June 6, 2023

Hello Members and Friends,

Great news!!  Cher and I attended the BC Historical Federation AGM by Zoom on Saturday and they announced that our Historical Society had won a Centennial Legacy Grant in the amount of $4000.00 to help with ground penetrating radar at the Upper Phoenix Cemetery.  We haven’t received Jason Deleurme’s report or invoice but with the RDKB’s donation of $4000.00 we will certainly be able to cover his bill and mark the graves.  We are in discussion about how we will recognize these burials.  I’m hoping we’ll have enough to do some fence repairs, too.   Here is the address for the announcement plus the BCHF’s annual report. http://www.bchistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/2023-BCHF-Annual-Report.pdf

Ken and Cindy Fehr came up to Gladys’ cabin last week – Ken brought his mower with him and made quick work of cutting the grass.  Cindy helped with trimming and picking up debris. This is the first time that we’ve mowed the yard as we usually just use a grass trimmer.  Big thanks to Ken and Cindy for their help with this task!!  We will probably be doing it a couple more times before the picnic.  We had tourists drop in to see the cabin.  Open the door and they will come!!

I was up to the Cemeteries on Sunday to check out how many stakes Jason placed at the Upper Phoenix Cemetery and then went over to check on my markers for the new picket cradles that the Boundary Woodworkers’ Guild have done in partnership with us. I cleared off some of the graves and searched and searched for that 7th marker!!  I’d put Christmas ribbon (gold and red) on the stakes and it just did not show up.  I bought some pink surveyor’s tape when I got home and went back up on Monday morning to re-mark the locations.  I was successful this time in finding all the markers and then I finally got all the branches carried down to our pile outside the fence.  A dozen trips up and down and I was a happy camper.  Pulled a few more little pine trees, too.  I’d started the task of taking out those branches last year and it snowed before I could finish.  There are two graves there that we want to have picketed. I stopped in to see Doreen McLean at the Greenwood Museum on my way home -she had a little information about Malcom Anderson. The Woodworkers’ and I have some ideas for markers.

We are going to see if we can figure out some more of the wooden grave markers that are almost, or are, indecipherable.  We want to place memorial plaques if we can figure them out.  I’ve earmarked four or five picket fences that we’d like to paint this year and we must do the IOOF fence.  The main cemetery is overgrown because of all our rain this year.  We need help with trimming the area, especially on the sides of the fence.  If you have a good trimmer that will cut through rose bushes and young growth and can help let me know and we’ll arrange a date.  We could use a hand with placing the picket cradles, too.  We will get that task done in early July.  I’ll let you know the dates.

The sign-in kiosk’s door fell off in my hands when I opened it.  I’ve written to Bob and Dick to see what can be done.  I don’t think it was vandalism – maybe just weather.  I didn’t have any paper with me so I emailed Al Donnelly to see if he would put a sign on it and he said, okay.

We need to place Mr. Walter’s memorial plaque, too.  Maybe we can do that when we do the pickets. 

I visited the Boundary Community Archives – so impressed with the changes down there.  I dropped by this morning for a picture so we all could admire the new office.  Sue Adrain and Eloa Snowe are pictured.  I’m full of admiration for Sue’s map filing system!! I didn’t take a picture of it, but it is ingenious. Drop by and visit the Archives- it is no longer a dungeon!!

I’ll be sending a note around about our Annual Picnic – mark your calendars – Sunday, August 13th – 11:00 -2:00 p.m. at Gladys’ Jewel Lake cabin.  I’m still working on getting a guest speaker.

Historically yours,

Doreen Sorensen

Secretary