McDame Creek. This was started in Oct.
1947 and during that winter 13 carloads

of machinery was moved to our property,
assemb@ed and operating in Jun, 1948,
During 1948 and 1949 - $473,000.00 worth
of new Placer Gold was recovered and

added to the economy of our nation (rough-
ly equivalent now to one and one-half
million dollars!

Also in 1947, in co-operation with
the B,C. Mines Dept. I was able to get
a road-surveyor from Watson Lake to
survey the route for a road from Mile
#648 Alaska Highway to McDame Creek -
then in the Spring was able to get the
government to call-back their retired
Engineer, Mr. O'Grady to inspect and
pass in it's construction. But it wasn't
much of a road those days. We always
figured on one day into McDames and one
day traveling out with Jeeps. Now look
at it, 24 hours to Watson Lake, oh boy!
In 1949 Moccasin Mines bulldozed a Jeep
Road to Snow Creek. This helped a lot
and led to the staking of the now
Cassiar Asbestos Property and the sub-
sequent road development to our Cassiar
Townsite, our most important "Store
and Butcher Shop". What a contrast to
the previous years when Mrs. Wilms and
I had to run our supplies from Dease
Lake with our River boat, twice a year,
in June for our summer supplies and in
October for our winter supplies - plus
our garden and lots of Moose meat and
fish.

Taken in 1944 at McDame Post, B.C. -
Bob and Violet and their "little Cat 20"

11

Personal history: Mrs. Wilms and I
were married in 1944 - an Edmonton gal -
had juite a time to get her adapted to
this northern life but she did so
wonderfully well - especially when it
came to "Digging Gold!" Have two
daughters, by former marriage, one in
Victoria and one in California.

I was born on the railroad's little
red-section house in the Skagit River,
State of Washington in 1902 (the youngest

Be:

The Witms family - 1950: Bob Wilms and
daughters, Evelyn and Billy. Stster-in-
Law and family, wife Violet Wilms, Taker
tn Victoria, B.C.

of the Pendleton Boys group —- none of
whom are living yet today, to my know-
ledgc), so I am an Old Age Pensioner now
as well as a "Grandpa!"

"How do you like thts northern life,
Bob?"

It has been GREAT and most healthful,
and most active, We never worked less
than 10 hours per day, everyday and
mostly 12 to 14 hours - and no "Coffee
Breaks", But the"Tempo" of life those
days was much happier and free*er than
today. We could relax but today in
contrast - is "Terrible" - rush, rush,
everything people want to order is not
for today or tomorrow delivery - but
they want it yesterday?

&

Am sorry I cannot write more this issue
got to get busy and "dig some more gold" -
just heard it jumped to $146.50 per ounce,

- Whoopee?! We got lots of it but got
to seperate it from the gravel, Will try
and find time to write more - later -
if you want it?

Bob Wilms & Mrs. Wilms
Box 366, Cassiar, 8.C.

x *&k & &