Located in the heart of the Nicola Valley, Merritt has long been a hub for trade, transportation, and commerce. From its early days as a stop on the Cariboo Wagon Road to its present-day role as a gateway to the Okanagan and beyond, Merritt has always been a vital link in the economic and cultural fabric of the region.

But Merritt’s history is much more than just a story of commerce and transportation. The area has long been home to a variety of indigenous cultures, with the Nicola Valley serving as a vital trade and transportation route for many generations. In more recent times, the region has attracted a diverse range of settlers and pioneers, drawn to the area by the promise of gold, ranching, and other opportunities.

Today, Merritt and the Nicola Valley are home to a vibrant and diverse community, with a rich history that is celebrated and preserved at the Nicola Valley Museum and Archives. Located in the heart of downtown Merritt, the museum offers visitors a unique look at the people, industries, and cultures that have shaped the region over the years.

Whether you’re a history buff or just looking for a fun and educational way to spend the day, a visit to the Nicola Valley Museum and Archives is a must-see destination for anyone interested in the rich history of Merritt and the Nicola Valley.

Berta Fraser’s parents first settled at Canford and then moved to Merritt in the 1950s. She worked for the Department of Veteran’s Affairs in Ottawa during World War II. After the War Miss Fraser worked at the Bank of Montreal, then the Nicola Valley Sawmill. Later, Berta Fraser worked for the City of Merritt City as treasurer for 16 years before retiring in 1977.

Berta Fraser was active with numerous charitable organizations, including the Cancer Society and Trinity United Church. She supported the “Berta Fraser Adult Day-Care”; Skalula; and a Bursary for Merritt Senior Secondary School students.

Garcia, Jesus (1832-1916)

Jesus Garcia, one of the earliest settlers in the Nicola Valley, was born in Mexico. After a stay in California, he came to British Columbia in 1859 during the Fraser River Gold Rush. He initially drove cattle and packed supplies to the gold miners of the Cariboo. He later operated a freight service and brought cattle over the Coquihalla Pass into the Nicola Valley.

Jesus settled in the Valley in the 1870s, where he established a ranch in 1872, which later became part of the City of Merritt. He married Mary Kroventko and they had fourteen children. Many of their descendants still live in the Nicola Valley.

Ghog, Tara Singh (1922-2002)

Tara was born in the village of Autholi, Punjab, India and came to Canada in his late teens. In 1948, Tara returned to India to meet his wife, Swarn Kaur. When he returned to Canada in 1952, he worked at a portable sawmill in Kamloops until he moved to Merritt in 1959.

Tara built a family forest industry business in the , Aspen Planers, of Merritt, B.C. which expanded to the coast. His sons continue to operate the business. Tara Ghog has also been involved in the community, helping with the Merritt Arena, the N.V.G.H., the Coquihalla-Gillis House, and the building of the old and new Gurdwara (Sikh Temple).

Gillis, Dr. J.J. (1881-1965)

John Joseph Alban Gillis M.D. was born 1881 in Miscouche, Prince Edward Island, graduated in medicine from McGill, and came to Merritt in 1911. Prior to opening his own practice in the Valley in 1911, Gillis worked as a railway doctor for the Kettle Valley Railway.

In 1921, he persuaded his younger brother, Dr. Austin Gillis, to join his practice. J.J. Gillis served as Mayor of Merritt 1925-1928 and as MLA 1928-1952. Merritt Fox Ranch, located on Iron Mountain, was owned by Dr. J.J Gillis, and operated by Charles and Edgar Collett. The current Gillis House in Merritt is named after Dr. John Joseph Gillis.

Guichon, Joseph (1843-1921)

Born in Chambéry, Savoie, France in 1843, Mr. Guichon came to B.C. in 1862 during the Cariboo Gold Rush. After trying mining, he took up ranching. In 1894, Joseph Guichon introduced registered Hereford cattle to the Nicola Valley. Ten years later, he acquired the land on which stands the Quilchena Hotel, built in 1908, and General Store, built in 1913.

Joseph Guichon passed away in April, 1921. By 1923, more property, including the Beaver Ranch, at the north end of Nicola Lake, was acquired. In 1957, the assets of the ranch were divided. In 2014, the Douglas Lake Ranch purchased the Quilchena Cattle Company property.

