Arthur B Fenwick, hunting guide,
mining promoter, timber tycoon, land speculator and later Justice
of the Peace, took out the first two lots and, with his permission,
his wife Elizabeth, bought the third lot that started Picture
Valley Ranch. This last part was bought in 1955 or so to make
up the present 880 acres.
Frank DeRossier built a house
and complete set of buildings on the south end of the property
in 1896. This house burned down in 1912 while being used by the
railroad construction crew. The coming of the rail saw a section
house and station building/platform called Fenwick. Later Fenwick
built a half log and half frame house and outbuildings near the
present house site. After renting and leasing the place to several
people, he sold to Harry and Alice Bjorn in 1945.
The Bjorns, with children Robert
aged 2 1/2 and Bonny aged 9 months, arrived on April 21st,
1946 from Victoria, after a one month trip. It was a pretty bleak
show: a run down house with no windows, a log barn with no useable
corrals, a terrible road, lots of old outbuildings—but lots of
potential! It wasn't long before the name "Picture Valley
Ranch" was thought up and it stuck, later being applied to
the local area.
With very little money and no
equipment, Harry was soon in the big game guiding business, cutting
Christmas trees, and bartering for horses and a few head of cattle.
The 1948 flood was a setback as the first bull drowned while swimming
over the railroad fence. Fortune came in the form of the CPR section
crew, who bought it for meat.
