The unique attraction of the Grand Forks Valley lies not only
in its natural beauty but also in the interesting and rich past
of the area.
Long before the settlement of the white man, Indians made their
home in the Grand Forks Valley and the Christina Lake area. Indian
writings and artifacts have been found to prove their occupation.
Probably the first white men to visit the valley were fur traders
from the Hudson’s Bay Post at Fort Colville.
The first known white settlers in this valley were J. McConnell
and J. McCauley in about 1865. Also in 1865, Edgar Dewdney was
blazing his famous trail from Hope to Fort Steele.
The population continued to increase and a settlement at the juncture
of the Kettle River and North Fork River was known as “La
Grand Prairie”. On April 15, 1897 the settlement was incorporated
into the City of Grand Forks. Rapid growth took place at this
time, when rich strikes of copper were discovered at Phoenix and
Deadwood. The Granby Smelter came into being in 1900. It was the
largest non-ferrous copper smelter in the British Empire. Discovery
of gold and silver in the North Fork Valley contributed to the
wealth of the area and the Union Mine came into being. With the
Granby Smelter in full operation, the district settled down to
twenty years of prosperity. Farming was developing and many orchards
were planted.
In 1919 the drop in the copper market made it necessary for the
Granby Company to close the Phoenix mines and dismantle the smelter,
a shattering blow to the whole district.
There was little growth until new industries such as seed growing,
logging and sawmill operations all combined to bring prosperity
back to the community.
Now, with the high speed cable and wireless internet service Grand
Forks and the Boundary area are ready to move into the New Millenium,
totally connected to the world and the future.
Grand Forks takes pride in conserving the older buildings
of the Grand Forks district to keep the connection to our past
through the architecture and the stories that make these buildings
come alive. The citizens of the district have shown their pride
in this legacy in many ways. The City of Grand Forks took a bold
step toward conserving its heritage in 1979-81 with the restoration
of the old post office and its adaptive reuse as City Hall. The
restoration and other projects have all contributed to the enhancement
of our city.
To find out how you can take a walk through history with a map
showing the locations of the 19 buildings on the walking tour,
contact the Grand Forks Museum or the Tourist Info. Office at
the corner of 5th Street and Central Avenue beside Gyro Park.
Ask the Man
Question to Mayor Brian Taylor: Is it true that the
beach below the slag pile is included in a new zone, and what
would happen to future recreational use?
Answer from Brian Taylor: It is true that the beach below
the slag pile is now in the new zone, this zone is for value added
wood manufacturing. I think it is worthwhile appearing in front
of the whole of council at a regular meeting to get the issue
on the table. As for my personal opinion, I feel that the block
below the road from approx. the slag pile to the dam site should
be removed from this zone and made into an undeveloped park. It
may be years before we are in a position as a city to develop
this river side area, but to allow industrial use of this land
could result in the loss to the public of a large area of river
access and an historic site at the dam.
Although this issue will likely be sent to the committee for review,
I believe it will be useful to start the clock with a delegation
to the whole of council.
Hunter’s Boat
The word kayak comes from the Inuit word “qayaq”, which
means “hunter’s boat”. Kayaks are decked boats characterized
by two features: the paddler is in a seated position and uses
a two-bladed paddle. Single-seated kayaks are known as K-1’s;
doubles as K-2’s.
Whitewater boats are usually made of either fiberglass and/or
kevlar, or more commonly, rotomolded plastics. The latter are
not as fast or maneuverable as the lighter, more agile cloth/resin
boats, but they are practically indestructible and a lot of fun.
An ultra-low-volume kayak is sometimes called a squirt boat; a
very short kayak with blunt ends is sometimes called a bat boat
(it looks like a suppository with a cockpit). K-1s are the rule
in whitewater, and you rarely see K-2 slalom boats.
Speaking of slalom boats, they’re halfway between ordinary river-running
craft and squirt boats. They’re 4 meters long (because that’s
the minimum allowed length) and have very flat decks (to sneak
the ends under the poles). They are built to optimize speed and
agility at all costs, including stability.
A relatively recent innovation in kayak construction is the “funyak”
or “ducky”; these are essentially one-person self-bailing
rafts in the shape of a kayak. What they lack in maneuverability
they make up for in stability; they’re an ideal craft for a beginner
interested in solo paddling, as they allow folks to get a taste
of whitewater without developing skills such as the eskimo roll,
eddy turn, etc. They’re used by experienced river runners as well,
and can be paddled anywhere a decked kayak can. However, since
they can’t be eskimo-rolled, they may not be appropriate for some
big-water situations.
Some generalizations: Fiberglass kayaks tend to be lighter, faster,
and more costlier. Rotomolded kayaks are heavier, slower, yet
cheaper and virtually indestructible. Portable kayaks are heavier,
wider, and very expensive but great for travel on planes or if
you live in an apartment. Not as low maintenance as fiberglass,
though. PVC inflatable kayaks are light, cheap, and easy to transport.