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Note: Research by Nicola Valley Museum & Archives staff and summer students from Merritt Herald files and personal interviews. Editing by Michael Sasges & Murphy Shewchuk.

Henry Cleasby came to the Nicola Valley in 1887. In 1901, Henry married Matilda Ann Voght, daughter of William Voght. Henry bought the Alexander Coutlee Ranch in 1902 and made a number of improvements to the ranch.

Henry Cleasby was an active member in the community, including being the first chairman of the Merritt School Board in 1907, and a member of the Hospital board. Mr. Cleasby served on the Board of Trade, and the Nicola Valley Ranchers Association. Before his death in 1959, Henry wrote the historical booklet, “The Nicola Valley in Review”.

Collett, Allan (1911-1992)

Allan Collett’s father Jack Collett and his mother Caroline Lobsinger came to Merritt from Ontario in 1898. Allan Collett was born October 31st, 1911. First elected as Mayor in 1952, he remained in office until 1966. He was defeated by George Fillinger in 1967 but served again from 1969 to 1972. In 1973, he left municipal politics for private life, but returned once again as Mayor in 1975, serving until 1978.

While in office, Allan Collett witnessed numerous City improvements including a fully equipped fire hall and library. The area presently known as Collettville was named after the Collett family, and the bridge to Collettville is named “Mayor Allan Collett” Bridge.

Coutlie, Alexander (1826-1901) / Coutlee, Joseph (1867-1945)

Alexander Coutlie came from France to Yale in the early days of the Fraser River Gold Rush. In 1861 he moved to Boston Bar where he married Yentla. They had four children: Joseph, Jesse, Alexander Jr, and Matilda.

The Coutlies moved to the Nicola Valley in 1873, where he built a stopping house west of present-day Merritt. In the 1880’s, Alexander Coutlie built a store, hotel, and a warehouse. When the Blair and Company purchased his store, he retained the hotel and ranch which he ran until he died on January 6th, 1901.

Alexander’s son, Joseph Coutlee, was born in Boston Bar on November 24, 1867. When he finished his schooling, he worked at his father’s ranch and hotel. Joe’s real love however was the cowboy life, which he did from 1895 to 1945. He worked for the Douglas Lake Cattle Company and was known as the “King of Cowboys”. Joe Coutlee died on October 18, 1945.

Dodding, David (1858-1933)

David Dodding was born in Abbeystead, Lancashire in 1858. He married Dorothy Whitaker in 1884 and they moved to Canada in 1901. They purchased the R. M. Woodward ranch in Lower Nicola. The couple had six children: Robert, Bartell, David, William, John and Mary. Dorothy Dodding (Whitaker) died in 1918.

During David’s time in the Nicola Valley, he was active with the Methodist church of Lower Nicola. David also served on the Lower Nicola school board, farmer’s institutes and Stock breeders association. David Dodding Sr. passed away June 7th, 1933 at the age of 74.

Forsyth, Hannah (1906-1997)

Hanna Forsyth was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1906 and came to Canada in 1911. Hannah Forsyth began working for the Doctors J.J Gillis and A.F Gillis as a receptionist in 1928. She also assisted with registrations on Dr. J.J. Gillis’s Black/Silver Fox Farm. Forsyth worked for the Doctors for 37 years, all the while contributing to the Red Cross, RCMP Bone Marrow Fund, and the Vancouver Children’s Hospital.

During the Second World War, the Red Cross formed a unit to supply clothing needed by the soldiers. The local Patricia Rebekah Lodge asked the sisters of the lodge, which included Hannah, to knit vests and long-sleeved sweaters. By 1945, Hannah had knitted 482 sweaters for the Red Cross.

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Note: Research by Nicola Valley Museum & Archives staff and summer students from Merritt Herald files and personal interviews. Editing by Michael Sasges & Murphy Shewchuk.

Gordon Antoine was elected chief of the Coldwater Band in 1975, a position he retained until his passing in 2004. He was involved in the formation of the Nicola Valley Indian Administration (now the Nicola Valley Tribal Council).

