To the Editor:
I have been asked several times to put another letter in your paper as I have in the past, so here goes.
I came to Keremeos in 1967 when I purchased a service station just east across the street from the present Bank of Commerce.
There was a U.S. railroad here, and a long wooden packinghouse all down the track which burned early in my days here.
There was a sawmill and millpond on Seventh Street where the present Seventh Street is now.
There was no packinghouse where the present one is today, only a saw mill. Some one asked - “When does the train come?”
My reply - “What are you looking for?” The reply - “a cat.”
“Well, you will likely see an engine and flat car and caboose, and your cat will be on it.”
I had hardly said that when a train whistle could be heard, and shortly after an engine, flat car with his cat on it appeared.
I purchased 703-10th Avenue, a large house and an acre there. From that property to the hotel (the Red Bridge Pub) there was nothing except a ditch. All the houses in between have been built since then.
I came out of my business at 6 a.m. and someone had driven a car from my building right down to the end via the sidewalk at a screeching high speed. I was glad no one came out of their buildings when that was going on.
One midnight I heard boards creeking at the Tasty Freeze. I phoned the RCMP and they caught the culprits. While interviewing them at the police station (at midnight) they got a phone call from police in the U.S. They said they had a robbery down there. Looking out the window, they saw the robbery car go by, just minutes later, and they got them also. In the morning they came and thanked me for spoiling their sleep, but they got two culprits. Stuff like that was not unusual in those days.
My dad in the early days was at Spences Bridge. A slide dammed up the river, and caused a flood. At that time, Dad had thrown his bedroll on the platform. A ma came up and asked what was in the bedroll.
Dad told him that it was none of his business.
“I’ll make it my business,” the man said, flipping open his coat and revealing a star. He was looking for Bill Miner.
- Wilf Miller, Keremeos