Bill Robinson. He was a miner, a trapper, a carpenter….well more than a simple carpenter, I guess an engineer of sorts, because he planned his home, and built it, fisherman,gardener and a fellow creature of all things nature.
I have searched and searched, dug through web archives and physical archives and have only a small bit of the man’s life. And that bit only tells of his existence at 22 Mile.
21 Mile is a point that is literally, 21 miles from Hope. That is where Bill Robinson carved a homestead out of the forest right smack dab beside the Sumallo River. The Sumallo winds alongside the Crowsnest Hwy and is quite beautiful all on its own. The river is many miles long, but resembles a creek as it is on average 12 feet across and has many bends and turns in it. It is one of the many narrow rivers close by that are consistently being fished for it’s multitudes of Trout. Mmmmm, pan fried trout…
Bill Robinson named his homestead Camp Defiance. He built his cabin, a second smaller cabin and a cook house/storage shed, all from the forest around him.
A man after my heart.
I wonder what he thought when he realized that the Hope Princeton highway aka Crowsnest Hwy, aka #3 Hwy, was going to be built meters from his home in 1949. Here is a link with a bit of information, some very cool older photographs of Bill, his friends, his Camp Defiance and some beautiful watercolour paintings: Camp Defiance
I grabbed Kelsie and we drove up the highway to snag some photos and do some planning. When the snow is gone, and it’s a bit warmer we are going to cross the creek and go exploring on Bill’s old homestead. Maybe even camp there for a night or two!
After driving this highway hundreds of times, we noticed something neither of us had before. Was it the remnant of an old stone chimney, or a monument of sorts? I don’t know, but am determined to find out!
A few blocks from home we stopped on the banks of the Coquihalla River to suck in some of the sun straining through the clouds. It was a vast difference from the grey and pissy days we’ve had of late.
More heart rocks…
Don’t forget about the super duper Full Moon tomorrow night! And enjoy your weekend!
Colleen, looks like a cool time you had doing some exploring!!! The pictures are remarkable! What type of camera do you shoot with? I enjoy looking at old homesteads...and to think they were ALL built by hand...is a feat in itself...using animals to haul the timbers, not having any type of power tools...wow...very impressing!!! Keep up the good pics...BUT where are the pups??? :-)
ReplyDeleteI had a blast today!
ReplyDeleteI think about the physical toil that went into making a cabin as small as Bill made, and am boggled. And then he made a couple more!
My camera is a simple canon powershot s3is. No added lens, just the one that came with it. I am coveting a couple of lenses though!
Dog day afternoon tomorrow!