THE RECORD

October 08, 1997

BACK TO THE EGG

Suzanne Trevis

With the promotion of BC Rivers Day as well as the E-Team upgrade to the trail, much attention has been on Peppercorn Park these past weeks.

I have to admit that I have only been down a few times in recent years. With our kids as a "walk to" destination and to throw rocks in the river. Although I did spend a fair bit of time down there as a teenager.

My memories of Peppercorn Park include other, braver (stupider? My brother was one) souls jumping off the rock bluff, daring each other to swim across the river and waiting for the right combination of heat and water depth to tube down without getting your feet, legs and/or butt mangled.

It was where I first learned to dive. And whether we were trying to find the best arrangement of rocks to lounge on at first beach or fighting over the one bit of good sand with shade at third, we spent a good portion of our summers there.

I have been here almost from day one, and the Peppercorn Park I remember from those days is not the one we see now.

On July 27, 1966, Gold River Reeve (Mayor) Bruce Chisolm completed the transaction for the park site when following an ancient custom he handed five peppercorns to Tahsis Company President Jack Christensen. Also on hand to officially dedicate the park was Lt. Governor GR Pearkes. Pearkes and his wife drove in to view the ongoing construction at the mill, the town site and the new elementary school, as well as take part in the park dedication.

The site consists of 14 acres of land situated between the Gold River and the west boundary of the town site.

The centennial committee was instrumental in acquiring the park and Chairman Aksel Christensen extended his thanks to Tahsis Company for making the park land available and for their cooperation in developing the site. At the time of the dedication the access road down to the site had only been roughed in and the ceremony itself took place at the top of the hill.

During the developing a large bar-b-que pit/hut and picnic area, complete with tables were included off the trail from first beach to second. Remnants of the structure can still be seen in the concrete base, though my memories of it standing are very faint. By 1968 they also had two big floats anchored at first beach, though these also were long gone less than a decade later.

What is it that drives changes like these in such a short period of time? Was it a safety factor? Did things deteriorate and there just was not enough interest to maintain them? Or did vandalism play a role in things coming apart?

It is a shame and a sign of our changing times that even with the resurgence of families with young children in our community most of the energy expended on extracurricular activities includes ball parks and golf courses, but does not go far toward family oriented sites such as Big Bend, Peppercorn Park, Scout Lake, Star Lake or Antler Lake, all of which used to be very popular in the late sixties and early seventies.

All enjoyed a degree of development long gone today except for Peppercorn and Big Bend, which I believe are maintained by the Village. Any development at other sites is now probably thanks to Pacific Forest Products picking up where community involvement dropped off.