Parson, British Columbia Explained

Official Name:Parson
Pushpin Map:Canada British Columbia#Canada
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of Parson in British Columbia
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Canada
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:British Columbia
Subdivision Type2:Region
Subdivision Name2:Columbia Valley
Subdivision Type3:Regional District
Subdivision Name3:Columbia-Shuswap
Timezone:MST
Utc Offset:−07:00
Timezone Dst:MDT
Utc Offset Dst:−06:00
Coordinates:51.0664°N -116.6344°W
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Postal Code:V0A 1L0
Area Codes:250, 778, 236, & 672
Blank Name:Highways

Parson is an unincorporated community on the east shore of the Columbia River, in the Columbia Valley region of southeastern British Columbia. The locality, on BC Highway 95, is by road about 212km (132miles) north of Cranbrook and 35km (22miles) southeast of Golden.

Name origin

E. Thomas Johnson (Johnston alternate spelling) operated a hotel in a tent 1884–1886, before returning to farming and prospecting.[1] During the westward advance of the Canadian Pacific Railway transcontinental line at this time, alcohol was considered a disruptive influence in the construction camps. Consequently, a 20miles alcohol-free zone was instituted on both sides of the right-of-way. At Johnson's Ranch, about 250NaN0 by river southeast of Golden, liquor was freely available. Men sleeping off the effects of intoxication at the horse ranch were characterized as pigs (hogs). Consequently, the former name of Johnson's Landing changed to Johnson's Hog Ranch and then to Hog Ranch. The prohibition lifted when the CP line opened to traffic in 1886.[2] [3]

The ranch had also been a rendezvous point for liquor smugglers.[4] In 1884, about 30NaN0 south, an outlaw robbed and murdered a salesman for an American liquor company, who was carrying around $5,000. Attempts to extradite the murderer who had fled to the US were unsuccessful, but the perpetrator died in a train accident in 1890.[5] [6]

In 1897, Henry George Parson purchased the ranch.[7]

The selection of the train station name in 1912,[8] and the post office in 1916, established the locality as Parson, but as late as 1921, the census still defined the place as Hog Ranch.[9]

Waterway and roads

Early and later transportation was similar to Spillimacheen. In 1884, the government called tenders for a ferry across the Columbia at Johnston's Landing,[10] which commenced operations at that time.[11] North–south riverboats and pack trains stopped at the place. By late fall, ice shut down river traffic until early spring. During 1890, wagon road construction reached Hog Ranch from the south. However, from the north, the wagon road southward was 40NaN0 short of Carbonate, which itself was 70NaN0 from Hog Ranch. During the following spring, work began on closing the 11miles gap.[12] In 1893, the wagon road between the two locations was completed, and a deficient section south to Spillimacheen upgraded.[13] Both Carbonate and Hog Ranch were regular riverboat stops.[14]

In 1897, the Skullys managed the hotel at the stopping place for H.G. Parson. In 1899, the respective mileposts from Golden were Carbonate (16), Hog Ranch (23), and Spillimachene (41).[15]

The Parson ferry was subsidized 1920–1929,[16] when a bridge replaced it.[17]

Early community

In 1897, Thomas Alton built a sawmill at the locality, which he sold to Cranbrook Sawmills in 1943.[18]

In 1916, Miss E.R. Sparling was the inaugural teacher at the school.[19]

Elizabeth Hawkins was the inaugural postmaster 1916–1916, followed by James Hawkins 1917–1921.[20] By 1918, dairy farmer R.H. Soles ran a general store,[21] but by 1919, the Hawkins ran the Parson Trading Co general store.[22] In 1921, Andrew Allan Gilmour took over the store/post office,[23] followed by Leslie G. Alton in 1924, who remained until 1950.[24]

Complementing his Brisco operation, Ralph A. Thrall, quarried baryte about 60NaN0 west during the 1940s,[25] 1950s,[26] and 1960s.[27] Sawmills operating in 1959 were Cranbrook Sawmills, A.D. Hough, O'Bray Bros, and John L. Soles.[28]

Railway

The Kootenay Central Railway (KCR) was a Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) subsidiary. Advancing southeastward, the rail head was about 30NaN0 northwest of Parson in November 1912.[29] Subsequent railway development mirrored Spillimacheen.

