The Christine Procter Story: Part III: Donald, B.C.

A Fresh Start

In 1893, Sarah, Christine and William began to rebuild their lives in Donald, B.C.; a new town built to accommodate the headquarters and employees of the Canadian Pacific Railway (C.P.R.). 

The first months in Donald represented great transition for the family. Far from the home she had established in Antelope, and hundreds of miles away from her parents Ann and William Collie - who had recently immigrated from Scotland to Manitoba - Sarah had to adjust to life in an unfamiliar new town, surrounded by forests and mountains. 

With 10-year-old Christine attending the local public school, Sarah kept house for her brother Robert while caring for her young son William.

Here, I visualize 10-year-old Christine as she prepares for her first day of school:

As Sarah fusses with her daughter’s unruly curls, little William tugs at his mother’s skirt, begging to go with his sister to school.

William adores his older sister, who, after their father’s death, has become more like a second mother to him.

Picking up her lunch pail, Christine kisses her mother and brother goodbye, then walks herself to the one-room schoolhouse in the centre of town.

Excited, and a bit nervous too, Christine hopes to make a good impression on her new schoolmates."

“Just like me, Christine took an interest in drawing and painting.“

- The Photo Painter

While pulling items out from inside my family’s old trunk of archives, I was thrilled to find several sketches drawn by Christine.

I discovered my own creative interests mirror the artistic talents of my great-grandmother.

Inside, I found sketches of flowers, the Mitchell home in Donald, and, thrillingly, even a self-portrait!

Christine’s self-portrait, seen here, dates back to the late 1890s and was signed with her initials “C.V.M.”

Flowers by Christine

Preserved sketches, like this one, date back to sometime between 1890 - 1900.

From left: Columbia R. train pictured on a Christmas greeting in Donald BC; Christine’s sketch of the Mitchell house in Donald; photograph of the drawing room inside the Mitchell house; a luggage tag.

A New Doctor in Town

In 1896, the C.P.R appointed Dr. Arthur Percival Procter as the medical officer for Donald.

The Golden Era described Dr. Procter as a “favourite” with Donald citizens. 

A former schoolteacher in Port Alberni, Dr. Procter took an interest in Donald’s public school and assisted the teacher Mr. Barron in conducting the annual examinations.

A June 1897 Golden Era article, recounts how Dr. Procter instructed the Anatomy students to resuscitate a drowned person. The doctor also donated prizes to the top students.  That year, Miss Christine Mitchell won the prize for literature and made the honour roll for deportment.

Dr. Procter practiced in Donald for 15 months, leaving the district in 1898 to start a practice in Kamloops. 

A special column in The Golden Era gives a detailed account of the farewell party for the venerated doctor. Sarah Mitchell is listed as one of the Ladies Committee members who organized the event.

The day before the party, Dr. Procter received a mysterious invitation to attend the Oddfellows Hall. The doctor asked a friend what was on at the hall and was told it was “just a Lario hop.”

Dr. Procter said he did not know that dance, but was assured by his friend that it was a very simple dance, that would be easy to learn. When Dr. Procter turned up at the Hall on Saturday, determined to face the music, he was greeted with “three hearty cheers.”

The Ladies Aid Society certainly knew how to throw a party! Describing Oddfellow’s Hall as “crowded,” The Golden Era wrote:

The illuminated address presented to Dr. Procter at his departure.

“if everyone in Donald was not there, even the babies, there must have been very few to look after the homes. The ladies laid out a wide assortment of food across the tables, and the schoolchildren sang the doctor’s favourite song, “The Land of the Maple.” In a special presentation, the C.P.R administrators gave the doctor a handsomely framed illuminated address and a gold watch bearing the inscription “1898 Presented by the Citizens of Donald and C.P.R. employees, Selkirk Section.”

Dr. Procter said he hardly knew “how to thank the citizens of Donald for their kindness.”