Category: Barns and Old Buildings


Horseless carriage

The downtown historical society run tourist info center enjoys the employ of summer students every summer. The facility is equipped with maps and trail guides as well as offering free coffee or tea.
Supporting young people with summer jobs while studies are in abeyance is a Canadian tradition.
The manager and staff can point out the local stuff and help with gasoline ,car issues as well as give a  tour a turn of the 20th century residence.

Baillie house

Two summer students,
at the Edwardian era historic house: The Baillie House
File Photo KDG

On this Day: June 16th 1891
John Abbot becomes the Prime Minister of Canada.

TGIF- Glen Campbell

 

The country singer Glen Campbell visited Merritt for the Merritt Mountain Music Festival . He left a set of hand prints in a concrete star that was placed in a viewing stone in front of the Merritt News building, on Granite and Voght. The Merritt News moved to the new part of town and left the iconic image in front of the building.

The building has been left mostly empty for a number of years. A sore confusion with the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame being around the corner.

Glen Campbell was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2011 , and now lives in a home. The Walk of Stars that Glen’s star belongs to is on city property.( side walk tour)

Glen Campbell was married four times and has two intervening children.

Country singers

A star handprint from the walk of stars in Merritt.
File Photo KDG

A source says the building is being renovated for a retail operation. The stars are being cleaned and repainted about town at this writing.

The Merritt news eventually ceased publishing with its parent The Kamloops Daily News.

There is a Tanya Tucker mural on the north side of the building being renovated. The mural was done by Michael Loughery  and signed by Tanya Tucker in 2006.
On this Day: June 3rd 1937
The Duke of Winsor marries an American divorcee, Wallis Simpson.


The old substation off Voght is demonstrably going away with equipment on site removing the obsolete decades old transformers and structures. The new one was opened last fall and can be remotely operated from the Fraser Valley with a dish aimed at the towers on Iron Mountain.
The project occurred in the same time frame as the third 500 KV line to the Lower Mainland from the Revel stoke dam area.
The Merritt substation project includes an upgrade of a 61 KV line to the highland Valley and its biggest consumer the giant Teck, Highland Valley copper mine. The upgrade is to a 138 KV line coming from the Merritt Green Energy Project a 40 KV wood over steam electric generator that will burn green wood waste from three local mills. Sources say that the contractor is hoping to turn the keys over to the operator next year possibly March. The Merritt Green Energy Project is licensed by BC Hydro and uses public transmission lines.
The project created a lot of jobs including many members of the local First nations bands. It also generated ongoing relationships with band governments.
The lines for the green energy project are a this moment in progress to the Green Energy project including a crossing by the Osprey nest on Highway 8 coming into Merritt from the west. The ospreys returned to a cleaned off nesting platform this spring but rebuilt it in the shadow of ropes and new poles going up around them.

On this Day: May 24th 1626

Peter Minuit buys Manhattan for tools Wampum and other wares.

Rocking on the river

Lowlands of Coldwater river, on way to festival grounds has log home... File photo KDG

Lowlands of Coldwater river, on way to festival grounds has log home…
File photo KDG

Kenney Hess and his country crowd is having a festival on the grounds of the old Merritt Mountain festival again this summer.
the Merritt Rockin river festival is on July 28th-31st 2016 and feature Sam hunt, Dean Brody, Randy Houser John Michael Montgomery and many more.
The festival grounds are on the Ewalt ranch, east of Merritt and include the Coldwater river meandering through on its way to meet the Nicola river.
The area was a center for coal mining from the end of the 19th century and looks down into the Nicola Valley and ghosts its railway roots.
Kenney Hess is a Canadian performer from the lower mainland of BC and has been a stalwart for country music at previous Merritt Festivals.
Tickets are at Riverfest.ca.
Some campsites are sold out now there is a comprehensive list of protocols at the organizers web site including:”You can consume alcohol in your campsite, but you are not permitted to walk around the campgrounds or on roadways with alcohol. Alcohol will be confiscated and not returned and you could be subject to removal from the festival grounds.”

Editors Note: please think in terms of respecting neighboring property and enjoyment rights when planning to attend  or explore about Merritt. There are two travel info centers here to help you with the planning. As well there is a Chamber of Commerce office at city hall on Voght street Merritt..

On this day: May17th 1994
Malawi has its first multi party elections.

Nicola Avenue upgrade

r

Water and sewer File photo KDG

Water and sewer
File photo KDG

The city works foreman was walking up Nicola Avenue with blueprints under his arm on Monday. The city is starting a needed upgrade of the infrastructure in the Nicola Avenue. The road is highway 8 or 97C and a funding arrangement was made with the provincial highways branch to pay for the upgrade. local residents will be affected by signage and construction as well as the Old Court House Gallery and the Love to Dance studio.
Merritt is progressive in water and discharge pipe upgrades and summer rarely goes with out a project.

On this day: May 3rd 2000

The sport of geocaching begins using GPS markers.

Wood tick

Horses can carry ticks in the spring File :Photo KDG

Horses can carry ticks in the spring
File :Photo KDG

We found a tick on us after going through some tall grass near new construction on the North end of Merritt this week. The dry grass at this time of year is often a transfer point for ticks. Dogs can bring them into your home.
Multiple ticks were also reported on persons hiking in the Southern hills about the town here.
Ticks can carry Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

Rocky Mountain spotted fever, like all rickettsial infections, is classified as a zoonosis. Zoonoses are diseases of animals that can be transmitted to humans. Some zoonotic diseases require a vector (e.g., a mosquito, tick, or mite) to be transmitted from the animal host to the human host. In the case of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ticks are the natural hosts, serving as both reservoirs and vectors of R. rickettsii. Ticks transmit the organism to vertebrates primarily by their bites. Less commonly, infections may occur following exposure to crushed tick tissues, fluids, or tick feces. Source Wikipedia

When in doubt consult a medical professional.

