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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15-001: Joe Letendre of Chetwynd

Interviewed by Lee J. Phillips, 1973

Joe Letendre (pronounced “Letan”) was eighty-seven years old on January 9 of 1973, and was born at Lac St. Anne. His mother was Christine Belcourt and his father was part French. His wife was a daughter of Adam Callioux. She did not speak English, and she passed away at Chetwynd in 1960. He moved to Hazelmere, Alberta mostly trapping in his younger years as his family were pretty well raised in that area. He homesteaded at Flying Shot Lake — but later lost it because he couldn’t pay taxes and live. Those years his groceries were bought at Goodfare and Rio Grande and at that time Walter Gerry, now of Chetwynd, owned the store at Rio Grande.

Joe Letendre first came to the area known as Chetwynd in 1907 by the back trails and across county in company with his older brother and a cousin by the name of Belcourt. Also, on this trip Mrs. Clarisa McLean was along (this was before she was married).

In the spring of 1908 Joe married Adam Callioux’s daughter and they stayed about three years before Joe’s dad came to take him back to Lac St. Anne.

During the “thirties” (this was the time he lost his homestead) there was no fur and no work. He had a job one fall for one dollar and a half ($1.50) a day, ten hours a day, for Dr. Thompson. This was on this side of Bear Creek at Grande Prairie.

Years ago he worked in a saw mill for his son-in-law, Dan Plante.

15-002: Early Chetwynd Recollections of Wilkie Smith »

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