(see Letter from Iris McKay)

My first introduction to the Joe Rich Valley happened when I was eight years old. The summer holidays had just begun and Mr. and Mrs. Trench (Known to me as Uncle Bill and Aunt Laura) invited me to accompany Frances and Wilda to their cabin.

The original cabin was a very small, two-room structure, not far from the Preston (later Dunc’s) property.

The weather was perfect, Uncle Bill caught delicious trout for our breakfast, Aunt Laura cleaned and cooked, and we had fun. We spent hours playing in Mr. Preston’s hay barn. He also let Frances and I ride bare-back on old Dolly when she was let into the pasture. He put on a rope halter and we spent most of our time sliding off and then coaxing her to the fence so we could clamber on again.

The ‘Burn’ as we called it, also provided many happy hours of play.

At this time Mr. Band was slowly building a new much larger log cabin, with a large fireplace for the Trenches. This eventually became a regular summer retreat until Frances and I went off to Business School and Normal School.

During my teen years I also spent several holidays at the original “Dun-Workin” cabin on the Mission Creek [actually it was never on Mission Creek, but on Joe Rich Creek] with the McKay family, as Iris and I were friends, and Frances had left for school in Vancouver.

There was a large pool just below the cabin so we could swim. That cabin was owned by the McKay’s, Willet’s and some of the boys who worked in the Casorso Butcher Shop. One distinct memory I have of those trips is being dragged away from play to pick wild strawberries on the “Black Flat”. The berries were tiny and we were not to eat these as Mr. McKay’s favourite winter treat was wild strawberry jam.

In 1928, I was hired as a teacher for Joe Rich Valley School by Mr. Findlay, the acting secretary. He suggested that I board with his sister, Mrs. Nicholas. So my Dad drove me to their farm and the arrangements were made. My room was a former pantry between the original log cabin and a new living room addition. It held a narrow cot with a draped crate cornerwise under the small window. It held a wash basin and a chamber pot. My clothes hung behind a sheet at the end of my cot or were in my suitcase under the bed. When the temperature dropped to -30 below zero there were icicles hanging inside the window. Mrs. Nicholas would bring me in a small wick lamp to place on the floor and a quart measure of hot water each morning. I dressed in a few seconds and after a long dash to the outdoor W.C. I enjoyed a hot breakfast. How Mrs. Nicholas provided such excellent meals with her old stove and minimal kitchen aids, I never could figure out. Although those trips to Rutland and Kelowna were rare, she always managed some small treat such as a stuffed date, a few walnuts or some fruit for my lunch box. She was a remarkable person and I grew to love her. Mr. Nicholas was a ‘loner’, but when visitors arrived for an evening visit he would join in the singing around the piano. Mr. Findlay was to have built on two bedrooms, but he put off that job until it was too cold to do the work. To visit the neighbours, Mrs. Nicholas and I used to carry “bugs” (empty vegetable tins with a carrying wire and a candle inside). It was very dark through the woods and we frequently saw coyote’s eyes among the trees as they silently followed us.

There were fifteen children registered at the school: four Philpotts, four Smiths, three Macks, two Bands, and two young girls whose names I cannot remember and for a brief time a wee girl whose mother worked as Mr. Bailey’s housekeeper. [The two girls whose names she cannot remember were probably Dorothy and Elsie Bening, but we don’t know the name of the “wee girl” belonging to Mr. Bailey’s housekeeper.]

At the time there was a standing feud between Cyril Weddell and Mr. Bailey, as Mr. Bailey’s handsome black bull was frequently breaking out of his pasture to visit the beautiful ladies living down the road. Therefore when Mrs. Nicholas, Mary Weddell and I decided to establish a “family evening” once a month at the School House, we had to make the men promise first that there would never be any mention of this unseemly behaviour. It worked! The adults played whist and we provided several games for the children. Everyone in the small community attended with the exception of Mr. Nicholas, Duncan and Mr. Band. They were fun nights.