Not much storage space and prone to punctures, but easy to fix.
Although designed for warm water, they have been successfully
paddled on long trips in Alaska. Wooden kayaks are usually kits,
and are fairly light and durable, but require more maintenance.
Before you pick a kayak, decide what you’ll be doing with it.
Camping, fishing, photography, day trips, expeditions, racing,
surfing, etc. Also consider your size in relation to the boat’s
size. You should comfortably fit in the boat, not too snug or
too loose.
Editorial
Be Happy
A book I’ve read on more than one occasion and still pick up every
once in a while, has very interesting ways of looking at things.
The book is called “Illusions – The Adventures of a Reluctant
Messiah” written by Richard Bach. The story starts out with
this mechanic who discovered he had the ability to heal sicknesses
and cure diseases and the rest of the extra things that go along
with the Messiah job. As people discovered him, his popularity
gave him no more time for his job and he went to the masses. Before
long, the inevitable happened “When he saw that they pressed
him to heal them without rest, and feed them always with his miracles,
to learn for them and to live their lives” he quit, but before
he quit he said “If a man told God that he wanted most of
all to help the suffering world, no matter the price to himself,
and God answered and told him what he must do, should the man
do as he is told?
“Of course, Master!” cried the many. “It should
be pleasure for him to suffer the tortures of hell itself, should
God ask it!”
“No matter what those tortures nor how difficult the task?”
“Honour to be hanged, glory to be nailed to a tree and burned,
if so be that God has asked,” they said.
“And what would you do, ” the Master said unto the multitude,
“if God spoke directly to your face and said, ‘I command
that you be happy in the world, as long as you live!’ What would
you do then?” And the multitude was silent….
That is the big question! How can one be happy, no matter what?
I guess everyone has to answer that one themselves. Samuel Clemens,
alias Mark Twain, says that laughter is our only defense against
the onslaught of reality and I would have to agree with him. If
we can’t learn to laugh at ourselves and develop our sense of
humour, then it will be that much harder to be happy no matter
what.
Letters to the editor
“No Shit” in the gutter
I just received the latest issue of your newsletter – #7 June 24, 1999.
It is an understatement to say that I was very disappointed by
the article you chose to print on page 3 – Special
High Intensity Training. The wording and language leave a
lot to be desired. This is not the type of example I would expect
from a newsletter that purports to have the community interest
at heart.
If I had to pay for a subscription I would cancel it immediately.
As it is – a friend has been sending me a copy of each issue and
I will request that stop as of now.
Until this issue I had very much enjoyed reading this newsletter.
Perhaps you are more “Open Minded” than I am but I do
not think the world needs any more of this type of “Gutter
Minded” information.
Disappointed,
Lee Kitto
Greenwood City of History
Welcome to Boundary country! Please accept this as an invitation
to visit Greenwood, the smallest City in British Columbia. Greenwood
became a city in 1897 when rich ore deposits were discovered by
prospectors headed north. Greenwood is unique in that we have
several original wood-frame buildings dating from the turn of
the century. These buildings have been beautifully maintained,
including our City Hall, which was the Supreme Court of British
Columbia and the County Court for the southern County of Yale
from 1902 to 1953. This building is the court room setting for
the soon to be released movie based on the best selling novel
“Snow Falling on Cedars.” Our history is captured in
the displays at the Greenwood Museum right on Highway #3. Take
the time and stop in. We look forward to your visit.
Some of the places to see:
TransCanada Trail/ Railway beds · Hike Roderick Dhu &
other trails · Boundary Creek / Jewel Lake · Explore
our Historic sites & interesting spots · Relax in our
rural settings · Info Centre located at Greenwood Museum.
For further information please contact the Greenwood Board of
Trade, Box 430, Greenwood B.C. V0H 1J0
Ph: (250) 445-6323 or Fax: (250) 445-6166
BRITTLE BONES,
STRONG HEART
Brianne Schwantes was born with more than a dozen broken bones!
Even now, as a teenager, her bones are so weak, they can break
if she bumps into a table or if she trips. She’s just 4’7″
and weighs only 60-some pounds, but she is one of the strongest
people you’ll ever meet.
Brianne has a rare disease named Osteogenesis Imperfecta, also
known as “OI”. All kids with OI have bones that break
too easily. They don’t grow as fast as other children and they’re
sometimes in a lot of pain.
People tell OI kids to be super careful, to just stay in bed with
lots of pillows around their bodies. But Brianne says everybody’s
got to have a life. She wants OI kids to do as much as they possibly
can. “One of the things that I enjoy doing the most is volunteering,”
Brianne says. “My parents taught me that the most important
thing a person can do in their life is to help out others in need.”
