Margaret Smith

Grease Trails

The dense undergrowth of the British Columbia Coast was a nightmare for early explorers. Trekking through Bracken and the well-named Hardhack, as well as battling with Salal-covered deadfall in wooded regions, made for slow going.

The one factor which made coastal travel easier was the existence of Indian trade routes from the Pacific Coast to the interior of B. C. These trails were marked on early B. C. maps showing a wending dotted line marked "Grease Trail" and leading from many of the coastal rivers.

For hundreds of years, a small fish, a member of the Smelt family and called Eulachon, came up many rivers on the B. C. Coast to spawn each Spring. They were caught with dip nets, stored to ripen and heated in riverside vats to render into grease.

The term grease trail was derived from the fact that the West Coast Natives traded Eulachon grease inland for furs, hide clothing, Copper, as well as Obsidian for making points. The grease was transported in Cedar boxes over well-worn routes into the mountains of B. C.. Although the small fish entered the Lower Fraser and migrated as far up as Mission, the Native use of the Eulachon differed, in that it was usually eaten fresh or smoked but not traditionally made into grease. Upriver, however, some trade in grease flourished and Grease Trails were found from Squamish - Whistler - Pemberton to Lillooet. Others were found in the vicinity of Lytton and Spences Bridge.

Eulachon grease, used as a sort of condiment, was credited with maintaining good health in the Indian population.

Sir Alexander Mackenzie's success in reaching the coast in 1793 was made easier when he and his party followed a grease trail from Quesnel in B. C. to Bella Coola.

Margaret Smith

Who Needs a Poodle!
Memories of Margaret Smith
It saddens me to see how man has altered the Fraser River in only the span of one lifetime - Mine!

I truly feel a bond with the river and hold fond memories of my childhood playing in the beautiful woodland along its banks. We swung on the sweeping branches of Cedars and played house in imaginary rooms formed by the colorful Vine Maple. We knew the yellow violets, trilliums, dogwood and rosy flowering-currant. We feasted on the sweet wild strawberry. This enchanted forest has given way to the Knight Street Bridge!

Near my home was a sun-dappled creek where we watched the tiny salmon fingerling darting in the shadows. The adult salmon flip-flopped between our feet as we explored a culvert under Marine Drive. This delightful spot is now one of "The Lost Streams of the Fraser."

In a gentler past, as a small girl, I was free to roam where my fancy lead me. I loved to visit my many neighbours whose own lives were linked to the river. Jackie, a flapper, and her partner Josh who operated a small business making clay pots. I delighted in watching the formed pots make their way on a conveyor belt to the kiln and when finished turned from gray clay to brick red. The clay I later learned, came from the nearby banks of the Fraser.

I also visited the Globe Fertilizer Plant on the riverbank. This was built and run by my Scottish grandfather and his three sons (my father and his brothers). They produced organic fertilizer used to nourish the Chinese vegetable gardens flourishing along the river delta and up into the Fraser Valley. none of us knew of the damage being done to the river - the destruction of fish habitat, or had any thought of pollution.

Today I live at the New Westminster Quay. I still see an Eagles' nest in a riverside grove of trees abutting Fraser Port across the river. Unfortunately it is the only grove of trees remaining and industry is closing in at both ends. I still see Western Grebes gathering each spring, but now I count only four instead of twenty-four from five years ago.

Despite the salt-water tide surging in, there are beaver to be seen. One even accompanied me one rainy day on my walk to the market. I was on the boardwalk. He was in the river! Who needs a poodle!

In April the little Eulachon may come. Last year there were very few. For thousands of years they were a source of good health for our Native People in the form of grease. The early explorers way was made easier by the presence of many grease trails from years of trade of this valuable commodity. It is still a favourite.

Our much admired boardwalk displays colourful flowers along its length, but there is only one small stretch of natural foreshore where, if you look hard, you may spot some tiny fish beginning life among the grasses. Indeed, it does seem the old days are finished, but hopefully, with the knowledge gained by us at the Discovery Centre, we may contribute in small measure to a new awareness of the importance of protecting the Mighty Fraser River.

Place Names on the Fraser River

By Margaret Smith
The Gold Rush in 1858, resulted in increased human settlement along the Fraser River. Over time some populated sites became ghost towns, while others flourished and we know their names today. 

Many town and railway station names were given to honour early explorers and pioneers. Most were men with the exception of Lulu Island, Lulu being a favoured lady of note. 

The names of Musqueam, Coquitlam, Chilliwack and Lillooet were derived from the Indians of each region. 

One rather rare exception to the root of place names was the C.P.R. Station of Katz. The name Katz came about from a misunderstanding. The intended name was Cat’s Landing. In 1876, Captain John Irving put ashore a pregnant pussycat on his way upriver. The term “Landing” indicated a boat-docking place. This particular site was possibly a supply depot serving the C.P.R. during construction of the line. 

Another human error has changed, for some, the pronunciation of New Westminster. Many old-timers said New Westminister (two I’s). The name undoubtedly came from Westminster near London, England—Minster meaning borough or city. 

…Oh, and by the way, on his return trip downriver, Captain Irving stopped at Cat’s Landing and welcomed the mother cat aboard along with her kittens, carried on one at a time.

The Cat-Tail-A Wondrous Weed Indeed!
by Margaret Smith

Everyone is familiar with the Common Bulrush or Cat-tail.  They grow in ditches and waterways and are recognized by their flower or “cat-tail”. 

The Cat-tail spreads both by root and seed.  You will notice it growing in ditches and ponds along freeways and elsewhere.  It is also seen on the banks of the Fraser River where it provides habitat for fish. 

If you open a leaf of the Cat-tail, you will observe it has a cellular construction.  This reinforcement allows the plant to remain upright in all weather. 

The remarkable fact about Cat-tail is its ability to absorb toxins from raw sewage.  In the United States, experiments have been done to demonstrate how water plants, (Cat-tail and Water Hemlock), can be utilized to treat sewage in its initial stages.  Just as school children participate in saving our waterways from pollution by painting the Yellow Fish Stencil on storm drains, possibly a program may evolve whereby they may also plant Cat-tails along those same waterways. 

Ideally, every oily parking lot should be surrounded by ditches containing Cat-tail which lead into our streams and rivers. 

Further to the purifying benefits of the Cat-tail, the leaves were once used by the Native People in early times to weave into durable mats and portable summer houses at temporary fishing sites.