Images of the past

Dr. Muriel Whitaker has kindly provided me with these pictures reproduced from her family album. She also provided the information for the associated captions. You will remember that Muriel and John owned and operated Lac Le Jeune Lodge from 1951 till shortly before it was torn down to make room for the existing lodge.

Fire Lookout (ca 1920)

This was the primitive structure erected for the use of the Fire Warden at the top of Ridge Mountain. It seems incredible that there was a phone link from this to the forestry cabin and the lodge. Muriel says she clearly remembers coming across the single wire that ran down the side of the trail. I certainly remember carrying out repairs to the portion of the line, which ran from the lodge to Knutsford during the time I spent guiding for the Lodge between 1957 to 1962. From top to bottom are: Ross Dalgleish, Olive Docker (nee Mclean), Muriel Costly (McDiarmid), Gertie Ellis, and Eddie Docker.

Lac Le Jeune Lodge

This is the third generation of the Trout Lake, Fish Lake, Lac Le Jeune Lodges, the one which was the immediate predecessor of the current lodge. The bridge would be on the left. Note the screened porch, and living room windows facing the lake and the two story construction. The picture was taken some time after the store was added as it can be seen extending beyond the main building at ground level to the right of the lodge. The clinker built row boats are lined up along the shore for the winter. The structure in the lower right hand corner is Dave Lusk’s Hotel which was still in use as smoke, and fish preparation house when I was acting as guide. The tall pine tree at the outside corner of this structure was struck by lightning when I was inside leaving only fragments of the tree and its roots and me deaf for several days.

Cowan’s Lodge and Bar

The Cowan Lodge (1906 - 1926) on the right of the picture, the bar on the left. Muriel says that the bar “Tavern” was converted into a housekeeping cabin with the addition of a screen porch. Later, John Whitaker added a bathroom on the north side to convert it to deluxe unit. Note the “road” and hey, pine trees!!

Submitted by Hugh Burton

Lac Le Jeune Reminiscences by Hugh Burton, Part 2

As mentioned in the previous article, accommodation for fishermen was provided first by the very rough log cabin constructed by Dave Lusk in 1885, then by the improved second version in 1905. As it turns out there have actually been four versions of the lodge. The second one, Robert Cowan’s, served the fishing public till around 1926 when he apparently became too ill to continue. Thomas Costley who had, for a number of years, been enjoying camping in a cabin he built on the little lake, bought the lodge property and decided there was sufficient increase in the number of people attracted to the fabulous fishing to make it worth while building a bigger and better hotel. This new structure was placed in a position of prominence, which provided a wonderful view straight down the lake from both the full width screened front porch and the equally large comfortable lounge. A huge stone fireplace and comfy furniture completed the aura of hominess in the lounge. Behind this was the dining room where guests could have their meals and beyond this again lay the kitchen and eating quarters for the staff. There were several guest rooms on the second floor offering various views of both lakes. Much later a store was added adjacent to the pantry and kitchen areas, which served campers as well as the summer residents. It is really unfortunate that this old lodge couldn’t be saved as a heritage building when the present lodge was built.

Building construction, over the first period of expansion, was hampered by the poor condition of the road and the limited carrying capacity of the transportation available. The original road between Kamloops and Le Jeune was the Goose lake road. Very little of the original road bed was used when the Iron Mask road was put in, so it is hard to get much of an idea of just how rough and twisty the road was even into the early 1940’s. Try, even now, going down the Goose Lake Road just after spring thaw or an extended rainy period and you will get some indication of these early conditions.

As a result, lumber was pretty well restricted to two by fours, eight feet long. The two by fours of course were a true two inches by four inches, since they were not then the dressed form to which we have become accustomed.

Most of the cabins that were built were erected on a foundation of Lodge Pole Pine timbers cut locally. The foundation timbers were themselves raised on vertical posts that accommodated for the variation in levels of the terrain. The posts themselves were bedded on flat rocks to prevent too much settling - a technique only marginally successful. I know from personal experience that frequent shoring was necessary to maintain some semblance of level. Those of us who have since built permanent homes, were loath to tear down these great old structures but the piece meal construction, necessitated by the materials made them impossible to move.

It is perhaps surprising that there were not more log cabins built given the difficulties associated with stick frame construction. I can only think of three. One was the forestry cabin (now Killik’s), another was Vida Morrow’s taken down to make room for Willis’ house, and finally the one in which John and Drenna Baker now live. The Forestry cabin and John and Drenna’s were built with the logs horizontal to the ground while Vida’s was of vertical construction.

