Hiway16 Magazine... about people and places in north-central British Columbia, Canada

PAGE THREE
OF THREE

Pioneer Women in the Valley

The women who came before us learned a good deal about improvising. The first rule of pioneer life was: "...do it yourself, or do without". The women made their own light when candles were in short supply. Strips of cloth or strings were braided together, rolled in fat, and burned for light.

When there were no glass jars to preserve the local wild berries, they used empty whiskey bottles from the local hotel. Everyone, especially the women, had to work together - being a good neighbor was essential.

A womens dress hat from the turn of the century

Medical supplies were often in short supply. One mother, Mary Sheehan Calderwood, walked to Telkwa from Smithers to find the correct herbs for her son's hemophilia. On a second trip, she discovered that her Chinese herbalist had left the area!

Addie Hann, 14 years of age, when she first arrived in the Valley, circa 1911

So many of the pioneer women who first came to the Valley stayed and raised families. Theirs was the courageous move to the wild North country, and ours is the benefit for their labors. When you visit the new exhibit at the Bulkley Valley Museum, remember those pioneer women who helped make our communities what they are.

(April 4, 2002)






copyright © 2001, Northwest Design, Smithers, B.C., Canada