I had two winter trips to town with Mrs. Nicholas. There was heavy snow so old Sam pulled us as far as the Red Casorso Barn in the hand-made “Jumer” (a low wooden, one seated sled). It was a slow trip as Sam frequently bent his head to snap up some snow. There were always friends to take us from the “Barn” into Rutland or Kelowna.

In the spring there were several old Fords making trips but Eight Mile was always muddy and hazardous. Finally that first year ended and I went off to Summer School. At that time we had to attend Victoria Normal for two summers after graduation to confirm our certificate.

When September came, Mrs. Nicholas was in Winnipeg to collect an ailing mother, and Mr. Findlay was slowly working on the bedrooms. So I rented the Black cabin for September and my sister-in-law, Doris decided to join me for a holiday. During our first night at the cabin, an owl began to hoot in the tree close to us and Doris was terrified. The next morning, she stopped Cyril Weddell on his way to town and fled. So I managed on my own for two weeks. Then Mrs. Nicholas arrived home with her mother and I moved back to the Nicholas Farm, although the bedrooms were only lathed on the inside. Then one October, I went home to Kelowna and bought a horse. As valley hay was scarce I had to purchase feed in Rutland. I forgot to say that Audrey Smith and Mrs. Nicholas had taught me to ride on the Fazan’s lovely little horse “Lady”. I wanted to buy her, but she was not for sale as Allan Fazan had decided to bring home a bride who would ride her. Unfortunately and unknown to me, the horse I purchased had been abused and had a very erratic temperament. At times he was gentle, but often tore along the road before I could pull him up. On weekends, I often went riding with my older pupils. If my horse heard a car approaching, he would suddenly side jump off the road so I always had to remain alert or be thrown.

During the autumn, Grandma became difficult to manage and would wander down the road in search of her son. At night, as there were only curtains on our doorways, she would wander into my room and I would have to take her back to her own bed. One night I was awakened by movement only to feel a bush rat instead of Grandma. I screamed! Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas and their lovely collie, “Lady” rushed in to see what had happened. The rat was by then sitting up in the corner trying to hide under a lathe. Mr. Nicholas shot it. This finally brought about the finishing of the bedrooms. We three women moved down to Mr. Findlay’s very comfortable modernized home. He drove me to school and then went on to complete the work. However, Grandma’s memory loss became so severe that it was decided that Mrs. Nicholas should take her back to Winnipeg, and her daughter there would find her a suitable home. This was accomplished, but the worry and pressure had been so great on Mrs. Nicholas that she died suddenly of a heart attack.

I then went to live with the Weddell family. This proved to be very comfortable and a happy arrangement. I still rode my horse to school. I even rode him to Kelowna. I spent the Easter Holidays in Kelowna, but had so much luggage, mainly school supplies, to take back to the valley that I did not return on horseback. Dad drove me as far as Eight Mile, but it was impossible to go further because of the massive slide. We were somehow able to get word through to the valley, and then tried again on Monday morning. I had to walk or rather wallow through the mud to reach the Mack’s democrat and half my cheering class. Then we had a noisy ride to the school. The following week I went into town for my horse, but he objected to being ridden and dashed back to our barn. I pulled too hard on the reins as he reared and he fell backwards. I was able to throw myself sideways and my stock saddle saved me as the horse rolled over and stood looking down at me as though ashamed. I was under medical care for a week and then returned to school. That was the beginning of years of back trouble. I finished out the term and the next fall I began teaching in the Kelowna Elementary School.

During the thirties, friends and I spent many happy weekends in the Trench cabin. In the sixties, Frances and her husband, James Henderson made their home in the valley and I was again a frequent visitor until they finally sold the property and moved to the Black Mountain area.

Mary Weddell and I remained good friends and I have many happy memories of the life I had with the family.

(Editor’s notes: Frances was the Trench’s daughter. They owned the Rexall Drug Store and Stationary in Kelowna. Their large and comfortable cabin with its high pitched ceiling held up by large beams with chains dropped to support a settee in front of the large fireplace. It is located on the north side of Schram Road on the west side of the creek.)