Perhaps the most dramatic evidence of the difficulty of obtaining and transporting construction materials was provided by an addition Dr. Irving made to his cabin. It seems that he wanted to bring some of the comforts available to his family in town, to their summer life at the Lake. So, following completion of the cabin, which had three cedar lined bedrooms, a spacious living room and sizeable screened porch, he decided to have his Chinese cook attend these comforts on site, hence the need for an addition. Rather than build from scratch, he found an abandoned bunkhouse in the meadows west of Little Lake and had it brought to the lot.

This enterprise entailed placing the structure on skids, pulling it with horses to the west shore of Little Lake, then floating it down to where the bridge now stands. The skidding process was then repeated till the bunkhouse reached the cabin site. This sounds like a lot of work but presumably it was more economical than buying and transporting lumber and hiring a carpenter. The newly arrived structure was attached to the main building in a very uneven, haphazard manner that, through the ensuing years, ensured much leaking and shifting - (he definitely should have hired the carpenter). Nevertheless, the cook moved in using the stilted structure to full advantage both as his temporary summer residence and as chicken coupe. By enclosing the area under the “kitchen” with chicken wire, he was able to keep his few chickens, from straying and at the same time protect them from coyote and weasel predation, thus ensuring that they were kept only for the human palate.

There were several dates carved into the wooden wall planks of this building, the earliest of which was 1897. It served heroically as the cook’s summer residence, and cookhouse till Dr. Irving deserted the cabin in the late 1920’s - but that‘s another story.

It also served as our kitchen till we built the new house in 1998.

The forestry cabin was built in 1910 to serve as a residence for the Forest Ranger. The Ranger carried out fire watch over the surrounding forests from a lookout at the top of Ridge mountain - the mountain directly South of the lake up which the old ski hill runs. There was a spectacular 3600 view from this vantage point. On a clear day it was possible to see Mt. Baker in Washington and many of the peaks in the costal range as well as the Raft River range to the North. It was an ideal site for early detection of forest fires that might threaten Lac Le Jeune.

A single phone line connecting the ranger cabin, the lodge and the lookout station provided for the transfer of fire information to the central Kamloops forest service. This tenuous thread that looped haphazardly from tree to tree, swayed precariously over swamps and only in its lowest reaches on the Goose Lake road found purchase on actual telephone poles, was the only means of quick linkage with Kamloops. The phones at the Le Jeune end were of the crank and hope variety and at the best of times provided distorted and patchy transference of information. In fact, I often wondered if the shouted instructions to central (number please lady) couldn’t have been heard just as well had both parties stood outside and bellowed. It was also most inadvisable to use these during thunder storms for fear of severe shock and once the storm passed, communication was frequently terminated anyway, when the line was broken by fallen trees or drowned in the aforementioned swamps.

However, there were times when this much maligned service proved its worth for the summer residents. Our family virtually lived at the Lake from school out in the spring till school in, in the fall. I can remember numerous times when Charlotte, Mother and I would trek down to the lodge in order contact Dad over some need or emergency. Most of the time he had a standard list of things to bring up on the weekend but there were times when the list needed to be augmented with things like lamp oil, wicks or mantels, and of course there were also the occasional emergencies brought on by tooth aches and other ills that made it necessary for him to make a mid week trip. There were even a couple of times when Mother called Dad to come and get us when, in 1948 and 1951, she deemed a forest fire to be too close for us to safely stay on.

More to follow, hb

More garbage dumped

Another dump of stuff at Melba Creek Forest Service Road…a blue couch, chair, perfectly good microwave stand, an old radio, a bag of pillows, baby toys (some of which my walking partner has recycled!), packing boxes, kid’s lego toys, empty “ Export A” cigarette packages, a broken outdoor light stand etc. This stuff was dumped between Sept 14 and Sept 16 early am. What a mess!

TNRD has been notified and will clean it up in 2-3 weeks. They will talk to the Conservation Officer service about increased surveillance and possibly cameras.

Somebody close by has got to be the culprit.

There are bits of garbage all over in the forest. What a shame people cannot be more responsible and take some pride in our recreation areas.

If you have any info please report on the RAPP site or phone TNRD 1-877-952-7277 or #7277 on the Telus Mobility Network.

Submitted by Bev Lorimer

Bears in the neighbourhood

There have been several reports of bears around Lac Le Jeune this month. Lee and Kim Harvey were lucky enough to get this photo of a bear in their yard around 5:30 p.m. on the 17th trying to get at their empty bird feeders. When he left he ran down the street and across the bridge, and sure spooked a lot of other wildlife along the way!