Gordon Antoine was also instrumental in promoting aboriginal education, and the development of the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (NVIT) in 1983. Gordon Antoine also served as a director of the University College of the Cariboo (now Thompson Rivers University). Chief Antoine received the Order of British Columbia in 1993.

Carrington, Thomas (1838-1926)

Thomas Carrington was born at Nottingham, England in 1838. He originally moved to the United States with his parents in 1847. After his father’s death, the family moved back to Nottingham. At the age of 17, Thomas Carrington returned to the United States. He later moved to Victoria, B.C., where he married Eliza.

The Carringtons moved to the Nicola Valley in 1872. They ranched at Lower Nicola, and at the foot of Nicola Lake where they established a store in 1886. Thomas Carrington died in 1926. Eliza Carrington died in 1934.

Chapman, James (1836-1920)

James Chapman came to the Nicola Valley in 1871, living for a time in Lower Nicola before moving to land now known as the Collett Ranch. James married Mary Fyall of South Shields, England and they had two children: John Alexander and Euphemia (McInnis).

In 1906, James Chapman retired from his ranch and sold it to John H. Collett. Mary Fyall Chapman died in 1911 at age 68. James Chapman passed away in 1920 at the age of 84. John Alexander had no children and lived for 31 years until his untimely death in 1917. Euphemia McInnes had two daughters and died in 1945 at the age of 71.

Charters; John, William, Robert & James

John Charters, born in 1841, came to the Nicola Valley in 1871 and took up a lot northeast of present-day Merritt. John Charters, Jesus Garcia, William Voght and William Charters established the first ranches in the Nicola Valley. John Charters married Marie Wilkinson and they had two daughters. John died of an accident in 1887.

William Charters came to the Nicola Valley in 1868 with his brother Robert. James Charters came to the valley to join his brothers in 1871. William lived the valley for 37 years before he died in 1905. William’s son Harry ran the ranch after his father’s death.

Clapperton, George Alexander (1848-1932)

George Alexander Clapperton was born near Dublin, Ireland in 1848. He arrived in New Westminister in 1867 and moved to the Nicola Valley in 1870. George married Sarah Jane Woodward, daughter of Henry Woodward in Lower Nicola. He farmed in the Nicola Valley until the 1880’s. His farm was sold to his daughter Sarah’s husband, Harry R. Winny.

George Alexander Clapperton moved to Kamloops where he established a milk business. He lived to be 84 years old and died in December 1932. George’s brother John owned the land where the Nicola Valley stock farm is today and lived there until his death.

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Note: Research by Nicola Valley Museum & Archives staff and summer students from Merritt Herald files and personal interviews. Editing by Michael Sasges & Murphy Shewchuk.

A Brief Biography
by Michael Steele

Engineer and artist, teacher and inventor, the late Heinz Lange was a native of Eisleben, in central Germany. His father was German, his mother, Polish.

Heinz Lange was an engineering and art student before the Second World War; a Luftwaffe (German Air Force) pilot during the war, and a member of one of Gen. Eisenhower’s counter-intelligence agencies, observing the Russians, after the war.

The first Canadian stop for Heinz and his first wife and two daughters was Windsor, Ont. There, he worked in the automotive industry as a design engineer. After a divorce he moved to Kitimat, British Columbia and became part of the engineering team that built the aluminum smelter.

While in Vancouver on a holiday, he met and married Lydia Hienrichs. He decided to leave Kitimat because he thought it no place in which to raise a young family at that time and decided to attend university. He wanted to share his knowledge and put his engineering skills to better use and become an industrial arts teacher.

Heinz Lange never lost his passion for painting and supported his family while attending the University of B.C., as an art teacher, working from his home in Surrey. He had many shows on the mainland during that time.

After he graduated from UBC with honours the family moved to various locations in British Columbia for his teaching assignments, including Hazelton, McBride and Prince Rupert, finally ending up in Merritt. He was made a “Chief of Honour” by the Kispiox people and was given a personal totem and signet ring.

He had a deep respect and admiration for the “First Nations People” and spent a great deal of time with many tribes in all of his travels throughout B.C.

