Local resident Rick Buchi contacted me and said both of his parents were born, raised, worked, lived and raised their family of five children here in Prince George. I thought this would be a great story so I contacted the family and here is their story in a nutshell.
Fred Buchi was the first child of the five children of Gus and Caroline Buchi. He was born in 1924 in downtown Prince George in the home of family friend August Schaub even though his parents were living in the McMillan Creek area at the time. Time went by and his parents moved from McMillan Creek to the Fraser Flats area on the Old Summit Lake Road where the pulp mills are located today.
Fred did not know it but three years later Eva Utjesenovich came into the world destined to be his long time wife of nearly 70 years and still counting.
Eva Utjesenovich was the third child of the nine children of railroader Stevan Utjesenovich and his wife Stanica. She was born in 1927 at the family home at 457 3rd Avenue, an area that flooded quite often in the spring.
Eva reflected back and said, "We lived in an area that flooded many times over the years. The kids in the neighborhood would get together and build a raft and then we would go rafting down 3rd Avenue in water deep enough to swim in.
"The best area for rafting was in the slough that ran along the bottom of Connaught Hill. I was about ten years old and I can remember times when my mother ordered us off the raft and sent us home because she was not sure just how deep the water was. We had so much fun and generally we took advantage of the flood waters and rafted until we got tired and finally went home."
Eva grew up in Prince George and attended King George V Elementary School. She was working at the Golden Pheasant Caf on 3rd Avenue the day that she first laid eyes on Fred Buchi.
Eva said, "I remember the day that Fred and his uncle walked into the restaurant. He was just back from England on a military leave and he was wearing his uniform. I didn't wait on him but I knew instantly that he was my guy! I fell head over heels in love with him - he never noticed me and he didn't even say hello so I just stood there and admired him from afar. I thought - what a handsome brute!"
Two weeks later, Eva happened to run into him at a dance and everything just clicked. Fred said, "I wasn't really interested in going to the dance but my friend Tommy Chance wanted to go so I tagged along. Eva was right - we just clicked and the rest is history."
Fred started working in the sawmill industry at the tender age of 14.
He joined the army at the age of 19 and is proud to say that he is a Second World War veteran. He took his training in Wetaskiwin, Alberta and served overseas. After he retuned home from the army, he married Eva in 1947 and they started their lives together. Fred said that Eva went from a city girl to a pioneer in just one day.
Fred worked in sawmills at Isle Pierre, Hodda and the Fraser Flats area eventually doing every job in the industry.
The young couple had a moveable two room cabin - something like a box car on a skid - for a home and they were able to easily move their home and family from logging site to logging site.
Fred worked in team horse logging at a very young age and anytime a job came along that paid more he took it.
He spent many years working for Rustad Logging and eventually went to work as a foreman for Holgar Thompson. He retired from the industry in 1988 at the age of 64.
Fred seized a great opportunity and bought the largest guiding area in B.C. off an old timer living in the area. The guiding area covered the map from Mackenzie to the head waters of the Parsnip River. He eventually lost a big part of his guiding area when the land was flooded to make Williston Lake. He guided in the Parsnip River area until he could no longer do it any more. He sold his guiding rights and directed his time and energy to the trap line that he had purchased in 1964. He worked the trap line until he couldn't do the work anymore and now their sons look after it.
Together they raised five children Judy Cowger, Rick (Elaine), Freda (Dave) Denis, Ida Cave, and Ron (Sharon) who in turn gave them 12 grandchildren, 25 great grandchildren and one great-great granddaughter. Eva has worked full time in the family home ever since they were married.
They had a small 40 acre farm and raised lots of potatoes and many other vegetables for the dinner table. Fred hunted and fished and supplied all the meat needed to feed his family quite nicely. He has been up and down every river in the area and he used to be very familiar with them all.
Fred said, "I am 92 and Eva is 88; we had a good life, we have a great family and wonderful friends and we are happy. I believe it was made to be."
Fred and Eva have lived all their lives in Prince George and never had any reason or inclination to leave the city. They are writing their memories about their adventures, their hard times and the good times; they have enough history to fill a book.
Fred and Eva in my opinion are examples of true and hardy pioneers. They lived a typical northern pioneer life building their own home, working in the bush, plowing the land and they were happy among their relatives and friends and lived in an era where a man's word was his bond and neighbors helped neighbors.
