CALL NUMBER: T1031:0001 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1961-11-09 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Arthur Shelford recalls his early life in England and his feeling that city life in London was not for him, so he decided to come to Canada in 1908 on an urge. Mr. Shelford describes the conditions of economic depression upon arriving in Canada at Calgary. Mr. Shelford recalls his experience working on the railroad, including the food they ate and his interactions with the Walking Boss; the relationship between the railroad and the employment agency in Calgary; his decision to walk a few miles up the road to Field which was his first experience in British Columbia, there was no work available, his next job on the railroad which paid a dollar and a half a day which was excellent, his positive experiences with foreigners and how it changed his perceptions of others, the need for gloves to do the work, befriending an English soldier named Tommy Gibson who got him a job working on the road at Banff which paid very well and his experience there, an anecdote about some of his co-workers who got arrested for drinking and one who got out and let the others loose and his boss changed the man's name so he would not get arrested, the scenery around Banff, putting a fire out at Fernie, odd jobs and characters, and an anecdote about when he worked on shingling roofs in winter. TRACK 2: Mr. Shelford describes how he came to Vancouver in 1909 and how much he liked it, the game of real estate, working in a logging camp at Courtenay until a forest fire burned his camp down, getting a job as a fireman for nine months at Powell Lake and the foreman Jim Springer who was a great man, his job as an engineer at the Powell River Pulp Company and a description of the conditions as one of the best jobs he ever had, his brother Jack suggesting that they venture to Northern BC to; acquire land, a journey up the Skeena by river boat and the conditions there and the people whom he met on the trip. Mr. Shelford describes arriving at Hazelton, how Hazelton was a frontier village.
CALL NUMBER: T1031:0002 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1961-11-09 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Shelford continues by discussing his horses, a trip to Bella Coola to get cattle in 1910 with his brother and what was involved in the trip including building a raft out of rope, characters around Francois Lake including Harry Morgan and other pioneers, more on their journey and a description of places visited and sites seen, leading the cows up the valley, expertise about horses, more on their travels including interactions with the horses and building more rafts. Mr. Shelford discusses the personality of pioneer Irishman Mike Touey, including several anecdotes including one about the three pounds of meat he ate per day and another about his poetry and another about an incident when he retired to Burns Lake and gave up eating meat. TRACK 2: Mr. Shelford continues with more on interesting characters who were in the area around the time Mr. Shelford came in around 1914. Firstly, he discusses the two Oknianski boys who were Polish and they made a living off whip sawing and they also were involved with Hansard in Ottawa which is something Mr. Shelford feels is quite commendable. Secondly, Mr. Shelford discusses and offers anecdotes about Bob, Jim and Kelly Nelson who were known for their hospitality. Thirdly, he discusses the Hinton family who came from London and had hardly spent any time in the country, Mrs. Hinton really missed eating meat, details on the family and people whom the daughters married. Fourthly, a Norwegian man named Jacob Lund and an anecdote about Lund's teeth and a dentist and another Norwegian man named Shorty Mathieson who was a good friend to everyone and had a knack to find an easy way to do things. Fifth , Mr. Shelford discusses the pioneer women whom he believes did not get nearly enough credit. Mr. Shelford offers anecdotes about the contributions of several of these women including Mrs. Bennett who came into Hazelton before the railway, Mrs. George Lawson who came from Scotland, Mrs. Morgan who came in over the Bella.
CALL NUMBER: T1031:0003 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1961-11-09 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Shelford recalls enlisting in WWI in 1916 and almost being turned down for entry in Hazelton because he had flat feet. He discusses what he did upon returning from the war including how lovely returning to Vancouver was and his travels back up to Houston and continuing work just as he had left off. He discusses the economic conditions of the country after the war, jobs they tried to get some money including shipping cream, the start of the railway tie industry and the profitability of timber to that end, trapping furs, cattle prices, conditions picking up just prior to WWII, the impact of the war in boosting the lumber industry, drawbacks of the lumber industry, the necessity of having to supplement farming with other work, the flood of 1948 by aluminum companies to provide power for the plant at Kitimat and the repercussions on good farming land and relocating settlers, the reaction from the community, details about the Kenny Dam, and compensation. TRACK 2: Mr. Shelford continues with more on the compensation from the aluminum company and how most felt it was quite fair, one man who did not spend the money he was given well and others who did, repercussions on the local economy, the growth of the Ootsa Lake community including the first church, the effect the flood had on the lake itself, the growing tourist industry, pioneering routes by river, general problems of pioneer life and farming, having to walk everywhere because there were no roads until 1915 and that road was very rough.
