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We love Grand Openings at the 108…the more the better! Can you guess which one this is in August 1971?

Answer:

It was August 1971, when over 100 invited guests gathered for the official opening of the new 23 unit 108 Motor Lodge. That was 100 Mile House Mayor, Ross Marks, cutting the ribbon, while Block Bros. Henry Block (left) and brother Arthur Block look on. Additional amenities, including a 55 meter heated swimming pool and tennis courts, were under construction. Keith Hannah, in addition to being the 108 golf pro, was named as the new Lodge Manager. After a tour, Mike and Heidi Hapalo, managers of the clubhouse, were on hand to serve refreshments and to demonstrate Mike’s new ‘Cold Duck Fountain’ which dispensed wine to the guests.

So you think you know the 108? How much do you know about the first 10 years, 1969-1979?

Answer:

Timeline 108: First Ten Years

Prepared by Sandy Foster

1969

• Block Bros. company completes purchase of 26,000 acre 105 Mile Ranch from R.M. Monical & Sons
• August 17, 1969:  First landing at 108 Airport; Frank Bernard flying a Cessna Skymaster with Olaf Hansen on board for the long weekend fly-in/opening
• Major work completed to clear and develop 108 golf course
• Dredged between 108 Lake and Sepa (Separation) Lake

1970

• Club House built. In December Mike & Heidi Hapalo take a 5 year lease to operate the restaurant
• Golf course opens with Keith Hannah as the pro, Bill Wilson, assistant pro
• 400-500 lots sold
• Hansen Bros. opens home building business and building supply outlet
• 108 Property Owners Association formed; Len Kellogg as chairman
• 108 Ranch and outdoor staff:  Len Monical, Don Parker, Barb Monical, Dick Smith, Ernie Mulvohill, and Bernie Penner.  108 sales department:  Cathy Jameson, Nick Sykes and Duncan Myers

1971

• 108 Motor Lodge with 22 units opens; swimming pool and tennis courts underway
• New building completed adjacent to airstrip, (now the Wheelroom) to include the sales office for Block Bros.; a Mini Mart opened by Dick & Myrtle Tyrwhitt, and the Gold Shop owned and operated by Mary McFarlane
• Block Bros. buy out shares of Len Monical and Dick Smith and are now 100% owners of the project

1972

• January 26, 1972:  low temp of -45F; 71.9 inches of snow so far that winter
• Volunteer Fire Department & Woman’s Auxiliary initiated
• Pat Corbett becomes on-site manager of 108 Recreational Ranch
• Old Community Hall near Chapel built by Hansen Recreational Homes
• Referendum passed to have CRD administer 108 Fire Department
• Olaf Hansen’s 108 Supply complex officially opens April 1^st; 600 attend
• In 1972, about 37 new homes built and over 300 lots sold
• 108 Property Owners Association has 336 members

1973

• The 11,400 sq. ft. indoor riding arena built on Tatton Road
• Two-bay Fire Hall completed 
• Ducks Unlimited surveys Walker Valley for potential

1974

• 108 School opens as 108 Annex with 5 portables

1975

• Motorlodge expanded with tennis courts, landscaping
• First Cariboo Marathon
• Ground-breaking for new 108 Chapel construction
• 108 school has 130 students and 5 teachers

1976

• 108 Lake stocked with Eastern Brook Trout
• New school opens with eight classrooms

1977

• 5 acre Biblical Garden completed at 108
• Mile 108 School official opening September 21 with 227 students. Brent Rutherford is the principal
• Block Bros. announces 108 development is being curtailed due to Agriculture Land Freeze

1978

• Eric Bojesen is 108 tennis pro, Bill Wilson is 108 golf pro
• Population at 108 estimated at 1200 persons in over 400 homes
• Fire hall being expanded from two-bay, to a three-bay, plus maintenance area and larger meeting area

1979

• 105 Mile Ranch house moved to 108 Heritage Site
• Happy 10th Anniversary celebrations
• Block Bros. begin retreat from development
• Change of name to 108 Ranch Resort

This was a big event at the 108 in June of 1973. Do you know what it was?

Answer:

June 26, 1973 was the official opening of the 108 11,400 sq.ft. indoor riding arena on Tatton Road near Watson Lake. On the left is Mal Pringle, unofficial mayor of the 108, to his left are the three men responsible for this “dream come true” horse complex, Mr. John Bull, Mr. Henry Block and Mr. Charles Smith. Along with a huge riding area, there are viewing stands to hold over 100 spectators, a caretaker’s apartment and lounge, plus stalls for 23 horses, 18 outdoor paddocks and a large outdoor arena. The occasion was celebrated with various horse shows including Quarter Horse competitions.  It was a special thrill for locals when Henry Block’s horse,  Rockys Champ, ridden by local Len Monical, won the open event. Some of the other highlights involved a 30 horse trail ride deep into Walker Valley and a good old fashioned barn dance with music by the Happy Wanderers, which drew over 400 participants.

