Babs Jones, who was born in Creston in 1920, came into my office this afternoon. She has lived in the Creston Valley all her life, and has a phenomenal memory, so a conversation with her is guaranteed to reveal all sorts of fun and fascinating details about local history.

Babs has heard about our research into the 1930s in the Creston Valley, in preparation for an exhibit we'll be opening in the spring, so that was the focus of today's conversation. She had quite a bit to say about the relief work that was done on the roads around the communities, and the periodic arrival of hobos looking for a meal in exchange for a bit of work. But my favourite stories revolved around her grandparents' store, the Canyon Trading Company.


Babs says, "During the Hungry Thirties, there were families who had difficulty paying their accounts (it was the custom to charge things purchased at th store, then pay the bill at the end of the month). Some brought in eggs or butter for trade and barter. Sometimes delinquent accounts were paid in part with milk for our family. And sometimes the overdue account would have reached such proportions that it was finally settled with a few cords of firewood. At least twice, a cow was accepted in payment. This method of payment did not provide cash for the wholesale dealers, and I remember it often being a real worry to the folks, paying a bit here, and a bit there to keep their creditors placated. Grandad never had the heart to say "no," and often extended credit to poor credit risks."

Babs recalls that homemade butter, when made well, was like nothing we can buy in the stores today - but, she says, the butter that was brought in on trade wasn't always made well. A lot of it wound up in Gram's house where she turned it into soap. After a rather laborious process of separating the fat from the salt.



Babs told me that running the store during the Depression years wasn't exactly a money-making proposition. The biggest advantage, though, was that Babs' family had access to groceries at wholesale prices, which certainly helped.

These photos, brought in by Babs, show the store about 1937. As Babs said, "Grandad was a mill sawyer by trade, not a store keeper." That probably explains why there's no rhyme nor reason to the organisation of products: in the lower photo, in front of the counter, there's a case of motor oil next to a keg of vinegar. Leaning against the counter in the top photo are a case of crackers, a sack of flour, a crate of Old Dutch cleanser, and a scrub board - all right underneath the candy display case.