Train Timetables (Regular stop or Flag stop)
Mile 1913 1916 1919 1929 1932 1935 1939 1943 1948 1953 1955 1960 1963
Ref. [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [40] [41] [42]
Nicholson 162.1
Mallett 151.6
Mons 151.6
McMurdo 151.5
Parson 143.7
Harrogate 132.6
Spillimacheen 125.6

When forestry was dominant, a loading yard was established at Parson, where logs for the Canal Flats sawmill were loaded onto a fleet of Crestbrook Forest Industry flat cars for delivery to the Canal Flats mill. In the 1990s, highway trucking led to the closure of this loading facility.[43]

Later community

The Columbia Valley Elementary School permanently closed in 2002.[44]

The community hall (1939), which had fallen into disrepair and disuse, was rehabilitated in the late 2010s for community events.[45]

The Parson Community Recreation Park facilitates tennis, baseball, beach volleyball, and basketball in summer and skating and sledding in winter.[46]

Twig and Berry Trading Co operates the general store/post office/liquor outlet/gas bar.[47] [48]

In 2022, Rogers sought public feedback on erecting a 63.20NaN0 self-support tower approximately 3km (02miles) south of Parson, which would provide new 5G wireless coverage, from Golden to Spillimacheen.[49]

Wapta

The former settlement was around Mile 21, which is about 20NaN0 northwest.[50]

The post office operated 1904–1910.[51] The school existed by 1906[52] but closed about 1921.[53]

McMurdo (Carbonate)

The settlement was around Mile 17, which is about 11km (07miles) northwest of Parson. McMurdo delineated the east shore of the river and Carbonate both shores. Carbonate minerals were found in the area. McMurdo, derived from McMurdo Creek, which acknowledged the original discoverer of minerals in the district. The station, initially called Mallett then Mons, was a shipping point for ore. In 1925, a new station building was erected.[54]

In the 1880s, 70 to 80 pack horses left the west bank at Carbonate Landing twice a month for the mine sites to the southwest. Although the cross river ferry is not mentioned until the early 1890s,[55] a basic service must have existed for years. The 1894 floods destroyed a bridge across a back channel of the Columbia near the landing.[56]

In the late 1890s, Chas. Cartwright was the proprietor of McMurdo House.[57] [58]

The significant ore shipments from this location had become a trickle by 1911.[59] That year, CP cleared and subdivided the adjacent new townsite of Mallett, and a new 44feet bridge was installed across a back channel.[60]

The Carbonate ferry across the main channel was subsidized 1912–1915[61] and 1929–1931.[62] During the unsubsidized intermediary period, dependable rowboats operated. When high water flooded the valley bottom, rowing upstream for a mile was essential to reach vehicles parked by the highway. In winter, traffic crossed upon the ice.

The McMurdo post office operated 1904–1953.[63] The Old Riverboat Hotel at the landing was the home of Capt. Edwards 1927–38. Although the hotel burned down decades ago, the brick chimneys remain.[64]

Created in 2014 and immediately south is the world's largest wooden paddle. Guinness World Records has certified the 61feet curiosity resting on the hillside to the east of the highway.[65]