Do you know the story of our Clydesdale Barn at the Heritage Site?

Answer:

There is nothing normal about the Watson Clydesdale barn at our Heritage site, nor about Captain Geoffrey Lancelot Watson, the legendary man who had it built. He was a British Army Officer who had business holdings on Vancouver Island, but he fell in love with the Cariboo. He probably had family money from England.  He was also a shrewd businessman and to the locals, seemed quite eccentric. He was more of an adventurer than a gold seeker and he may have seen himself as a bit of a swashbuckler. He was a tall 6’6″ bachelor, skillful with both guns and horses who could afford to indulge his hobbies. (See Watson Mansion Question # 1).  For example, in about 1907, he purchased one of the first Detroit Cadillacs (for about $850) from Begg Motors in Vancouver and had it shipped to the 108. The story goes that when he got it running, he would drive up Walker Valley and roar out from behind trees and surprise his cowhands who were tending his cattle. He had about 10,000 head at that time, but his big love was horses. He owned polo ponies, sulky horses, and purebred Clydesdale, among others. Some reports say that he had up to 100 Clydesdales, some of which had won awards, ribbons etc. That number seems a lot, no matter, a huge barn was needed and the Watson barn, with 10 double stalls on each side of a corridor was built in 1908 and remains to this day as one of the biggest log barns in Canada. 

After Captain Watson departed during the First World War the Clydesdale barn started to deteriorate from lack of use and repair. Fast forward to 1979, when Block Bros transferred the 7 acre Heritage Site to the Historical Society for $1. The dedication and enthusiasm of that group sought out the necessary funding and grants to have the building restored. In 1988, with money in place, they were able to hire local 108 log home builder Dennis Wick to undertake the restoration project. The building, (160 ft. x 40 ft.) had settled badly, about 40 inches and the bottom 5 feet of logs were rotten and needed replacing. Parts of the roof were missing or had caved in. To begin with Wick and his assistant Kai Remstead had to make the building safe to work in, so they removed the roof and with jacks started to lift the building, inserting hundreds of railway ties.  Many of the original fir logs and beams needed replacement and in the end about three logging truck loads of weathered spruce logs were used where needed. It was tense work at times and every effort was made to preserve the historical integrity of the original barn, including the use of the original materials. As Wick pointed out on completion in 1991, he certainly had a new respect and appreciation for the workmanship, techniques, and dedication of the men who built the original Watson Clydesdale Barn.

Can you name any of the 108 residents who over the years have been recognized for their community service by receiving our Citizen of the Year Award?

Answer:

This award has been presented to 108 residents for their generous community spirit. These are people in our community who have made a difference, perhaps through their talent, volunteerism, philanthropy, or some other contribution or endeavour that has made the 108 the wonderful community it is.

The Citizen of the Year Award was presented from 1982 to 2007, and there are now plans to re-establish this honour. If you would like to be part of the committee please contact us. First let’s salute and thank those great 108’rs who have made those generous contributions in previous years.

1982: Rod Beaton	1982: Gladys McLeod	1983: Len Kellogg
1984: Joy Silk	1985: Mush Mersereau	1986: Al Richmond
1987: Larry Pinkney	1988: Dieter Lier	1989: John Babineau
1990: Frank Thompson	1991: Tom Hieland	1992: Mike Casey
1993: Willie Cole	1994: Pat Babineau	1995: Barney Pallen
1996: Aldythe Blannin	1997: Terry Capnerhurst	1998: Jack Witty
2001: Gwen Colwell	2002: Graham Allison	2003: Bill Bailey
2004: Larry Knutsen	2005: Kathie Knutsen	2006: Peg Rosen
2007: Tom Rutledge	2008: Maryann Rutledge	2018 Ingrid Meyer

These early photos show the 108 Mile Roadhouse. Do you know or want to know about the adventurous and hardy people who lived there, back in those wondrous days of yore?

