I was seven years old when our family moved from the fishing village of "Port Essington" to journey up the Skeena River aboard the sternwheeler "Port Simpson" as far as Kitsumkalum Landing May, 1908.

There were several tie-ups along the river to load cordwood for the boat.

There were four children in our family, my brother Ivan was 5, brother Floyd 3 years 6 months, sister Belle about 2 years. Dad had first come to see this part of the world in the year 1893, when as a young man he came from the USA all the way up the coast, in a rowboat which took several months and in the year 1903, he took up a pre-emption of land at Kitsumkalum where he had spent some time hunting and prospecting, as well as fishing, and carpenter work at Port Essington.

At Kalum boat landing there was a small hotel and a general store and small Post Office in the store, with Mr. and Mrs. Ed Eby in charge. A log telegraph cabin and a small freight shed. A barn was built for the first team of horses that came on the same boat as we did. It was the first time we young ones had ever seen a horse. They were first used to make the wagon road as until then there was only narrow trails winding through the tall timbers.

Our first shelter, for about four months, was a one room log cabin about one and a half miles from the boat landing, which was in clearing surrounded by thick woods. At the far end of the cabin there were three bunks close together and over them hung cheese cloth mosquito bars. We soon learned how unfriendly mosquitoes could be and we often made smudges to keep them away. The cook stove had an oven up in the pipe and Mother had fun trying to bake bread and things for awhile. We had chickens at the back of the cabin in a high net fence. It kept us busy scaring away the hungry hawks. One day we saw a coyote in the bush near the cabin and ran to tell Mother "we had seen and Indian dog", as we saw lots of them in Port Essington. We soon became aquainted with some of the unusual things of nature, so different from what we had known, such as listening to the rustling of cottonwood leaves when blown by the wind, the drumming noise of the partridge, and at dusk the mosquito hawks would make shrill noises circling overhead, then zoom toward earth and up again, and the weird howl of coyotes some nights. There were pretty wild flowers and many kinds of moss. There were so many things to discover and learn about in that new land.

Rev. T. J. Marsh, Anglican minister, had come to serve in the district a few months before his wife and two children, who came on the same boat with us. Etanda, was eight years, and Tom about two. Mrs. Marsh's sister, Miss Deacon, also came with them. Rev. and Mrs. Marsh had served fourteen years at a missionary school for Indians at Hay River on Great Slave Lake.

The Marsh family also had a temporary home in a log cabin about half a mile west of us, and church services were held in a big tent Sunday mornings. When Mother went over to visit the Marsh's, I would have fun playing with Etanda's dolls made of nice smelly buckskin and beaded so pretty by the native women at Hay River. She also had a little tee-pee that we played in.

At that time there were about a dozen married women in the district, and most lived a few miles apart, so that when visiting it would usually mean a big day's outing, with lots of walking through the woods and sometimes seeing the odd bear looking for berries. There were a few bachelors on their pre-emptions. Two of them advertised in the "Family Herald" paper for a wife, and soon found they had widows with families, one came from London, England, and one from Ontario.

Dad had a busy time that summer building a two story sawed log house about a quarter mile north of the boat landing. There was a small mill started that year, not far from where the logs were sawed. We were so happy to be able to move into our nice new home from the log cabin before the winter set in. The Marsh family had moved to the new Rectory by then too, which was across the road from our place. It too, was a two story house of sawed logs. A small building was erected near by, for a community hall and used as a church, then about two years later used as our first school in the district. It opened in the year 1911, with eight pupils, four of them from the Frank family. The first teacher was Miss Jessie Morrison from Ontario, a niece of George Little, then a bachelor living at Little Canyon, later known as "the founder of Terrace". Miss Morrison stayed at our home, and a year or so later was married to George Dover. The school gradually increased in numbers as Terrace area began to develop, and about the year 1913 (note: opened Septmeber, 1914) a larger one room school was built half way between Kalum and Terrace. Teacher and pupils all had to walk in those days to school, and some times through deep snow. There was a concrete basement where we played various games, and on nice days we played baseball or football. In winter, one favorite recreation was building snow forts, and firing snowballs to the other fort. There was a big heater in the center of the school room, our only means of heat in winter, burning fire wood, and we always brought our lunches to school.

We had only coal oil lamps and lanterns in those days and doing school homework by lamplight was a bit difficult. We had candles in a tin that we called a "bug" which was handy going to the outhouse, etc. when dark. Those were the days! Later on gas lamps came into use.