Maps

References

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Daily News . 5 . 5 Aug 1922 . library.ubc.ca.
  2. Web site: Golden Star . 9 Sep 2018 . www.thegoldenstar.net.
  3. Book: Spragge, Ellen Elizabeth Cameron . From Ontario to the Pacific by the C.P.R . 109 (97) . 1887 . library.ubc.ca.
  4. BC Historical Quarterly: Steamboat Days . Hacking . Norman . Jan–Apr 1952 . XVI . 1 & 2 . 21 (16) . library.ubc.ca.
  5. Book: Steele, Samuel B. . Forty years in Canada : reminiscences of the great North-West with some account of his service in South Africa . 239, 281 (193, 233) . 1915 . library.ubc.ca.
  6. Book: A Deck of Dog Eared Cards . 6 May 2022 . goldenbcmuseums.com.
  7. Web site: East Kootenay Miner . 4 . 29 Jul 1897 . library.ubc.ca.
  8. Web site: Daily News . 2 . 9 Aug 1912 . library.ubc.ca.
  9. Web site: Districts and Sub-districts: Census of Canada, 1921, British Columbia . www.bac-lac.gc.ca.
  10. Web site: British Columbian . 4 . 30 Jul 1884 . library.ubc.ca.
  11. Web site: Cranbrook Herald . 4 . 2 Mar 1922 . library.ubc.ca.
  12. Web site: Commissioner of Land and Works annual report, 1891 . 61 (335) . library.ubc.ca.
  13. Web site: Commissioner of Land and Works annual report, 1893 . 80 (862) . library.ubc.ca.
  14. Hand-book and general guide to British Columbia . Begg . Alexander . Apr 1893 . 23 (21) . library.ubc.ca.
  15. Web site: Golden Era . 1 . 13 Oct 1899 . library.ubc.ca.
  16. Web site: Minister of Public Works annual report, 1920–21 . 141 (E108) . library.ubc.ca. to
    Web site: Minister of Public Works annual report, 1928–29 . 102 (S79) . library.ubc.ca.
  17. Web site: Minister of Public Works annual report, 1928–29 . 40 (S22) . library.ubc.ca.
  18. Markets and capital : a history of the lumber industry of British Columbia (1778–1952) . Lawrence . Joseph Collins . 64 (52) . 1957 . MA . www.library.ubc.ca.
  19. Web site: Public Schools annual report, 1916–1917 . A39, 317 . library.ubc.ca.
  20. Web site: Postmasters (Parson) . www.bac-lac.gc.ca.
  21. Web site: 1918 BC Directory . www.bccd.vpl.ca.
  22. Web site: 1919 BC Directory . www.bccd.vpl.ca.
  23. Web site: 1922 BC Directory . www.bccd.vpl.ca.
  24. Web site: 1925 BC Directory . www.bccd.vpl.ca.
  25. Web site: Minister of Mines annual report, 1946 . 210 (203) . library.ubc.ca.
  26. Web site: Minister of Mines annual report, 1954 . 178 (A175) . library.ubc.ca.
  27. Web site: Minister of Mines annual report, 1963 . 215 (138) . library.ubc.ca.
  28. Web site: List of Sawmills, 1959 . 44, 46 (40, 42) . publications.gc.ca.
  29. Web site: Daily News . 5 . 19 Nov 1912 . library.ubc.ca.
  30. Web site: Timetable . 5 (TT 70) . 28 Apr 1935 . library.ubc.ca.
  31. Web site: Timetable . 122 (TT124.5) . 1 Sep 1913 . library.ubc.ca.
  32. Web site: Timetable . 159 (TT118) . 5 Sep 1916 . library.ubc.ca.
  33. Web site: Timetable . 183 (TT109) . 30 Nov 1919 . library.ubc.ca.
  34. Web site: Timetable . 31 (TT111) . 1929 . library.ubc.ca.
  35. Web site: Timetable . 470 (TT152) . 25 Sep 1932 . library.ubc.ca.
  36. Web site: Timetable . 127 (TT152A). 5 Feb 1939 . library.ubc.ca.
  37. Web site: Timetable . 47 (TT152A) . 27 Jun 1943 . www.streamlinermemories.info.
  38. Web site: Timetable . 46 (TT152A). 5 Dec 1948 . library.ubc.ca.
  39. Web site: Timetable . 46 (TT129) . 27 Sep 1953 . library.ubc.ca.
  40. Web site: Timetable . 46 (TT129) . 24 Apr 1955 . library.ubc.ca.
  41. Web site: Timetable . 35 (TT83) . 30 Oct 1960 . library.ubc.ca.
  42. Web site: Timetable . 3 (TT99) . 27 Oct 1963 . library.ubc.ca.
  43. Web site: Old Time Trains: Canfor Canal Flats . www.trainweb.org.
  44. Teacher . Sep 2002 . 15 . 1 . 16 . www.bctf.ca.
  45. Web site: Golden Star . 24 Nov 2019 . www.thegoldenstar.net.
  46. Web site: Parson Community Recreation Park . columbiavalley.com.
  47. Web site: Twig and Berry Trading Co . www.goldenchamber.bc.ca.
  48. Web site: Parson General Store Post Office . canada-post.tech.
  49. Web site: Golden Star . 17 May 2022 . www.thegoldenstar.net.
  50. Web site: 1910 BC Directory . www.bccd.vpl.ca.
  51. Web site: Postmasters (Wapta) . www.bac-lac.gc.ca.
  52. Web site: Public Schools annual report, 1906–1907 . A11 . library.ubc.ca.
  53. Web site: Public Schools annual report, 1920–1921 . F90 . library.ubc.ca.
  54. Web site: Daily News . 1 . 17 Mar 1925 . library.ubc.ca.
  55. Web site: Commissioner of Land and Works annual report, 1892 . 88 (392) . library.ubc.ca.
  56. Web site: Commissioner of Land and Works annual report, 1894 . 92 (412) . library.ubc.ca.
  57. Web site: Golden Era . 2 . 17 Sep 1897 . library.ubc.ca.
  58. Web site: Minister of Mines annual report, 1898 . 104 (1047) . library.ubc.ca.
  59. Book: Wheeler, A.G. . A Guide for Mountain Climbers and Pilgrims . 142 (126) . 1911 . us.archive.org.
  60. Web site: Minister of Public Works annual report, 1910–11 . J8 . library.ubc.ca.
  61. Web site: Minister of Public Works annual report, 1912–13 . S78 . library.ubc.ca. to
    Web site: Revenue Estimates, 1914–15 . E43 . library.ubc.ca.
  62. Web site: Minister of Public Works annual report, 1929–30 . 123 (T97) . library.ubc.ca. to
    Web site: Minister of Public Works annual report, 1930–31 . 72 (G68) . library.ubc.ca.
  63. Web site: Postmasters (McMurdo) . www.bac-lac.gc.ca.
  64. Web site: Eddyline . 2 . Feb 2013 . www.nwvoyageurs.com.
  65. Web site: Parson BC: World's Largest Wooden Paddle . www.roadsideamerica.com.