Answer:

The top building, which was the original 108 Roadhouse, was located on the east side of Highway 97 across from the Heritage Site. Keep in mind that many of the dates used here are close to accurate, but different sources often show slight variations.  However, there is clear evidence that this 108 property known as DL 76 was pre-empted by William James Roper in 1863. Roper was an adventurous Englishman from Dorsetshire and had a business moving freight along the gold trail between Lillooet and Barkerville.  When he first saw the 108 property he was reminded of home, so he made a claim to purchase it. He also considered this to be a wise business decision as this property was well located for miners stopping over on their way to recent gold discoveries in the Horsefly river. However, Roper was not successful with his 108 property plans and in 1886 returned to the freight business and sold the 108 Roadhouse property to Charles M. Beak.  Beak, also an Englishman, originally landed in California and found his way to the Cariboo by driving cattle and later sheep north into B.C.  Along the way he met and married a young girl, Marie Johnson of Glencoe, Oregon.  By this time Beak had some financial means and with his new wife was able to purchase the 108 Mile House and get involved in several other local business enterprises. They operated the Roadhouse, ran cattle, dairy cows and shipped a large amount of butter to Barkerville, where there was a substantial market. For a while, he also owned a butcher shop in Barkerville and had a share in other roadhouses along the way, so he was a very busy and energetic fellow. At some stage, perhaps after a tough winter, Beak concluded that the Cariboo was not well suited to raising beef, so by 1878 the Beaks had moved to the Nicola Valley, near Kamloops.  While the exact dates are a little vague, it is about this time that the nefarious illegal activities of Agnus MacVee and her brother-in-law Al Riley were alleged to have taken place, at what was then known as the ‘108 Hotel’. Now that is whole other story!

According to Lac La Hache post office records, William Walker was the owner and operator of the 108 telegraph permit in 1883, and probably bought the 108 earlier. There is not much information on Walker, although he and his wife Emily seem to have been busy entrepreneurs, operating the store, a blacksmith shop, a stock and dairy operation, the telegraph office and acting as an agent caring for horses for Bernard Express. Many have concluded that our Walker Valley was named after this gentleman.

Around 1890, Walker sold out to Stephen Tingley, owner of BC Express Company, for $2500. Tingley, born in New Brunswick, had come to B.C. in 1861 looking for gold, but had no luck. He took a job as a stage coach driver for the Bernard Express and became known as the “Whip of the Cariboo” for driving stage coaches over the then hazardous roads.  Eventually and somehow, he became the sole owner of the express company and later created a barn service in places like the 108 where he could rest, and rotate the horses used to pull the stage coaches. Tingley installed his son Clarence on the 108 property to run the store and act as agent for the company. In 1892 they tore down the Roper roadhouse/hotel and erected a number of new buildings (post office, log barns, bunk house, and blacksmith shop) on the west side of the road next to the 108 Lake. 

In 1903, the property, now 1000 acres, was sold to Captain Geoffrey L. Watson, a wealthy English army officer. Watson discontinued the 108 as a roadhouse and turned it into a ranch where he bred purebred Clydesdale horses and ran cattle.  During the very early 1900s, the impressive Clydesdale Barn was built for Watson as well as the majestic Watson Mansion.  (For more information about the Watson Mansion see question #1.)

Sadly, Captain Watson was killed in the First War and his estate sold his 108 properties to Lord Egerton in 1917.

Did you know that at the 108 it took a village … a Viking Village … to raise a community?

Answer:

You might have to be an old timer to have heard of the Viking Village at the 108. Chances are excellent that you have seen one of the early Hansen homes or perhaps driven into Hansen Court.

The Hansen Clan’s arrival to Canada began with Svend, who immigrated from Denmark in 1957. Then came the brothers Olaf, the eldest, Willi, and Borge, followed by Svend’s nephew, Mogens, two brothers-in-law, Ivan Peterssen and Frank Christensen, and Svend’s father-in-law, Frants Nielsen. They were all skilled carpenters by trade.

The family had built real estate offices for Block Bros. in Vancouver and through that connection became aware of the business opportunities at the 108 development.

The Hansens and many of their friends came to the 108 in the spring of 1969 when it was all still vacant land. Initially they slept in their trucks, tents, or in a small cluster of cabins located behind the 108 Mall. Nearby they built their manufacturing plant where they assembled many styles of attractive pre-manufactured recreational homes. The Hansen Clan were from Denmark, so naturally the settlement behind the 108 Mall became known as the Viking Village.

There were many more Danes who came and started up businesses and some are still here. Fondly referred to as the “Danish Mafia” they were all extremely hard working and honest individuals who got involved in every aspect of the 108 community.

The Danes had a hand in the construction of most of the 108’s major buildings, starting with the Clubhouse in 1969. The Hansens were also responsible for the construction of the 108 Building Supply mall complex, which officially opened 47 years ago on April 1, 1972 with more than 600 people in attendance for the event.

So, thank you to our mighty Vikings who played such a key role in raising our 108 Community. Here’s a photo of just a few of them in 1972.