Do you have photos for the blog? Send them to me to post (sylvia@webbedfeat.com) or let me know if you'd like "author" access to the blog.

Cutting Firewood on Crown Land

A few days ago the Kamloops Daily News listed the Crown land woodcutting regulations. It prompted me to check online to see what information is available.

The Firewood Permit page for the Kamloops District on the Ministry of Forests and Range website has information about conditions when cutting is permitted and how to obtain maps. I had always assumed that obtaining a permit would be complicated, but discovered that the Free Use Permit (PDF 56 KB) is available for download. You simply print and sign the form, then carry it with you when you cut wood.

With this permit individuals can obtain 4 cords of firewood for personal use only. Here are the main guidelines to follow:

1. Ensure that the firewood is cut from vacant crown land.
2. Cut and remove only dead standing trees less than 40 cm. (16 inches) in diameter, 30 cm. (12 inches) from the ground; Larger trees may be felled and removed if they pose a threat to personal residential property.
3. Cut and remove only down trees less than 40 cm. (16 inches) in diameter at their largest end.
4. Clear all debris from roads, roadside ditches and streams, and lop all branches from felled trees and scatter them close to the ground.
5. Refrain from:
   a. Cutting any trees marked by the Ministry of Environment for the preservation of wildlife. (See the "Firewood or Wildlife Tree?" brochure)
   b. Cutting any live, green trees (coniferous or deciduous) or removing any material from log decks.

photo by Foxtongue

Reporting polluters and poachers

The web site for reporting polluters and poachers is www.env.gov.bc.ca/cos/rapp/form.htm or just google RAPP. This reporting is easy to do online. On Aug 10, a group of us spotted garbage dumped illegally on Melba Creek Forest Service Road. There was a TV, kid’s pool, packing boxes, and lots of cans, bottles and garden material. We posted the information online and the next day I had a call from the Conservation Officer (CO). He told me that there was nothing to identify the polluter at the site, but the TNRD now has an agreement with the CO Services to clean up. He also told me that it was important to notify CO Services as they need to track this information and attempt to identify and prosecute the offender. It just takes a minute so please note your location and follow through with your observations.

This subject came up at the meeting on Aug 11 with TNRD. I spoke with Mr May after that meeting and he assured me that the TNRD would deal with the garbage.

As of today that it remains where it was dumped…wonder where the folks at TNRD are?
Submitted by Bev Lorimer

From the CO website:

If you have just witnessed a serious violation, call 1-877-952-7277 (RAPP) or #7277 on the TELUS Mobility Network.

If the situation is not an emergency , report the incident online or contact the nearest Conservation Officer Service district office - see Contacts.

West Nile Virus

This information was received today from Martin Dickson, Environmental Services Technologist, Thompson-Nicola Regional District.

Good Morning,
In efforts to keep your respective communities up to date with important news from the Thompson-Nicola Regional District we would like to pass along the accompanying press release that speaks to the detection of British Columbias first case of West Nile virus. This past weekend the British Columbia Center for Disease Control (BCCDC) confirmed two probable human cases of WNv in individuals from the Kelowna area.They have also detected WNv in a mosquito pool collected in the southern Okanagan.

Please feel free to contact our TNRD Mosquito Control Contractor Cheryl Phippen if you have any questions about mosquitoes or WNv. She can be contacted at 250-573-1750 or emailed at bwp@shaw.ca or people can leave messages on the mosquito advisory line at 250-372-5700. Environmental Health Services Supervisor, Dennis Labrie will also be available for any questions you may have. He can be contacted at 250-377-2592.

Thank you for your time and we will keep you all updated as we learn more.

Best Regards,
Martin Dickson | Environmental Services Technologist
Thompson-Nicola Regional District

---

Press Release
August 24, 2009

British Columbia’s First Human Case of West Nile Virus
The first West Nile virus (WNv) infected mosquito pool and the first human WNv cases in British Columbia were reported by the BC Centre for Disease Control this weekend. The positive mosquito pool was collected in the Southern Okanagan and two individuals from the Kelowna area are being investigated with possible infections. Since 1999, when WNv was first identified in North America, the virus has caused nearly 29,000 cases of human illness, including more than 1100 deaths. These are the first ever cases of WNv detected in British Columbia and the first cases reported so far this year in Canada.