His wife Lydia was a relative of the Nicola Valley Sterlings and, therefore, of William Henry Voght, the “Father of Merritt.” She has a family photograph of Mr. Voght before he came to the valley.”

Heinz Lange taught industrial arts in Merritt Senior Secondary for many years until his health gave out.

He was involved locally in the Rod and Gun Club, Rotary, and the Masons.

He was also an avid inventor and a fierce conservationist, and he was a bit eccentric in his ways, with a passion for art and life. ”

I think that a six-month tour of China as a guest of the Chinese government was one of father’s “amazing accomplishments.”

They asked him to talk about alternate energy sources and of course his ‘wild wind onion’. He spoke at many universities and trade schools in China. It was, I believe, his last major achievement. My father loved life.

His wish as a teacher and for Merritt was to inspire his students to think ‘outside of the box,’ protect the environment and pass on knowledge. He encouraged free thinking and he encouraged people to become more than they are.

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The Great War was a good war for the owners of grassland B.C. horse herds.

The military purchased its first Nicola Valley horses in September 1914, one month after the start of hostilities.

An advertisement in the Sept. 11 1914 Merritt Herald urges horse owners to collect their animals for sale to the British Army.

“ . . . there is no limit to the numbers that will be required and [paid for at] prevailing prices,” the Sept. 11 Merritt Herald and Nicola Valley Advocate commented in welcoming to the valley a British Army buyer.

The first private purchase attributable to the war occurred in October.

“ . . . with so many horses having been bought for army purposes, it has left a scarcity of good farm horse on the prairies, and this is [the buyer’s] reason for coming to the Nicola Valley . . . .”

A private purchase attributable to the war may have occurred in August. The Herald reporter either didn’t ask the buyer why he had bought 100 Nicola Valley animals or didn’t tell readers.

The warhorse stories generated bragging rights.

According to one military buyer, quoted in the June 4 1915 Herald, “horses shipped from the Nicola and Kamloops districts were far superior to any horses that had been bought in Canada.”

An animal sold by John Chelahitsa, chief of the Douglas Lake band, received special notice in the story, and in the annual department of Indian affairs report for 1914/15.

“ . . . the . . . officer . . . buying remounts for the army issued a public statement to the effect that the finest specimen of a horse bought in the interior was found among those bought from the chief of the Doulas Lake band [and was] one bred by himself,” the annual report observed.

A short report on the animals that supplied and transported, and comforted, the soldiers of the First World War is here: http://www.bl.uk/world-war-one/articles/animals-and-war .

Perhaps two million horses and mules transported and supplied the German and British, French and Belgian armies on the Great War’s Western Front. Among images of Canadian warhorses published by Library and Archives on its Internet site are these two, both dated 1917 and both of Canadian Field Artillery animals. Above, a mare and her foal, called Vimy because it was born on the French ridge. Below, horses carrying shells. (The two-million-animal count was published in a new book, Catastrophe: Europe Goes to War 1914, by Max Hastings.)

Michael Sasges
Autumn 2014

Aldermen J.P. Boyd’s Nicola Valley Garage big “Service” car was right on the job when Captains Dixon and Hoy arrived with the first flight into the Nicola Valley on June 29, 1919. Note the “right hand” drive. British Columbia didn’t move over to the other side of the road until 1922. (Photo from private collection of Eleanor MacVicar, Kamloops, B.C., daughter of J. P. Boyd.)

The Spring of 1919 could truly be referred to as the “spring of hope” for the Nicola Valley as well as the rest of Canada.

The “Great War” was over. As the spring rains brought forth the green grass in the Valley and on the hills there was an air of renewed hope for a long period of peace and tranquillity.

Other things added to the feelings of optimism that spring in Merritt and its environs.

The heroes of the war were returning home after having vanquished the hun. Each week saw another one or two of the conquerors return. There was great rejoicing.

Those 45 men who did not make it back were properly remembered by all and considerable efforts were being put forth towards erecting a proper memorial in their honour but this did not in any way serve to dampen the spirits of all segments of the society.

