Katzie First Nation Part of History Channel Documentary
for Deadman’s Curse.
Image courtesy of Corus
A new documentary television series, Deadman’s Curse, is set to premiere on The HISTORY Channel in Canada on Sunday, September 11 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The series is focused on the mystery surrounding a Katzie man named Slumach, who was hanged in New Westminster in 1891. His death sparked a 130-year search for a gold mine that he had reportedly found.
Throughout the series, four fearless explorers band together to solve the legend of Slumach’s lost gold mine and unpack the truth and the myth surrounding his incredible story.
Prospector Kru Williams, mountaineer Adam Palmer, Indigenous explorer Taylor Starr and her father Don Froese make up this dynamic group.
Taylor and her father, Don, have an intimate knowledge of the land and a personal connection to the story. Taylor grew up, and currently lives, in Seabird Island First Nation. Her late grandfather is Allen Peters Sr. from Seabird Island, and her late grandmother is Betty Peters from Katzie First Nation.
Taylor is closely related to the Adams family, and she is a distant relative of Slumach, as told to her by her Katzie relatives.
Deadman’s Curse is a HISTORY Channel Original, produced by Great Pacific Media, a BC-based production company located in Vancouver.
The cast and crew of Deadman’s Curse, Great Pacific Media and The HISTORY Channel are incredibly thankful for the opportunity to have filmed within Katzie traditional territory and for the support of the Katzie community. Alongside our four main cast members, Cyrill and Rain Pierre, members of the Katzie Community and direct relatives of Slumach, participated in the filming, shared their family history, and walked alongside us on this journey.
Find the Deadman’s Curse trailer here.
Katzie First Nation Announces New Treatment Centre in Maple Ridge
By: Colleen Flanagan. Originally published by Maple Ridge News on February 4, 2022.
Katzie First Nation has announced plans to build a new treatment centre in Maple Ridge.
The new centre is to be located in a secluded, forested area, along the Alouette River, neighbouring the Alouette Correctional Centre for Women. The location which is off reserve, is called Camp Lakewood.
It will offer holistic land base healing and cultural ceremonies. There will be a six-week inpatient residential program with 10 beds for men and 10 beds for women. There will be a 24/7 onsite primary care medical support, 24/7 access to qualified front line staff and an integrated case management team, and 24/7 Elder-in-residence.
More than 1,100 new homes coming for Indigenous peoples
Restoring habitat for Pacific Salmon
Boaters rescued; debris down Fraser causes concern along shore
Maple Ridge restaurant was ready to sandbag as staff watched water levels rise
By Colleen Flanagan / Originally published in Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows News | November 21, 2021
A steady stream of debris, sailed down the Fraser River on Monday and Tuesday, causing concern for local business owners along the the banks.
Brendan McHugh, assistant manager of Kingfishers Waterfront Bar and Grill, said they were pretty close to sandbagging the restaurant on Monday, as they watched water levels on the Fraser rise.
McHugh estimated that the water level was about two metres higher than it normally is at this time of year. And, he noted, there was a lot of debris.
“It’s the dirtiest I’ve probably seen the Fraser in a long time with all the debris coming down,” said McHugh, including, he said, some massive trees and big logs.
Matt Hyde and Pat Peplow, who work at Haney Marine Sales and Service Ltd. at the south end of McKay Avenue, had to rescue two people on a jet boat after they ran into trouble on Tuesday.
The boaters launched their craft just before noon and ended up calling the shop a little more than an hour later for help after their boat died and they were unable to restart it, explained the men.
They threw out an anchor on the south side of the river, said Hyde.
However, Hyde and Peplow said the problem was that there was a steady stream of logs rushing down the river. Finally, Peplow said, a giant log came along, piled up against their anchor line and broke it.
The pair started floating west and their vessel was starting to float towards the pilings along the river as Hyde and Peplow were hooking up their own boat and grabbing their rescue ropes to help them.
Hyde said it took him and Peplow about an hour to get to the boat, hook a line on them, and help them back to shore.
“We just didn’t want to get tangled up in the stuff so we kind of hung out as close as we could to the debris so we could give them a line so we didn’t get trapped in there as well,” remarked Peplow.
The pair also witnessed a houseboat barrelling down the river with a small boat racing after it. It ended up beached on a silt pad along the shore just west of Mackay.
“The amount of stuff coming down Tuesday I’d never seen that much stuff coming down in a steady stream,” said Peplow.
Hyde noted he had only ever seen the river that high during freshet season in late August with the summer melt and runoff, but on Monday and Tuesday, it was almost the highest he has ever seen it in the more than seven years he has worked at the marine business.
And, he added the water was moving fast.
“The river was just flying down,” said Hyde. “It had to have been six miles an hour plus at least.”
Chief Grace George said Katzie First Nation enacted their Emergency Operation Centre to work with public works and maintenance staff to monitor the communities in Pitt Meadows, Langley, and Barnston Island, as waters rose along the Fraser.
They have also been in contact with Katzie community members stuck in Hope because of road conditions, and those in other parts of the province that have been severely impacted.
“We are assisting in any way we can. It’s an unpredictable and stressful time for many. We are doing our best to lend support and comfort where we can. We send our continued prayers to all who have been impacted by these catastrophic events,” said Chief George.