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Bruce, Robert Randolph, 1863-1942 Canada--Emigration and immigration
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Effie Turnor interview

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-11-07 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Miss Effie L. Turnor describes early settlement at Wilmer: how she came from England with her family in 1911; her father was lured out by R.R. Bruce's pamphlet; her father bought ten acres just above Wilmer; grew strawberries and apples; in 1916 she moved to Invermere; there were few farms near Wilmer in the early days; it was mainly a mining town; Bruce's charming personality is described; she mentions several characters around Wilmer. [TRACK 2: blank.]

Madeline Turnor interview

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-11-06 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Miss Madeline A. Turnor came from Staffordshire in 1911; her father was Phillip Watson Turnor, who had practiced as a doctor in England; the official title of R.R. Bruce's settlement scheme w;as the Columbia Valley Irrigated Fruit Lands; he had made no preparation for the arrival of the settlers; WWI resulted in the sale or abandonment of many of the farms; raising beef cattle became the main concern of the farmers after the war; she describes the difficulty of clearing land; most English settlers had a pension or other means of income; the prices were always higher than what had been ;given in Bruce's pamphlets. [TRACK 2: blank.]

Mrs. H. Williams interview

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-11-05 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mrs. H. Williams describes her trials as a woman homesteader at Wilmer: she came from Scotland in 1914 and really wanted to go back as she was very homesick for a year; settled outside of Wilmer; their house was built in ten days; her husband was a carpenter; and had worked in Wilmer for three years before he brought his wife out; Sir Robert Randolph Bruce is described as not being an hon;est man; misleading advertisements about Invermere; a description of Bruce's wife and her death; loggers and miners described as real gentlemen; originally Wilmer was more prominent than Athalmer and Windermere, but then Bruce pulled out; a big flood in 1916. [TRACK 2: blank.]