Goodbye Buffalo Bay, research and reaching into the past

Goodbye Buffalo Bay (Theytus, www.theytus.com) was launched in British Columbia in McBride, BC, on Wed., April 22, 2009, at The Beanery 2 Cafe. The last four chapters of Larry Loyie's newest book tell of his year in McBride when he was 15 years old.

Book summary: Goodbye Buffalo Bay

"In his last year in residential school, Lawrence learns the power of friendship and courage. Returning home, he finds himself a stranger to his family and First Nations culture until he hears his grandfather's gentle guiding voice. Before he turns 16, Lawrence fights a terrifying forest fire, flies for the first time, makes his first non-Native friends, works on the green chain at a sawmill in McBride, BC, and fulfills his dream of living in the mountains."

To write the final four chapters, Larry returned to McBride, assisted by a Canada Council grant.

Excerpt from Goodbye Buffalo Bay by Larry Loyie.
Published by Theytus, www.theytus.com, p. 112-113:

As they neared McBride, the Fraser River curled beside the train track. Lawrence felt rising excitement as they pulled into the station platform.

McBride was a small village in the Robson Valley. It seemed as if the whole town was out on the platform waiting for the train. Some boarded the train to leave for Prince George and points beyond. The Rocky Mountains to the north and the Cariboo Mountains to the south pushed in toward the village. McBride Peak on Mount Teare seemed so close Lawrence fancied he could climb it in an hour.

“I love McBride,” he said to Elizabeth. “I could stay here forever.”

“That’s the cafe where I’ll be working.” She pointed inside the station. The Beanery Cafe had a big window that looked out onto the platform. Elizabeth was pleased. “I’ll be the first to see who gets off the train. Who knows? Maybe some famous movie star will get off one day.”

His sister strode out of the station carrying her suitcase. Lawrence hurried to keep up. “We’re staying with cousin Adele and her husband Frank. They live across the river,” Elizabeth said. She walked to a taxi nearby, got in, and told the driver their destination.

Background: Larry arrived in McBride as a 15-year-old in the late 1940s. He came by train with his older sister Elizabeth who had a job as a waitress at The Beanery, then a Canadian National Railway cafe.

Larry was hired to work nights on the green chain in Sam Arbour's sawmill a few miles out of town. Skating on the back eddies of the Fraser River, he made new friends such as his first sweetheart Thelma (now Thelma Molendyk of McBride). He learned the meaning of personal freedom and determined to see the world, and to return to McBride one day.

The final four chapters of Goodbye Buffalo Bay share a time in the author's life when he was discovering who he was in the world outside of the Indian residential school he had attended for six years. As he sets about doing a man's work on the green chain, he learns how to speak up for himself, make new friends, enjoy a new-found personal freedom, and set goals for his future.

When Larry and his partner Constance Brissenden first returned to McBride in the summer of 2007 to do research for his book, the author went to the library to ask if anyone knew if Thelma was still in town. They met later that day, to Thelma's amazement. Both recalled each other well, even though nearly 60 years had passed.

Thelma showed Larry and Constance photos of herself as a teenager in the late 1940s and early 1950s. She filled in many details about the town in those years. Thelma also gave Larry the contact number of Hinda Simkin, daughter of Sam Arbour who owned the sawmill where Larry worked.

Hinda Simkin, Larry and Constance met up in Vancouver where she now now lives. Hinda was able to fill in more facts regarding the sawmill where Larry worked.

As well, local McBride historians welcomed Larry and Constance in 2007 at The Beanery 2 Cafe where they shared memories about earlier days.

McBride, BC, is a beautiful town. It will always have a special place in Larry’s life.

"It's not enough to remember and write about your past. You must also check it to make sure your memory is true," says Larry. Research plays a major role in all his books.