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Sternwheelers and Canyon Cats: Whitewater Freighting on the Upper Fraser
Ex-timber cruiser, scaler, forester, postmaster, guide and no-nonsense raconteur Jack Boudreau has matured into one of the leading historians for the heartland of the province. In his sixth book, Sternwheelers and Canyon Cats: Whitewater Freighting on the Upper Fraser (Caitlin $18.95), Jack Boudreau recalls the men who made a living running the rapids of the Grand Canyon of the Fraser River. Twelve steamers plied that dangerous section of river between 1862 and 1921-when more than 200 rafters lost their lives-bringing freight and supplies to northern B.C. prior to the onset of the Grand Trunk Railway. "The main reason I got involved in writing,"; he says, "was because many of the pioneer-type people were passing on and taking an incredible legacy with them. This has spurred me to action.";
BC BOOKWORD: In the 1930s, the interior was once described as "a land of hard-drinking and hard-working men of many nationalities, many of whom laughed at the perils of the road."; Is that still part of the Cariboo-Chilcotin mystique?
JACK BOUDREAU: I feel the macho era has ended. It has no place in modern society.
Years ago, if two people decided to go outside and settle things, the law usually looked the other way. This no longer applies.
BCBW: Do you have any specific geographic definition for where "the Interior"; is?
BOUDREAU: I suppose my definition of the Interior would include an approximate piece of real estate stretching from Quesnel to Fort Ware, and from McBride to Smithers.
At the same time, I have heard other people define it as being within 150 km. of Prince George.
BCBW: Do you sometimes view the Interior as its own mini-nation or province, within an artificial construct called British Columbia?
BOUDREAU: No! Instead I define
the Interior along latitudinal much more than along longitudinal lines. I simply write about the area I am most familiar with. It's not more complicated than that.
BCBW: When you were growing up in Penny, what were your literary influences?
BOUDREAU: From childhood I always had a voracious appetite for read-
ing. The adventures of such people as Lewis and Clark filled my world with wonder. I was never into pure fiction, possibly because I lived so close to the reality of nature.
BCBW: What are some of the better archives for doing research on the B.C. interior within the region itself?
BOUDREAU: If I must single out one source, I have to salute the local public library for being my greatest assistant. I do not believe I could have been so successful without their endless and much-appreciated help.
Canyon Cats 1-894759-20-6
[BCBW 2007]
BC BOOKWORD: In the 1930s, the interior was once described as "a land of hard-drinking and hard-working men of many nationalities, many of whom laughed at the perils of the road."; Is that still part of the Cariboo-Chilcotin mystique?
JACK BOUDREAU: I feel the macho era has ended. It has no place in modern society.
Years ago, if two people decided to go outside and settle things, the law usually looked the other way. This no longer applies.
BCBW: Do you have any specific geographic definition for where "the Interior"; is?
BOUDREAU: I suppose my definition of the Interior would include an approximate piece of real estate stretching from Quesnel to Fort Ware, and from McBride to Smithers.
At the same time, I have heard other people define it as being within 150 km. of Prince George.
BCBW: Do you sometimes view the Interior as its own mini-nation or province, within an artificial construct called British Columbia?
BOUDREAU: No! Instead I define
the Interior along latitudinal much more than along longitudinal lines. I simply write about the area I am most familiar with. It's not more complicated than that.
BCBW: When you were growing up in Penny, what were your literary influences?
BOUDREAU: From childhood I always had a voracious appetite for read-
ing. The adventures of such people as Lewis and Clark filled my world with wonder. I was never into pure fiction, possibly because I lived so close to the reality of nature.
BCBW: What are some of the better archives for doing research on the B.C. interior within the region itself?
BOUDREAU: If I must single out one source, I have to salute the local public library for being my greatest assistant. I do not believe I could have been so successful without their endless and much-appreciated help.
Canyon Cats 1-894759-20-6
[BCBW 2007]
Submitted on February 14, 2007 in By David.
