The letter above is between two government officials, dated Dec.16, 1953. Jas. A. Reid is writing on government letterhead to Willam (Bill) Campbell of Salmon Arm. Reid states that he he has heard that there is a "fellow over there with a bulldozer who would put in a 16 foot trail, and I emphasized trail, for the nine and half miles for about 10,000 dollars."
I love this letter for some many reasons. The casual, chatty nature of it on government letterhead reminds me of today's e:mails. I also like knowing that the "fellow over there with a bulldozer" is actually my father. My father almost unilaterally undercharged for his work, propelled forward by the joy of another project and in the words of Chief Dan George "When a man does what needs to be done, he does not know the meaning of time." Others may say "workaholic" and there is a fine line perhaps. My father loved work the majority of the time especially when it involved a well running machine (although he was not a patient man when it came to maintenance and repairs).
I find it interesting in the letter that there is constant reference to a trail rather than an actual road. I don't recall the residents of Canoe Point asking for a trail. To this day many would say parts of the road are very much like the original trail. This humble beginning perpetuated years of dissatisfaction among residents who complained about the road.
Edmond and Augustin - the bulldozer doing field work.
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1 comment:
Who is Bill Campbell? How do you have this letter?
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