“Jesus Saves” on a rock, Even
that gave me a lot of comfort as |’:

Seeaky Sasosd away | at

years of age on Oct.'16, 1965.

His personal history. is related.in

a:separate'article appearing else-
where in’ this Paper. Bae

. Victor Goresky
: came to Castlegar in
February 1937. This was the af-
‘termath of the depression. I had
been: practicing in’a town in. Al-
berta,“managing’ to live despite
. the acute ‘shortage of money.
Thad ae recelved a letter
from ‘Dr. LM.
er‘classmate of mine, in which he
suggested I ‘come to’ Castlegar
and take ‘over his nis practice as he
‘was mo to. Trail
‘Yo t Asx well come and
starve in “B.C. e and
freeze in ‘Albeeta! were his ex-
act words. Thus:it was that I

made a preliminary visit.to Cas-,
tlegar.

To .a man accustomed ‘to
cities and the free and easy life
_of ‘the: prairies, Castlegar was
~ none ‘too impressive from ‘a ‘fin-
ancial; domestic or ‘social point

of view.

From the. financial angle,{a
things were difficult and people
worried ‘least of all about their
doctor bills. Their was one bright
spot, however, in that whoever
had ‘the practice. also received
appointment as. health ector.
a ec schools and medical health of

“‘DPhese titles sounded very
important, but actually were not
much :.more than: mere ‘titles.
However, they would mean cash,
bread and butter if I decided to

- take over the practice.
R. A. est. offered me
. four rooms and a bath for $12 a
month. The building in which
‘theserooms were located stood
‘where the Twin Rivers building
now. stands.
“Looking from the upstairs
window of these rooms,’ one
could see the roof of the hotel
ae at the bottom of the big

The rest of the town con-
sisted: ofa Weer coy store, owned
by ‘Mr. a-post office
next to ase rooms offered to me
for rent.

I returned to Alberta and
told my wife all about Castlegar:
She'said she was willing to,come
- with me and so, edging her:to

, silence if she didn’t like it, we
made. preparations to move to

and microscope in ‘my: car.:and
adding my wife and two children
it Aine load, we'.embarked ° for

C. Arriving.on the ‘road from
Caster to Nelson:we saw'a sign

i West's Old Store ‘Where the Twin Rivers Building. Now:Stands eee

i

ith, a form-|

4 felv.2 needed:a lot of help on

that road, it was 50° high and]

narrow.

At periodic intervals my. wife
and the municipal councillor.
triend who/had:jomed our. party,

when we left the Deairies would |;

criticize my: “driving. My hair’ was

‘wet from sheer ‘fright, though

called ‘it ‘perspiration.

We arrived in‘Castlegar on| ;

July. vy, staying in the hotel‘ the]

first night and catching. up .on

all the.town gossip.

~The> town had: ‘starte
transportation co-op ‘since
visit ‘in -Febr and: had‘ more
than ‘doubled: its population:: “It
now numbered 30 families.

7 A> water. pyetem for ‘these
new families had. just: been va
augurated by aM West, Mr.
Watts and others.

P After a bird’s eye view of

Castlegar the next morning, my,| {

wife and I took our car, (on which
I still owed $500,) to
opposite ‘the Westley. mill site.

Here we were’ to wash ‘off the)”

prairie ‘mud. ©.

As‘T washed off the mud I
never dreamed I would some
day ‘sell-a good portion of the
fand onto which the.
Columbia river water and Alber-
ta ‘oe was falling to Celgar for

pulp that time the old West-

ley mill was’ still standing, al-

though abandoned.

In the town ‘itself, Mr. West
was postmaster an justice * o£
the peace and Mr. Spe: an was
CPR agent.

‘As for our quarters, ‘they,
were at the top of a set of back-
stairs. The wood we used: for
fuel’ was ‘always’ wet’ and’ the
wind was always bountiful.

I think my wife wanted to
go back but kept her agreement
with me and said nothing. I was
warned by one of my new
friends, in .a . well-intentioned

way, that.I would never make a

living in Castlegar.
. T-decided:to settle: ‘hhere.none-
theless and began looking over
the town. The government was
selling lots on the highway at
public: auction for $50.. Every-
one said this was an outrageous
price but I aéquired four. of these
lots and received a lecture from
my wife for my troubles.
She said I was foolish to buy
‘that much land for.so much mon-
ey. ‘Today:one would have diffi-

culty obtaining these lots for any,

rice.
My J. Finch had bought two
acres from F. Fomenoff and-had
built a garage on them; the form-

artleaar. er site of Oswald Motors and now,
uly, 1987,.packing my. gun. Ink

land Gas...

- The water. system was just
getting: started-‘when I arrived
in/June'1937, They had just put
up the tank and had: a Jot: of la-

bor but no money. I-needed wa-

the lake’

e Of

Castlegar aN

ter for my ots and was asked to
buy shares enough-.to pay tor
oipe.

i vaccinated and innoculatea
and soon earned enough to pay
for my pipe and put a littie ex
‘ra money in shares as well.

dt was years betore we re-
celved any aividends put before
we Knew. 1t we had-1UU users ana
the company had started to pay
tor itself,

"The pipes leaked, it is true,
and we had no money for sur-
veyors, the: boundaries : of - the
lots were uncertain . and © the
mains ‘sometimes zig-zagged on
and off private property. No
maps were kept and therefore
there was trouble later on in lo-
cating the whereabouts of some
of the pipes, but we had water
and we were happy.

