COUNCIL TO COMPLETE YARROW SPAN
Engineers Estimate Cost At $8000

Completion of the new bridge across the Vedder River at the RCSME bridging area, started some time ago by the Engineers, will be the responsibility of the Township, it was revealed in a letter to township council Saturday from Col. C.N. Mitchell, VC, MC, officer commanding the camp.

Col. Mitchell's estimate of the cost of decking and other material is in the neighborhood of $8000. In addition there will be provision of a fill approach from the south end. Military requirements are that, the right-of-way to the bridge through camp property be fenced, with four gates provided. Trespassing on military property "will not be tolerated," it was stated in the communications. Penalty is removal of center span from the bridge. Col. Mitchell offered to give all possible assistance in the work of putting the deck on the structure.

The new bridge when completed will provided a shorter route to Chilliwack and all points east of the Vedder canal for the growing reclaimed Sumas area; including Yarrow and will divert much traffic from the winding Vedder Mountain road to Yarrow. The bridge is located at the end of Sumas Prairie Road on the north side and connects with Wilson Road at the south side.

Council unanimously decided to proceed with the completion of the bridge as soon as possible. The center span provides for one-way traffic only, but will not seriously interfere with use of the structure in the opinion of council.

Reeve Richardson will inspect and pass upon work of covering garbage dump at Watson Road gravel pit done by Frank J. Mitchell, the new owner of the property.

The 20-mile speed limit bylaw on Yarrow Central Road and intersecting roads, received finally reading. Application by R.H. Clarke for gazetting of 1200 feet of dyke between Brinks Road and his property, as a road, was referred to Councillor Bathgate.

Red Cross will be advised to remove to headquarters a quantity of disaster relief supplies, now stored in the Masonic Hall. City and Township councils pay a rental charge of $5 a month for storage.

A platform and shelter has been erected at Stewart road on the Fraser Valley line of the B.C. Electric, at request of residents adjacent thereto, and the "stop" at Sinclair Road has been discontinued, the railway company advised by letter.

Councillors Ryder and Bathgate, together with Clerk Brice, were appointed to prepare a brief on dyking capital charge and maintenance, for presentation of Commissioner Dean F.M. Clement here July 10. If within the scope of the Commissioner's inquiry, township will lay their case for a larger contribution by the city toward dyke and riverbank protection costs.

No action was taken on an application by Harold Gallagher to establish bus routes throughout the township, pending a meeting with city council to discuss the feasibility of the two corporations going into the transportation business jointly.

Messrs. Keller, Epp and Reimer petitioned for inclusion of Sumas Prairie Road from the Trans-Canada Highway to South Sumas Road. Sumas Prairie School is located in this stretch and the delegation pointed out the duct on this road was a great danger to traffic and to children. Council inspected the road following adjournment. L.C. Rogers requested opening the half mile long Parker Road in East Chilliwack district. Council will meet Mr. Rogers on the site at a time to be arranged.

A petition was received requesting that Ford Street was received requesting that Ford Street, Sardis be oiled or surfaced. The street leads to the RCSME supply depot from Vedder Road.

Yarrow to Approach Council
Will Ask Approval Of Sidewalk Plan

Yarrow will press for municipal approval of a $6500 sidewalk scheme at the next council meeting; it was decided at a meeting of the Yarrow Waterworks board.

Councillor John Martens will present the plan which calls for construction of a maximum of five miles of paved sidewalks.

The council will be asked to handle the work under improvements, advancing money for the work now and levying it later against tax assessment.

The sidewalks would extend along Yarrow Central road and such other side roads as could be handled under the five-mile maximum.

The meeting also endorsed a proposal to ask council approval for installation of street lights in as many parts of Yarrow as possible. (Lighting of Yarrow Central for a distance of a mile has already been approved.

Yarrow Water board, with 300 subscribers represents a majority of Yarrow residents and is taking the lead in pressing for a completion of the scheme by virtue of a majority vote. Next community work the organization will handle will be the installation of 26 fire hydrants, six of which have already been installed and erection of street names and speed limit signs.

The board consists of five trustees, headed by Chairman H.G. Sukkau and Secretary J.J. Wittenberg.

Outlines Township Paving Plan

Details of the 19 mile hard surfacing program to be submitted to township ratepayers at the December elections reveal that the plan will bring some hard surfacing to almost every district.

The program also calls for extension of hard surfacing done this year.

Largest single stretch on one road is 2.4 miles of hard surfacing for the South Sumas Road between Vedder and Lickman roads.

The following is the detailed program:

School Road Sardis, Vedder to Higginson Rd. - .7;
School to Chilliwack River rd. .5;
River Road; Higginson Road to Bailey Rd. - .5-1.7.
Wells subdivision, 1st Ave to Evans Rd. .7; Evans Rd.,
Wells Rd to Trans-Canada Highway .6 -1.3.
Hocking Avenue, Trans-Canada Hwy to Young Rd. - .3
Reeves Road, Trans-Canada Hwy to Camp Slough Rd. 1.3;
Camp Slough, Reeves Rd. to Jespersen Rd.- .2-1.5.
McDonald Rd., Hope Slough to Bell Rd. .6 -.6
McSween Rd, Hope Slough to Wells Rd. - 1.
Big Ditch Road, Trans-Canada Hwy to Chilliwack Central - 1.1.
Prairie Central, River Road to Banford Rd. - 2.2.
First Avenue, City Limits to Prest Road - 1.3.
Lickman Rd., Trans-Canada Highway to South Sumas Rd. - 1.9.
South Sumas Road, Vedder Road to Lickman Rd. 2.4.
Sumas Prairie Road, Trans-Canada Highway to surfacing .2;
Keith Wilson Rd. to surfacing 1.0-1.2.
Eckert Road, Yarrow Central to B.C. Electric Railway .7.
Yarrow Central Rd surfacing to Boundary Road -.4
Yarrow Dyke Road, Yarrow Central Road to Boundary Rd. 1.3.

Total - 18.9

Turnover of More Than a Million
Co-op Is Yarrow's - Largest Enterprise

Largest commercial enterprise in Yarrow is the Yarrow Growers' Co-operative Union, which represents 4,000 farmers in the area and last year had a turnover of well over a million dollars. Two co-operatives combined in 1943 to form the concern, which has shown the same amazing growth as the community in general.

The original group was known as Yarrow Co-operative Association and was formed in 1935 with a membership of 30. This co-op handled a retail store but no produce. In 1937 the Yarrow Growers Co-operative was formed for the express purpose of marketing fruit.

Raspberries form the largest volume of business handled by the co-op. It was mostly for the handling and processing of this tremendous crop that a $40,000 processing plant was built in 1945.

Increase of poultry farming in the area was also noted in the same year with the addition of an egg grading department, and last year a plant to kill and dress poultry was established.

Another milestone in the expansion of the co-op will be marked by the opening of its department store sometime before May 1.

The $50,000 two-storey structure, which dominates the center of Yarrow's business section, will offer for sale groceries, meat, dry goods, feed and furniture.

The building will also house the offices of the Bank of Commerce. The top floor will be occupied by Co-op offices.

NEW BUS LINE WILL SERVICE THRIVING CENTRE OF YARROW
Furnishing bus service to the 2500 residents of the Yarrow area will be one of the most important contributions offered to Chilliwack valley by the new border run of Atkins Stage Lines. The phenomenal growth of Yarrow is a record of hard work in a new country by people of the Mennonite faith who immigrated to this country from Russia.

Twenty years ago there was no trace of the bustling community of today. Only one store, owned by W. Siddall, was operating at that time.

