Item AAAB5233 - Interview with Bertha Nygaard, Ruth Gurr and Betty Pelton

CALL NUMBER: T4031:0034 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Dreams of freedom : Bertha Nygaard RECORDED: White Rock (B.C.), 1982-03-17 SUMMARY: Bertha Nygaard discusses: arriving at Bella Coola in 1895 with her parents, after a minister in Minnesota persuaded her father to settle there; father ended up farming, even though his previous experience was as a tailor; first memories of Bella Coola- seeing Natives on the river; living with Mrs. Hansen when her mother was sick; in summer, her father was 'net boss'; father also built a number of houses in Bella Colla; father died at age 55, due to difficult manual labour; character in the community, old Torger; bear story; not many chores; Mr. Jacobsen; Mrs. Nygaard's husband- very musical, played the flute; dances once a week in the winter; she has always been an avid reader; Mr. Jacobsen's library; speaking English at home, learning Norwegian from neighbours; anecdote about cable car; Lysdahl sewing circle; horse races.(Occasional comments by Ruth Gurr and Betty Pelton) CALL NUMBER: T4031:0035 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Dreams of freedom : Ruth Gurr RECORDED: White Rock (B.C.), 1982-03-17 SUMMARY: Ruth Gurr discusses her childhood and youth in Bella Coola: describes first house she lived in; picking apples in lower field; two kinds of cherry trees; helping brother build rowboat and using it all summer; mornings spent doing chores or going to school; had a large farm; old swimming hole; picked blackberries so parents could sell them; mother baked a large amount of bread every day to feed big family and many workers on farm; skating on pond in winter; trudging up to school in the winter in big snowdrifts; school always cold; joining Girls' Aid as a teenager- learned how to knit, embroider; sewing circle; main centre in early years was the church; Sunday school once a week. (Occasional comments by Bertha Nygaard and Betty Pelton) CALL NUMBER: T4031:0036 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Dreams of freedom : Ruth Gurr RECORDED: White Rock (B.C.), 1982-03-17 SUMMARY: Ruth Gurr discusses: musical family- dad played baritone and cornet, mother played cornet and flute; first radio was very well-loved; dad farmed and did road building work; he was foreman when the Conservatives were in office, but not when Liberals were in power; C.C. Shepsted, the storekeeper; valley was a good place to grow fruit; apple trees were numerous; mother made jellies and pies out of fruit; more on chores; haying in the summer; anecdote about a flood; staying at Grandma Nygaard's and being homesick. (Occasional comments by Bertha Nygaard and Betty Pelton) CALL NUMBER: T4031:0037 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Dreams of freedom : Ruth Gurr RECORDED: White Rock (B.C.), 1982-03-17 SUMMARY: Ruth Gurr discusses: swimming in a slough when the water gathered after a flood; had to go through bear country to get to island where they swam; going to Bible vacation school in the summer; highlight of winter was the Christmas play (end of interview). (Occasional comments by Bertha Nygaard and Betty Pelton)