When she was 13, she saw reports on TV about terrible floods in
Iowa, far from her Wisconsin home. It was very scary to see pictures
of the water filling up more and more people’s homes. Brianne
called the Red Cross to see what people could do to help. They
told her people in Iowa would need everything – food, clothing,
furniture and new houses to put it all in. But immediately, they
needed help cleaning up the damage the flood was causing. There
was deep mud covering everything and lots of broken wood, glass
and metal. Brianne met some people who said they were going to
Iowa to help fight the flood and she told them she was coming
too.
She begged her parents to let her go, but they were worried that
she could get hurt. Brianne solved the problem by convincing them
to come too. The whole family filled up a truck with things the
flood victims needed, then drove to Iowa.
When they got there, Brianne filled sandbags and helped clean
up the messes the water had made in the stores. She washed things
off and put things back on shelves. Even these simple things were
risky for her. If she slipped or if something fell on her, she
could be very badly hurt. Brianne says she had a wonderful time.
When there were big floods in Georgia two years later, she quickly
convinced nine people to go with her and help the people there.
These were very big trips for Brianne. She and other kids with
OI are sometimes so sick they can’t even go to school.
Brianne was concerned that their lives were lonely, so she decided
to start a paper just for kids with OI. It’s called “Little
Bones”. In it Brianne writes about living a good life even
if you have OI. She writes about the problems OI kids have and
she puts in letters, puzzles and riddles. “Little Bones”
helps kids with OI know they’re not alone.
Brianne also writes about new treatments for the disease. She’s
an expert on this medical news because four times a year she goes
to a special hospital in Washington, D.C. There, she tries out
new treatments for OI. In “Little Bones”, she calls
herself the ‘guinea pig’. “If they’re going to try something
new, they try it on me first,” she says. She writes her reports
to give other children with OI hope that they’ll get better.
Brianne’s body may be weak, but she has a truly strong heart.
When the President of the United States heard about her work in
Iowa, he asked to meet her. He was amazed. “This child’s
bones may break”, he said. “But her spirit will not”.
Brianne is a Giraffe. To learn more about Brianne and other Giraffes
or to nominate someone you know for Giraffe honours, visit http://www.giraffe.org
Carl Dortch 442-2491
Director, Lolita’s Legion url:http://www.geocities.com/rainforest/canopy/8126
email: lkitto@wkpowerlink.com
Did you Know?
Why does the hair on your head keep growing while the
hair on the rest of your body gets to a certain length and then
stops?
Actually, the hair on your head does stop growing eventually.
It just takes a lot longer. Here’s what happens. All the hair
on your body has times when it’s growing and times when it’s not.
When hair isn’t growing, it’s said to be dormant. After hanging
around the follicle awhile (the follicle is the socket in your
skin that the hair grows out of), the old piece of hair gets shoved
out by a new hair pushing up from below. On most of your body,
the hair grows only a short time before becoming dormant. As a
result, it only gets to be maybe a half inch long. But head hair
grows for a much longer time – from 2 to 6 years. If you let it
grow all that time, it could get 2 to 3 feet long. Maybe even
longer. There’s a woman in Massachusetts whose hair got to be
10 1/2 feet long. (Obviously this is not somebody you want to
let get into the bathroom ahead of you in the morning.)
Eventually, though, your head hair is going to stop growing –
not all at once, of course, or you’d go bald when the hairs fell
out. Each hair stays dormant for about three months, then gets
pushed out by a new hair coming in from below. You lose maybe
70 to 100 hairs a day this way. If you’re male, save them. By
the time you’re 40 you’ll need all you can get…
Is it true horses sleep standing up?
You’ve probably seen those westerns where the bad guys sneak up
on the good guys’ camp at night and steal the horses. The horses
are always just standing there, ready at a moment’s notice to
be stolen or stampeded or whatever it is the bad guys have in
mind.
“What’s the deal?” you ask. “Don’t horses ever
lie down?” Actually, they do – sometimes. When they’re sick,
for instance. Or when a mare is foaling. But not usually. Horses
can go for days and sometimes even weeks without ever leaving
their feet. They have the ability to lock their knees into a standing
position and sleep at the same time. Some experts say horses are
more comfortable and use less energy when standing up. Part of
the problem with lying down is that the great weight of the horse’s
body can make it difficult to breathe.
Quote
In the path of our happiness shall we find the
learning for which we have chosen this lifetime.
Richard Bach – Illusions
Just for laughs…
A man buys a parrot from a pet shop. The parrot is highly intelligent,
but all he ever does is swear. Day and night the parrot shouts
out obscene words and phrases until one day the man decides to
teach him a lesson. He opens his freezer, grabs the bird by its
neck, throws him inside and slams the door shut. The bird bangs
constantly on the door asking to be let out and promises never
to swear again. After about 5 minutes the man agrees to give the
bird one more chance and places him back on his shoulder.
After a few minutes the parrot has warmed up again and asks the
man meekly, “What did the chicken do?”