Building Blue Lake Lodge



Main floor of lodge

I can’t recall exactly when my father began building the lodge at Blue Lake but family photos show that it was either late 1972 or early 1973. Dad chose a site with a view of the lake and began clearing it. Most of the trees were felled by family friend Karl Pedersen, who then brought the logs out with a team of horses. Many of these trees were used to build the lodge. My father, brothers and several family friends worked on the lodge whenever possible over the next couple years. According to a letter written by my mother in 1976, we were living in the lodge by October 1975.

Putting on the roof

The lodge has four floors: the basement had the furnace and storage for workshop tools, the second floor was the main living area with a small store, kitchen, restaurant, laundry room, bathroom and a large stone wall and fireplace. Our livingroom surrounded the large fireplace. The third floor had six bedrooms, a family room and two bathrooms with tubs. On the fourth floor were three more bedrooms, a bathroom with shower, a sewing room and a storage area.

The stonemason for the rock wall on the main floor was Helge Johansen. He owned the zoo near Canyon Alpine Motel. The roof had cedar shingles, which were split on a homemade shingle splitter by my brother. The stairs to the third floor were made from logs split in two and so was the fireplace mantle. The windows were installed by Crystal Glass and most of the furnishings were purchased from Sears, except the burl end tables that were made by hand by my father.

(c) Annette Fulford, 2012

Cracker Jacks



Cracker Jacks in the shed behind our house

We had a lot of animals in our family when we were growing up. Some I remember more than others. Among the many critters were three donkeys: Cracker Jacks, Jennifer and April. Cracker Jacks was the most memorable. He was a mischievous donkey with coarse grayish-brown hair that got darker in colour each time he rolled in the dirt. My dad purchased him at my uncle’s auction because he was born with one deformed hoof on his right front leg.

Cracker Jack’s leg never hindered his movement. Most days he was allowed to roam free throughout the field and campsite area. Even on the days where he was confined to the pasture by an electric fence, he wouldn’t let that deter him. Somehow he would manage to find a way out.

His main objective was to locate food. He especially liked the stuff people would feed him in the camping area like marshmallows. One day as he wandered the campgrounds he came across a convertible with a styrofoam cooler in the back seat. The door was open and he could obviously smell the food within so he climbed in and started eating the cooler. The campers thought it was hilarious to see a donkey part way in the back seat of their car trying to get at their food. Somewhere there is a picture of this that I’d love to see!

(c) Annette Fulford, 2012

Buying A Lake Resort



At the dock

My parents, John and Kay Clark, purchased Blue Lake Resort in September 1968 from Howard and Vivian Steeves. In 1968, the resort had 15 campsites and 8 rustic cabins. Nearby was another building with a store. There was no electricity, hot water, or indoor bathroom facilities, just outhouses, woodstoves and coal oil lanterns.

The lake was crystal clear, ½ mile long by a ¼ of a mile wide surrounded by two rugged mountains. No motor boats were allowed on it. The lake was government owned so it was stocked with fish on a yearly basis. A truck would come in the spring to drop off rainbow trout from a fish hatchery.



Early image of our house and the store (right).

 My father started upgrading the resort soon after we arrived. He put in street lights and a power plant. Later, he added more campsites and washroom facilities with toilets and showers. For the cabin we lived in he added a whole other section on to it. He put in a full bathroom, a kitchen with all appliances and another bedroom. Here is an excerpt from a letter my grandmother wrote in December 1968:

John has been very busy and has done a lot, changed a wall and put in the bath r[oom] with shower instead of old tub and also a toilet. He had to put in a septic tank, made it out of wood. Has all appliances hooked up in kitchen except the dish washer. 

Just before 11 pm my father would dim the lights for the power plant by pulling on the cord at the back door of our cabin. This would signal to the people at the resort that it was time to get out candles or lanterns because the power plant would be shut off for the evening.

(c) Annette Fulford, 2012



Memories of Blue Lake

Blue Lake Resort is located in the Fraser Canyon about 10 miles north of Boston Bar. My parents, John and Kay Clark, owned Blue Lake from September 1968 to August 1979. I have great memories of growing up here. I would love to hear from people who came to Blue Lake during this time period or when the Steeves family owned it prior to us. Send me an email at bluelakememories@gmail.com  (Updated September 2014)

(c) Annette Fulford, 2012