In 1928 the vanguard of the Mennonite settlers arrived. Ten families were in the first party and most of them settled in the immediate vicinity of the present village.

As more families appeared, the settlement spread, and farm land was taken up along the narrow strip between the Vedder River and the mountains, and south on Sumas flats.

The village of Yarrow remained the center of the district though and in 1930 the first store built by one of the settlers was opened. It was a typical rural general store and was owned by John Derksen until his retirement seven years ago.

From this modest beginning, the business section of Yarrow has grown steadily, and now there are 23 stores and small businesses along Yarrow Central Road.

Civic pride is manifest in the smart appearance of the Yarrow shops, which are concentrated at either end of a mile-stretch of the highway. The paving of Yarrow Central (road) last year has helped the appearance of the business section.

Waterworks Board
Community endeavor is shown at its best in the ambitious plans of the Yarrow Waterworks Board.

The board was formed in 1944 to provide a water system. Original reservoir and pipe line cost $35,000 and the system was set up in record time. There are now seven miles of pipe supplying water to district subscribers.

The board has not confined itself to supplying water however. At every meeting, problems of civic improvement are discussed. Fire hydrants and street signs are the next job facing the board, and it was this group that originated a request to township for money to carry on the laying of five miles of sidewalks. Berry Growing Popular

Principal industry of the area is agriculture. Most of the farmers are berry growers and raspberries form the bulk of the crops. Within the last year, however, there has also been a marked increase in poultry farms.

Dairy farming is losing ground in the district with the breaking up of large farms into smaller lots. This also explains the prevalence of berry growers and poultrymen who can earn a living with smaller acreage.

New Atkins Bus Line Marks Important Step in Area Transportation
The opening of the Harrison-Chilliwack-Huntingdon bus route of Atkins Stage Lines will mark an important milestone in the history of district transportation.

With the addition of this run the local company's sprawling routes will cover 83 miles of road between Harrison and the border.

Two transportation "firsts" will be inaugurated with the new system.

For the first time, American tourists will have a direct bus route from Bellingham to Harrison. The Satterlee bus system from Bellingham will connect with Atkins' bus.

To the 2500 residents of Yarrow district, the new line brings bus service that will provide connections to all parts of the Fraser Valley and the coast.

From Yarrow, travellers will be able to make connections with Vancouver buses at either Barrowtown or Chilliwack and with the cross valley system at Huntingdon. The later line serves Abbotsford, Mission and Haney.

Growth of the Company
The steady growth of Atkins Stage Lines since the company was formed eight years ago can be directly attributed to the untiring efforts of one man, Eric Atkins.

In 1939, Mr. Atkins head of Woodward's garage in Vancouver, took over the entire assets of the Harrison Lake Transportation company, consisting of a franchise to operate a bus line between Harrison and Cultus Lake, and one antiquated bus.

To keep the line going, the new owner took over the dual role of bus driver and mechanic. Days were spent on the road and at night Mr. Atkins would look after the mechanical repairs, often just managing to catch a couple of hours of sleep on the back seat of the bus before starting on the morning run.

As the company started to make money, new equipment was added and drivers hired, but it was not until the spring of 1946 that the company branched out into new routes. Ryder Lake First

The Ryder Lake run was the first step in expanding the line bringing bus service to the residents of that area for the first time.

In the fall of the same year (1946) a Chilliwack-Evans Road run was started, servicing Sardis, and several runs of the Harrison-Cultus Lake route were re-directed to service East Chilliwack.

From a one-man, one-bus company in 1939, Atkins Stage Lines has grown to a point where it now employs 10 drivers, four mechanics, a dispatcher and an office staff of four.

Rolling stock consists of seven busses, one eight-passenger car, an express truck and a wrecker. A new 45 passenger bus will be added to the fleet soon to handle the southern route.

Next step in expanding the company's lines will be an extension of the Evans road route. This is scheduled to take place in the spring and will service South Sumas, Blackburn and Keith Wilson roads.

Perhaps no other business in the city has encountered the same difficulties in endeavoring to expand than Atkins Stage Lines.

With the establishment of RCSME at Vedder Crossing, rival companies tried unsuccessfully to acquire the franchise for this lucrative traffic.

Establishment of the line to Huntingdon was balked once in 1939 by the BC Electric railway and last month when application was again entered with the Public Utilities Commission, Pacific Stage Lines contested the action.

The local company has successfully weathered these difficulties however, and remains firmly entrenched in the district transportation picture.

71 Sportsmen Join Group
Yarrow Athletic Club Plans to Build Hall
Athletic activities are coming into prominence in Yarrow. The latest development along these lines is the formation of an athletic association by 71 young sportsmen of the district. In the process of being registered at Victoria, the club which was formed in December will be known as the Yarrow Athletic-Entertainment Association, and the first endeavour to be undertaken is the building of a gymnasium, 60 by 80 feet.

Supplying the labour themselves, the members estimate it will take $3800 to build the shell of the hall and lay a hardwood floor. The $3800 will be raised mostly by assessing each member $50 for shares payable at the rate of $5 a month. To help defray the rest of the cost, club president John Hepting is operating his own film projector at club-sponsored shows.

The members hope to have their hall completed by next winter and will operate it as a roller skating rink to raise additional fund to buy equipment, finish the hall and keep an athletic park going.
Pending formal registration of the club, the temporary executive includes W.W. Siddall, vice-president; Henry Froese, secretary; and Fred Hendricks, treasurer.
Site of the proposed hall is not definite, but it will probably be on Boundary road, about a mile out of Yarrow. Four acres of ground will be acquired for the athletic park.

Five Co-operatives Join Market Agency
Fruit Growers Form Central Sales Group
The first co-operative sales agency for fruit and berries to be formed in the Fraser Valley was organized in Yarrow Friday. To be known as the Fraser Valley Co-operative Fruit and Sales Federation, the group represents five co-ops from Langley to Chilliwack and will deal exclusively in marketing problems.

J.C. Krause, manager of Yarrow Growers Co-operative Union since its formation ten years ago will be manager of the sales agency with offices in Yarrow. Member co-ops are Yarrow Growers, Arnold Growers, Sumas Prairie Growers, East Chilliwack Fruit Growers and Langley Fruit Growers.

Mr. A. Cornies, Arnold is president of the sales federation; W. Schellenberg, Yarrow, vice president; and Jacob Klassen, East Chilliwack, secretary. Directors are Frank Dick, Sardis, and D. Giesbrecht, Langley.

The new sales agency has been formed to bring the same advantages to growers here that are available to Okanagan growers under B.C. Tree Fruits Ltd., a sales federation. According to Mr. Krause, the federation was formed to provide a measure of protection to growers when ceilings, floors and guaranteed markets are taken off.

Membership in the federation is not limited. Officials state that any fruit or berry growers' organization in the Fraser Valley is eligible. The agency expects to handle four to five thousand tons of fruit this season.

This volume will be sold as fresh or processed but as the agency grows, officials hope to take over the processing as well. It would be necessary to build warehouses, processing plants and quick-freeze units in the future if this part of the work is incorporated into the agency.

In offering assistance to the grower, the federation will work two ways. Primary object is to ensure better yield from present acreage and test new hybrid fruit and berry strains.

Over Million Dollar Turnover
1946 Biggest Year for Yarrow Co-op
With a turnover of more than a million dollars recorded in four departments, Yarrow Growers' Co-operative Union has completed the biggest year in the history of the organization, it was revealed at the annual meeting Friday.

