The Early History of Harrison Hot Springs (Part 1)

My wife’s grandfather, Charles Millard, was the owner and Captain of the paddle wheeler, “Hope”. During the gold rush days, the ship carried miners and freight from Victoria and New Westminster up the Fraser [River] and via the Harrison River and Harrison Lake to the thriving town of Port Douglas. It was here that hopeful prospectors continued their journey by road and water to the gold fields.

The First Railway in British Columbia

It is interesting to note that the first rail road in B.C. was a horse drawn affair used on the portage between Anderson and Seton Lakes. After leaving the Harrison on the return ship, the Hope continued up the Fraser visiting the towns of Hope and Yale.

In his book on the Fraser, B. Hutchinson tells the story how Millard came to the assume the role of the captain of another stern wheeler whose disgruntled passengers, returning from the gold fields empty handed, refused to pay their fares. He boarded the ship with fists flying- the miners were only too glad to pay their way. Early histories of Victoria tell of Captain Millard having auction sales of produce from his ship on the H— Street.

Business was good and the captain married. He liked to visit his parents in England. Consequently as his family arrived one would be born in Canada and the next in London. My mother was born on on Fort Street in Victoria.

The Coming of the CPR and the End of the Riverboats

It is interesting to note that it was Captain Millard’s Hope which carried the young Agassiz family from New Westminster to Yale. The coming of the C.P.R. [Canadian Pacific Railway] spelled the end of the river boats, though for many years they still chugged up and down Harrison Lake to the logging camps. As a child I can still remember them racing each other down the lake. Perhaps the most important of the riverboats and those that served the longest were the Sampton, used for pulling snags from the river, and the ferry which crossed the Fraser from Woodward’s Landing. Plus of course, the numbers other boats like the Agassiz-Rosedale Ferry.

How Agassiz Got Its Name

Before I continue with the Harrison story, I shall digress a little and tell how in my opinion, the town of Agassiz got its name. When the family first settled here they called the place Ferny Coombe. The name of the three children born in the old homestead are listed in the family bible as:

8. Eleanor Maude Agassiz (Mrs. Moore)
Born October 21, 1867, Ferny Coombe, British Columbia

9. Luella Beatrice Agassiz (my mother)
Born September 23, 1869, Ferny Coombe, British Columbia

10. Edith Harrison Agassiz
Born October 29, 1872, Ferny Coombe, British Columbia

When my father and mother became engaged, his letters to her were addressed to Ferny Coombe, British Coombe. I believe it was Harry Cambie, a surveyor for the C.P.R. [Canadian Pacific Railway], 2ho gave the station the family name. The name soon caught on and the conductor would go down the passenger cars calling, “Agassiz! Agassiz!” and that became the name of the village.

The family pronounced their name “Agassuz.” I don’t know how many times I have been corrected when I use that pronunciation of that name. Some years ago a courier was driving my Aunt Edith home from a visit to the station. The Canadian official at the border inquired: “Where are your traveling to, madam?” “We are going to Agassuz” she supplied
The official was puzzled, finally the light dawned. “Oh, you mean Agassee, the proper pronunciation is Agassee.” Then we turned to Aunt Edith, “and what might your name be, madam?” “I am Miss. Agassuz” she supplied.

John R. Brown and the St. Alice Hotel

On one of the transcontinental trains that passed through Winnipeg on the way to the new province of British Columbia, John R. Brown, and his brother Fred, bent on making their fortunes in the new province. Fred settled in the new town of Vancouver, where he built a warehouse and engaged in the wholesale liquor business. My dad became enamored with Harrison and the Hot Springs and set about the building of the St. Alice Hotel.

Fire, Fame, and Notable Guests

The spa was a great success, crowded with visitors before the building had been completed. It was to be regretted that the old registers of guests must have been destroyed when the building went up in flames.

Fred Brown’s business was also flourishing and the two brothers went into partnership. (Note-Captain —- was in error when he added an extra brother – see Belle Randall – Page 2)

Extra cottages were built to provide accomodation for the guests. I do not know whether any of the original cottages are still standing, but it was in one of hem, on June 23, 1895, that I was born. The doctor who officiated at the my birth and whose name is on my birth certificate is Dr. Harvey I Philpot, whom I believe was the first doctor in Harrison Hot Springs.

Prospecting and Fire Mountain

During the off season, my dad went on prospecting trips. He staked timber limits and also discovered a very promising gold mine on Fire Mountain, north of Tipella at the north west end of Harrison Lake. A company was formed to develop the mine. (The only partner I can remember was Mrs. Lockie of Lockie shoes.) One partner was sent to England to sell shares – he was the only one to make money on the venture as he sold his own shares rather than those of the company. My mother’s wedding ring was made of gold from the mine.

