South Peace Historical Society

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  • Table of Contents

    • Part 1: First Nations of the Peace River Region
    • Part 2: The Fur Trade Era
    • Part 3: Transportation and Communication
    • Part 4: Old Timers and the Price of Land
    • Part 5: Dawson Creek: The Story of the Community
    • Part 6: Mysteries, Adventures and Indian Legends
    • Part 7: Arts, Crafts and Recreation
    • Part 8: Agriculture
    • Part 9: Church Histories
    • Part 10: Schools
    • Part 11: Health Care
    • Part 12: Industries and Enterprises
    • Part 13: Policing the Peace
    • Part 14: Pouce Coupe, Rolla, and Other South Peace Communities
    • Part 15: Chetwynd and the Fort St. John Area
    • Part 16: The Alberta Peace
    • Part 17: Natural History of the Peace River Region
    • Part 18: Interviews with Old Timers
    • Part 19: Remembering Our Veterans

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14-004: Briar Ridge Pioneer Recalls

East Pouce Coupe, or Briar Ridge, as it later became called is a small district bounded on the south by hills, on the east by the Alberta Boundary and on the west by the Pouce Coupe River and Bear Creek.

The first land was taken in 1914 when Sam and Jack Suffern took homesteads and started farming. Andy Alexander and Buck McLeod took up land but did not stay long, as did the Robertsons. Mullinex and Clifford McLean, Jack McDonnell and his father also came in about that time. In 1916 Herbert Taylor and Andrew Davie, Sr. took up land and moved their families in during 1917 along with R.E. Hall.

The Railway grade from Spirit River was completed in 1916. Bridges and culverts were erected and ties cut but the steel was never laid. This was a great disappointment to the new settlers.

The social life was joined with Baytree and is still a part of the social way of the communities. A community hall was built in 1920, the second in the Peace River Block at that time, the Rolla Pioneer Hall being the first.

The East Pouce Coupe School was opened in 1924 with Miss Peggy Brown as the first teacher. There were not enough children in the district of school age, as it required eight to open, so a family was moved. Shorty Bourdon, from the Alberta side of the boundary moved in to make enough. From then on for some time the children from Baytree attended this school.

1918 and 1919 saw new settlers, mostly veterans from the first world war. The Robertson Brothers, Leo Gannon, Scotty Chisholm, Alex Matheson, Bill Suffern, Pete and Dave Rylan and Bill Paige arrived. Of all these early settlers only the younger Taylors, Davie and the McDonnells are left. In 1924 a Post Office was opened at the A. Davie farm and was named Briar Ridge. This operated until 1948 when it was not needed any more. A creamery was located and built at the Pouce Coupe River in 1922 at the place now called Riley’s Crossing and was later moved to Pouce Coupe where it had a short, but very useful life while it lasted.

In 1934 a small church was built at the Alberta B.C. boundary in which regular services are still held during in summer. The old hall, built of logs by volunteer labour, outlived its usefulness and has been replaced by a modern new building built by community effort that is a credit to the younger generation. The community spirit is certainly not dead in this district. Baytree and Briar Ridge still maintain their social life, together in perfect harmony. Long may it continue.

« 14-003: Christmas in Pouce Coupe in The Early Days

14-005: First Newspaper – The Block News at Rolla »

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