Total turnover was $1,065,919 of which $565,615 was contributed by the fruit packing department, $321,326 by the retail store, $109,727 by the poultry department. Raspberries and strawberries processed totalled 1600 tons, an increase of 20 percent over 1945. Of this amount 1200 tons were processed in SO2 solution for the United Kingdom market. Eighty tons of plums were packed.

In the egg department, 6700 cases were handled in 1946, an increase of 20 percent over the previous year. Started in the spring of last year, the poultry department handled 165 tons of dressed meat up to the end of December.

Trustees Re-Elected Two trustees, Peter Friesen and Peter Unger were re-elected for three year terms.

C.H. Penner has been office manager of the co-op, succeeding J.C. Krause, who takes over manager-ship of the new Fraser Valley Fruit Sales Federation.

Mr. Penner has been office manager of the co-op for the past year. He came to Yarrow in April 1946 from Regina where he worked with the Dominion department of trade and commerce.

200-Acre Increase Mostly Raspberrys — Says Yarrow Co-op
Berry Total Up 40% This Year

A 40% increase in berry handlings this year is predicted by Yarrow Growers' Co-operative. Most of the increase, in keeping with last year's production, will be raspberries. Figures released by C.H. Penner manager at Yarrow Co-op, show plantings this year are 200 acres more than the 1947 figure of 500. Twenty-five hundred tons of rasps and 80 tons of strawberries were handled by the Yarrow plant last year. This season's total is expected to be well over the 3000 mark.

Some berry marketing officials have expressed fear of a surplus of raspberries if growers continue to increase acreages. With the UK contracts still uncertain, these officials feel the market will be flooded. Prices in that case would drop alarmingly, they point out

The market for SO2 fruit is contracting. In keeping with the US ban on processed fruit, Canadian jam manufacturers are expected to refuse to buy the treated variety in a year or two. They have discovered the frozen and fresh berries make better jam than SO2 fruit. On the other hand the frozen fruit market is promising. There appears to be a ready market in Canada and the United States. Yarrow Co-op heads state contracts have been made with the U.S.A. for shipment of fresh fruit for freezing on the other side of the border.

But S02 processing will still be a major operation at least for another season. Mr. Penner reports 5000 barrels are now on hand for this year's operations.

He pointed out, however, that Yarrow would require a freezing plant "within one or two years anyway" if growers are to enter a competitive market. Because of extensions to plant facilities last year, Mr. Penner does not anticipate the increased acreage will necessitate further additions to the Yarrow plant.

Yarrow Group Buys Another Projectory Machine

The Yarrow Athletic Association has purchased another projection machine. This additional equipment makes it possible to - present uninterrupted programs and this fact should greatly improve the entertainment.


It is expected that this year will see the actual construction of a building. The association has acquired assets to the amount of approximately $4000. The effort is particularly substantial because of the fact that these assets represent the donations of a small, but energetic group of progressive young people. Activities have been carried on in the basement of the Yarrow public school with the permission of the school board. This is the only accommodation available at present. Particular care is being taken to look after the premises and no extra burden is put on the janitor staff of the school.

Mr. and Mrs. J.G. Derksen and family have returned from a vacation trip to Mexico. They visited friends and relatives and also looked over the place that was Mrs. Derksen's first home in the western hemisphere in Mexico.

Councillor J. H. Martens and School Trustee J.J. Wittenberg attended the evening service Sunday at the St. John's Anglican Church in Sardis. An invitation had been extended to members of civic bodies by the minister, the Rev. T.D. Somerville.

A large number of friends and relatives were guests at the home of Mr. & Mrs. D. Heinrichs, First St. Sunday. The occasion marked a birthday anniversary for Mrs. Heinrichs. Children of the guests alone numbered 25.

C.H. Penner, manager of the Yarrow Growers' Co-op is leaving for the interior where he expects to visit the Summerland Experimental farm and other industries relative to the canning and processing of fruits.

According to G.J. Reimer, manager of the packing plant, receipts of eggs have dropped considerably. Poultry is more plentiful and that part of the plant is operating daily.

Still No Market for Rasps
"Look for New Incomes" Berry Growers Advised

One thousand families in Chilliwack district who derive: part or all of their livelihood from the berry industry were warned to look for other sources of income'' by a berry official here following indications - that markets will not be found for all of the record 12 to 11 million ton Fraser Valley Crop expected this summer.

A meeting of B.C. Coast Grower's Association in Abbotsford Friday failed to produce any solution for problems facing the $4,000,000 industry.

B.C. growers received a further blow when it was announced provincial and federal governments might cancel financial assistance for bringing prairie pickers here. With drawing the assistance, which meant a $20,000 investment in 800 pickers brought last year, would place a heavy burden on growers an official explained. In view of uncertain markets and probably resulting cuts in sales prices this summer, growers will not likely invest money to have laborers brought out to harvest a crop they aren't certain of selling, officials believe.

Last year government aid enabled pickers to come from the prairies at a cost of $15, return fare. This season, growers will likely have to make their own arrangements for bringing workers out at a reduced rate.

While Britain's failure to renew its 3000 ton berry contract with this country has caused berry officials considerable worry, it is explained that even if Britain could be persuaded to buy 5000 tons there would still be a surplus here.

The 5000 tons figure has been mentioned by some officials who are striving to renew British contracts, probably under some form of subsidy or credit involving the two governments. Estimates place this season's expected surplus at 6000 tons, most of which will be Newberg or jam raspberries. It is reported a 1000 ton surplus from last year's crop has still to be marketed by Fraser Valley co-ops

STRAW SURPLUS POSSIBLE

While the present situation predicts a large raspberry surplus only, possibility of a similar glut on the strawberry market is very real.

Opening of British markets in 1942 turned the raspberry industry into "big business" It encouraged dairy and poultry farmers to plant considerable portions of their land in rasps. The result was a glut on the market which has resulted in the present situation. While dairy and poultry farmers can plough up their berry patches and look to other sources for their income, the small farmer who has relied on berry growing for his income is faced with heavy loss and even unemployment.

If growers turn to strawberries, where the market is still good, the same surplus could be created and that market would likely be broken.

YARROW HARD HIT?

While most berry farmers in the district have other sources of income, estimates show over 250 families in the Yarrow area are wholly dependent on the berry industry for their livelihood. J.C. Krause, president of Fraser Valley Co-operative Fruit Sales Federation, said the picture is not clear at this time.

"Very stressful" was the way Mr. Krause described his recent trip east, designed chiefly to meet prospective berry purchasers. He said deal for both jam and freezing quality berries had been made.

At a general meeting Saturday, Yarrow growers are expected to give considerable thought to market problems.

BETTER ACCOMMODATION

Announcement of the government policy on pickers' transportation costs was made by William McGillivray, provincial director of agricultural development and extension at Abbotsford Friday. He said government finances would not permit further continuance of the bonus system. He warned growers they must provide better accommodation for laborers.

Two resolutions dealing with curtailment of berry production were defeated. One called for reduced usage of fertilizer, thus cutting down the yield. It was also pointed out growers could also save the $15 to $20 per acre expenditure for fertilizer.

Elected director for Chilliwack area was H. Thiessen. He replaces Gordon Billingsley. Others chosen were Al Foisy, Dewdney; George W. Taylor, Abbotsford; John Wiebe, Coghlan; Peter Van Velzen, Mission; and J.W. Little, Matsqui. Mr. Little was last year's president.

Yarrow Span Plan Fading
Engineers Estimate Cost of Proposed Vedder Bridge $130,000

Prospects for construction of a Greendale-Yarrow traffic bridge over the Vedder River in the near future, faded sharply Monday when plans and estimated cost came before township council.

