The Basin Record Newsletter Vol.3 Issue 1

Basin Biography Keith Huscroft June, 1965. To nine year old Keith Huscroft the school days seemed endless. This summer was going to be the most exciting ever! In a few days he would be joining his father Bill, Uncle Bob, Uncle Waddie and their sons on the annual cattle drive with his very own horse. Everyone was working long hours on their respective ranches in Lister, B.C., taking advantage of the extended days the wide Creston valley provided to prepare the cattle for the two day trek. For the past fifteen years the three Huscroft brothers had shared about 120 cow –calf units on the Boundary Lake summer range located between Boundary Lake and Priest Lake. This was about fifteen km. due south of the not yet constructed Salmo-Creston Summit on Hwy. #3. Getting out of bed extra early on the designated Saturday morning was easy for young Keith. The operation required about 20 people – eight on horseback – and three pick-up trucks to haul supplies and to gather up any late- born calves that found the steep climb up the mountain road too much for their young legs. Adventure, or misadventure, started for Keith and his cousins the moment the cattle from all three ranches merged and headed for Rykerts and the Canada Customs at the U.S. border. Filing of endless paper, brand checking, border security and clearance for all involved were still decades in the future; all that was expected today was a friendly nod to the customs official. What a sight for the curious on-looker with Rykerts flooded by a river of noisy cattle; the sound of more than 500 hooves solidly hitting the hard-packed dirt street; hooves sucking through mud on damp lawns and gardens; and the dust hanging over the town long after the swishing tail of the last cow was seen heading for the ferry! The first major challenge was herding the cattle onto the cable-steered paddle driven ferry at Porthill, the safest and easiest crossing of the wide Kootenay River. Their route had been west bound across the valley just a few hundred feet south of the border. After 3-4 ferry crossings and a brief rest the route took them back into Canada, connecting with a narrow old logging road along Boundary Creek to Boundary Lake. The road followed the contours of Rykerts and Huscroft (named after Dennis Huscroft who lost his life in WW II) mountains. This leg of the journey took careful handling of the cattle, horses and the pick- up trucks. A misstep by a careless animal or driver could be fatal – sending them 250 feet down to the creek below. By now the excitement was diminishing, replaced by hunger and tired muscles. The first night was spent at Ernie Shunter’s, a long-time prospector up Boundary Creek. Ernie had, over the years, added a few cabins for sleeping near his own quarters and cookhouse. Sometimes Ernie himself would show off his culinary skills by cooking mountains of flapjacks on his old wood stove for his 20 hungry guests before daybreak the next morning. An early start and long day would see one and all to Boundary Lake, with the cowboys on horseback herding the cattle beyond the lake toward Priest Lake. Acouple of the older boys would spend most of the summer keeping the cattle in the high pasture, well away from Boundary Lake and the rustic Forest Service camp ground. Not all the cows preferred the peaceful high country. A few followed their tracks down the mountain to the west side of the Kootenay River and patiently waited for the obliging ferry operator to come and get them. Over the years he made more than a few phone calls to one of the Huscroft brothers to come get their property. One time more than a dozen braved the Kootenay River and the surprised Customs official found Huscroft cattle contentedly bedded on his lawn. Over the years, many laughs, memories and adventures were experienced, such as the time a glass gallon jar of sourdough pancake batter protested the heat and rough road by exploding all over the inside of Uncle Bob’s pick-up! Luckily, all made the cattle drives safely; one time overloading the ferry to the extent that over a foot of water was flowing over the ferry deck as they crossed the Kootenay River. Eventually, after the ferry at Porthill was removed in 1970, the noisy multi-wheeled cattle haulers were used to haul the cattle up Highway #3 over the new Salmo- Creston pass to their summer range. The border towns of Rykerts and Porthill progressed to paperwork, inspections and computers. The boyhood adventures were over, but Keith’s memories still happily remain.