2009-12-22

An e-mail from Keith Olson led to our belated discovery of the following obituary. Many of you may remember Gladys from when she was the Camp nurse at Island Falls in 1948-1949. She and her husband, Ross, who was a pilot for HBAT, were married at Island Falls. Barb (Westbury) Olson was their flower girl. Keith reports that Ross is still with us at the age of 80, living and keeping active in Etobicoke, ON.

From the Ottawa Citizen on 4/1/2009:

LENNOX, Gladys (nee Walker) July 11, 1926 - March 30, 2009. It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beautiful mother, adored wife, fiercely proud grandmother, cherished sister, special aunt, treasured friend and colleague in the nursing profession. She is survived by her loving husband Ross. Their 60 years of marriage took them to Flin Flon, the Yukon, Tsawwassen BC, St. Lambert QC, Lindsay ON, Ottawa and Toronto. A graduate of McGill, her nursing career as a practitioner and administrator touched lives in centres from BC to New Brunswick. Forever missed by Ross and their four children: John (Nadia Tichanovs), Chuck, Gina (Richard Shapiro) and Donna-Lee (John Waymann), her grandchildren John-Ross and Scott Lennox, David, Sarah, Megan and the late Michael Shapiro, and Emilee, Kimberlee, Ashlee and Haylee Waymann and her great grandson, Joshua Shapiro. Also survived by brothers Chuck and Jack, and sister Pat (Taylor) and predeceased by her late sister, Honey (Miller). The family would like to thank Dr. Comisarro and the staff at Humber River Regional Hospital for their compassion and empathy during this difficult time. Friends may call at the Turner & Porter Butler Chapel, 4933 Dundas St. W., Etobicoke (between Kipling & Islington Aves.) on Thursday, April 2, 2009 from 7-9 p.m. A celebration of Gladys' life will take place at Kingsway-Lambton United Church (85 The Kingsway, Toronto) at 11:00 o'clock on Friday, April 3. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer Society of Ontario. www.alzheimerontario.org "Mom, the laughter and memories we shared will fill up our lives forever. Until we meet again, have a wonderful journey."

2009-11-15

Bruce Christensen of Melfort, SK has sent us two photos taken with his little old Kodak Brownie in the early 1950's. Help with the exact dates would be appreciated.

The first is of Ed Hagberg, taken at Camp Whitney on Lake Athapap:

The second is of Keith Olson and Bruce's brother, Lowell Christensen, taken on the east side of the Store. The doorway behind them is the entrance to the community cold-storage lockers:

2009-08-20

We have received a set of photos from Gordon Comeau, grandson of Wilf and Jeannette Comeau. Wilf worked on the construction crew in the 1930's and early 1940's. These were taken outside the Catholic Church in Sandy Bay.

2009-05-25

Keith Olson has sent us a copy of a newsletter called the Island Falls Transmitter. It was produced in 1955 from material created by students in the Senior Room and edited by Rose Olson (no relation).

2009-04-14

Walter H. LESLIE
November 24, 1913 - March 27, 2009

Walter died at Rosefield Centre in Innisfail, Alberta with his family at his side. Walter was born in Estlin, SK, in 1913 and moved to Swan River-Minitonas as a child. In 1935 he relocated to work on the building of the Churchill River power house (hydro-electric station). He worked at the power house from where he retired in 1977 - a period of 42 years - during which time he was as a machinist and welder.

While in Island Falls, Walter met and married Myrtle Stevenson. Together they spent 34 years in Island Falls enjoying all the north had to offer; boat building, boating, fishing, cabin building, golfing, curling and hunting. In 1967 Walter and Myrtle moved to Flin Flon, MB, as the power plant was automated. Walter com- muted to Island Falls to work until his retirement in 1977. In 1978 they moved to Sundre, Alberta, where they made many new friends and became active members of Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall. There are many who will miss his sense of humor, games of cribbage and ideas to 'MacGyver' something. Wild rice farming was one of his pastimes, but not too profitable. He liked to rototill the rocky, sandy soil in Sundre, much to Myrtle's dismay. He was known for his beautiful peony beds.