On this day: April 13th 1997
Tiger Woods becomes the youngest ever Masters champion…

Filled in swimming pools are less of a risk to personal liability. File photo KDG

Filled in swimming pools are less of a risk to personal liability.
File photo KDG

Attractive nuisance is a liability owners, hazards open to view need a certain amount of diligence.

The attractive nuisance doctrine applies to the law of torts, in the United States. It states that a landowner may be held liable for injuries to children trespassing on the land if the injury is caused by an object on the land that is likely to attract children.[1] The doctrine is designed to protect children who are unable to appreciate the risk posed by the object, by imposing a liability on the landowner.[1] The doctrine has been applied to hold landowners liable for injuries caused by abandoned cars, piles of lumber or sand, trampolines, and swimming pools. However, it can be applied to virtually anything on the property of the landowner.

There is no set cut off point that defines youth. The courts will evaluate each “child” on case by case basis to see if the “child” qualifies as a youth.

If it is determined that the child was able to understand and appreciate the hazard, the doctrine of attractive nuisance will not likely apply.[2]

Source Wikipedia:
The regional district is having a free dump day for the rural dump transfer stations of the 11 communities this month. There is a schedule of days at the local library.
On this day: April 6th 1869
A Patten is issued for celluloid.

Exercising valves

Exercise water valves

Exercise water valves by turning

Photo KDG

 

No not casting out devils, but turning the water valves buried below the roads so they are able to function when needed.This city worker estimates that there are about 700 valves in the city in the main water lines. They do not exercise the valve that is near your sidewalk as there is a cost benefit to be considered.

If there is a waterline failure at your home the liability rests at the valve, anything on the other side of the valve is the homeowners cost to repair. The trench from the sidewalk to the home itself can be thousands of dollars in machine time.

water pipes,copper Can be a large expense item File photo KDG

Water pipes,copper, can be a large expense item File photo KDG

On this day: April 5th 1949

Fireside Theater debuts on PBS.

 

TGIF-105 years old.

Merritt BC incorporation File :Photo KDG

Merritt BC incorporation
File :Photo KDG

The City of Merritt is Incorporated on this April 1 1911,a going concern.

Photo KDG

DSC_5947

DSC_4839

pow wow at 1915 drill hall

 

 Merritt BC was incorporated in 1911, business followed  Photo KDG

Merritt BC was incorporated in 1911, business followed
Photo KDG

On this day: April 1st 1960
Dr. Martens releases his model 1460 boots, the first of his line.

Country Church

Happy Easter Photo KDG

Happy Easter
Photo KDG

There is a little country church about 5 minutes north of Merritt BC at the head waters of the Nicola River coming from Nicola lake. It is said to have been the first of its kind in the valley that was mostly contacted by Europeans in the 4 quarter of the 19th century.
The little church has posted a service notice for the Sunday the 27th at 2PM. It will be done by the minister of the local United Church in Merritt.
Of course its next to the Nicola ranch, and some old buildings as well. Buildings including a court house (unused),a main residence and a store. But the best thing is that this time of year there may be some calf’s being born in the fields and eagles will be trying to steal the birthing remains for a tasty snack. If the weather is cooperating the glint of sunlight on many items will be a visual treat. There may be cowboys about and a Sunday hush will be over the expanse of field and rock. A peaceful mood of rest in the old church graveyard may highlight the bent markers and give an onlooker a key to understanding how toil and hope work together to promise a future then seal the accomplished with stone and rest.

DSC_8795

Happy Easter Photo KDG

The church is known as the Murray Church and is on highway 5A leaving Merritt for Kamloops, it represents a whole community and its struggles and success’s in the South central part of the province of BC.
On this day: March 24th 1854
Slavery is abolished in Venezuela.

Summer Range

Cattle on the ranch at Merritt BC

Cattle on the ranch at Merritt BC

File photo KDG

 

Beef cattle get moved about from summer and winter range. Being fed all winter on the ranch then being moved up to higher pastures to graze on what nature provides makes an economy that we all have a stake in ( except Vegans).
Most range access by road is controlled by metal grated cattle guards in this area however it is good to close any barbed wire fence after use if one is still in service.
There are a number of feed lots here in the Merritt area. The lots function all year long, they are used for dairy cattle that are being matured to two years before being moved to the lower mainland for milk production.

Herd laws make farmers liable for loss of stock not kept behind fences, there can be failure in fences, however collisions with livestock are less frequent now.

 

On this Day: March 17th 2013

The largest meteorite ever observed hitting the moon lands on its backside.

TGIF- Diversity

A First nations perspective is added during the mural project that saw country stars painted on buildings File photo: KDG

A first nations perspective is added during the mural project that saw country stars painted on buildings
File photo: KDG

 Michelle Loughery some of the work on the mural project that is a legacy in Merritt. File Photo KDG

Michelle Loughery
Some of the work on the mural project that is a legacy in Merritt.
File Photo KDG

https://www.google.ca/search?q=Michelle+Louhery&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gws_rd=cr&ei=uiWhVp-nMpP0jwPVv6zgCA

With due deterrence to Leonardo DiCaprio Revennant!

On this day: January 22 1999
Australian Missionary Graham Staines and his two sons are burned alive by Hindu Radicals while sleeping in their car in Eastern India.