The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1923-08-09
RESIDENT
NOW IN CANADA
Mr.. and Mrs. Croteau of McDermitt
Have Completed 2500-Mile Trip
by Auto to Future Home
in British Columbia

to again reside at Telkwa, BIC,
Canada, have completed their $500
mile journey by auto, "The Interior
News" a newspaper published at
Smithers, Be, saying of the trip:
Mr.. and Mrs. VIM. Croteau and
their son, Stuart, have returned to
their old home near Telkwa from
McDermitt, Nevada, and after hav-
ing travelled the most fertile por-
tions of the western states and the
southern portion of the province OF
Be, are of the opinion that their
old location offers the best oppor-
tunity in America for the mixed
farmer. Mr.. and Mrs. Croteau were
among the earliest pioneers of the
Buckley Valley, settling near Alder
mere when Broughton & Mcneil
and j. Dorsey founded that short
lived but, during its lifetime, most
strenuous village. Taking up some
of the heaviest timbered land in
1905, they cleared and brought un-
der cultivation one hundred and
twenty-five acres of the choicest
land in the valley, farming it most
successfully until 1919, when they
began to have the common longing
for the advantages of modern civil
cation, and finally settled near the
cattle town of McDermitt, Nevada
But four years of the desert only
proved to them how fortunate they
were to own land in the garden OF
Central British Columbia, and or
the 9th of May, 1928, they loaded
their most valuable effects on a re.
liable Ford and proceeded to nego-
tiate the $500 miles between then
and the land of their former ex-
periences, traversing Nevada, Idaho
Washington, Oregon and Southern
British Columbia. Travelling the
desert roads in the spring they
found them in poor condition, ow-
ing to snow and consequent mud
but through Idaho the roads were
mostly frst-class, with the excep-
ton of the Jordan Valley, where
five miles of swamp was encoun-
tered. Leaving Boise, Idaho, en-
route for Portland, Oregon, over
the Columbia highway, the roadbed
was perfect, being paved or grav-
eled throughout. Continuing on
the Pacific highway from Portland
to. Seattle the going was good with
the exception of a 100-mile detour
necessitated by bodybuilding opera
tions, where numerous bad spots
were found, the beautiful nature OF
the. country, however, more than
compensating for the few inconven-
fences of the temporary route, and
suddenly jumping from the broad
stretches of the magnificent high
way to the narrow and congested
streets of Seattle at Third avenue.
They then proceeded on to Van
couver over continuation of the
same splendid road, where after a
week spent in renewing old ac-
quaintances the trip was resumed
over a fair road to Chilliwack, and
then on to Hope over road re-
markable for its crooked and unex-
pected turns, its rough surface, al
most impossible grades and danger
GUS precipices, which rendered Mr..
Croteau speeches. owing to the
necessity for keeping both hands
on the wheel.
At Hope it was necessary to ship
the car to Merritt, Be, over the
Kettle Valley railroad, from which
point that portion Of the old Yale
Cariboo road was found beyond re-
proach. From Ashcroft to Quesnel,
the historical old Cariboo road, well
known to be one of the best in Be.
was found to almost stand COMPARE
son with some of the roads of our
more enterprising cousins of the
western states. But Quesnel was
apparently the end of the world as
far as motor transportation was con-
cerned and the Central Interior is
practically shut off from the auto
tourist, as much as it was in the
pack train days of Veith & Borland.
At Quesnel mouth a primitive
ferry with a haphazard landing
drifted from its mooring as the car
was moving aboard, and William
and his trusty car were precipitated
into the foaming waters of Father
Fraser. As the water deepens rap
idly at the landing place, but for
the GOODNESS of Mrs. Croteau, who
skillfully roped the hind end and
snubbed it to a friendly tree, the
car would have been lost, and it
was necessary to engage a team to
haul it back to terra firma.
After successfully crossing the
Fraser the fifty miles to the Black
water, with its fearsome hill, was
negotiated over road that has lust
grew" like Topsy, the growth be-
ing SO stunted in many places as to
show little Improvement over the
old Telegraph trail, which it practi-
cally follows, while from the Black
water to Mud river it kept getting
worse until Mapes was reached.
from whence it gradually improved
from Stoney Creek to Endako be.
ing really first class. But here the
real end of the road was in SIGHT
and 1t was necessary to choose he
tween shipping the car by scow nm
Francois lake, or by freight to
Burns Lake over the Canadian Ma
tional, at both of which the loading
and unloading facilities are dis.
graceful.
Hundreds of tourists TRAVELLING
tne Cariboo road would be glad to
continue to Prince George and
points north and west were there
any means of getting through with
car, and it seems ridicuIor, III.