HISTORY: Families and People: R-S | SCHRAM

Many of the early Joe Rich residents were of Scottish descent. Chris John Schram was an exception. He was a bachelor who had come up to the Kelowna area with a wagon train from Pulman, Washington in 1893. (Although we have a list of the settlers who arrived in the wagon train to Black Mountain, he does not appear on that list. Perhaps there was more than one wagon train.) When Belgo Dam was being constructed and the irrigation ditch was being dug, he worked for the Belgo-Canadian Land Corporation hauling mail, supplies and groceries to the construction camps. Camp One was located at Black Mountain near the school, and the second camp was located near the Philpott property. Workers were also located at the dam site itself. On the 26 th of April, 1912, he obtained a Crown Grant of what the Weddells now own and call the Brewer property which is located on the south side of Schram Road on both sides of Joe Rich Creek. He lived alone there in a cabin near the end of the present Schram Road. When Mr. Schram had not been seen for several days, some of the neighbours, probably Leo Fazan and another went to investigate. They found that he had been dead for several days. Pack rats had gotten into the cabin and had chewed away part of his nose. He died at the age of 57 on January 5, 1916.

Behind the Brewer house is an old barn which is probably as old as the house. The bottom has rotted out so that the barn walls are 6 feet lower than they were. Perhaps, Findlay and Band or Black built the house and barn for Schram. Both are skilfully built with saw-cut dovetailed corners.

Behind the barn is a small squat very old log cabin located just 50 metres from where Schram Creek meets the valley floor. It is of a different and probably older construction than the house and barn. The logs in the walls are notched together with an axe. The windows are low to the ground. The floor is laid directly on the earth. It is dilapidated, but intact. Although Jim Weddell has owned this cabin for many years and knows it to be very old, he does not know who built it or when. It seems to us that it is very likely the cabin that Chris Schram built in 1912 and later died in. If so, it is the oldest building in Joe Rich, but those who could verify this fact are all dead.