Major C. S. Goldman, that silvery-tongued British Journalist/Politician with considerable means also arrived to make the Nicola Valley his “home”. His talks to the people and rumoured plans to purchase large tracts of land tended to strengthen the faith of the people in their Valley.

It was into this optimistic atmosphere that Captain E. C. Hoy, D.F.C. arrived the evening of June 19, 1919. The Captain’s job was to search out a suitable landing field for a proposed inaugural flight to begin in Vancouver and to end in Calgary.

This “pathfinder trip” was to be made by Captain Hoy and Captain George Dixon, both of Vancouver who had been in the Canadian Army but moved over to the newly-formed Royal Air Force during the War.

Subsequent to the war (to boost Canadian aviation), the Aerial League of Canada was formed. This body along with the Vancouver Air Transportation Company was sponsoring the trip with the hope that it would become a commercial enterprise in 1920.

By the evening of June 20^th, all steps necessary for the proper reception of the flight expected June 28th had been taken. A committee consisting of S. L. Smith, J. P. Boyd. J. W. Ellis, Dr. J. J. Gillis, H. C. Meeker, N. J. H. Brown, D. D. Lapsley. G. B. Armstrong. E. R. Williams. M. A. Durland and Joseph Graham was struck. H. S. Cleasby. Mayor M. R. Grimmett and W. H. Innes were added later. Captain Hoy contacted F. R. Corp and Charles Houston to act as mechanics for the plane if necessary. Mr. Corp and Hugh McKibbon were also charged with the responsibility of marking out the landing strip on Blair field between Merritt and Middlesboro.

Plans were made to have a “tag day” prior to the day of arrival in order to advertise the “great event” and to raise money for the Aerial League. These “tags” would be sold for 25c to adults and 15c to children.

The Great War Veterans Association made plans for a large dance on the evening of the arrival as it was expected that the greatest crowd ever seen in the Nicola Valley would be on hand to witness this historical event.

But, alas, the weather was unkind and required a 24 hour delay in the “hop off” from Chilliwack, arriving in Merritt at 12:25 p.m., June 29, 1919, to the blare of the city siren, the coal companies’ whistles and the horns of automobiles. Even though they were a day late, a good crowd too was hand to greet the pioneer airmen.

After welcoming formalities, the airmen explained the workings of their Canadian Curtis N.J. 4 “aeroplane”, then gave a further demonstration flight around the valley.

After dinner they were taken by automobile to Douglas Lake where they were entertained by Mr. and Mrs. F. B. Ward. On Monday they flew to Armstrong, dropping a package for Mr. and Mrs. Ward as they passed Douglas Lake.

While in Merritt the local business men were advised that plans had been altered and that this flight would proceed only to Armstrong then return to Vancouver via Merritt. On their return they would take passengers for short flights over the city.

A total of $124.20 was raised for the Aerial League of Canada in the sale of tags. Alderman J. P. Boyd’s big “service” car was right on the job with gasoline.

On the return trip from Armstrong July 12, Mr. Boyd, accompanied by Mr. Joseph Graham, Manager of Flemming Coal Company, travelled to Douglas Lake to service the plane. Mr. Graham, taking the opportunity to become the first man of the Valley to take a flight, returned with Captain Dixon to Merritt. Captain Hoy accompanied Mr. Boyd.

During their stay in the valley on this trip, G. B. Armstrong, N. J. H. Brown, Dr. J. J. Gilles, F. B. Ward and his daughter Betty, aged ten, Gordon Ellis, J. W. Ellis. S. L. Smith, J. P. Boyd, L. E. Morrissey. W. C. Cranna, Miss Fay Gay, M. A. Durland. 0. Wilkie, H. S. Cleasby. H. B. McKelvie and Ralph Carrington took flights. It was believed at the time that Miss Ward was the youngest person ever to have flown in Canada. Mr. McKelvie was a travelling salesman and he made the trip from Merritt to Douglas Lake for the purpose of taking an order. It was believed at the time that this too was the “first” use of an aeroplane for this purpose in Canada.

The heroes of the first manned flight in the Nicola Valley flew out for Chilliwack and Vancouver July 14. 1919.