There were three bedrooms upstairs in our house and a store room used for winter supplies of canned goods, sacks of sugar, flour, rolled oats, etc. Also boxes of dried fruits, that were brought in by river boat in August before the boats would stop running until early in May, because of low water and freeze up. The only means of transportation during winter months was by dog team.

They brought the mail through from the coast, some one hundred miles west, sometimes encountering bad winter conditions. They sometimes travelled by frozen river. It was always a welcome sight to see the mail carrier arrive. When taking off again he would call "Mush, Mush" and away they would go to places along the river as far as Hazelton, that was also as far as the boat could navigate up river. It was also a big thrill to hear the whistle of the first sternwheeler coming up the river in spring, those first three years before the railroad started running trains from Prince Rupert, then a growing terminal, on the west coast, through to Eastern Canada. We had never seen a train until then.

Those first winters the snow seemed so deep and when it would slide off the roof, we had to stand on a chair to see the top panes of window, which meant lots of shovel work. Dad, somehow, made us snow shoes from willow trees, so we could tramp over deep snow and when it froze we had fun running all over the hard crust and would use a snow shovel as a sleigh.

Our first well was below the house, so we had to carry water up hill, but later Dad dug a deep well with a pump close to the back door, and we kept a pail of water on a bench in the house and a big kettle of water on the stove. A dipper handy, and a wash basin on the bench. Mother washed clothes in a round galvanized tub by hand using a wash board and a bar of laundry soap, and then through a hand wringer. Then flat irons were heated on the stove to use for ironing and sometimes Mother would roll hot flat irons in a heavy cloth to put under a pan of rising bread made with slow "Royal" yeast overnight. Bath water was heated in a boiler on the stove as no running water then, but the tub had a drain so it was quite a chore to bath those days.

Our first two cows were raised from calves shipped in by boat in the year 1911. They became real pets. Mother and I learned to milk and carried on until brother Ivan took over. It was wonderful to have fresh milk and lots of rich cream, homemade butter and buttermilk. We had a few steady customers who bought the extra milk and butter which was hard to keep without refrigeration in those days.

Dad had the job of fish warden several years so was away most of the time from July to October each year. One day when he was away, a bush fire started near the river and was driven by the wind into the woods below our home. We were terribly frightened as it flamed up the tall spruce, cedar and hemlock trees and was so hot. Rev. Marsh and other came to help. The carried lots of water from the well to hang wet blankets on the wall and pour over dry shingles on the roof, as there were no hoses or running water in those days. Mother carried things from the house to the far side of the yard, and kept us there too. Finally we were all relieved to see the danger over, but it was a sorry sight to see the blackened dead trees and sad to think of all the wild life that had perished. Bush fires were quite common in those days.

When the tie-makers had finished their work beside our place there were lots of big hewn chips that we carted home in a little hand wagon for firewood.

In the year 1910, hundreds of men were working in construction camps along the rail line. It was a hot dry summer and the fly population soared from poor sanitary conditions and soon dysentery started to spread through the camps and from there to homes. All four of us children took very ill. Floyd and I were so weakened by the attack that for a while our recovery was in doubt. There was only Dr. Johns caring for miles of construction crew patients. The settlers had to shift for themselves (no doctor, hospital, or medicine, or antibiotics in those days). Rev. Marsh, our good neighbour helped all he could and finally located some honey which gave us more strength, and Mother was sure it saved our lives. She had an anxious busy time as Brother John was then a baby, born April 18, 1909, as the first white child born in the district.

Dad cleared most of the land at home by himself, cutting down the tall trees with an axe and crosscut saw. Then blasted the stumps and the horses pulled out the big roots which were piled up for burning. When blasting stumps near the house, the windows were boarded over, and we would take to the cellar till the danger was over, then go out and help pick up the pieces. After plowing and harrowing, Dad planted some fruit trees and berry bushes near the house, and we had potatoes and a vegetable garden. Then when more land was ready, he grew some hay for the horses and cows. We also had pigs and chickens, cats and a dog. I used to help with the hay making and planting potatoes, and digging them before we had machinery. Dad was real proud of his big "Gold Coin" potatoes.

Dad Weeks had the first big strawberry patch at Kalum and he needed pickers, so Ivan, Floyd, and I offered to try our hand at 25 cents a crate for picking. We had to walk about two miles in the hot sun and our backs ached from bending and trying to pick all we could. Four crates was about all one could do in a day, but we went home happy with our tummies full and quite proud of the first money we had ever earned, and ready to pick more then next day. A year or so later we had our own strawberry patch and we were quite experienced pickers by then. There was a big market at Prince Rupert and Dad shipped out many crates there and other places. Mother used to make a big cake, heap on sweetened strawberries and top with whipped cream, which was a wonderful treat. We also used to make lots of jam from them.

