great-aunt from Cape Cod. Following a honeymoon to Bend, Oregon, Brenda and Dave returned to Cassiar where they are both working at Taurus Gold Mine. Cassiar Courier October 1984- Page,3 . FUGERE — DOWLE On July 7, 1984, Gale Marie Fugere and Jonathan Glen Dowle were married in Rich- mond, B.C. Gale is the daughter of Heather and Marty Fugere of Cassiar, and graduated from the Cassiar Secondary School. Jon worked in Cassiar - several years ago. Gale wore a dusty mauve satin dress and a shoulder length veil. Jon wore a grey morning coat. Gale was attended by her sister Carol, who wore a lavender dress and hat. Flower girl was Jon's niece, Ainsley Dowle and Dave Crosley, from Saskatoon, was the best man. The reception for 60 guests was held at the Kinsmen Hall in Richmond Nature Park. Out of town guests included Heather and Marty Fugere, Don Fugere and Evelyn and Ken Frenette from Cassiar and Gale’s aunt from Ottawa. Gale and Jon live in Burnaby. Gale is con- tinuing her education at Simon Fraser and Jon drives for Loomis. ZEMENCHIK —KELLAR WEDDING On the afternoon of August. 11, 1984, guests gathered at the historical site of Laketon, B.C. where Registrar of Marriages, Lillian McPhee, officiated the ceremony in which Tracy. Zemenchik and Brien Kellar exchanged marriage vows. : Tracy was attended by Matron of Honour, Darlene ' Fielding, and Bridesmaid Shannon Giles, the bride’s niece, both of Maple Ridge, B.C. Best Man was Wally Drzimotta of Cassiar, B.C. The bride’s niece, Celeste Slow; was Flower Girl and the bride’s nephew Tyler Zemenchik acted as Ring Bearer. The groom’s brother-in-law _—_ Brent performed the duties of Master of Ceremonies. An outdoor barbeque, cooked by Rick Callaway, was followed by an evening of dancing. Out of town guests included the Bride’s grand- mother. from New Westminster, B.C. One sister and brother-in-law from Maple Ridge, B.C. One sister from Hornby Island, B.C. One brother and sister-in-law from Tumbler Ridge. One brother from Cassiar, the bride’s father’s cousin and wife from Pulaski, Pennsylvania, The groom’s parents, one sister and brother-in-law and brother from Gibbons, Alberta, one sister and brother-in- law from Millwoods, Alberta, uncles, aunts and cousins from Prinee George and numerous friends of the bride and groom from Terrace, Whitehorse and Cassiar. A post wedding breakfast was enjoyed the following morning by those who were overnight guests at the bride’s parents cabin at Dease Lake. Polaway SANDVIK — COCKING By Warren Cocking The wedding of Sandra Sandvik and Warren Cocking took place on July 10th (or was it July 7th) 1984, at the Diamond University Club. Witnessed by a goodly number of erudite guests the couple barely escaped the pandemon- jum created when the harpsichord player caught her hair ribbon in the strings during Ponchielli’s Canon in D. minor, (or major?) - Apparently, granny Cocking and rent-a-gran- ny (call her Mrs. X to be on the safe side) Mrs. X _ enjoyed themselves thoroughly. Not only did Art trip over his feet while walking his daughter down the aisle but left the.Cressida running throughout the entire ceremony. ~ And what's this about Sandra and Warren mis- sing two flights (one in Portugal the other in Lon- don?) on their ‘holiday’? They obviously enjoyed themselves for five weeks. Anyway, that’s what Marilyn and Tom and Elaine said and who’s to argue....?