Church at Tomslake B.C.

Proposal for the Church at Tomslake

Soon after their arrival at the beginning of World War Two, the Sudeten people erected a church in their community at Tomslake. The church was erected by the community on their behalf and later given to the Roman Catholic Diocese for use as a catholic church. This is a community that has Christian roots for back into history but lived through one of the moist devastating community experiences  in human history. Part of the devastation was the relationship with the church which for many families was damaged in the historical circumstances of Czechoslovakia in the crucible of war . For some years after the establishment of the church, a congregation was operative but rarely flourished. Some years ago now the building was closed and the people have severed their connection to the Roman Catholic Church.

The Sudeten community is characterized by a social concern which has political, community and perhaps religious ramifications. Some members of the community have recognized in the United church of Canada a kindred spirit in terms of social activities. There has been a recognition of the role of the Methodist Church (an early part of the United Church) in the founding of the Liberal Party as a reform party many years ago. The Methodist Church actually released staff under the direction of the Reverend Edgerwing for the purpose of political organization over a period of 18 months. That role as reform movement, was then involved in later years in the formation of the C.C.F under the leadership of the reverend  M.J.Caldwell. Later, under the leadership of many other we were involved in the founding of the New Democratic Party. At the present time there are both clergy and lay people of the United Church sitting as ambers in the Federal Parliament as well as the legislature of British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario.

It would be wrong to suggest that such a broad national church as ours is exclusively involved in reform political movements. Such is not the case and there are many United Church people involved in other political groups. The point to be made here is that the Social Democratic Concerns of the Sudeten people have had a very strong relation in the reform movements in Canada that have been established with strong support from the United Church. Indeed, the Protestant  Reformation itself was an attempt at social reform as well as church reform and sought to make the church more truly catholic in its concerns.

I the five years of my ministry in the South Peace area I have been privileged to officiate at the marriages and funerals of several families from the Tomslake area.

Over the years as families have moved to the urban settings of Dawson Creek a number of them have actually joined the United Church and continue active today. Recently an increasing number of members of the Sudeten community have sought spiritual strength in the United Church and have come to use to ask if there is some way fot he weddings and funerals and other activities to be resumed at Tomslake by the United Church.For a number of historical and individual personal and community reasons the people are adamant that they do not wish to return to the Roman Catholic Church. I would be unwilling to conduct a ministry amount them if it were otherwise. However, there is increasing sincerity in their request and the community of Tomslake in sufficiently remote from Dawson Creek to justify the carrying out of services in that community. The United Church in the South Peace has need also of a retreat centre for its city congregation and so there appears to be a coincidence of factors which might lead to the establishment of United Church activity in Tomslake.

The people of the community have suggested to me that they could acquire their own church building for these purposes since it is no longer used for any purpose by the Roman Catholic Church and has stood empty for several years. Rather than establishing a United Church immediately, I have suggested to them that they proceed to acquire the building if possible. If not, we will begin slowly to undertake those activities that we desire in another facility. I would propose an initial series of meetings in the community between myself and those families who are interested in re-establishing the life of the church. The animosity in some quarters will make this difficult and so it is my experience that we would proceed slowly and avoid high expeditions.

Sudetens took their place in Kanada

Sudetens took their place in Canada

From a report issued by H.J.Siemens, District Superintendent, Canada Colonization Association

The Sudeten settlers have responded well to Canadian Citizenship responsibilities. Seventeen settlers or settler’s sons served in the Canadian Air Force during the last war. Seventy five settlers have obtained Canadian Naturalisation Certificates. On the first of July 1965, they combined a Dominian Day celebration with the formal opening of their “Tomslake Community Hall, which was attended by Mr. Oliver Callaham, B.C., Agent of the Peace River Block

One of the men expressed the sentiments in the following manner:

Sudeten Memorial Tomslake B.C.

Sudeten Museum Tomslake B.C.

Tomslake is the Sudeten’s home in Canada. We left Czechoslovakia to get out of the way of Hitler. We had hopes that we might return after Hitler was gone. But now the communists are in control and that is worse than Hitler, Everything that represented home to us has been destroyed and there is nothing left to attract us to return. Sudeten from all over Canada come to Toms Lake to spend their holidays. They all regard this settlement as their new home in Canada.

