History is Where You Stand

Part 4: Old Timers and the Price of Land

Agricultural settlement began in the BC Peace in 1912 when the first areas were surveyed and opened for homesteading. This collection of articles deals with the problems associated with homesteading and provides a glimpse at the lives of a number of our early settlers. A related section of the collection can be found under the title, Agriculture.

Images from the BC Archives can be found after these articles. Some articles have internal links to other images related to the topic.

4-001: Napoleon Thomas -- first settler in the Dawson Creek district

4-002: The Napoleon Thomas family -- first recorded old-timers

4-003: The Price of Land

4-004: Pioneering in the Arras District [Mary Lundquist]

4-006: Narrative of the Cherry Point District's Growth

4-007: Some Pioneer Experiences [Marjorie Coutts]

4-008: A Few Pioneers of Moberly Lake

4-009: Winter People of the Peace River [Mary C. Bougen]

4-010: Got an Axe? Have a Habitation

4-011: Fish Stories from the Pine River Valley

4-012: Glen E. Braden -- first local M.L.A. sent to Victoria

4-013: Interview with S.E. Cushway of Fort St John (1929)

4-014: Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Davis of Moberly Lake

4-015: George Mercer Dawson -- first explorer to see "Dawson's Brook"

4-016: "Aunt Kate" Edwards

4-017: Reminiscences of an early BC homesteader [Magnus Eliason]

4-018: Olive Fynn -- an Extraordinary Old-timer

4-019: A Jouney for Marjorie

4-020: Evan Larson (Ed) Hauger

4-021: A letter from an old-timer to a student (1945)

4-022: Phyllis Higens Comments on her time in the Peace

4-023: W.O. (Wes) Harper on the Early Days

4-024: Eric Logan and Stories of the Early Days (Lee Phillips interview, 1973)

4-025: An Eleven Day trip down the Peace -- the Marion Brothers

4-026: Lionel Marion's Story

4-027: Iver Madsen -- Country Postmaster

4-028: Hans and Nels Neilson

4-029: The Tom Norman Story

4-030: Ramblings of a "Long Timer" (Jack Paul)

4-031: Homestead Reminiscences of Ada Rowe

4-032: Ann Shearer, Indominitable Pioneer

4-033: Spencer Tuck, Resource Seeker and Pass Finder

4-034: Granny (Mary) Whitford

4-035: Harry Garbitt Remembers an Election

4-036: Was It Easy to Homestead in the Peace?

4-037: What Did They Think of Us?

4-038: The Early Homesteaders -- Who Were They?

4-039: A Year in the Life of an Early Farmer (the 1930's)

4-040: Are There Any Famous Farmers?

Knox McCusker and his survey party crossing the Pine River in 1911. Survey parties criss-crossed the Peace country between 1910 and 1914 in preparation for the first wave of settlers to the area. Image courtesy BC Archives -- Call Number D-00953

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