Two 200-foot spans 18 feet wide with a sidewalk on one side and center pier would cost $130,000 according to engineers of the provincial public works department. Three small bridges over sloughs would also have to be provided.

Two adverse factors in addition to the cost, which have to be borne entirely by the township, are:

1. Site not particularly favored by engineers;

2. Location of a bridge at the proposed crossing is opposed by Sumas Dyking Commissioner Bruce Dixon on the grounds that it would detrimental to Sumas reclaimed area.

Council members were unanimous in the view that even though the physical factors were more favorable, that submission of a debenture bylaw to ratepayers at this time would be unjustified and unwise in view of the heavy demands on township revenues.

The plans and estimates were tabled.

—   —   —     Community Portrait - Chilliwack Progress - January 23, 1952 p2     —   —   —

The story of Cornelius Funk of Yarrow is a heart-warming one of courage, perseverance and final success.

He arrived penniless in Yarrow in 1933, in the depths of the depression. Today, he operates a feed mill, feed store the town's most modern groceteria and a cold storage locker.

"When we arrived here, I didn't even have the money to buy a two-cent stamp to write my brother," he recalled, standing behind the big glass front of his store, an exterior which gives a tangible evidence of his success.

A quiet, scholarly man with a neat gray moustache, he told, in a detached, unemotional way, the story behind that prosperous glass front.

He told a story, like so many of his generation, of Communist oppression, seizure of goods, and final flight from under the shadow of the Russian secret police.

It was one more story of oppression and flight in the long history of the Mennonites. Originally from Holland, they moved to Prussia when their pacifism and rugged Protestant faith roused the animosity of their neighbours. In German they sought refuge only to find the same animosity.

In the 18th century, the Empress Catherine the Great offered the Mennonites free land in the wild prairies of the Ukraine in southern Russia. Thousands of them made the trek and there they developed the rich land and prospered until the Communist revolution in 1917.

Then flight again - flight to Canada, which the industrious peace-loving Mennonites hope will be their last.

Before his flight Cornelius Fund had been a member of a family which had long been prosperous millers in the Ukrainian city of Selidowka. In 1919, when he was 25, their property had been seized but they had been permitted to rent the mill and operate it. This uneasy situation lasted until 1926 when the Communists felt strong enough to force out the business class, including the Funks.

Cornelius rented two acres of land which he farmed for three years, always in constant fear of the secret police and their informers who were everywhere.

"You never tell anyone what you are thinking... never," he said. "Always pretend you are happy."

By 1929, thousands of Mennonites had gone to Moscow pleading and demanding to be allowed to leave the country. It was dangerous to join the dissenters in Moscow but Mr. Funk decided to slip away and see if there was any chance of escape.

He told no one but the secret police still got wind of his trip and at night demanding to know where he had gone.

"My wife told them I had gone 'to town' and that I would be back in about a week," he said. "They said they'd be back."

His terrified wife, Susie, gave him the news when he got back and they knew they must leave immediately.

"If they found out, we'd be finished," he said. "We sold everything we had in a week."

Communists were stopping Mennonites at the railroad stations and refusing them tickets, so Mr. Funk went to another town, a mining center, where there were no Germans.

There unrecognized, he bought tickets on a "through' train which wouldn't make any stops until it reached the capital, Moscow.

"Many people were taken off the trains when they stopped at the big towns along the way." He explained.

At Moscow they were temporarily safe as there were too many Mennonites for the secret police to arrest.

"They told us to go back. 'No one wants you' they told us, but we didn't believe them" he said.

"Let us get out," we replied. "Even if we have to go across the border and die there, let us get out."

Finally, after many had been herded into box-cars and sent away, they received word the Germany would accept the Mennonites and the Funks were among 6000 who left.

"About 15,000 didn't get out and most of them have never been heard from again," Mr. Funk said.

Among those who stayed behind were two of his brothers and four sisters, all of whom have disappeared.

"The last time I heard from them was in 1935 when I got a letter from one of my sisters," he said. "Since then... nothing,"

They stayed only a few months in Germany and then came to Canada, where they stayed in Manitoba with a sister-in-law and her husband who were among a few Mennonites who had left Russia in 1926.

After two years in Manitoba, they moved to Alberta and then Mr. Funk saw an ad that land was available at Yarrow.

"You could get two acres of land and pay for it in seven years," he said. "It seemed to me there should be lots of opportunity in B.C. so we came out."

The first years were years of hard, bitter struggle to support a large and growing family. There didn't seem to be any sign of the opportunity he'd looked for.

After several years, in which he cultivated his two-acre plot and working out in the hop yards he began to wonder about the milling business, the trade in which he had been trained.

"I thought lot about it," he said, "but I didn't know how to start up.

"Back in the Ukraine, we milled the grain the farmers brought in to us, but here the farmers don't grow enough," he continued. "I didn't have any money to buy grain, so I didn't know what to do."

Finally, in 1940, he got a small hammer mill and went to a local farmer with good oat crop and made him a proposition. The hopeful miller would take a few tons of oats on credit, mill it and see if he could sell it. Then he'd pay for it and take some more. The farmer agreed and the tiny business began.

"For the first few months it was terrible," he recalled. "I wished I had never started. I kept going though, and after a while it got better."

From there on, it's been a Horatio Alger story for the penniless immigrant.

He began to buy grain in carload lots. Then he needed a small elevator to store it, and in 1943 he started his mill beside the railway tracks at Yarrow. "Business was good by then," he said. "By then the mill was finished and we pretty well had it paid for."

After that people began telling him he should have a store in town so customers wouldn't have to go over to the mill. At first Mr. Funk was against the idea because it would mean hiring a man to run the store and he didn't think it was worth it. "After a while, I decided to start a little store and I thought I'd sell a few other little things in the store to give him something to do," he continued.

In a tiny 18 x 15 foot store they started the retail business which has grown until in 1950, he built the modern glass fronted building which serves both the feed business and the town's largest groceteria. The latest addition to his growing business is a cold storage locker completed a year ago.

In this thriving business he's helped by three sons, Cornelius, Henry and Arthur who will someday take it over. The future is bright for them, he thinks, as it is for his four daughters: Betty, Annie, Susie and Dorothy. All are being raised by Mr. & Mrs. Funk as staunch Canadians who appreciate, more than most of their fellows, the value of their freedom.

Mt. Funk smiled broadly, his hand moved in an expansive gesture: "This is the finest country in the world."

—   —   —    Chilliwack Progress - Community Portrait - February 6, 1952     —   —   —

Nicolai Reimer, Yarrow nurseryman who departed Russia some 28 years ago. He is engaged in an operation to bring out another refugee from Eastern Europe. It is a Crimean apple which he remembers from his boyhood as the most succulent ever to pass his tonsils.

The tree, like many a former human resident of Russia, will be brought from Germany where it was found growing in a few orchards, having apparently been taken there sometime during the last few years.

Mr. Reimer, who is contentedly assisting nature to produce a wide variety of superior plants on his 30 acre farm on Boundary Road, Yarrow, says that the Crimean apple, to his recollection, is the best table variety produced in Russia and he is pleased at having found the opportunity to establish it in Canada.

"It is a winter variety, red cheeked and juicy," he says, " I am getting a few buds from Germany."

Importing European plants is a regular procedure in the business which Mr. Reimer has built up since he budded his first seedlings in this country in 1934. Today, his nursery operation has reached the stage where it is mostly at the wholesale level - supplying seedlings and decorative plants and shrubs to retailers in all parts of Canada.

Many of these come from Holland, a country long established in the nursery business. Currently, the Dutch growers are a mixed blessing to their Canadian counterparts. Not only do they supply many Canadian nurseries, but they are also in a position to compete with them on the Canadian market.