Captain Paul and The Sts’ailes Territory

A narrow strait connects Harrison Lake with the lagoon at the north end of which stood the town of Port Douglas. At the east sides of the lagoon was an Indian village. The chief of this village was named Captain Paul. It was this Indian who acted as guide for my father on his trips into the hinterland. He also acted as guide for Professor Hill-Tout the author who had written so much about the Salish Indians – their legends, customs, and history.

Dad asked Captain Paul what he did during the winter, when he had no parties to guide. He replied, “I sit by my fire and think up more stories to tell the Professor.” Another anecdote my Dad used to tell took place in the Indian village at Prayer Time.

The father was giving a lantern slide showcase
The first pictures were of heaven with angels, in white robes, floating around on clouds, playing harps.
“All Catholics! All Catholics!”
The next pictures were of hell with fiery furnaces and demons with red hot pitch forks poking at the last coals.
“All Protestants! All Protestants!”

I suppose the same slides could have been used in a protestant diocese with the dialogue turned around.

[Editorial Note: The village referred to in this manuscript was within the traditional territory of the Sts’ailes (Chehalis) people, whose presence along Harrison Lake long predates the arrival of settlers, prospectors, and resort developers. Figures such as Captain Paul played important roles as cultural intermediaries: guiding travelers, assisting surveyors, and contributing to the documentation of Salish history during a period of rapid change]

The Stagecoach Rivalry

By this time my father had met the Agassiz family, and had become engaged to my mother. He offered Arthur the job of driving the stage between Agassiz station and the St. Alice Hotel. This worked well during the busy season but when the weather changed and the business slacked off, Arthur would drive the stage up to one his fields, unhook the team and hook onto a plough. When the train arrived he would stop ploughing and look across the fields to the station. He would take the stage to the station only when he was sure that there were hotel guests waiting on the platform. Relations became strained when the hotel took over the stage. Arthur tried to compete but lost out when his stage was not allowed through the hotel gates and his passengers had to walk through the mud to the hotel.

Uncle Arthur kept a diary. The following pertinent facts of farm life were listed under the date of June 5, 1888:

“Nellie went to meet the trains. Jim – Hoed carrots. Bole h– carrots, Sing did the same; I oiled express wagon, Lue and Brown were married by Ditchman. I drove them to the Springs and slept there. Found fence burned near gate going to Springs.”

Gold Rush to Alaska & The Mutiny Incident

Another episode involving Dad and Arthur took place at the time of a gold rush to Alaska. Arthur felt that he could make a fortune if he could lead the field in getting cargo of supllies to the sciene of the strike. He chartered a ship and set out fully loaded. Things went well while travelling the inside passage, but at the north end of Vancouver Island they ran into storms and gale force winds. The captain insisted on returning to sheltered water. Arthur was furious and drew a six shooter forcing the captain to continue at gun point.

As they neared port, Arthur began to feel uneasy, particularly when he heard the captain talking about “Mutiny on the High Seas!” Fortunately when they entered port the Captain had to dock his ship. Arthur was over the side and long gone as soon as she touched the wharf. He finally arrived back in Agassiz a process worse at his heels. He came to Dad for help who sent him up Harrison Lake to Tipella. Ship captains were instructed to fly signal flags if suspected law men should be on board.

The Growing Brown Family

The Brown family began to arrive in 1889. Some born at Harrison and others under sister Francis kindly care at St. Luka’s home in Vancouver. The boys where born while the family ran the hotel – Jackie, Ted, Dick, Burwell, and Hugh, a girl and a boy. Ruth and Jim.

Prosperity at the St. Alice Hotel

As the 19th Century reached its final decade, business was flourishing at the hotel. Trails were cleared for hikers, launder took parties up the lake. Turner, a Vancouver boat builder, built row boats and canoes for the guests’ enjoyment.

The Fire Mountain Decision

It was during this period that Dad and J.C. Armstrong spent a pleasant July afternoon rowing on the lake. They discussed the future of the hotel and Mrs. Armstrong tried to make a deal with Dad- his shares in the St. Alice Hotel for shares in the Fire Mountain gold mine- a deal which Dad turned down. The things began to go wrong.

Tragedy at Harrison: Diphtheria and Loss

Jackie, my parents; first born child contracted diphtheriae and died. He was buried on what is called Brown’s Island. Mr. John J. Allen, the present owner of the land, has kindly offered to have his remains removed, but I told him that I thought it would be a pity to change the child’s peaceful resting place after nearly a hundred years.