Walter is survived by his two children: Carol (Hank) Marcuk of Spruce Grove, AB, and Pat (Wendy) Leslie of Water Valley, AB. He is also survived by 3 grandchildren: Michael (Nicole) Marcuk of Spruce Grove, AB, Leslie-Ann (Brian) Lakey of Edmonton, AB, and Craig (Charlene) Marcuk of Whitehorse, YT, and is survived by 4 great-grandchildren: Emma and Olivia Lakey, Kieran and Liam Marcuk. Walter is survived by sister-in-law Lucia Anderson of Squamish, BC. Many nieces and nephews in the Swan River area of Manitoba and friends throughout Western Canada who will miss his company and stories. Walter was predeceased by his 4 brothers: Frank, Jim, Edgar and Melvin, his son Tim (1972), his loving wife Myrtle (1992), his granddaughter Kara Gulash (1994), and his nephew Douglas Leslie (2008).

The family wishes to thank the staff at the Foothills Lodge for the 5 years of care and love given to Walter when living alone was no longer an alternative. Early in 2008, Walter was admitted to acute care in Sundre Hospital. Thank you to Dr. Barnsdale and all the staff for the compassionate care. In October, 2008, Walter was transferred to long term care at the Rosefield Centre, Innisfail. Thank you one and all for your loving care of our father, grandfather and great-grandfather.

A memorial Service was held at the Kingdom Hall in Sundre, AB on Saturday, April 4, 2009 at 2 PM. A Reception followed. Flowers were gratefully declined; in lieu, tributes in Walter's memory may be made to the Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall, Sundre, AB, or to STARS Air Ambulance, Central Alberta Branch.

2008-12-21

Here is a great group of photos, old and new, from Plant operator Grant Berge.

2008-07-07

A very nice set of photos submitted by Donna Pyne Martin of Rosebud, AB is now linked to the Pyne family history page, or you can view them by clicking here. We are especially pleased to receive these photos because almost all of the ones on this site were taken during the Rutherford era at Island Falls, which ended in 1957, ten years before automation. We would like to be able to display more photos from the final decade of habitation at Island Falls.

2008-03-11

Once again, Keith Olson has been busy with his scanner and sent us some nice coloured photos dating back to the late 1950s and early 1960s. You can view them in several locations on the Website: at the bottom of the Sandy Bay and Adults in the 50s and 60s pages, and the Families pages for the Graysons and Goodwins.

2007-12-23

Our old Guestbook was a success until it was spoiled by "graffiti" and we had to deactivate it. We have just added a New Guestbook which is supposed to be SPAM-proof. So readers will once again be able to post comments directly, rather than sending an e-mail to us for posting, which apparently discouraged readers, as postings pretty well dried up. We've kept the old Guestbook because a lot of people still like to read it. Please have a look at the New Guestbook which has a link to the Old Guestbook. We'd like you to add some comments, even if you've done it before.

2007-10-06 (from the Winnipeg Free Press)

MARGARET ESTHER MCINNES: 1928 - 2007

Our wife and mom passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her loving family. She will be greatly missed by her husband (Jack) of 56 years and her four daughters, Jacquie, Cindy, Suzanne, Mona (Leon) and her favourite son, Sandy (Brenda); seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Margaret had a full life; one she thoroughly enjoyed. Her younger days were spent golfing, curling and playing bridge. In between she managed to raise five children. And she was always proud of her bountiful (and delicious) garden. Departing from Warren was difficult with giving up curling and leaving so many close friends. Her greatest joy was when the whole family got together. We had so much fun in each other's company, whether playing games, cooking meals, singing songs or simply being together. We are going to miss our wife and mother so much. But we know she's at peace now and no longer in pain. The angels will be taking care of her now. We want to thank the doctors and nurses at St. Boniface Hospital, and especially thank the Palliative Care team for all the help and care they provided for our wife and mother, allowing us to fulfill her ish to remain at home until the end. Rest in peace Mom. We love you and miss you. There will be a private family service. If people so desire, donations can be made to: WRHA Palliative Care Program, St. Boniface General Hospital, A5024 409 Tache Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R2H 2A6.

