Apr 24/75 Sense and Nonsense [Nechako Chronicle] Everyone is interested in dieting these days. Fat people collect diet plans like little boys collect hockey cards. Medium-sized people instantly cut out the goodies the minute they gain a pound. Even skinny people worry that they too may become fat overnight. Everyone agrees that being fat is…

The Good Old Days [Fraser Lake Bugle, 1981/82] Interview with Harvey MacDonald The Bluenose was built during the 1920s by two Swedes, Axle and Pete, for Bert Black and Dan Webster, two of the original partners in what would later be known as Fraser Lake Sawmills. (Merle Hartman was also an early partner in the…

The Good Old Days by Doris Ray [Fraser Lake Bugle 1981-82) For thirteen seasons Harvey MacDonald was the foreman of Fraser Lake Sawmill’s annual log drive on the Stellako River. The logs were floated from Francois Lake down the six mile, rough and tumble waterway to where the river flows calmly and sedately into the…

  Nov 28 1974  Nechako Chronicle “Sense and Nonsense” Recently I have heard some interesting stories about fish. The first thing I learned was a lot of them are not really fish at all. For instance the starfish is really an echinoderm and would be highly insulted if it knew that people referred to it…

The Good Old Days by Doris Ray [Fraser Lake Bugle Mar. 17, 1982] In the 1930’s the main source of employment was hewing ties for the railroad. Roy Foote was one of the local lads who headed into the bush with a broadaxe. “I hewed ties when I was sixteen. I made ties for Alf…

February 24, 1982 Archives of Fraser Lake Bugle: “The Good Old Days” by Doris Ray In the winter of 1919-20 the first moose ever shot in the area hung up on exhibition in the woodshed at Fred Braaton’s “bachelor restaurant” in Endako. The restaurant was located next to the railroad station, and the building was…

Mar 6,1975  Sense and Nonsense Turkeys are strange birds. They remind me of one of Al Capp’s creatures in the cartoon strip Lil’ Abner. This little animal was called a shmoo. In appearance it looked exactly like the nogoodniks, which dwelt in the land of Lower Slobbovia. But the shmoos were much more obliging than…

Feb 27, 1975  Sense and Nonsense I used to be a Science Fiction nut. At the time I believed these books to be way out imaginings of the writers and in no way predictions of the future. Now I am beginning to wonder if some of the authors weren’t clairvoyant. One book I recall reading…

June 26, 1975  Sense and Nonsense Many people that you meet at house-parties seem to be musically inclined, A few are more inclined than musical but most can play a musical instrument to an extent or else are able to sing on key. At some house-parties there seems to be more musical instruments than people.…

May 29, 1975  Sense and Nonsense Almost everyone is buying lottery tickets these days. They all believe it is their turn to win and many have special rituals they perform to influence their luck. My turn has not come because I have yet to buy a ticket. There is nothing so depressing to watch than…