Another tragedy that took the family fortune. The town of Vancouver went up in flames, including Brown Brother’s Liquor business- a serous financial loss. The Fred Browns moved to Harrison. Fred’s wife was a gay young thing and quite an asset to the entertainment side of the hotel’s social life, though I am afraid not approved of by my maiden aunts on the Agassiz side of the family.

The Fred Brown’s had a baby daughter named Jessica, just about my age, in fact we shared the same nurse maid and baby carriage. Jessica became a headline in the Ziegfeld Follies. Her company travelled to Britain on tour. Here she met and married Viscount North Eak.

The Flood of 1894

The flood of 1894 spelled the beginning of the end. The guests and suppliers being transported up the Harrison River, rowboats tied to the verandas, and perhaps worst of all, the aftermath of mosquitos which made life unbearable.

The End of Fire Mountain & Move to Vancouver

Finally, as the 19th Century moved its close, the Fire Mountain gold mine, which had shown such promise, gave up the ghost, ,the rich vein petered out. Dad gathered his family together and sought the greener fields of Vancouver. Ruth, the only daughter of the family, born during the final months of the 19th Century.

Welcoming the Twentieth Century in Vancouver

We were living in our new home in the outskirts of Vancouver when the Twentieth Century was ushered in. We were wakened by our parents to celebrate the occasion with drums, trumpets, and other noise making instruments. The saw mills on False Creek and the steamers on Burrard Inlet filled the air with the hoots and toots of their whistles. The steamship in particular saw shivers up our backs with the eeriest screech of its horn.

The MacPherson House

One of the early guests at the St. Alice Hotel was a Scot, Mr. Ewen Cluny MacPherson. Ewan was a prosperous business man from Vancouver. He enjoyed Harrison and the surrounding environment. He decided to buy land and build a summer place where he could entertain his friends. He bought a large lot on the east side of the Agassiz Harrison Road on the north bank of the slough. Soon he had erected an attractive bungalow.

Matchmaking at Ferny Coombe

Now one of the favourite sisters of the three little girls who had been born to the Agassiz family at Ferny-Coombe was Jinny (Jane Vaudine Caroline Agassiz) – born Tuesday, August 26, 1856, Westminster Canada- (Upper Canada). Jinny looked after her little sisters, taught them their lessons, heard their prayers, and protected from the rather babbling tongue of their older sister – Connie.

With an eligible male in the offering here was a chance for my mother to do something for her older sisters. With the finesse of a true match maker, Jinny seemed always visiting at the hotel whenever Ewen put in an appearance; and before long, the pair joined in the holy state of matrimony.

The MacPhersons lived in Vancouver where Ewan carried on his business – coming to the Hot Springs for holidays. Two daughters were born there, Florence (Girlie) and Marjory. A third daughter, Edith was born in the cottage at Harrison. The three Brown boys, Ted, Dick, and Burwell matched them in age, and our doting maiden aunts had us matched and married before the turn of the century.

It must have been during the year that I was born, 1895, that Uncle Ewen had a serious business setback. He backed a friend’s note. Then the friend went bankrupt, he was left holding the bag. He moved his family back to Harrison and here the MacPherson famiy lived permanently for the next fifteen odd years.

A year or so after I was born, and with another child on the way, my mother decided that the hotel was no great place to bring up a growing family. Across the road from the MacPherson cottage was an unpainted clap board, three storied house that had been used as a stopping place for miners during he gold rush days. My parents rented the place and moved in. It is from these days that the MacPherson girls and the Brown boys shared a close relationship which has lasted through the years.

Shared Childhood at Harrison

I can still remember some of the things that happened in those early days of our lives. The day little Edith and I threw iron rings at Aunt Jinny’s ducklings and when we had killed several telling her to prepare them for supper in the delicious way she always did – the day that my older brothers and cousins made me eat a bowl of frog eggs, telling me that it was pudding – the day Ewen was left in charge of the three little Brown boys, while the rest went to attend a do at Agassiz, my older brother decided that they didn’t like the old boy, and were going to cut off his head. I was fond of my uncle and ran to tell him of his danger. I couldn’t understand it, when Ewen looked up from his gardening and here were ted and Dick carrying a double bit axe, it took the two of them, towards him, he simply grunted and turned back to his work.

The old house in which we lived, I think it was called the Burton House, was an ideal place to bring up children, particularly during bad weather. The third story was used as a play room. Dad removed the doors and the children of both families could ride their trucks, pull their wagon, and play with there twos without distracting the adults below.