2007-08-30

Pat Donaghy has sent us several aerial photos of The Camp in winter and summer.

2007-08-26

Earlier this month, Diane Jensen and John Evans, the children of Helen Davis Evans, flew from Salt Lake City to Winnipeg, then drove to Flin Flon, where they met Tim Davis, eldest son of Bud Davis. Tim escorted them up to The Falls where they had not been since they were children visiting their grandparents Rees and Chlo Davis in the 1950's. Tim kindly sent us some photos taken on the trip to share with you.

2007-08-05

We know that several ex-Island Falls families spend part of each summer up on the Churchill. Our thoughts are with you. For the benefit of us who are far away and cannot be there, it would be much appreciated if you would send news and photos of your latest visit to the old stomping grounds on the Churchill River - for publishing of course.

2007-07-27

We have received another batch of photos from the Ferg collection, thanks to Gord Ferg.

2007-07-22

Kjell Hvidsten: 1926 - 2007

Kjell Hvidsten was born in Arendal, Norway on April 8, 1926 and passed away on July 5, 2007, where he wanted to be, at his red cottage by the lake at Denare Beach, Saskatchewan with his wife Sissel by his side.

He completed all of his education and military training in Norway. After a trip down to the Antarctica for eight months to hunt whales, he married Sissel on July 5, 1950. They left for Canada in the fall one year later. They then spent a couple of years in Winnipeg and had their first son Frank. They then headed north to Island Falls where Kjell worked at the power plant for HBM&S. After spending 13 wonderful years there and having children Sissel, Shelley and Hans, Kjell was transferred to Flin Flon in 1966. Kjell joined the Lions Club and also had another son, Chris. He continued to work for HBM&S until he retired in 1991. He had many wonderful years travelling, meeting new people and also enjoying the lake with his children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, the birds, foxes, and the odd bear.

He will be missed by many, but most of all by his wife Sissel, his children Frank (Linda), Sissel (Duane), Shelley (Keith), Hans (Lori) and Chris (Shannon), and the grandchildren Crystal, Eric, Casey, Cody, Lindsey (Darren), Cheyanne, Hanna and great grandchildren, Devan and Noah.

A private family service will be held at a later date. Memorial tributes may be made to the charity of Lutheran Church Memorial or to the Manitoba Heart & Stroke. The family of Kjell Hvidsten wishes to thank friends from near and far for their care and compassion during our time of sorrow. Your generosity is very much appreciated and will never be forgotten. A very special thank you to the Lions and also to Dana and Bayley for their comforting words and understanding.

Thank you, Sissel Hvidsten and family

2007-03-21

In Loving Memory of
Ernie H. Westbury

Born in Brandon, Manitoba
on March 29th, 1916
Passed away in Kelowna, British Columbia
on March 11th, 2007
at the age of 90

Memorial Tea
Thursday, March 15th, 2007 from 2~4 P.M.
Sunpointe Village 700~Rutland Road N.

Burial
Ernie was laid to rest earlier today
at Kelowna Memorial Park Cemetery

Officiating : Rev. Shono Ghosh

2007-03-19

NOTICE OF PASSING: MRS. CHARLOTTE WILLEY

After suffering with Alzheimer's disease for more than a decade, our mother, Mrs. Charlotte Willey, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, March 6, 2007 in Parkstone Nursing Home in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Mom was 94 and was predeceased by her husband, Tom, who died on October 8, 1996 at home: 200 Waldron Avenue in Flin Flon.

