REDSTONE CHURCH BUILT IN 1910
by Sage Birchwater
In the early 1900's, when Father Francois Marie
Thomas began his yearly missionary treks into the Chilcotin and
Blackwater country, there were no churches west of the Fraser River.
Father Thomas would set out in the spring from Quesnel, as soon as there
was enough green grass to feed his horses, and he visited the native
communities of Nazko, Kluskus, Ulkatcho, Anahim Lake, Redstone, Anaham,
Stone and Toosey, before returning home to St Joseph's Mission near
Williams Lake.
When St Francis Church was built at Redstone Flats in 1910, there were
no other buildings on the broad expanse of meadows beneath the
outcropping of red colored rock that gave the flats its name. Most
families lived elsewhere, moving about the country with the seasons,
doing contract work for ranches, trapping, hunting, fishing and
gathering what they needed to survive. Families were largely independent
and came together for large community gatherings throughout the year.
Once Father Thomas convinced the Tsi Deldel people to build a church on
Redstone Flats, "Priest Time" became a popular occasion for people to
gather there once or twice a year.
A weeklong bout of festivities was held that included nights of dancing,
gambling, socializing and attending to the matters of the church. Church
business included a yearlong backlog of marriages, funerals, baptizing
and instruction in religion. Gradually some families built houses there
at Redstone Flats to accommodate themselves during the gatherings. "My
family had a house there," remembers Tsi Deldel Chief Ervin Charleyboy.
"We never lived there though. Our main place was ten miles up the road
closer to Harold Stewart's store." Ervin's grandfather, Chief
Charleyboy, was chief of the Alexis Creek Band at the time the church
was built at Redstone Flats. "He was chief from 1900 until the day he
died in 1956," remembers Ervin. And the Tsi Deldel priest time gathering
coincided with the kids getting let off for the summer holidays from the
mission. "I remember that was quite the time for celebration. We got
dropped off at Redstone and people were camped all over. The church was
one of the only buildings there then."
HISTORIC CHURCH BURNS AT REDSTONE
by Sage Birchwater
The Chilcotin lost one of its oldest buildings on the evening of April
9, 2000, as the 90 year old St Francis Catholic Church at Redstone Flats
went up in smoke. The fire started as the result of spring clean-up
burning of dry grass earlier in the day as a spark got under the
tinder-dry structure and was unnoticed until it was too late.
Members of the Tsi Deldel community responded to the emergency,
eventually mobilizing the fire truck and pouring water on the flames and
neighboring buildings. By then the whole building was engulfed inferno.
But the quick action of the volunteers managed to save an adjacent
storage shed that held an antique pump organ that was once used in
church, and prevented any fire damage to the next-door residence of
Janet Marianne and Gary Char.
Tsi Deldel Chief Ervin Charleyboy credits the efforts of members of his
community for keeping damage to a minimum. "I was impressed with the
young guys. How they got right in there and helped." The Chief said he
appreciated the help of neighbor, Steve Horsman, who is training in
fire-fighting techniques. "It's a good thing he came along. He knows how
to operate the fire engine gave some leadership in fighting the fire."
Charleyboy said that he and Duane Marianne were up until 1 a.m. dousing
the last of the embers. The next morning Lloyd Charleyboy came in with
his skidder and cleaned up the charred rubble.