WNv is spread seasonally through the bites of infected mosquitoes. The risk of serious illness from WNv is low; however simple measures can help prevent mosquito bites and reduce the numbers of mosquitoes in an area:
• Individuals should apply insect repellents containing DEET (10% for children and up to 30% for adults), wear loose, light colored clothing when outdoors including long-sleeved pants and shirts and avoid mosquito-laden areas at dawn and dusk.
• Tight fitting screens should be installed on doors and windows
• Individuals should eliminate or regularly change any sources of stagnant water around their properties as mosquito larvae will develop in the smallest pool of water. Likely mosquito breeding grounds include the saucers under flower pots, wading pools, used tires, and clogged eaves troughs.

Mosquitoes become infected with WNv when they feed on infected birds, and the virus may be transmitted when an infected mosquito bites a human. Humans cannot get the virus directly from birds nor can humans pass this virus from one person to the next. About two out of every 10 people bitten by an infected mosquito develop WNv symptoms such as fever, aches, nausea and vomiting. About 1 in 150 people infected with WNv develop more serious symptoms such as paralysis, extreme headache and, in rare cases, death. Although people of any age can become severely ill, the risk is highest for persons age 50 and over.

In 2009, the TNRD has been conducting a larval control program for WNv, with the goal of reducing the numbers of Culex species of mosquitoes within the TNRD as if WNv has already arrived in our area. We are confident that everything is being done to reduce the impact that West Nile virus may have on residents and visitors to our area. However, the public must be aware that personal protection using Deet is the best way to reduce the possibility of contracting WNv. Surveillance traps have been strategically placed within the TNRD to collect specimens and monitor for the presence of WnV.

A mosquito control contractor for the TNRD, BWP Consulting Inc, is currently monitoring stagnant water known to produce mosquito larvae. When larvae are present they are being treated with a biological larvicide that is harmless to other insects and animals. As it is late in the season, many known larval development sites have dried up and the contractor is reporting low numbers of larvae and adult mosquitoes throughout most of the TNRD.

The Interior Health Authority and the BC Centre for Disease Control are currently monitoring for the presence of the virus by collecting and testing mosquitoes and birds throughout the southern Okanagan and the southern Kootenay. People in the TNRD can report sightings of dead crows, ravens, magpies or jays by calling the Interior Health Authority West Nile Virus Information Line at 1-866-300-0520 or by accessing the BCCDC On-Line Dead Bird Sighting Report Form at http://westnile.bccdc.org/ .

For more information about WNv, mosquito control or our public education events, please visit http://www.tnrd.bc.ca/mosquito/tnrd_mosquito/index.php or call the TNRD Mosquito Advisory Line at 250-372-5700

Seaplane activity

It was impossible to miss the 3 seaplanes that landed on Lac Le Jeune yesterday. Jim Phillips was able to get this shot of one plane during take off, and noticed "Fire Boss" written across the front of the pontoon. This activity was likely related to the fire near Shumway Lake.

Front Page: Kamloops Daily News

Thanks to Pam Sheridan and Elna Strand, and other residents who shared our concerns about the changes to the Lac Le Jeune waste management system with the Kamloops Daily News, the story made the front page! Here's the full article.

Update, and a response from TNRD

photo by fontplaydotcom

Reminder! The public meeting to discuss the future of the Lac Le Jeune Refuse Transfer Station is Tuesday, August 11, 2009, 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. at the Lac Le Jeune Resort and Conference Centre. Please attend!

At least 80% of Lac Le Jeune residents have signed the petition opposing "the Plan" to implement curbside garbage collection. Also of note is that, to date, NOT ONE resident has indicated that they were aware of any public consultation with respect to "the Plan".

This letter from Don May was received by John Watson on August 4, 2009.

Dear John Watson:

Thank-you for your letter and comments regarding the future of the Lac Le Jeune transfer station. My apologies for not responding to you on Friday. I will try to answer the questions and concerns you and the other community members raise in your July 23, 2009 letter and others to the TNRD. This turned-out a bit longer than I intended, but I have tried to give you a bit of background as well.

With regard to public consultation concerning the future of the Lac Le Jeune Transfer station:

The TNRD started work on updating their Regional Solid Waste Management Plan (Plan) in 2004. Committees to assist the regional district were established in 2005, including a public advisory committee, technical advisory committee and a political steering committee. The Plan was developed through a 3 stage process developed by the Minstry of Environment and there was public consultation required at each stage of the process. This was done by open houses, media advertising and mail-outs throughout the process of developing the new Plan. The final round of open houses to explain the Plan was done in 2007 and the Plan was approved by the TNRD Board and Ministry of Environment in 2008. The Ministry was satisfied with the level of public consultation in developing the Plan. We are now implementing the new initiatives.

