Columbia Valley Pioneer - May 16, 2008

Richter ‘kids’ dedicate historic cabin

By Alex Cooper
Pioneer Staff

Over 100 people were in attendance to watch the three children of Frank and Helen Richter cut the red ribbon at the opening of the Bill Yearling Interpretive Centre at Nipika Mountain Resort last Friday.

Sanda Taylor, Diana “Boots” Richter, and Karl Richter grew up in the 1930s and 1940s on the property where Nipika is now located.
The centre is located in the same cabin that legendary trapper and First World War veteran Bill Yearling built almost 90 years ago.

Lyle Wilson, the owner of Nipika, almost had the cabin burned down when he bought the property, but decided to keep it for temporary accommodation instead.

“As we used it and moved to the valley, and started to learn things about the rich and varied history that this piece of land has, we began to cherish this place more,” he said.

He had the cabin refurbished and has now reopened it as a program centre, with nature and historic displays.

The Richters moved to the area in 1927 when Frank Richter bought the property from Bill Yearling.

At the time the Banff -Invermere highway was just a single-lane, dirt road and there was very little access to the property. Over the next twenty years they homesteaded there while raising their three children.

Growing up in the area presented all sorts of adventures for the Richters.

“Maybe it was hard for mum and dad, but it was fun for us kids,” Sanda said. “I have all good memories of playing in the creek, and damming the creek up and digging gophers out—doing all these things.”

Karl Richter, the youngest of the three, was only six when the family left the property, but he said he still has many memories of the area.

“I remember when my dad found a human skull and the jaw still moved,” he said. “We had it to play with and greeted people with it when they came to visit.”

Diana Richter said her mother often expressed regrets about bringing her children up there instead of in civilization. However, she disagrees with her mother.

“We were brought up in the Kootenays,” she said. “We had the best education and life that any kid could have ever have gotten.”

The family moved out of the area and into the valley in 1947 when they sold the property to the
Elk Horn Ranch outfitters, which ran the property as a guiding and outfitting base camp. The property changed hands several times until 1979, when Lyle and Diane Wilson bought the property.

It wasn’t until the late 1990s that they began developing it into Nipika Mountain Resort, a collection of cabins and conference centre located on Settler’s Road, 15 kilometres from Highway 93, at the edge of Kootenay National Park.

Mr. Wilson said they have three central themes to the resort: to promote health and fi tness, to be stewards of the environment, and to be self-sustaining.

“Our philosophy here is consistent with what we’re doing with this building,” he said.
Sanda and her husband Joe Taylor recently retired and moved to Cranbrook after spending 54 years living in the valley. Karl also makes his home in Cranbrook, while Diana has settled in Penticton with her husband Frank Custaloe.

Sanda’s children, Faith Saunders and Rod Taylor, continue to live in the valley. Karl Richter said he appreciates what Mr. Wilson had done with the area and hopes to bring his grandchildren
to the area.

“I’m just really happy that I can come back here and see this,” he said. “A lot of memories come to mind because I’ve travelled a lot in the last few years. This is still home.”
Diana agreed. “I am glad Lyle is preserving it so we can come in once in a while and enjoy it.”

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Best friends love to play hockey together

By Alex Cooper
Pioneer Staff

Four Invermere girls helped lead Team Kootenay to a third-place finish at the inaugural female under-16 B.C. Cup in Salmon Arm last month.

Sawyer Ellingboe, 14; Haley McDonald, 14; Holly Nikirk, 13; and Kiana Strand, 13, are best friends and have been playing hockey together for six years.

The four of them took up the sport in pretty much the same way—they all have hockey-playing brothers who dared them to play, said Donna Strand, Kiana’s mother.

“I actually was fi gure skating and my brother was playing hockey,” said Holly, who plays defence. “I watched his games and I decided I wanted to play.”

The four best friends have really taken to the sport. They play together in a Peewee boys league and also spend up to six hours every day during the winter playing hockey on Lake Windermere.

The four girls went to the two-day tryout together. While the girls weren’t called in any particular order, Holly was the first one selected for the team and Haley was called last.

“I was really happy but I was kind of sad that some of our other friends didn’t make it,” said Haley, who was named team captain.

The team had a rigorous schedule at the tournament. The first day they had a practice followed by a 9 p.m. fi tness testing session. Then the next morning they had to be up at 5 a.m. for a game against tournament winners, Team Okanagan.

Team Okanagan players were older, bigger, and better-rested and won the game 6-2, but Team
Kootenay said opening against the best team prepared them for the rest of the tournament.

“When I got out there on the ice for my first shift of the tournament—those girls were so fast compared to what I was used and you’re not quite sure of what was going to happen,” said Holly.

They were helped by national women’s team assistant coach Nancy Wilson, who provided them with a great deal of encouragement.

“She put everything into a positive aspect where it’s a lot easier to take it,” said Holly.

They played with Kootenay’s trademark grittiness to tie Team Island and beat Fraser Valley. In the bronze medal game they shutout Greater Vancouver 2-0.

Their coach, Donna Yuill, said having them on the team was of great help because they played in a boys’ league and were such a cohesive unit.

“They’re all outgoing, hardworking girls,” she said. “They’re very coachable and hungry for knowledge.”

Off the ice, the team slept on cots in a curling rink. They spent their down time bonding. They still keep in contact with their teammates from around the Kootenay region.

Sawyer, who scored a breakaway goal against Fraser Valley, said it was one of the best experiences she’s had in her life.

“Just being away from your parents for that amount of time, and with these girls that you
learn to gel with so well, it’s just so different than what I’m used to.”

Their coach said the tournament has provided them a great starting point for the future. “As long as they stay in shape and improve their skills, they will continue to be successful,” said Mrs. Yuill.

All four girls said they plan on trying out for the under-18 team and hope to go play college hockey on scholarship. “I want to go as far as I can,” said Kiana.

“These girls are all honour roll students so they have the same work ethic on and off the ice,” added her mother Donna.

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