When it came time to.build
my own:house I was determined
to'have a nice place with lots of
flowers and fruit trees — both of
which I am very fond of.

Being ‘used to large. prale

rythan sisters, Kootenay
SeMpue INU. 34, was Slarted lu
Vasliegar On” Dept.’ 20, Ludo,
sndruy alles We nuigues OL ry-
Wuas was Orgauizeu. mepecca
SMppeLsul UL | INGASULL. ) Was 40.

ung it for Lots later.

4 got an‘opuon ‘on 300 acres
‘out it was too nig xOr my ‘purse.
Ceci. Watson: became: incerestea
uxcer a Conversation with ‘me ana
oe In turn interested VU. Lignue
wno was willing to take'a chance
.and interested Norman: Welis.’

‘The tour of us bought some
pipe anda small diesel engine
and then Messrs. Watson, Ligntly

tne water up to the highway. Mr.
Lightle put in the tank.
However, about that time we

Things ‘looked black and our
acreages I thought I should go|sandpile was becoming the butt
easy and buy only an/acre. ‘Li le | of alot of jokes. <
did 1. pene the work: involved. |: Yet our scheme soon began
‘That first winter. was very|to prosper. P. Hiles and R. Mc-
mild and though I had little mon-] Lead bought ‘two lots for $200
ey. Ivhad ‘lots ‘of time:’So I:work-| each’ This’ we invested in jipe
ed ‘between calls ‘preparing the | to give: them water: to complete
land and: removing the stones. | the tank.
-Even then some of us would

f| nave been glad to sell out at cost.
Mr. Lightle then sold some of his
led: -more © pipe.

This helped a little.
others bought
every avail-

were
them ue ig out the’ rocks
doing: other odd: job:

The, land’ in Kinnaird had
attracted -my-

'y. gaze’ ‘many. times.

Although it ‘looked: like’a sand

pile and of no value, I thou;

that perhaps: I might put wat
on it and keep it as a: farm,. sel- ceeded i in proving its Poss
| Despite the fact: that®:Kinnair

was: started on nerve alone, t
prospered.

Ab We later. sold our: stock: to
Mr. Watson for dane and he sold
the water’ system in’ 1952.

- Onceagain 1 began: to look
for land ‘for‘a farm. I’ saw the
Westley: property’ and’ bought: it
at a‘ reasonable: price as i had
gone back for taxes.

Iwas planning to. sub-divide
it, but Celgar offered to buy.
ter’ some: ‘high-powered Ye al
persuasion I sold it to them for
a reasonable profit.

This brings:'my story of Cas-
telgar up to date. It was an era

that Castlegar and Leet b

never see again.
It was the story of men who

were willing: to: take . a. chance

when nobody else would. :

and .Wells dug ditches and: put

:] were all: broke and in ~ debt.

mber. of Years Ago With: Growth Yer t to Co

Pythian Sisters Started
In Area 21 Years Ago.

charge’ ‘of the’ district, temples.
‘The first most’ excellent: chief
‘was Dorothy Thatcher’ of ‘Kin-
naird, now: of’ Trail: The meet-
ing: ‘place that» time “was_in
‘the: old: Community ‘Hall which
‘ean, be: looked “back ‘upon with
some: hilarious , as the tem-.
perature in the:bu: ding was not
‘regulated’:to “one’s * comfort.

Tt:was .a.chappy. day..when’ .
the: ‘Twin Rivers Hall became the
new meeting ‘place.,

Kootenay Temple No. 37 has*
helped‘ in’ many: worthwhile en-
deavors such as the: well-baby
clinic, handicapped children and
Red Cross and has helped many
individual ‘efforts. ‘Today: finds”
.|the Temple still: helping: the ©
handicapped by its membership
and ‘donations to the Silver
Birch School,‘ assistance in help-—
ing:-at: the. blood donors clinic
and ‘the aid of walking’ chairs
to the Public Health Unit and
to the ‘hospital. Help was also
given to the Fall Fair: by look-
ing after the baking section. ;

Books are donated by mem-
bers to the hospital while indi-
vidual help is given at the lib-
rary. Other members help ‘at
Brownie and-Guide work.

British Columbia grand te
ple contributes to the cerebal '
palsy. work in‘ the ‘province and

each: individual. temple helps in - -

any. way ‘possible to’ their aid. |
‘he Pythian Sisters are also
noted for their ‘jovial’ dress-up
April: Fool’s; Day tea ‘and fall
bazaar each year. Socials with
the’ Knights are’ also enjoyed
throughout. the terms.

©The: Order ‘of Pythian Sig-
ters:has high Christian‘and hum- -
anitairan ideals, which are fol-
lowed’. and practiced ‘both’ as -a
group and ‘as’ individuals. i
‘The local group’ has present-

ed. a 40-year pin to Clara Saun

ders fon her years in‘the order.;
Pythian’ Sisters ‘here

“AE have i had two district deputies, :

Muriel Grunerud’ and’ Joy’ Saun-
ders and are’ very. pleased. to
have -Laura Dewis as a grand
officer of the ‘grand temple of
British Columbia.

Appi
adepuly. 4 for: thls peomnine, year.

She’ is Marg
land.

: ‘Mayor R. C Maddocks e