Future flights into the valley would now get little more that yawns, as happened July 27th when Lieutenant Hall arrived. He took Mayor Grimmett, H. C. Meeker. 0. Wilkie, Harry Anderson, Harry Collett, and Noah Boyden for excursion flights but otherwise there was little fanfare.

On July 30th. J. P. Boyd received a telegram from the Aerial League of Canada that there would be another plane arriving for servicing on August 3rd.

The Air Age had truly arrived in the Nicola Valley. (All information in this article has been drawn from the back issues of the Merritt Herald.)

February 28^th, 2019 would have marked the 143th anniversary of the dedication of the Murray Church in Nicola, British Columbia. Instead, the fine old church was destroyed by fire in the early morning hours of January 11, 2019.

As a Eulogy to the church that was, here is a short history of the church and its first pastor, The Reverend George Murray, MA. It is based on information available from a booklet entitled The Churches of The Nicola Valley published in the 1920’s.

In the late 1860’s, the first settlers moved into the Nicola Valley in British Columbia’s Southern Interior, many of them taking up land in the vicinity of Nicola Lake. Among the early pioneers were Edwin Dalley, an Anglican, John and George Clapperton, Irish Presbyterians, and Sam, Ben and Joe Moore, also Irish Presbyterians. A few years later Mr. John Moore, a man in his 70’s and the father of the Moore brothers joined them.

The entrance of British Columbia into Canada in 1871 gave a new impetus to exploration and settlement, and more families began to move into the Interior of the new province. In the meantime, news of the Nicola Valley spread and in the fall of 1872, Thomas Carrington and Thomas Woodward joined the first settlers. Mr. Woodward brought his family with him and Mr. Carrington sent for his the following year.

A Great City…

As more settlers arrived, the village of Nicola began to take shape and the more optimistic looked forward to the day when it might become a great city.

During these earlier years, religious services were few and far between, but in the spring of 1875 the Church of Scotland sent the Rev. George Murray, MA, of Glasgow University to the valley.

The Rev. Mr. McGregor of Victoria accompanied Rev. Murray and on their arrival they stopped at the home of the Clappertons. On discovering who the newcomers were, John Clapperton sent an Indian boy with a message for Thomas Carrington.

“Come over, Tom, and help me receive the Devines.” read the note.

Tom Carrington went over to Clapperton’s house and together the two made the “Devines” welcome.

Reverend Murray, the only Presbyterian minister in the interior of British Columbia, had been ministering to the people of an area extending from Yale to Clinton and touching Ashcroft and Lillooet. With periodic visits to Quesnel and intervening points, his circuit exceeded 600 miles – covered entirely on horseback – and now the Nicola Valley was added to his parish.

Church Built…

A refined, scholarly Scotsman, Rev. Murray accepted the new territory with enthusiasm and soon found his way into the affections of the people. In 1876, with their help, he built the first church in the valley. It was not a very imposing building on the outside, but a comfortable “churchy little church” on the inside. Recorded memories of old-timers, long since passed away, tell of “the days when sixty people were packed in there for worship.”

Six years after completion of the church, Rev. Murray became the first resident pastor in the valley. From Nicola, he made trips to the various surrounding settlements. He held services alternate Sundays as far afield as Stump Lake, Douglas Lake and down the valley to the old 22 Mile House. On special occasions, he held services at Aspen Grove and Mamette Lake. Every other Sunday, he preached morning and evening in the little church at Nicola, and in the afternoon at either Lower Nicola or Forksdale (now Merritt).

Health Failed…

In 1880, the strain of his work began to tell on his health and Rev. Murray accepted a call to St. Andrew’s Church, New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. He remained there for nine years before returning to the valley in 1889. He served the Nicola Valley until 1901 when he was appointed Government Agent and he retired from his duties as pastor of Nicola.

It is interesting to note that at the hour of his death in Vancouver on Sunday morning October 10, 1917, the Centennial Celebration of St. Andrew’s, his New Glasgow parish, was taking place and an address, written by him, was being read.

Much to the regret of the early pioneers, the great city that had been hoped for at Nicola did not materialize. Coal was discovered at Forksdale (Merritt) and with the completion of the railroad into the valley in 1908; Merritt began to grow at the expense of Nicola.

After the Fire…