While living in both Island Falls, and Flin Flon, Mom was an enthusiastic supporter of community activities including Girl Guides and the Horticultural Club. She was proud to be a life time member of the Catholic Women's League. She was also an expert seamstress and was known for finding beauty in everything.

In 1998, just a year and a half after dad's death, illness required that Mom be placed in a home for the elderly, and the family chose Halifax where she would be close to family members. That departure from Flin Flon, and from her many friends there, was difficult for her. She welcomed cards from, and news of, the friends she had left behind.

Alzheimer's really is the long goodbye; over the years, we felt her gradually slipping away from us. She was our Mom and we were her girls. We loved her and she loved us with a constant and unconditional love. She was very deeply a woman of faith. We only hope that her kind and gentle spirit can in some way live on in each of us. Perhaps that is the only thing that Alzheimer's couldn't take away from her.

Charlotte will be lovingly remembered by her four daughters: Betty (Sister Diane), Judy, Hazel, and Brenda as well as by her sons-in-law: Dennis and John; her grandchildren: Steven, Jennifer, Maureen, Kevin, Ryan, Johanna and Andrew; and great grandchildren: MacKenzie, Jakob, Bronwen and Micheal. She was predeceased by her son-in-law, Bill.

Father Denis Bourbonnais will hold a special funeral mass in Charlotte's memory at St. Anne's Roman Catholic Church, 163 Centre Street in Flin Flon on Easter weekend. She was cremated and her ashes will remain in Halifax. The date of her death will now be engraved under her name on Tom’s tombstone in Flin Flon.

In Memoriam Donations can be made to the Alzheimer Society of Canada in care of the Dadson Funeral Home, 20 Highway 10A, Flin Flon, Manitoba, R8A 1N5; Phone Number: 204-687-5821; Toll Free: 1-877-460-2444; Fax Number: 204-687-4058 Email: dfh@mts.net Website: http://www.dadsonfuneralhome.com/home.html

OR directly to the Alzheimer Society of Canada 20 Eglinton Ave. W., Ste. 1200, Toronto, ON M4R 1K8 Donate online: http://www.alzheimer.ca/english/help/donate_intro.htm

Family members can be contacted through Hazel and Dennis Young, 608 Besserer Street, Ottawa, ON KIN 6C9 Phone: (613) 789-3193 - E-Mail: dyoung3193@rogers.com

2007-03-11

Glenn Grigg
1925 - 2007

Glenn Grigg of Calgary, passed away peacefully in his sleep at the Beverly Centre Glenmore on Monday, March 5, 2007 at the age of 81 years.

He is survived by his sons, Gerry Grigg and his wife Susan of St. Albert, and Mike Grigg and his wife Susan of Calgary; grandson David; his brother Murray Grigg of Winnipeg, MB. Glenn will also be remembered by Gurli Albrecht and her family of Calgary.

Private Services will be held. If friends so desire, memorial tributes may be made directly to the Alberta Cancer Foundation, c/o Tom Baker Cancer Centre, 1331 - 29 Street N.W., Calgary, AB T2N 4N2 (Telephone 403-521-3433) or The Alzheimer Society of Calgary, Suite 201, 222 - 58 Avenue S.W., Calgary, AB T2H 2S3, (Telephone 403-290-0110, www.alzheimercalgary.com ).

To email expressions of sympathy: ccfsco@telusplanet.net, subject heading: Glenn Grigg. HERITAGE FUNERAL SERVICES "Calgary Crematorium Chapel" Telephone: 299-0111.

2007-02-13

In 1937, Pat Donaghy of Norland, Ontario was in Channing to watch a takeoff of the huge Junkers JU-52 Flying Boxcar. He sent in his story, which is published elsewhere on this Site, along with these two photos (we don't know the source).

2007-02-08

We have received over 20 coloured photos from Keith Olson. Most of them have been added to the bottoms of the following pages: The Sandy Bay Page, Adults in the 50's and 60's, and Airplanes at Island Falls. Thanks very much, Keith.