The present thriving condition of business and personal contentment which Mr. Reimer admits to enjoying developed simultaneously. It couldn't be otherwise, since plant biology is his hobby as well as his source of livelihood.

Pictures in a school book which was placed on his desk when he was a boy in southern Russia fixed his interest permanently on plants, but it was not until he settled in Yarrow many years later that he was able to develop it to his satisfaction.

Mr. Reimer was born in the southern Ukraine and moved with his family to the Caucasus, near the Caspian Sea at the age of seven. He grew up near the town of Marjanowka, where his father was a farmer.

The war, in which he worked as a hospital sanitarian and the subsequent Revolution, terminated the quiet farm life which he had known. Two weeks after returning from war service, he and his family fled from the Caucasus to a town on the Black Sea where they lived for six years. He came to Canada in 1924 with his wife and small daughter.

They settled at Langham, Sask., near Saskatoon, a country where the permanent inhabitants are alleged to be fur-bearing and half-hearted winters are unknown.

"I grew up in a warm country, with a climate similar to Chilliwack's" said Mr. Reimer. "It was too cold in Saskatchewan. We farmed 160 acres there for four years, then, we came to Yarrow in 1928."

The occupation of growing things from the soil is a way of life followed by the Reimer family for generations in German and Russia. The southern Russian country side he knew was similar in many aspects, particularly fruitfulness, to the Fraser Valley. Types of crops which could be grown here were much like he had known in the Ukraine and Caucasus.

His initial effort beside the Sumas dyke was a dairy farm, which operated until 1935. That was when he became interested in growing plants.

"In 1934, my brother-in-law brought me 20 seedlings and asked me to bud them, and my old interest returned. In 1935, I bought 120 seedlings. I liked it so much that I sold my cows and went into the nursery business."

To his original 15 acres, which he still owns, he had added 14, seven of which he rents and seven which he owns. This year, he will bud 120,000 seedlings - roses, fruit and ornamental trees.

"I began by retailing my plants around the district, but in recent years, I have been wholesaling more and more. The bulk of our plants are now sold to dealers and nurseries, some as far east as Ontario."

Among his early advances, which still gives him great satisfaction, was the importation of the Kassins cherry from Germany. This variety is black, resembling the Bing in colour and taste and has the added virtue of being an early ripener. It bears as early as the end of May.

While Reimer's first love is growing flowers and ornamental trees; much of his business is in fruit trees. He is a strong advocate of dwarf trees.

"With dwarf tress, you get excellent fruit, in many cases better than from large trees and they bear within two years," he says. "A good plan is to plan is to plant dwarfs at wide intervals in large trees between. It isn't necessary though, because dwarfs bear up to 20 years."

His Dutch imports range through the whole catalogue, from bulbs to trees. This year, he is importing European varieties of beech, birch and maple from Holland. These, he says are magnificent ornamental trees.

"I like to deal in flowers and ornamental trees best"

Like any other business of the soil, it has its risks. He considers himself one of the lucky ones in the 1948 flood. His land was not ravaged like that of his Greendale neighbors across the Vedder Canal, but he did lose 12,000 cherry seedlings from seepage. Last year, he stood a $3,000 loss on the importation of peach seedlings from California. "I bought 6,000 seedlings and lost the whole lot when they were fumigated at the border," he said. "I guess the fumigant they used was too strong, anyway the whole lot died. It was quite a blow.

Last year, he employed irrigation for the first time and was highly pleased with the result. He installed 1,200 feet of aluminum pie from a nearby drainage ditch.

"It worked wonderfully," he declared. The growth rate was excellent during the driest part of the summer." He markets large amounts of raspberry canes, most of which he buys in the Yarrow district. His market for these is largely in eastern Canada.

As far as Mr. Reimer is concerned, the Newberg berry is still king. It is the most popular because, generally, it fulfils to the greatest extent, the requirements of the growers. The Willamette berry, which is reported to be showing great promise as a commercial variety, has not yet become popular.

Mr. Reimer is as a fair a representation of a man who has found contentment as this district can show. His livelihood is his hobby, and the business which has built up eventually will be passed on to his son.

Nick Jr. age 24 already has assumed much of the responsibility of the operation of the nursery, which during the summer keeps four men and three tractors busy.

Stalwart adherents of the Mennonite Brethren Church, Mr. & Mrs. Reimer have four daughters in addition to their one son. They are Margaret, attending college in California, Frieda and Mary going to Bible school in Manitoba and Hilda, a student at Chilliwack Senior High School.

—   —   —     Chilliwack Progress, April 1, 1953     —   —   —

Work proceeded at full speed on the municipality's $250,000 road paving project this week, as the crew worked to use stockpiled materials at the Brown road plant before rising water in the Vedder River interferes with operations on that site.

A two mile section of the Vedder Mountain road from the BCER tracks to the Brown road has been paved, leaving undone the remaining mile and a half to the Cultus Lake Road, which is to be relocated at a later date.

The Wilson Road has been completed and the First Street was completed today. The next paving on the project list-a three quarter mile length on Boundary Road. After the completion of the paving projects around Yarrow the plant will be moved to another location, probably on Bailey Road.

—   —   —     Chilliwack Progress, April 29, 1953     —   —   —

Councillor John H. Martens has submitted his resignation as chairman of the Yarrow Waterworks Board. He gave pressure of business both municipal and private as his reason for quitting the five-man organization which in effect is Yarrow's unofficial village council.

The vacancy will not be filled immediately, but board member H. H. Goossen will replace Mr. Martens as chairman. Other board members are William Schellenberg, H.G. Sukkau, and P.P. Giesbrecht.

The board passed a resolution urging the municipal council to extend the Yarrow Central and Stewart Creek ditching zones to include properties on Boundary Road.

The new chairman was asked to call a meeting with Chilliwack representatives to plan Yarrow's 25th anniversary which will be celebrated on May 27th.

—   —   —     Chilliwack Progress, Wednesday May 27, 1953     —   —   —

"Unofficial Village Council"

Organized seven years ago to correct a dangerous community sanitation situation, Yarrow Waterworks Board has developed into the area's unofficial "council".

As the only body in the community enjoying official status, it has been called on to perform numerous duties outside those set down in its charter under the provincial Water Act. Among them was that of organizing the community's 25th anniversary being observed today.

Now under the chairmanship of Henry Goossen, the five-man Water Board has, in its brief lifetime, become the sponsor of the volunteer fire department, intermediary between the Yarrow ratepayers and the mouthpiece for organized opinion in matters affecting the community.

It began in 1944 when low-lying Yarrow found itself with an impossible sanitary situation beneath it. Seepage from barns and septic tanks was contaminating wells throughout the area to an alarming degree.

In March 1944, the then unofficial village committee called a meeting of residents to urge action on some sort of program which make uncontaminated water available to all. The ratepayers endorsed the idea enthusiastically.

Henry P. Neufeldt and Henry Sukkau were delegated to go to Victoria to interview the provincial Water Rights branch to get permission to tap Volkert and Knox creeks as water sources.

"We were given verbal permission to start work immediately and told that written permission would be forwarded later". Mr. Sukkau, still a member of the board recalled. That was in April. In June written permission arrived. It required that we have the work completed in five years. The water system was completed less than two months later.

The main system at that time consisted of eight miles of 10-inch and eight-inch wood stave pipe. It has since been extended to slightly more than 9 miles.

Seventy-five subscribers paid $185 each, some in instalments to finance the venture. Since then, the number has risen to more than 160.

