By Harry GilesThere is no district in Canada and certainly not in British Columbia that offers greater opportunities to the progressive farmer than the Peace River District. Although Dawson Creek is the highest initial grain shipping point in Canada there is more uncultivated land than cultivated in the district. In fact the largest agricultural acreage… Read More

By Harry GilesIt is claimed by some that the oldest written history in British Columbia is in the Peace River district. Many millions of years ago large claw footed animals left their story embedded in the soil where they forded the Peace River near what is now known as the Rocky Mountain Canyon a few… Read More

By Harry Giles [1950]Five years ago anyone living in the Peace River District had to put up with many inconveniences. Apart from the difficulty of getting in over the so called highway from Edmonton if the weather was damp there was also the difficulty of crossing the village streets without either getting mired of losing… Read More

By Dorthea Calverley” The combines will save money by eliminating the wages of those big threshing crews,” they said. ” The combines will eliminate all that delay in cutting and stooking and then waiting for the threshing machine,” they said. ” You won’t have to depend on your neighbours for harvest help,” they said. ”… Read More

Beatton River Women’s Institute, 1928The first soil to be cultivated in Rose Prairie was in 1928 when Mr. Ed Morgan broke 10 or 12 acres and seeded them to oats. General breaking up of the land was not done however until the following year. That was when the settlers who had arrived in 1928 all… Read More

1. The first wheat prize won by Peace Country grain was by a Fort Vermilion farmer in 1876. He sent a sample to the Centennial Exhibition at Philadelphia and won first prize. 2. The Fahler district was a heavily timbered area until the great fire of 1902, which burned most of forested area. Later it… Read More

Fort St. John, BC, Mar. 6, 1922W.D. Albright, Esq., Manager, Experimental Station, Beaverlodge, Alberta. Dear Sir: I noticed your letter of Jan. 18 is addressed to Hassard Cadenhead, whose initials H. C. are the same as my own. As your questions chiefly concern gardening he wishes me to answer as his mother. Having full charge… Read More

Fort St. John, B.C. — Mar. 7, 1922.W.D. Albright, Esq., Beaverlodge, Alta. Dear Sir: I am sorry to be so late in answering your letter of Jan. 18, 1922. I shall endeavor to answer your questions to the best of my ability. I came to where I am now on May 4, 1913, within a… Read More

The Hudson Bay Forts were at that time on the banks of the Peace River so it follows that the first gardening was done there. The land is flat and the high banks of the river protect the crops from the cold north wind. Also, the banks give some protection from the cool west winds…. Read More

Mrs. H.W. Berge, from information provided by Mr. & Mrs Ben Miller, 1957Tim O’Callaghan was one of the earliest settlers who homesteaded in the Lake View district. He was on a survey party which surveyed most of the land in the Peace River block. He did a lot of custom breaking around the district and… Read More