A major issue that needed to be dealt with was the ever increasing cost of operating the TNRD's solid waste system. There were 32 transfer stations and 5 landfills and new transfer stations were being opened at a steady pace and costs to develop and operate the system had more than doubled. There were considerable problems encountered with the unattended transfer stations in terms of dumping of hazardous materials, overloaded bins, bear problems, and litter and unsightly site conditions. To attempt to control the costs of the system and limit the number of sites that the TNRD would need to upgrade the Plan identified a core number of about 18 transfer stations that should be upgraded to the new eco-depot standard, including recycling. All other sites and particularily those where an alternative service could be developed would be scheduled for consolidation or closure. The Lac Le Jeune site was identified as a site where an alternative service could be provided, with the preference being curbside collection.

To back up a bit to consultation again. Once the Plan had been approved by the Minister of Environment and adopted by the TNRD Board of Directors it then gained considerable force in its own right. Section 24 of the BC Enviromental Management Act gives regional districts the authority to adopt Bylaws for the purpose of implementing a Plan without a petition or assent of the electors. The attached Bylaw 2248 was adopted by the TNRD Board on January 8, 2009 to give the TNRD the ability to tax for a new collection and recycling service in Electoral Area "J". The meeting on August 11 is part of the continuing consultation process.

Through input received during the development of the Plan it was determined that curbside collection was the best way to achieve the most diversion through recyling and that a system of collection carts, one for refuse and one for recycling (similar to the Cuty of Kamloops system) achieve better diversion rates than a depot type of recycling system. However, the TNRD is aware of the problems with wildlife and proposes that the garbage carts will be provided with bear-proof lids. The carts are provided to residents and businesses by the TNRD as part of the cost of the new services. A collection vehicle is also provided as part of the service. Residents would receive 65 gallon carts and businesses would receive 95 gallon carts. This system is being rolled-out in Avola in August and we will get a good idea how it will work in bear country.

The issue of scheduling curbside service for those residents and vacationers that may only be in the area on weekends and/or for holidays is one of the down sides of a curbside system. The pick-up would be done on one weekday and carts would need to be at the curb or road edge by 7:00 a.m. For those that are not in the area on the collection day there are a couple of possibilities including arranging with a neighbor to put their carts out or hauling their materials back to their primary residence. The service is intended for local residents and businesses only and does not cover contractors looking after area Parks and doing renovation and the like. There are other drawbacks of a curbside system that include service to remote areas, service during winter conditions on steep roads etc.

Another option for alternative service to the Lac Le Jeune area is a limited use of the existing transfer station, but the site would need to be operated in a different way than it currently is so that the operational costs are reduced. In effect the site would be closed except for very limited hours - say 6 to 8 hours per week (say 2 openings at 3 to 4 hours each as determined by needs of the community). Ideally the site would be removed from the general service and be solely operated by and for the local area. In this scenario the TNRD could pay the Lac Le Jeune Community Association to operate the site. Punch cards could be issued to all local residents and businesses in a quantity equivalent to a 2 bag per week limit (to encourage recycling) - recycling blue bags would still be free and part of the general service. Businesses may receive more punch cards based on their tax assessments. Identification cards would also need to be issued. Only those with a valid ID card would be authorized to use the site. In this way the number of bin services per year would be reduced and the cost of the site controlled.

To meet the requirements of the TNRD Plan there are two criteria that must be met. First, any alternative service must promote and encourage diversion of waste and recycling. This is the main reason why the TNRD developed the new tipping fee system for waste disposal and initiated the blue bag recycling system in 2008. The new fees are incentive to reduce and recycle. The second is that the alternative must be less expensive to operate to achieve the goal of reducing the overall cost of the system. Another criteria is that no waste transfer site is left open and unattended.

I hope this information will be helpful to you and the Lac le Jeune community. Please feel free to distribute them as needed. As you can see there are many details to work out that depend on which option the local residents and businesses wish to proceed with, and we will provide some more information at the meeting on the 11th.

Thanks again for your interest and I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Regards,

Don May

Manager of Environmental Health Services

Thompson-Nicola Regional District

300 - 465 Victoria Street

Kamloops, BC

V2C 2A9

Office (250) 377-8673

Toll free 1-877-377-8673

Direct line (250)377-7057

FAX (250) 372-5048

Cell (250)319-6965

dmay@tnrd.bc.ca