Last year the board completed construction of a 25,000 gallon reservoir on Vedder Mountain which assures adequate storage for the needs of the community for years to come.

—   —   —     Chilliwack Progress, Wednesday May 27, 1953     —   —   —

In Twenty-Five Years

The people of Yarrow are today marking the silver anniversary of the arrival of the first Mennonite settlers in the district.

Twenty-five years ago Yarrow area was largely wasteland. The handful of newcomers who arrived to make their homes there were not unlike the pioneers of an earlier day. Money was scarce and facilities in the particular area to be settled were few. The means of making a livelihood from small acreages had to be found and raspberries provided the answer. Up went homes, schools, churches and stores.

Now Yarrow district has an estimated population of 2000; it is almost a self-contained area with Yarrow Water Works board serving as unofficial council for what is now the valley's largest raspberry producing center. The people of the area soon overran the confines of their community and along with thousands of Mennonite families from the prairies spread into every nook and cranny of the Chilliwack and Abbotsford areas. Both districts grew by leaps and bounds. The birth of Yarrow brought a rebirth to the upper and central sections of the valley.

In the last 25 years, people of Mennonite faith have exercised a profound effect on the religion, culture, economics and politics of the city and township. Among their numbers are men and women who are making outstanding contributions to the life of the community.

The ripple caused by the original settlement has grown into a wave. The significance of Yarrow's anniversary is valley-wide. All people of the valley will join in congratulating the people of that community on their achievement and on the industry, thrift, initiative and deep religious convictions which are its foundation.

—   —   —     Chilliwack Progress, Wednesday May 27, 1953     —   —   —

Marketing Early Problem

The problems of marketing have been a major concern to Yarrow's J.C. Krause ever since the land began to yield for the pioneers who ripped out the stumps a quarter of a century ago. He lives comfortably now on the 10 acres which he bought from the late C. Eckert, but he can recall when there were no comforts and very few necessities.

"Looking back, I sometimes wonder how we did it" the tall, genial farmer and co-operative leader said. "If it had not been for the help given us by Mr. Eckert, it would have been even more difficult."

While building a house and readying the land for production, Mr. Krause found that it was necessary to take on outside jobs to carry on. Mr. Krause worked for eight years at the Canadian Hop Company at Sumas Prairie and developed his holding at the same time.

LONG WORK DAY
"We used to walk four miles to the hop yard, do a day's work, walk back and then do our farming. "It was a great day when one of us bought a horse and we took turns riding to work."

The initial problem confronting the pioneers after the land was cleared was what crops to grow on it. The settlers were encouraged to raise sugar beets, but this turned out to be an ill-fated venture since the land was not suitable for them.

"We tried spinach, head lettuce, beans, peas, and many other crops before it was found that raspberries and strawberries would thrive. Even after we started to grow small fruit, we had plenty of trouble."

—   —   —     Chilliwack Progress, Wednesday May 27, 1953     —   —   —

The originator of the movement of Mennonites from the Prairies to British Columbia was the late C. Eckert. With E.A. Crain, he acquired the land near Yarrow for the establishment of a Mennonite settlement after an attempt a few years earlier to settle the area with people of Ukrainian origin failed. In response to Mr. Eckert's advertisement in the "Winnipeg Free Press Prairie Farmer" fifteen families arrived in the spring of 1928.

Most of the arrivals knew nothing of each other but shared the common experience of failures in Saskatchewan. My own experience serves as an illustration.

I had bought a fully-equipped farm near Davidson, Sask., with a dollar down but with a one sided contract advantageous to the owner and I was soon convinced that eventual ownership was impossible. By chance the B.C. advertisement came into my hands. I sold the few assets we had acquired in two years and we had just enough money to pay for our move to the beautiful land of British Columbia.

LEFT IN SNOWSTORM
On February 16, in severe snow storm, a kind neighbour brought us to the station in Davidson. We put our future into God's hands and wife and I and four small children sped into the night and into the unknown.

After an exciting and interesting trip through the Rockies, we arrived in Chilliwack on February 19 and were greeted by the gentle warm air of spring. After a few hours of waiting, the train brought us to Yarrow. We were the fifth or sixth family to arrive in response to the advertisement in the "Free Press Prairie Farmer". More arrived the next day. Most of us found temporary shelter in a large farmhouse a mile up the mountain road.

For several weeks we lived in close quarters. We spent the days with Mr. Eckert who showed us his land and talked big plans. It did not take him long to discover how much money each of us had. Eventually the time came to choose the location of our homestead. After this was done, Mr. Eckert ordered lumber by the carload for homes and outbuildings.

At this time Wilson Road was the only road in Yarrow. Consequently, when the lumber arrived at the Yarrow station, it had to be hauled by a team of horses provided by Mr. Eckert. A chain was thrown around a pile of lumber and the horses, hitched to the pile would start off across the fields. Often the whole transport bogged down in the mud or the harness tore. Occasionally there was a runaway to add to the difficulties. But progress was made and with the co-operation and mutual aid a few homes were soon at the stage where each family could "make do" and find shelter under its own roof.

ROADS IMPASSIBLE
The present main street of Yarrow was at that time an old broken down fence along which clumps of giant poplars score the sky with their branches. It was a time when everyone performed work for the community. Roads had to be made passable. The horses owned by some, did their share of pioneer labor. If they strayed a few feet off the new roads, they often bogged down and had to be pulled out.

There were no exact boundaries and consequently no fences existed to keep cattle within bounds. It was not uncommon to be wakened at night my strange cattle rubbing themselves on the house corners.

In March of our first year we began working in the hop yards. How often we walked the three and one half miles to the Canadian Hop Co. Yards on Sumas Prairie. How great was the occasion when a neighbour D. Remple and I had prospered enough to be able to buy a small horse for twenty dollars!

The horse became the general factotum of the farm. Because Rempel and I could not ride the horse at the same time, one of us would ride a stretch and then tie the horse to a tree and proceed on foot. This alternated riding and walking shortened the long road to the hop yards. "Dolly's" reward was a day of grazing.

WHAT TO PLANT
Into the midst of all these activities came the pressing necessity of preparing the land for planting. The problem was what to plant. Mr. Eckert had many ideas but few concrete plans. At this time a "smooth" agent from the South appeared on the scene who maintained the land was extraordinary suitable for the cultivation of sugar beets. One year's production would reduce our indebtedness by hundreds of dollars. Some "fell for his line" but others decided to try green beans. The result of both experiments was a total failure. The beets either smothered in weeds or rotted during the high water.

The optimistic bean growers were unpleasantly surprized when many sacks of beans were returned to them from the canneries in New Westminster. They were left holding not only the bags of beans but also bills for freight. One expectant farmer, upon calling at the cannery at the end of the season to get his cheque, received on for thirty-five cents.

Many things were given a try the first few years. After sugar beets and beans, the following had their turn: head lettuce, asparagus, cabbage, carrots. Finally, we planted rhubarb, strawberries and raspberries. It should be mentioned that we had some success with peas but the harvest was very uncertain.

Another thing-aside from failure, our inexperience-made for hardship in the first years-the depression in the early thirties. Average pay for labor was fifteen cents an hour. Hop picking paid 1 ¾ cents per pound. Those with grown children had an advantage. What these young people earned, whether it was boys working by the hour or girls working as domestics in Vancouver, went to the support of the family home. How grateful we are to the late Mr. Eckert, who was indulgent about the strict terms of the original contract. He extended the term of payment and forgave accumulated interest. He foreclosed on no one, not even on those who repaid good with evil.

