While I was preparing pastry to make apple pie, I was reminded of another story from the past.

My friend Joan Coutlee Hoffman and I were camp cooks for the Douglas Lake cow camp.

We began work early spring until late fall, and there were four camps, the Raspberry, Minnie Lake, Dry Farm, and Portland.

There would be two big chuck-wagons, one used for pots, pans, dishes and cutlery.

The bed rolls of the cowboys would be on this wagon too.

The other would haul food, big bags of flour, sugar, vegetables, a hind quarter or other cuts of beef, several big sides of bacon, eggs, these were just a few of the items.

The chuck wagons were loaded at the home ranch. They were a sight to behold, each wagon was hitched to a team of workhorses, one could hear the driver holler his “gertty-up!” as he swung his long leather whip in the air.

If you were close by, you could hear the whooshing sound of the whip, though he never used the whip on the horses.

The drive would be from the home ranch, through the Upper Nicola reserve, then on through the mountain roads to the first cow camp.

The children at the reserve would be waiting for the chuck-wagons. They would be sitting on the bridge or on a fence just to get a better view.

They had dreams of being a cowboy, or a chuck-wagon driver when they grew up.

Upon arrival at the Raspberry camp, we helped to unload the wagons, putting everything away, ready for use.

There would be around 15 or more cowboys, then there was the cow boss, Mike.

He made the decisions for each day.

There would be around four hundred or more head of cattle, plus the calves.

The sterilizing of the male calves were done, which was the removal of their male organs.

The cowboys called these the prairie oysters.

Mike the cow boss brought these to us, to pan fry for him.

Branding of the calves was done, with a red hot iron, with the registered brand for Douglas Lake.

One cowboy would wrestle down a calf, then another cowboy would help hold the calf down.

A third would place the branding iron on the calf.

Dust would fly as the cowboy would ride amongst the calves to throw his rope around the calf’s neck. A good cowboy made it look easy.

Sometimes Joan and I would go to the corrals to watch the cowboys do their work.

When the job was done at Raspberry, we packed the chuck-wagons up and got ready to move on to the next cow camp.

I have fond memories of the cowboys. My dear friend Joan and I had wonderful days there.

When fall came we moved on. Joan met a guy and got married.

I hope you enjoyed the story, my friends.

Jeanette McMaster is an Elder and member of Upper Nicola.

Psalm 103:5 “Who satisfies your mouth with good things; so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”