Of Settlement it : Although they were. not the first: white ‘settlers in’ the com- munity, the Doukhobors were a ‘part of the early pioneers of the area.’ Their. particular distinction ‘was that they were the largest group that: settled here in .the early years ,at.;one time.’ According: to’ the recollec- tions of some of the remaining oldsters, facilities and all things in general. were certainly afar ery’ from: what they are at pre- sent.) Eli: Yakovlevitch Voykin, now in his 82nd year and still ‘hale and hearty and-residing in the Pass Creek district, has some very vivid ‘memories of. those uurst. years. Their group came | from tne northern Saskatchewan colony (generally ‘referred ;to..as , the Prince Albert colony) by: pas- ciger train. via: North -Battle- ford, Edraonton: and: Revelstoke.. The last leg of their-journey | was by snip’ docking at: Robson. ‘|| A wnarf being about the only i. facility Robson could boast of t that time, which was the spring of 1908. Castlegar, at mis tune, of course, already had railway station, a-general store }and a hotel. wikifor Ivanovitch Kootne- toff, now a resident at Grand Oras, although somewhat bent in ape in his 81st year, never- heless still retams a lively {memory and with nostalgia re- ‘calls many experiences of those {first years. le came with the group who were the main body of. the irst boukhobor settlers) that ere from the Verigin. district f£ Yorxton, Sask., colony. They ame by passenger train via the ‘Crows’ west Pass and arrived at the Kinnaird railway station on a rainy coid March night in the spr.ng of 1908. |. The Kinnaird station at that time was an old,’ out-of-use.rail- way car taken off its wheels ana: set beside the tracks as-a:shelt- or of sorts for. passengers going nd coining from this fiag~sta- ed water ‘and irrigation supply that had’served the mining camp: and which the farmers were also using. . Together, : the, source of. supply, . and?’ various’ turning: points’. wer leaned‘) and: the water, facilities: “expande Ror transportation: . aout had: been already; a. start: mad by: ‘someone.: The: ‘start’ :was huge ‘log’ pillar,’that had ‘alread: ‘been :prepared:.in: the:ground sto hold: the’‘cable':on’.the ‘Kinnaird: side. A’ similar: pillar’ was dug in on ‘thes otlier. side,* a cable was: strung and a ferry of crude: axe hewn. timber. beams was ‘in’ op-. eration before the end of the |& : ‘summer. of 1908. The. Doukhobor ! cannot. recall’ the name “of the, chief . ‘‘architect’’.. as a Frenchman with ‘an over size, but marvellously kept mou. stache, whom Mr. Lanais | haa asked to help supervise the Dou- khobor carpenters in making the ferry. - . ‘The ferry had to be ‘con- structed the first year because of various needs of. transporta- tion acros$ the river. One parti-' cular hardship. was.to; transport’ the -first’ horses across. -Eyen on his boat-barge,:: this; ;was ~ risky business -with‘a les trained ni- male, ‘The ‘first horses the: Douk- hobors took across were taken’ by tying them behind. 'theboat and: making::them’:swim ‘There’ was one despairing: time during: cthe’ ferry’s.-early® operations.’ when the’cable. snapped from the Kin-| naird side :while; going across with a load. But fortunately the cable did not let go of the ferry; completely and..1t-..was: swung: ‘pendulum-wise + downstream ,.:to :ne other jshore.. However, it was: repaired: in “a..sturdier‘auanner and it- gave many years or ee | celient service: ion. Since, there...were_.around |, 0 -people in’ their group, the: irst pioneer night was “spent uddled in and about this rail- r station. The only means of transpor- ‘ation .across the Kootenay-Col- / ambia’ during the first: months yas-by a crude boat-barge that yelonged to Hiram Landis..; It vas of heavy, crude board- beam mstruction and required six trong men to row it across: when oaded. The place. of’.crossing |: -: vas below Kinnaird, and the oth- 'r ‘side, which was then called aterloo Flats,” mainly con- isted of abandoned mining and dgging operations. Mr.: Landis. and Theodore ternson were two farmers that : ‘ad their farmsteads on the Wat- | Floo Flats, in among the lands ‘urchased by the Doukhobor ‘eople. Both farmers were of | erman descent with Hiram (}-andis being of Pennsylvanian- Hutch ancestry. ~~ (|. ‘From the very. start, and at {1 times Jater, these two pion- j.2r families and the Doukhobors, i ad particularly the Landis.fam- y,* had the closest: bonds ‘of ‘iendship. between them, that arhaps only. such experiences, {3 pioneering together, brings. Het Many first ventures were ! yne together. At the time when ‘e Doukhobors. arrived, there as already’ in existence a limit- bors,.who: came in the,spring’ of 1908 .was’ ‘comprised. of; it 100 working men and ‘12 women. cooks, Their first shélter, was in‘ the abandoned mine camp buil- ; ‘dings! and: they, immediatel: about! establishing » their own: village site. They’ built * their. first buildings out of. rough- hewn logs, of which there was certainly:a plentyful supply at eS every. turn. *The.largest part of- ‘Water- loo Flats required the most stre- nuous kind. of clearing ‘opera- tions..:An. unbelievable part of it was:done: by actual manpower and., hand: labor,’ -with; the: most; limited amount of basic ‘hand tools like axes, saws.and spades.;|. Later, of course, horsepower was used extensively; using the ‘most | angenious ‘kinds: of: simple’ lev- erage systems to’“move large logs, pull stumps-ete. > One of the first modes of monetary earnings of the Douk- hobors was from: selling cord-|' wood to Cominco at Trail. ‘They;}| transported -.. the condwond x) Trail’; by : floating: - -down- stream on very crude tees of |’ logs tied together with wire and in:some places simply woven-to:' gether with slender willow switches. : ' The Doukhobors grew. their first’ gardens on a spot on the (continued on page® eight) ” a Zé Ay Ath lee Li Dye G EAS ETAT Sena rd nT FCC ERR