SUSPECTED MENNONITES
It is not to be wondered at that the old settlers did not always welcome us with open arms. For one thing, the name "Mennonite" was strange to them. Many confused us with Doukhobors and other notions were current. One local friend hopefully reminded us that high water would soon drive us out. He advised us to have a boat tied to the house for such an emergency. The government in Victoria was also informed that these people in Yarrow were living below subsistence level and would undoubtedly become a burden on the taxpayer. The result was that an official did come to investigate but found everything to his satisfaction.

The fact that Yarrow school population was growing created a problem for the local school authorities. At first some of the children attended the mountain road school where Miss Currie was the teacher. In the second year of the settlement a one room school was built. About two years later, another similar building was added to the first. Here it should not be forgotten that Carl Wilson appeared on the cultural scene in Yarrow and served as principal of the school and mentor of our children. His patience and understanding is acknowledged with thanks.

The first ten years were the hardest. The majority of the settlers were poor and had to work out by the day in order to assure their livelihood and to make payments on the land. As time went on, it was possible for the heads of families to remain on the farms. Barns had to be built and gardens and raspberries had to be looked after. This was the general situation in 1935.

In 1937 a Co-op was organized with the object of marketing our products and without doubt this organization has contributed much to raising the economy of the Yarrow community.

BUILD CHURCH, SCHOOL
The first church services were held in private homes. When the first school building was ready we were permitted to hold services there. In 1932, the first church was built by the Mennonite Brethren congregation. This was soon too small and in 1938, the present spacious church building was erected. The First Mennonite church was built in 1936.

The year 1936 was a momentous one in other respects. The BCE in that year extended the power line to Yarrow. It was however, not until 1946 that our main street and Eckert Road were paved. In 1944, the Yarrow Water Board was organized and our own water system was installed.

Now after twenty-five years how things have changed. Many ten acre farms have been divided into smaller holdings. More and more people are retiring to smaller acreage. The original population of twenty-five (families) has swelled to a total to two thousand in and around Yarrow.

One family of old-timers, who were here before our arrival twenty-five years ago are the W. Siddals. For many years the Siddals had a grocery store at Yarrow Station and later, when the population increased, Mrs. Siddal became our Postmistress. Bill Siddal is a great friend of children and seems to know them all by name. He even speaks some Low German! In 1947 the Bank of Commerce established a branch in Yarrow. All these changed have helped to make Yarrow a self-contained community.

Of the thirty Mennonite congregations in B.C., Yarrow MB Church with 800 members is the largest. The First Mennonite Church has a membership of 200.

WIDESPREAD GOOD WORKS
The office of the Provincial Mennonite Relief Committee is situated in Yarrow. This organization is supported by all Mennonite congregations in the province. A total of $900,000., mostly from direct donations has been distributed by this organization to help displaced persons, widows and rehabilitate European refugees in South American countries, particularly in Paraguay.

Financial aid to the sick and mentally ill has also been extended by this organization. We are grateful to be living in a country which has enabled us to prosper and had given us the opportunity to lend a helping hand to those less fortunate.

Today marks the end of twenty-five years. An anniversary such as this is a time for stock taking and reflection. As we look back, no one can deny that we have prospered. All of us are thankful for the homes we have been able to establish here. Our children have had opportunity for education and many have found their place in the professional and business world. We have also been able to participate in local affairs. In the long school of "give and take" the newcomers and the old settlers have learned to respect each other and work together.

It is our sincere desire that this feeling of mutual respect continue to grow for the benefit of the community as a whole. The older ones among us as saddened by the memory of those who still behind the iron curtain of the "Red Paradise". This should remind us to thank God that we live in a country like Canada. May God bless and long preserve Canada and our beautiful B.C.

The Chilliwack Progress - Jan 19, 1955 - page 5

Lush Farm Land Once Mosquito Paradise

Feudin' Fussin' Fightin' Marked Sumas Lake Reclamation Project

by Jim Peters

The hum of the big centrifugal pumps at Sumas pumping station is a sound unnoticed by most people but behind that sound lies a story of one of the largest land development projects in the history of British Columbia and legal "feud" that lasted nearly 50 years-the battle to reclaim Sumas Lake.
Now in 1955, a modern paved highway winds through the beautiful farm lands of Sumas Prairie to the coast and the area is rich from the growth of agricultural products and the efforts of men to produce them. But in 1876 when the first scheme for reclamation was announced, Sumas was a mosquito-infested lake hiding 33,000 acres of the finest alluvial farm soil in B.C.
With the letting of contracts for the reclamation in 1920, a 30 year fight that had been waged according to a Progress account of the time, "with all the bitterness of a Kentucky feud" was ended. But it really was only the beginning.
Small landowners in the area were up in arms over the scheme. The objected to the lands being bonded, feeling that the government should finance the scheme and assume the responsibility. Many farmers grazed their cattle in the lowlands, when the spring floods subsided. Ratification of the scheme meant that all this grazing land would be lost to them. They would even have to fence their own property.
At 6 pm on a night in November, 1920, a young farmer strode into the offices where voting was taking place on the scheme, glanced hastily at the books and saw that opposing forces, of which he was a member, were in the minority. "Come in with us," someone said. "No sir," replied the farmer firmly, "the ship may be sinking but I'll never desert her."
The vote was 144-21 in favor of reclamation.

CONSTRUCTION
The first phase of the work was construction of Vedder Canal at the cost of $600,000. Included in this phase was the Fraser River dyke, Sumas Canal, Arnold Creek interception ditch, Marshall Creek improvement canal, the Vedder River seepage ditch and a barrage dyke.
The lake was drained by cutting off the Vedder River from its natural course and diverting it through the canal. This was the original scheme proposed in 1876 by Lieut. Governor Dewdney. In 1906 the Sumas Development Company surveyed the land and drew up plans for the scheme.
Several other proposals, including one to redirect the Vedder into its former channel failed because of lack of funds and public support.
Second phase was construction of the Sumas River controlling dam and a battery of 5.54 inch centrifugal pumps with a capacity of 1000 cubic feet of water a second.

LAKE GOES
In January 1921, there were 200 men employed on the job. On August 16, 1923, the lake was down one foot with two 24-inch centrifugal pumps housed at the foot of McGillivray slough draining off 360,000 gallons per minute.
Many were the arguments for and against the reclamation as the lake water receded. In the spring of 1922 the project came in for a barrage after failure of the engineers to construct a temporary dam on Sumas River to hold back the Fraser River freshet. The dam was started but not completed as it was too late in the year. This, combined with a severe winter in 1921-22, set back operations somewhat.
The biggest factor in eventual development of the lake lands was the fertility of the soil and the low cost by which it could be made available to settlers. Average cost was $100 to $125 per acre. Government estimated average bush land would cost double that cleared.
In 1923 the first crop of oats was produced on land that had formerly been flooded every summer. The yield was two tons, or 120 bushels to the acre. Average yield of oats was three-quarters of a ton or 45 bushels to the acre on normal bush land.

LIFE FORCE
Sumas Pumping station was and still is, a life force for Sumas Prairie. The small grey cement building set just off the highway contains two 485 horsepower and two 1250 horsepower electric pumps which keep Sumas from returning to its natural state.
Water still lies on the lowlands after recent rains and the pumps must pick it up and throw it behind the station into the Sumas Canal which runs into the Fraser River.
Construction of the Vedder Canal dykes was on the biggest jobs. Bulkheads were constructed to hold materials and mud was then pumped in suspension the bottom of cut by suction dredge. Water was run off and the clay hardened. Bulkheads were then torn down and a dragline excavator built the dyke to its proper height.
River steamers have not yet made use of the Vedder canal as predicted in one of three essays written in 1922 on what the reclamation would mean to the valley, but the facts are as timely today as they were then. The prize winning essay, reprinted in The Progress, set out the heart of the matter. "The 33,000 acres of Sumas Lake was a breeding ground for mosquitoes and a hunters' paradise of wild ducks, neither of which was of any economic benefit to the economic life of BC."

