The 153 Mile Store has found a new home at the 108 Heritage Site near 100 Mile House.

Last week the 100 Mile and District Historical Society and longtime Cariboo rancher Roger Patenaude reached an agreement to move the historic building. Built in 1900 by Louis Crosina, the store contains well over 3,800 artifacts from the end of the Cariboo Gold Rush era all the way up to 1963.

Kelly Carnochan, president of the society, said they are excited to be taking stewardship of such an integral piece of Cariboo history. She described how the society乌鸦传媒檚 乌鸦传媒渏aws dropped乌鸦传媒� when they first heard about the opportunity several months ago.

乌鸦传媒淚t was very overwhelming and exciting. The store is packed with so much history and it乌鸦传媒檚 going to be a great asset to the heritage site,乌鸦传媒� Carnochan said. 乌鸦传媒淭hey have boxes of old shoes from floor to ceiling, old [Indigenous] baskets traded for food. It乌鸦传媒檚 just amazing.乌鸦传媒�

Patenaude said his grandfather George Bryon Patenaude got to know the Crosinas in the 1930s and befriended the owner of the store, Alice Lillian 乌鸦传媒淟il乌鸦传媒� Crosina. Lil was the daughter of Louis and ultimately sold her family乌鸦传媒檚 ranch to the Patenaudes, but kept her father乌鸦传媒檚 old store open.

In 1963 Lil died of a heart attack behind the counter of her beloved store, and for the last 60 years the building and its contents have remained untouched. Patenaude said his family chose to keep the store closed after Highway 97 was rerouted away from it.

乌鸦传媒淚t was just left as a time capsule,乌鸦传媒� Patenaude said. 乌鸦传媒淢ost of the stuff in the store is 100 years old, and it乌鸦传媒檚 time for some professionals to look after it.乌鸦传媒�

Patenaude said he and his brothers, who have since passed away, wanted to preserve the store to honour their mother Peggy乌鸦传媒檚 last wishes. When they made plans to sell their family ranch, Patenaude and his brothers started looking for a new home for the store.

While it is a suitable fit due to the store乌鸦传媒檚 Cariboo Gold Rush roots, Patenaude said the heritage site was not his first choice. Since 2015 he and members of the Williams Lake community had hoped to move the store to Pinchbeck Park just above the Williams Lake Stampede Grounds.

Walt Cobb, then mayor of Williams Lake, said their original idea was to use the store as a basis for a larger heritage site. There were plans to relocate a blacksmith shop to the area and move the Museum of the Cariboo Chilcotin into the store.

However, when an archaeological survey found several Indigenous artifacts and a potential pit house at the Pinchbeck Park site, the Williams Lake First Nation objected to the project moving forward. Cobb said they have been at a stalemate for years, up until the 100 Mile and District Historical Society agreed to move the store to the 108 Heritage Site instead.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 a huge loss for Williams Lake for sure, but I think it will be preserved (this way) and that was the main concern, that the artifacts and building be preserved,乌鸦传媒� Cobb said. 乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 one-of-a-kind in North America, and when it乌鸦传媒檚 preserved and part of a museum it will be one of the Eighth Wonders of the World.乌鸦传媒�

With the death of Anita Crosina 乌鸦传媒� a major advocate for the store 乌鸦传媒� last year, Patenaude said he grew tired of 乌鸦传媒渉itting his head against a wall乌鸦传媒� trying to gift the store to Williams Lake. When District of 100 Mile House Coun. Donna Barnett, a member of the historical society, approached him about moving the store to the South Cariboo, he decided to accept their offer.

乌鸦传媒淲e had exhausted all our options in Williams Lake. I乌鸦传媒檝e been in contact with Donna Barnett for years and she knows what I乌鸦传媒檓 trying to do with the store,乌鸦传媒� Patenaude said. 乌鸦传媒淢y brothers have passed away and I乌鸦传媒檓 the only one left, so it乌鸦传媒檚 time this thing gets taken care of before I乌鸦传媒檓 gone.

乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檓 just looking forward to it being protected and open to the public. It needs to be a public asset. There乌鸦传媒檚 a lot of history there that I, my mother and the Crosina family want to see preserved.乌鸦传媒�

Carnochan said the society is currently busying itself in drawing up a plan for the transfer. They乌鸦传媒檒l be spending the next few months fundraising and applying for grants from the provincial and federal governments to raise the estimated $2 million to move the store from 153 Mile to the 108 Heritage Site.

乌鸦传媒淲e are thinking it乌鸦传媒檚 going to be placed (in the empty space) near the ice house, post house and telegraph warden乌鸦传媒檚 area behind the food cantina. We乌鸦传媒檙e going to have to put a basement foundation in first and it乌鸦传媒檚 probably going to be two to three million dollars in expenses to get it down here,乌鸦传媒� Carnochan said.

The actual move itself won乌鸦传媒檛 happen for at least two years, Carnochan added. The society will need to spend at least a year cataloguing the store乌鸦传媒檚 contents and packing them before they can move the actual building itself.

Cobb noted that the society will have to coordinate with the provincial government to close Highway 97 down during the move.

Patenaude said there is a mover in Prince George the society can reach out to that specializes in moving large buildings. This will be done in two pieces, with the roof being taken off first before the rest of the store is moved in one piece.

乌鸦传媒淢aybe it乌鸦传媒檚 optimistic thinking, but I think we can do it within two years,乌鸦传媒� Carnochan said. 乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檙e going to reassemble it the way it is and it乌鸦传媒檚 going to blow probably every tourist乌鸦传媒檚 mind who takes a look at it. I think the whole area should be excited and really proud of this addition to our community.乌鸦传媒�

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patrick.davies@100milefreepress.net
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