We had to make our own entertainment for the first few years. Mother made extra goodies at Christmas time and some of the lonely bachelors would be invited to join us and have fun singing old songs and carols while Dad played the violin. On Christmas Eve, at the foot of the bed, we hung our stockings to find them filled in the morning with apples, oranges, candy and nuts, and be real thrilled as fresh fruit was a real treat in those times. The first dances were held at Eby's Hotel, in the dining room, when Mother went she sometimes took me along. I was quite young but loved to dance, and soon learned to waltz, two-step, three-step, french minuet, shottish, and square dance which were popular dances those days. About the year 1910, we had one of the first Edison Victor gramophones. It had a big horn and cylinder records and took a lot of winding up. We enjoyed records such as Silver Bell, Rainbow, Redwing, and Uncle Josh comedies. The Indians called it "the canned man". We thought it was really something those days.

About the year 1912, the Marsh family moved to a new parsonage at Terrace, and Rev. Marsh was in charge of St. Mathews Anglican Church there. The Eby family also moved to Terrace when river boats stopped running and their hotel and store was taken down for use elsewhere. By then "Old Dad Weeks" had a two story frame building north of the track in Kalum. The lower part was a store with Post Office, for a few years, and upper part a hall that he rented for community affairs and dances, with most of the patronizers coming from the Terrace area. Some with Griders horse and wagon, or sleigh and some by foot. Later on we used to walk the two miles to Terrace and back to dances. They were more like big house parties those days, and music was lively, accordion, piano, violin and guitar. Sometimes the Terrace Band took a turn at playing. We girls had lots of fun dancing. There were not many ladies and especially unmarried ones then.

As young ones, we always enjoyed the early sports days, May 24th and July 1st, when we would hurry on foot to Terrace ball park and be real excited to hear the band playing as we came nearer. Most everyone would turn out to those events. Ivan and Floyd took part in baseball games and I tried the ladies races. There would be about ten ladies in the foot race, and one, Hilda Chichester, always won. So May 24th, 1916, I practiced running at home and was quite happy to win that race.

Mr. and Mrs. Geo. Powers opened the first bakery in Terrace about 1923. Mother had her bakery too. I remember there was a barrel of flour handy to the bake table, as with a growing family and a hard working husband she was kept busy baking lots of bread and biscuits, not forgetting hot cakes and "Crown" corn syrup, so popular those days.

I sometimes wonder how Dad managed to accomplish so much those early years, having so little to work with. He also took a keen interest in politics and school affairs, and sat as a school trustee for many years. In 1911, the Farmers' Institute was organized in the district. Dad was a charter member, served on the board of directors and later as President. He was also road foreman a few years when the road was built to Kalum Lake and from Terrace to Usk, when the only road building equipment then was a grader drawn by horses, and the use of blasting powder.

In 1926, Rural Dean Marsh had to resign as minister of Terrace Anglican Church because of ill health and blindness. In 1928, he was made a Canon by Bishop Rix, in recognition of his long and faithful services. He passed away September 4, 1930.

The first doctor in Terrace was Dr. Trainer, and the nearest hospitals were Hazelton and Prince Rupert, both training schools for student nurses for several years. I can proudly claim to be the first Terrace girl to graduate as a nurse in year 1924, class of six, from P.R.G. Hospital which was a training school from the year 1912 till about 1932. I also was on the staff of the Red Cross Hospital that started in Terrace in March 1, of 1948. It had 10 beds, and as Terrace rapidly expanded it was turned over to Terrace and District December 1, 1951. I served on staff eight years until 1956. In March 20, 1961 Mills Memorial Hospital was officially opened as a modern new hospital to meet the needs of Terrace and District, named in honour of Dr. and Mrs. Stanley Mills who served the community faithfully and well 1929-1961.

Mr. Brooks and I were married in Terrace September, 1925. Elwood worked at CNR station about 39 years, retiring as freight shed foreman in 1961, when we moved south. We lived on Vancouver Island until moving to White Rock in 1964, enjoying our retirement.

Prince Rupert General Hospital where I trained from January 1921 to 1924, plus one year six months on staff to August, 1925

Luella Catherine (Frank) Brooks, eldest of the seven Frank children passed away at 93 October 1, 1994 at the Peace Arch Hospital, White Rock BC.