Return to flip book view

Mr Seebach and the New Store Written by Huble Homestead Giscome Portage Heritage Society Illustrations by June Swanky Parker

This book was written and published by the Huble Homestead Giscome Portage Heritage Society which has worked since 1984 to preserve and protect the Huble house Volunteers staff and the Regional District of Fraser Fort George have worked tirelessly through the decades to develop the historic site restore and rebuild buildings and share the story of the Huble family Edward Seebach and the lives of pioneers in the area Special thanks to Society staff Krystal Leason and Carli Bennett for authoring the book and to June Swanky Parker for the watercolour illustrations

Mr Seebach lived next to the mighty Fraser River

He lived next door to Mr and Mrs Huble and their three little girls Ada Bertha and Martha

Mr Seebach was a businessman He ran a store with Mr Huble At first their store was in an old cabin but their business grew and grew until they needed a bigger building

Mr Seebach and Mr Huble built a brand new store It was a big building with a main floor and an office upstairs

It was very close to the Giscome Portage Trail and the Fraser River which travellers used as highways They would stop at the store to buy supplies

Other shoppers in the store were the families who lived nearby They would come to buy goods meet their neighbours and get the latest news

It was the only store for miles and miles It had to sell everything the customers needed Since so many different kinds of things could be bought there everyone called it the General Store

There was something for everyone at the General Store Travellers purchased supplies such as flour coffee rope and matches for their trips

Mr Seebach s neighbours grew their own vegetables and raised animals for meat There were still many things they needed that they couldn t make themselves

They visited the General Store for goods like sugar tools and buttons Mr Seebach and Mr Huble could even help them place orders from catalogues for special things like shoes and fence wire

There was no post office nearby When customers ordered items they had to be shipped to the General Store Mr Seebach and Mr Huble stored these items in their warehouse

Ladies often shopped at the store for medicine candles soap and fabric to make clothes for their families

Many men hunted animals for food and fur They came to the store to buy ammunition for their guns and for traps to set on their trap lines

During the winter and into the spring these men cleaned the pelts of the animals they caught They brought them to the store to trade for more supplies

Even the children could find something to buy Most of them chose candy When Ada and Bertha had pennies to spend they could choose their favourites from candy sticks licorice drops taffy and chewing gum

The Seebach and Huble General Store was more than a store

It was an important part of the community for everyone

This book is based on a true story that happened in 1914 over one hundred years ago You can still visit the General Store and learn more about Mr Seebach and the Huble family by visiting Huble Homestead Historic Site Huble Homestead Historic Site is located 40 kilometres north of Prince George British Columbia just off Highway 97 on Mitchell Road www hublehomestead ca

Other books in the Huble Homestead series Mr Huble Builds a House Mrs Huble Grows a Garden