2007-02-06 Wade Bryson, Hydro Station Operator at Island Falls, sent us this photo of the Plant taken yesterday. The temperature was minus 43 in ice fog. [click to enlarge]

2007-02-03

Thanks to Gord Ferg for sending us these photos from his dad's (Stan's) large collection. We hope there are more to come. [click to enlarge]

Clockwise: Stan Ferg (red hat), Paul Morin, Cyril Daniels, Charlie Bear and Leonard Ray.	A sad day - the demolition of The Hall.		Slim Woods.

2007-01-18

Reverend Ray Horsefield, born in 1902, was an Anglican minister in the north from the 1930's to the 1970's. He retired to Sidney, BC where he passed away in 1985. Flora Morin Smigel and her husband, Dale, looked after him in his old age.

Horsefield taught himself to speak and write Cree, and became an expert in the language. He had a special typewriter with Cree syllabic keys that he used to translated the bible. He was also known for broadcasting radio messages in Cree from radio station CFAR in Flin Flon.

See our Table of Contents page to read his account of a trip to Island Falls via boats and portages.

Flora sent us this copy of a print which she remembers hung on the wall in Reverend Horsefield's home in Sidney. The artist is unknown. [click to enlarge]

2007-01-13

You'll have to go way back to remember the Gordon Parker family, who left Island Falls in 1946.

Happily, we've been in touch with their son, Lorne, now living in Oklahoma. His sister Gay is in Michigan.

Lorne sent this photo of himself with his wife Alice and two of their five children, Alex and Ryan.

More about the Parkers can now be seen on one of our Family photos pages.

2007-01-12

We are always pleading for photos, and Doug Boyes has set a good example by sending in these ones taken in the 1950's and 60's. Thanks, Doug! They will also be placed, with captions, on appropriate pages in the People photos section, in due course.

[Click to enlarge.]

2007-01-07

We would like to recognise Flora Morin Smigel for being very helpful in sending us another picture for our Sandy Bay page. Photos of this kind have been very difficult to find, probably because cameras were rare amongst Sandy Bay people.

2007-01-02

The October/November issue of Route North Roots magazine has a story on the use of Linn tractors during the construction period at Island Falls, 1928/1929. There is also a copy of the story posted on our Linn Tractors page.

2006-12-31

Those of you using Microsoft Internet Explorer as your browser have had a problem with a number of pictures showing up as blank frames. This problem is now fixed, so have a look for new pictures in the People Photos section at Photos of Adults, and Teams.

2006-12-13

In case you have not looked through the list of documents published on the Site for a while, here is a notable quote from our latest posting, a 1970 article on automation written by Montreal engineer, C. Humphreys:

"From 1930 to 1965, complete outage time [of the Island Falls power plant]  totalled approximately 8h, a truly astounding availability record of 99.997% to meet scheduled essential loads. This was undoubtedly the result of initial care in plant design, conservative component ratings, and an extremely well planned and executed programme of routine maintenance throughout the years."

Superintendent Rees W. Davis, who led the design engineering team and the operating and maintenance staff of the CRP Co., must be given much credit for this achievement. We are waiting to be informed whether or not SaskPower has been able to match this production record since taking over the Plant in 1981....

Thanks to Keith Olson for submitting the article.

2006-09-19 Jeff Russell took this set of aerial photos of Island Falls from his brother Jim's airplane in August, 2006.

2006-08-12

Dennis Young sent us this photo of three of the four Willey girls, daughters of Charlotte and Tom Willey. Itwas taken at his home in Ottawa in July, 2006.

