Kettle River Museum
Midway, British Columbia

Gallery Thumbnail Gallery Stories Contact Us Search
 

A Harvest of Memories: Rural Life in the Kettle River Valley

 

 

"From its first small beginnings, Mr. Sidley's ranch has gradually been increased in size until today its area is about 2,000 acres, including arable land equal to any in the district, pasture lands, and some fine timber country, upon which fir, pine and tamarack, much of this timber suitable for saw logs, are to be found in abundance. The timbered lands are generally of good soil, having open stretches of up to 50 acres each among the belts of trees, making them well-suited for dairying, especially as numerous springs provide plenty of water. In the neighbourhood are ranges fit for either sheep or cattle, so that either dairying or raising cattle or sheep for the butcher can be followed to advantage, specially now that markets are becoming easily accessible. Heretofore, outside of a small market at Camp McKinney and Midway, there has been little demand for dairy produce, but this drawback is being removed as the mining towns and camps of the Boundary increase in population and provide a market for these and other products.

...This land is under cultivation this season for the first time, and oats and barley sown on the sod have grown and yielded so well that its fertility was evident to all who saw the crops growing. Mr. Sidley had under cultivation this year about 400 acres, of which 150 acres were in grain, 12 acres in roots, and the remainder fallow for next season's cropping. These fields are all fenced, as too is all the rest of the ranch upon which there are in all about 10 miles of rail fencing."

 

Print Page

Important Notices  
© 2024 All Rights Reserved