Many of us were sad to see what remained of the Pothole Ranch at Farwell Canyon get swept away by the Chilcotin River on Monday, Aug. 5.
I’ve only lived in Williams Lake since 2011, but it was a place I loved to visit and show visitors.
When my husband moved here ahead of us he took some pictures of the old ranch with the dilapidated log house, saying he'd found us a home.
Underneath his photograph of the root cellar, he wrote a caption noting it could be our sons’ living quarters.
Over the years we went there through every season.
We enjoyed seeing First Nations people smoking salmon down by the river that had been caught up by dipnetting beneath the bridge.
Often we were the only ones there so the solitude juxtaposed with the impressiveness of the scenery made for a rejuvenating outing.
In 2019, when Big Creek collapsed into the Chilcotin River, subsequent flooding took a large portion of the Pothole ranch with it.
Anyone who had visited the area after 2019, could see how much closer the river's edge was to the house.
A few years ago I learned that someone I knew in Prince Rupert had a connection to the ranch.
Scott Farwell’s great grandfather, Gordon Farwell, had settled in Farwell Canyon in the early 1900s.
“He built the house that is still standing on the property,” Scott told me in 2022.
Scott's great grandfather raised mink, and cattle and delivered the mail between Williams Lake and Riske Creek.
His book and some cowboy memorabilia are in the Museum of the Cariboo Chilcotin, Scott noted.
Scott described Farwell Canyon as an amazing place.
On Monday afternoon I sent Scott a message asking if he’d seen the video of the house falling into the river.
“It is sad to see a part of our family history gone," he responded.
Many people are echoing that same feeling.
First Nations and non-First Nations alike enjoyed the area.