Supervision

Taken from an article by H.J.Siemens ..

The organisation and supervision of this settlement was considered by the Canadian Colonization Association, a subsidiary of the department of Colonization an Immigration of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company. The supervisory staff consisted of a chief supervisor, , c=several assistant supervisors and an accountant. Out of the settlement funds $ 100 per family and $ 50 per single man were provided for supervisory expenses, a total of $ 17,000. Supervision began March 1939 and ceased in January 1943.

Settlers

These people came from the western part of Czechoslovakia, commonly known as Sudetenland, Very few of them had any experience in farming. They were mostly employees of various industries and professions. Their labour union psychology was highly developed and, being permanently a minority group of their home country, they had acquired the habit of distrusting whatever Government was in power. Professionally they represented about 30 trades and industries. Hence, in learning to farm in this new country they had to start from the beginning.

Holding Company

The Tate Creek Development Company was formed during the first year to serve as purchasing and holding company of all land, stock and equipment. Bulk purchased by this company were later divided and transferred to individual settlers. The first officers were all C.P.R. officials serving without pay. Later these officers were replaced by settlers, the capital stock was transferred equally to all settlers and the land and equipment remaining at the close of supervision became community property under the control of this company, the settlers own organisation. During the four years of supervision the Canada Colonization Association served as managers of the holding company.

Community Stores

A commissary or general store was set up at the outset from which tools, clothing, and groceries were distributed. At the end of the first year the settlers themselves were encouraged to organize into a cooperative society which took over the stock and management. In 1942 this co-op had a turnover of about $ 35.000, apart from their cooperative livestock shipping activities. A butcher shop was provided, staffed by one of the settlers, supplying the settlers with meat. Later this developed into a business privately owned by the original settler. A harness shop and a blacksmith shop were provided in the same manner than the butcher shop.

Schools, Church and Community Hall

During the first summer a new two-roomed school was built by the settlers themselves in the centre of the settlement. Settler living nearer the outer limits send their children to other schools already established. All schools are staffed by Canadian teachers under the control of the Department of Education.

The Catholic Church constructed a fine frame church building the first summer and have a regular resident Priest in charge.

The settlers built an artistic log community hall during the first winter, where social and business gatherings are held.

The long Journey to Tomslake B.C





After a long journey across Canada the train stopped in Tupper, B. C.  and the last  3 waggons were uncoupled to spill out the new settlers. 

A new chapter

Finally 518  people arrived at the Tate Creek Ranch at Tupper what  became the location of what was called Sudeten settlement. They were city people with no agricultural experience.

Without doubt the men in charge of accommodating large groups of urban people in an isolated area  McConell, the CCA supervisor faced many problems to deal with.

He wrote: "There were only two trains per week from Edmonton three hundred miles away, there was no truck traffic." For some reason he never knew in advance how many people would arrive at any particular time. "Other standard supplies were often difficult to obtain. The source of the greatest annoyance is a constant shortage of inventories. Limited transportation facilities, shortage of stocks in Edmonton and the very short notice we receive of the movement of families makes it impossible to keep up with daily requirement We have presently only two stoves for the last twelve families."

Eventually they all settled in. They started farming, lifestock was the main-stay, but also  products from the bush, lumber for farm-buildings, ties for the railways.


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e.book by Erika Meissl

In Search of the Past

In Search of the Past

I wrote a book about the story of my family in the course of the last hundred years.
The renowned Hotel Hopfenstock in the former cosmopolitan Karlovy Vary spa in Bohemia was since generations in the possession of our family.
The collapse of the Third Reich in 1945 was followed by the expulsion of the Sudeten Germans from Karlovy Vary, which now again belongs to Czechoslovakia. The Sudeten Germans lost their homes, their possessions and goods.

Our family fled to Austria and later on to Canada.

Did some  Sudeten Germans immigrate to  Canada? 

I googled  for “Sudetendeutsche in Canada”  and  found only one entry, a “Sudetendeutsches Museum” in Toms Lake in BC.

This summer my friend Inge came for a visit. We decided to make a round trip from Kelowna to the North, going to Alberta to celebrate my birthday at my son’s place and pay a visit  to said Museum en route.

I organized the whole trip and made reservations at hotels where pets were welcome, taking my small dog Gypsi with us.

