The Holt Family

This story was written by Nora Toots Holt Reid in 1978 and included in Golden Memories 1982 and in Golden Memories 2000.

The Holt family arrived in Golden from Minnesota in April 19O7, along with the Underhill family, the Frank Peters family; the bachelor’s John Powers and John Dahlstrom. The group traveled by CPR tourist class, armed with a picnic basket for the five-day journey.

Dad, Matthew Holt, was born on May 18^th 1873, in Newcastle, New Brunswick, the younger son of Hugh and Helen Holt. As a young man, he left Canada to follow the logging industry in Maine and then on to Minnesota. There he met our mother, Lenora Elise Brooke, in Rutledge. She was born on September 29^th 1881, the oldest daughter of Thomas Brooks and Mary Alice Jones Brooks – Scotch and Welch ancestry. They were married on August 1^st, 1899. 2Young Matt was born February 2, 1901. July 23^rd, 1902 along came Mary Mildred(Min) On May 2, 1904 Francis(Bus) was born. On May 12^th, 1906, Lenora Marie(Nora) joined the family.

With this small brood, our parents migrated to British Columbia to join the workforce of the Columbia River Lumber Company. Mr J.D. McCormick, with whom Dad had been associated in Minnesota, was now manager of the CRL. While housing was being located, we lived in the Queen’s hotel, owned and operated by Mr and Mrs J.C. Greene.

For a year or two Dad worked at various jobs for the CRL. Initially, he was a river driver whose responsibility was to herd logs downriver to the mill. “River drivers” checked for traffic jams. Canoes were their means of transportation.

He was appointed Superintendent of the logging operations where he remained until 1926, the year of the Great Fire.

Because of the location of the camps, miles from town, our father could be home only on weekends. Each summer when school vacation arrived, we moved out to one of the camps, usually Headwaters Camp for a month or 6 weeks of family togetherness. First, we lived in tents set up in the beautiful tall tree country. Later we stayed in a log cabin, previously occupied by a fur trapper. With much work, we soon had a cozy three-room home situated by a lovely lake we named “Mother’s Lake.” Bears often roamed the nearby marshland, but our trusty Airedale, “King” kept them a respectable distance from the cabin. Mother could do fantastic things with a few yards of cretonne and orange crates to make our cabin attractive. In later years Dad had a three-room cottage built by a cool mountain stream. The Cornell family spent several summers at Camp. We had visits from Jean and Toat Beattie, Harriet Sanborn, Chris Gable, Kate McCormack, and others. Our weeks there were a wonderful experience.

There we learned about logging. Remember the sound of the axe making the first cut in the tree then the zing of the cross-cut saw, and finally the call “Timber” when the tree came crashing down to be readied for the log deck.

I remember our early lessons. Matt and Minn began their music education with Mrs Mercier. Later Matt switched to violin with H Cornell Moore. When Mrs. Alex Beattiopened her studio in Golden, Min and I were among her long list of piano students. Mrs. Beattie also had a kindergarten class where she taught Scottish dancing besides preschool studies.

I remember Mrs. Alex’s Clippingdale, an energetic English lady who organized the Junior Red Cross during World War One here we all learned to knit. She planned and ably directed many of the Red Cross variety-type benefit shows. She designed and made costumes for many of her productions.

Our father and mother were very supportive parents and were always interested in our youthful projects. Mother made donuts for the Boy Scouts, arranged backyard picnics and held numerous birthday parties. Dad had a great singing voice and on Sundays woke us with either an operatic solo, or a chorus from a bawdy 1890 review. Sunday was a special day in our house because we were all home together. Breakfasts were family affairs where we sat and discussed many things. Then it was time for church. Six of us walked the few blocks to the Little Catholic Church. Dinners were homey affairs which always included a few friends and often the parish priest. Menus could stretch to accommodate any given number.

We all learned to dance at home waltzing and two-stepping to music from an old Edison phonograph. Mom and Dad were our instructors.

I remember the Sunday night movies in the Lyric Theatre music was synchronized with the movie by the bouncy, talented Jenny Wells at the piano. During the war years, Mrs Bullman, who must have kept the entire Canadian army in sock, knit all through the movie, her needles clicking in time with Jenny’s music. In later years, the Moore family provided sophisticated music for the theatre. Yvonne Mercier supplied beautiful piano music for the silent movies for many years.

I remember when the First Nations from the Athalmer Reservation made the long trek to Golden by foot and horseback. This they did to bring their children to the First Communion rituals at the Catholic Church. They camped in their tepees for several days where the town park is today. Mother helped prepare the First Nations children for their ceremonies, making sure the little girl had white dresses and veils, and the little boys had knee pants and white shirts. Father McIntyre was a very kind and caring human being.

When their school were over, both boys worked for the Company logging railroad, first as fireman and later as certified engineers, until 1926 when logging operations were terminated.

Matt then worked for the Harbour Board Railway, and later for the Great Northern Railway, as Switchman. He was transferred to Seattle where he worked until his retirement in 1966. Move to Woodburn, Oregon where they lived until Matt’s death in December thirty-first, 19SEVENTY-EIGHT. In 1928, Matt married Edith Townsend MacDonald, daughter of James MacDonald who was with the CPR in Golden. They had four children, all of whom reside in Seattle. Edith was returned to Seattle since Matt’s death.

Bus went to Vancouver Island to work as engineer for the Comox logging company. He married Honor B. Fitzgerald of Courtney. And a son who now lives in Lafayette, California. Bus died in August, 1941.

In 1925, Min was married to Arthur Arbeau, who at that time, was chief mechanic for the Company logging equipment. Arthur died in 1928 leaving Min with two small children, daughter Anne Marie an infant son, Arthur Jr (Bud). In 1935, Min remarried to Walter T. Johnson. They lived in Banff, Alberta. They had one son, Gerald. Walter died in 1968. Min still lives in Banff.

I was married on May 2^nd 1931, to Howard Reed of Marysville, California. We have one son, Richard, who lives in Concord, California, with his wife Joan, and our two granddaughters, Diane and Susan. Upon retirement, Howard and I moved to Medford, Oregon.

In 1926, when loggin operations for the CRL ceased, our family made a permanent move to Vancouver. This had been winter quarters for us for several years. Due to health problems, mother had to spend winters in a milder climate, and a lower altitude. Each fall Min and Mom went to Vancouver where they remained until Easter when they returned to Golden.

Our dad died in April 1927. Mother remarried in 1935 to Clecve Libby (a cousin of Mrs Cornell). She lived in Seattle until her death October 4, 1951.

When we moved to our present location last year, we met a Mrs Reed, who lived in our apartment complex. At a piano function one afternoon we learned that Mrs Reed was Ferol Peters, who had come to Golden from Minnesota with us in 19O7. They had left Golden in 1914 and we had lost contact.