Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (Mar 22/02) - Sue Carrel remembers Fort Simpson as a friendly, carefree place.

She can vividly recall herself and her best friend, Jill, another fair-haired girl in pigtails, frolicking in the vast mission field in 1950.

"It was an amazing little town. I remember having the free run of the whole place ... and being welcome almost anywhere," she said. "It wasn't a place where you had to watch out for anyone or anything."

Those memories came flooding back a few months ago while sifting through some old black-and-white photos in her home in Rossland, B.C. The photos belonged to her mother, Kay. Sue thought the village of Fort Simpson may appreciate the pictures and forwarded them.

"I know that a lot of towns are recovering an interest in the history of the area, and it's always nice to have photographs," she said. Carrel was five years old during the last summer she spent in Fort Simpson. Her mom, Kay, ran a restaurant. She recalls a woman named Cecilia who made delicious pies for her mom's restaurant. Sue used to visit with Laura Villeneuve next door and she also spent time with Ted and Bella Trindel. "I loved to go over there because they always gave me dry fish, which I liked," she said.

She remembers Andy Whittington's hotel, Doc Truesdell, who had one of the first vehicles in town, and she recalls everyone running to the riverbank when a supply boat arrived.

Her father, Stan, brother of legendary Deh Cho adventurer and author Dick Turner, had a trapline along the Grainge River, where their family lived during the winter.

They moved to Fort Nelson, B.C. in 1951, largely at Kay's behest.

"My mom was expecting my sister and she really didn't want to bring up another baby in the bush," Sue explained. "Plus the fur prices were pretty low in those days."

Her parents returned in the 1970s. Her father purchased a grocery store from Slim Jones. He also built a couple of houses, which he later sold. Sue also spent a few years in Fort Simpson in the '70s and then visited her uncle Dick and aunt Vera at Blackstone in the '80s.

She doesn't know if she'll be back again, but said Fort Simpson's 200th anniversary celebrations next year are giving her reason to think about it.