PREDICTIONS
The article stated the area was capable of maintaining over 3000 agricultural families and two towns with a population of 30,000 each. Agricultural products would $40 to the acre or $1,320 per year. Another facet was stated in a second essay. Reclamation would open up a fertile area lying outside the dykes which was formerly of no benefit to anyone. The unbroken soil was ploughed, worked and planted with potatoes. Yield was nine tons to the acre.
May 1, 19223, the government placed 3000 reclaimed acres on sale to settlers. Of the 33,000 acres, 20,000 were owned by private interests and the remainder by the Dominion government. After reclamation these lands were transferred to the provincial government for sale.
The biggest battle of the whole program flared up in 1925 when the Corporation of the District of Sumas, acting for the landowners in the district, charged the Commissioners of the Sumas Drainage and Development District, acted without authority in much of the reclamation work.

ARGUMENT
Landowners originally authorized the $1,800,000 estimated cost of the reclamation work but they were unwilling to shoulder a $3,500,000 price tag which was the estimated final cost of the project.
Government retaliated by stating legislation would be introduced at the fall session validating the reclamation project and the assessment of the landowners. The government stated it saw no reason why any part of the cost of the land project should be transferred from the interested landowners to the taxpayers of the province generally.
The government held that the landowners should bear the full cost of the project which benefitted them.
Later the premier announced he would appoint a committee to apportion the levy for the work. Lawsuit pending was asked to be held up if the suggestion was accepted.
The hassle was finally straightened out when an agreement was reached whereby the assessments were apportioned over a period of time.

PRESS RELEASE
The following item appeared in the Press Gallery column:
"Here the once embattled Sumas farmers stood and fired the shot heard around the house. The embattled Sumas farmers have all gone back home again. They have gone back to what the opposition says is a dismal fen but which the Honorable Minister of Agriculture Barrow claims is quite the finest piece of reclaimed land in Canada."
"They went back there after firing a few shots into the Honorable First Minister and Mr. Barrow and if they have not come back with everything they came for they have not gone back empty-handed. They have gone back with a promise that they need not pay for the Sumas reclamation scheme for a year or so. They are able to tell themselves that a debt reduced is a dollar saved."

"Thus the inflexible premier has achieved peace with honor and the Sumas farmers have vacated the lobbies of the house."
In the spring of 1926, the "embattled" Sumas farmers decided to take their case to Ottawa.
During the following year they refused to pay the assessment against the reclaimed lands. Premier Oliver of BC announced that the Sumas question would again come before the legislature. He further announced he would authorize sale of all lands against which the assessment was not being met.

STRONG MEASURE
P.H. Pooley, Conservative House leader in 1928, said that validating the assessments and debarring the owners from appeal was one of the most iniquitous measures ever placed on the statute books of the province. Agriculture Minister Barrow countered by saying that if the validation had not been passed the effect would have been to saddle the entire cost of the reclamation on the private lands instead of placing the greater burden on the crown lands.
Mr. Barrow labelled the Sumas question a "political football".
Ottawa, while all this was going on, decided the Sumas question was a provincial matter.

PETITION The property owners then got together in the fall of 1927 with the Associated Boards of trade and resolved a petition be presented asking the government to name a committee of the legislature to investigate the whole reclamation scheme.
They felt there was only one alternative. If the government charged the entire cost of the reclamation on property in the area, complete dispossession would result. Of the original $1,800,000, $1,500,00 was to be taken care of through the sale of lands. But the actual cost of the scheme was given as $4,000,000 which was almost double the rental value of the property in the area.
As an illustration of the depreciation in marketable prices, one man said he bought 40 acres for $900, which had originally sold for $5000.
Agriculture Minister Barrow said the $4,000,000 was far too high. He gave the actual cost as $2,864,660 which did not include $540,000 interest, $134,324 for maintenance and $39,000 on preliminary engineering costs.
He said the increase over the estimate was due to increased yardage of material in the dykes. This was done to eliminate any danger of the dykes washing out.
Shortly after this meeting the government accepted the petition of property owners. The property owners had a meeting about this time which illustrates what they were up against. They simply decided that for Class "B" land they could not pay more than $4 per year charges per acre. This included $1 for municipal taxes and other $3 for maintenance and capital.

RELIEF COMES
In the fall of 1928 the government instituted a relief scheme to take the weight from the shoulders of property owners. It proposed to transfer a total of $750,000 from the 20,000 acres of private land around the former lake bed to lake bottom government lands. The government assumed that amount of expense, a relief of 25 percent of the charges on all land in the area.
Technically, the relief only applied to 80 acre blocks, but a farmer with a son could have each one credited with 80 acres and thus get relief.
This finally brought the dawn after the storm. The only problem facing the government was sale of the lands.
January 1929, government placed 4300 acres on sale to settlers at an average price of $90 to $160 per acre; plus a deferred payment of $50 per acre and taxes amounting to $5 per acre.
The Sumas land project then commenced to become history as the settlers started coming into the area.
But the sound of the pumps in that small gray building adjacent to the Highway brings the story back with every foot of water taken off the lowlands.

Newspaper Article Courtesy of Esther Harder

The Chilliwack Progress Feb 9 1955 page 7

Yarrow School Plans Operetta - by Erna Neufeld

Yarrow Junior High School students voted Friday at an assembly in the school auditorium to sponsor a Gilbert & Sullivan operetta.

Student president Alice Miller conducted the meeting. Secretary Lena Brauer read the minutes of the last meeting and Treasurer George Giesbrecht reported a bank balance of $122.69.

Girls' sport representative Betty Toews stated that three teams of a six team basketball league were tied for first place. She also mentioned that the council was sponsoring a free-throw contest with prizes for the boy and girl in each grade who throws the most baskets out of 25 throws.

Frank Reimer reporting on boys' sports stated that John Fast's team had won the soccer league and Ed Barkowsky's and Val Janzen's teams are leading in the six team basketball league. The school soccer team defeated SMC twice, tied with the Sapper Apprentices and lost a game against Chilliwack Senior high's championship team.

At the conclusion of the assembly a two act play "The Shakespearian Touch" and short "Shadow Play" were presented.

The Chilliwack Progress March 16, 1955

School Operetta Planned

The Yeomen of the Guards will be performed by the Junior High students of Yarrow in the school auditorium Wednesday and Thursday.

Discover of singing and acting talent among the cast of nearly 80 is only one of the benefits derived. The experience gained last year in their presentation of the "The Pirates of Penzance" should help to make this year's offering even more enjoyable.

Art students are painting the scenery and preparing posters, ticked are being printed and distributed, teachers are coaching the actors and singers.
School District 33 provided transportation for the cast to New Westminster Junior High School Thursday to enjoy the Vancouver Operatic society's presentation of Mikado.
On invitation of principal W. Ferguson, Yarrow Junior High School, school trustee J.J. Wittenberg presented a trophy for public speaking at a student assembly held in the music room.

The cup, donated by J.J. Wittenberg Jewellery, a replica of the larger trophy to be presented at a later date, was won by Miss Miller in the school competition. The cup will be retained by the winner permanently, while the Alice larger trophy will be held by the winner for a year. In making the presentation, Mr. Wittenberg stressed the advantages of public speaking, stressing also the future need of public leaders and speakers.

Newspaper Article Courtesy of Esther Harder