L. to R.: Brenda, Judy and Dennis' wife, Hazel. (Missing: Betty).

[Click to enlarge]

2005-12-14

Doris Isabelle Bracken
October 11th, 1916 - December 11th, 2005

It is with sadness that we announce the death of Doris Bracken, who passed away after a brief illness in Saskatoon. She was born on the family farm in the Brandon Hills district, Manitoba and married Kenneth Bracken in 1936 and moved to. Winnipeg, In 1940 they moved to Island Falls, Saskatchewan and made their home until moving to Flin Flon In 1967. Following her husband's death in 1970 she moved to Saskatoon where she resided until her passing. She enjoyed all sports, especially following football. She enjoyed crossword puzzles, cross stitch, and dearly loved her time with family, especially her great granddaughters. Her pink cookies will be missed this Christmas. Doris is dearly loved and remembered by her only daughter, Joan (Joe) Kulbida of Saskatoon; three grandsons and four great grandchildren: Mark (Jane) and their daughters, Ketlie and Katlin; Todd (Sherry) and his daughter, Amy; Scott (Leanne) and his daughter. Jordan; three sisters-in-law: Wilma Nicol, Violet Nicol and Joan Nicol; also several nieces, nephews and cousin, She was predeceased by her husband. Ken; parents, Robert and Isabella; and her seven siblings. In lieu of flowers, memorials would be appreciated if directed to the Sask. Lung Assoc. (1231-Sth Street East, Saskatoon S7H OS5). It was Doris wishes to be cremated and no service to be held in her memory. She will be placed to rest with her husband in the Brandon Cemetery at a later date. Condolences may be emailed to www.mourningglory.ca. Arrangements are in care of John Schachtel - MOURNING GLORY FUNERAL SERVICES - Saskatoon (978-5200)

2005-09-21

Keith Olson reports they've had a busy summer. After spending almost two months at their cabin on the Churchill River, they went through the process of moving his mother, Irene, out of her long-time home in Calgary. She stayed with Keith and Barbara in East Selkirk, Manitoba for a while till they got her a place close to them and the grandkids. Her new home is a suite in Woodland Courts in Selkirk. Keith says that she is doing okay, but is confused about most things most of the time. Her short term memory is really bad but she is still good with the old days memories. She would appreciate a call or visit from anyone passing through: 204-785-1870.

Our first news report is from Wade Bryson, grandson of Jim Woods of Island Falls.

2005-09-19

Hello Dave,

When I left a note in your guest book close to two years ago I wrote something to the fact that "We would take good care of the ol' gal (powerhouse)" . This is just a little note to let you know what we have been facing up here at The Falls.

I am not sure if you have been following the current water situation at Island Falls or not. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the plant, and how fitting to mark the anniversary as to have recorded breaking flows on both the Churchill River and the Reindeer River systems. We have hit 2300 cubic meters/second flows which converted would be around 81,190 cubic feet/second. Normal flows are around 22,000 - 24,000 cfs.

We have been running an operating crew 24/7 since the end of Aug, and as luck has it I am stuck on nights right now. I was just going through some of the pic's we have been taking and thought maybe you would like to add a couple to your web site? I also took a brief video of the current flow @ A-dam 1896 cms (66,928 cfs). Its only less than 30 sec I believe but you definitely get an idea what we are up against. The flows have been slowly tapering off so we are taking a little sigh of relief here. [Note: we have asked Wade to send us this clip for display here]

The tail water is approx. 16' - 17' higher than normal. The tail race deck has been awash for close to a month now. All our louvers on the deck have been boarded up and sealed off to prevent water from flowing into the power house from the tailrace. In the pump room we had to build bulkheads around where A & B units draft tubes are visible from the floor. The water would be around 18" higher than the floor in the pump room and the wind tunnel, which connects the turbine pits on units 1-6.

We lost our road into the power house also at the end of Aug. We built the road up by Tower 13 five to six feet in order to make it passable again. Most of us have had only a couple of days off since middle of Aug.

Wade Bryson
Hydro Station Operator, Island Falls Generating Station
(306)-754-2101 (306)-754-2265 Fax
wbryson@saskpower.com

Click here to see a 25-second movie of the unusual A-Dam flow. Warning: large file -- for High-Speed connections only!

If you enjoy looking at this site,
why not contribute $ via PayPal to help keep it on the Internet?