Volume 8 No. 27
Friday, June 30, 2017
From pulpwood to resorts: RM of Barrier Valley hits 100 on road allowances, where they crossed the swamps and A century ago, when the crossed the tough areas.� RM of Barrier Valley was first Advancements in farm organized, it was a land of technology allowed farms to forests and swamps. Today, grow. They, at first, focused it’s mostly farmland, with on livestock before switching a few resorts on the Barrier to grain. There were grain River system. elevators in McKague and The RM celebrated June 17 Archerwill. with a celebration featuring a In the last 1970s, the RM , social, banquet and recognitogether with the government, tion of noteworthy people. built the first bridge across “100 years is a pretty major the Barrier River that wasn’t milestone. There isn’t that on the highway, allowing many organizations in this farmers on the north side of province that actually celthe river to send grain and ebrate an 100th anniversary,� pick up products on the south said Wayne Black, the RM’s The RM of Barrier Valley celebrated its 100th birthday June 17. Pictured (L to R): RM of Barrier side. It was at that point, Black reeve, a week before the event. Valley council; Kent Knudson, Donald Reed, Jeremy Beuermann, Dennis Brown, Dwight Hagen, said, the two sides of the RM “Anytime somebody reaches Dwayne Sharpen, Doreen Seilstad, and Reeve Wayne Black. photo courtesy of Glenda Smith became one. 100 years, it’s worth a celebra“It really opened up a whole tion. That’s what we’re going to do.� When the RM was formed, urban areas included new era for the municipality.� Because of the terrain, it was difficult for the first Archerwill, Algrove, Barford and McKague. There was Like many rural areas, the RM had been hit by the settlers to travel around the RM. They followed trails also a settlement at Dahlton, which was missed when migration of people into the larger towns and cities. made by First Nations and carved out their own along the rail line came in a few years later. The grain elevators are gone. There’s only one school, the high ridges, building paths out of logs through “Dahlton actually moved the resources that they in Archerwill. There are no car or machinery dealerthe swamps when necessary. They would hunt to get had into the Archerwill area and became a part of ships anymore. The Archerwill Co-op is the mainstay food on the table. Archerwill because of the rail line,� Black said. for its namesake town. The only incorporated village The soil was rocky, making it hard to farm until new There was also another major impediment that left is Archerwill. farming technology and techniques became available. made travel difficult for the settlers – the RM’s name“We’ve gone from a lot of communities to basically “Early, early days, most of the farmers tried to sake, the Barrier River system. one left and it’s startling,� Black said. scratch a living off the land, but pulpwood was a “While it’s an attractive part of our municipality, Yet in the last few years, the RM has seen a lot of major industry in the early years,� Black said. “For it was an impediment for many years,� Black said resort development along Barrier River and Barrier many families, cutting pulpwood was the only way “It was like we had almost two separate areas of the Lake. of getting some cash to run their operations and feed municipality because there was no easy way to get “A lot of our growing tax base, for the most part, their families.� across.� comes from the resort areas,� Black said. “People are For many years, until the end of the Second building not just cabins but homes on the Barrier W World War, the situation remained the same River, Barrier Lake area and, of course, that helps the ffor the RM. municipality from tax revenue.� “When the soldiers came home from the war That’s important in a RM that has a small tax base, iis when you can really see development start yet is required to provide the same type of services as iin the municipality,� Black said. “Machinery RMs with larger tax bases. The reeve said the resorts w was becoming more prevalent at that time and, require different services than the rest of the RM, but aactually, you could start to see roads being built that’s something they are working to provide. By Devan C. Tasa For the Humboldt Journal
Sports
Page 6
Charity
Red Sox win low scoring aair
Page 7
School
Page 12
St. Gregor hosts rally for Parkinson’s
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