23

"The road west to the Okanagan was not only rough but steep for many miles, and was travelled only on rare occasions. The Doukhobour hill leading down into Grand Forks was rough and steep too, but was comparatively short compared to the Osoyoos hill. These trips we made in our first vehicle, the Model T.

The gas tank on the Model T was underneath the front seat, with the fuel arriving at the carburetor when the car was on the level. But on a long uphill climb even with a couple of gallons in the tank, you stood still! The remedy was to swing around across the road until the tank was on a level with the carburetor again, wait for it to fill up, and then once again attempt to reach the hilltops.

About 1931 our Model T was getting worse for wear and shortly afterwards we bought a Model A. The Model A was such an improvement with its balloon tires, and gas tank above the carburetor that allowed the fuel to be used to the last drop. The Model A Ford was given a good workout on an outing to the Okanagan Valley, with care being taken on the long downhill from Anarchist summit to Osoyoos. The engine had to be used to hold the car back since too much use of the brakes would quickly burn them out, and on the return trip uphill, a stop would be made half way to cool her off!"

- from "A Harvest of Memories" by Bill Hatton, 1985

24

The Bush family in their Overland car
Circa 1918
The Kettle River Valley

Credits:
Kettle River Museum
Donated by Mayneen Olsen, 1977

25

"When driving on snow, most any old tire would serve to get to town and back. Sometimes we cut the bead off an old tire and fitted it snugly over the one on the car. We tried a variety of ways to keep the road open during the winter. Two logs fastened together and weighted down at the same spacing as the car wheels were pulled with a team of horses. The sure way of getting home however, was to take a team of horses along and leave them at a barn near the highway. The windshield on the Model T was divided in the centre and on the return winter journey home the team would be hooked to the bumper and the windshield opened up for the lines."

- from "A Harvest of Memories" by Bill Hatton, 1985

26

A skating party on the Kettle
Circa 1920
The Kettle River

Credits:
Kettle River Museum
Donated by William Moll, 1978

27

In the winter we travelled by sleigh or "cutter" and I can remember many a jolly evening sleigh ride amid piles of hay and buffalo robes to keep us warm, and the harmonizing of the old songs to the accompaniment of the jingle of sleigh bells.

Another of our winter entertainments was skating on the river where we would often have to clear a patch of ice if there had been recent snow. Dad would take a team of horses down on the ice and take off the heavy snow with an improvised snowplough and the rest we had to get off with brooms and scrapers - hard work but it was worth it.

- from "Early Days in Rock Creek - Riverside" by Gladys Bell Burlton, Boundary Historical Society 3rd Report, 1960