On our first day we stayed in McBride on HW 16. The rain just poured. We went to the reception desk, my Gypsi on her leash. Inge paid the pets accommodation, $10 with tax.  Next door to our motel stayed a couple from England with their motorbike; they were shivering from cold.  

The weather cleared on the next day, but it was still cold, at least it did not rain. We drove to Prince George and on to Dawson Creek.  We encountered many construction sites.  I had planed to visit the Museum in Toms Lake on the same day and had already talked to the curator who had the key. I told her that we might come later. “Okay, no problem”, she said.

Toms Lake is located some kilometers south of Dawson Creek, we could not find it on the GPS, had to ask several people. Finally spotting the tiny sign of the unincorporated settlement, it took us a while to find the home of the Curator, Mrs. Gebhart, who proudly told us, that she was ninety eight years of age.

She said she could not leave her even older husband by himself, so we threw all our bags into the trunk of the car to make room for them. Mrs. Gebhart guided us to the Museum. It was a nice little building, the interior neatly stuffed with memorabilia of all sorts. I was allowed to make as many pictures as I wanted; I also made pictures from the memorial and the cemetery. We had to sign the guest-book; the last entry was from the year 2009. The Gebharts were very nice people, but I did not want to bother them with too many questions. They have a grandson in Kelowna whom I contacted already. He will tell me the story of the Sudetendeutschen as far as he heard about it. I just know that they escaped 1939 Hitler’s grip, immigrating to Northern BC.

Besides some very old people nobody resides in Toms Lake any more. It’s a ghostly, forgotten place.

It was time to look for our accommodation, the Daisy Inn in Dawson Creek. We arrived with our bags and Gypsi on the leash at the hotel desk. As soon as the receptionist spotted Gypsi, she said: “We allow only two dogs on the premises, and they were filled up already.” Inge got really angry and wanted to stay in another hotel. I knew that Dawson Creek was fully booked, but Inge insisted to find something else. We phoned around, there was nothing else. Finally she gave in and we stayed. Besides the Hotel was a Tony Roma's Restaurant.  The main customers were truck drivers and construction workers dining at separate tables.

Inge could not stop lamenting about poor Gypsi who had to  stay in the car.

Coming to our room I emptied my suitcase, went to the car, tucked Gypsi into it and carried her back to our room.

I the morning I carried her out, went for a walk, nobody took notice.

Then it was a must to make some pictures at mile Zero of the ALCAN.

We continued our travels to the tiny community of Brownvale, where I lived for a while about thirty years ago. Nothing looked familiar any more. It was small before, now it was even smaller, but the various crop fields in the Northern Prairies were huge.

In Grimshaw it was another must to make pictures at Mile Zero of the Mackenzie Highway which leads to the North West Territories.

It was time for a picnic, so we stopped for a rest at Queen Elisabeth Park. It’s a beautiful well maintained park with a lake. It was cold and windy; we were one of very few tourists.

Then we stopped overnight in Whitecourt in Alberta., It’s a very quiet city.  It’s amazing how population can change. Former cities dry up like Whitecourt, others boom like Dawson Creek. We did not even ask what we could do with our dog; I had already experienced in tucking her in the suitcase, carrying her into the room for the night and again out in the morning.

I wanted to see Alberta Beach again, a nice little detour on our way to Didsbury. Well, yes, it was still very nice, not so the speeding ticket of 120. – CAD.  

Edmonton seemed to be torn apart by street constructions. 

Finally we arrived in Didsbury at my sons’ place. There we celebrated my seventy second’s birthday with son, daughter, daughter in law and the grandchildren Cassidy and Jorden having a barbecue, wine and cake and we stayed overnight . My birthday present was a KOBO digital reading device, because I converted my book to an e. Book. Now I can read my own book digitally.

Chipsy was reunited with Doberman Jamie, poodle Eddi, the even smaller “Chiuwauwau” puppy Turbo and six cats. They all slept together in the former garage, now transformed into a big dog house. 

On the next day we said Goodbye to our splendid hosts and drove back home.  

We made the round trip from Westbank to Westbank,  ape. 4.000 km  in 5 days, me driving all the way.

Erika Gebhart Kurator

Museum Toms Lake British Columbia

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e.book by Erika Meissl