How Deep Is the Lake

de Shelley O'Callaghan

"O'Callaghan's research discovers a depth to the history of the Valley that runs as deep as the 1000 meter lake. She discovers her grandfather's intriguing connection with the First Nation's chief whose ancestry goes back to the earliest recorded history at the lake, and her grandmother's attendance at a school where First Nations girls were taught servitude instead of knowledge. Through the summer of her research, she shares her discoveries with her six grandchildren as they set off on expeditions that makes the past comes alive. Together they find the headstone of an American scout with the 1858 International Boundary Commission Survey, a 1916 silver mine set up by Chief Sepass, and remnants of the original Indian Trail. They learn about trapper and prospector Charlie Lindeman, who introduced her grandfather to the lake in the early 1920s, and rescued her mother and grandmother from a fire that engulfed the lake in the 1930s. Together with her grandchildren they consider the impact of the legacy of whitesettlement in the area--what is received from the past and what is given to the future. And as they reflect on the essence of a 'summer cabin,' a place that brings family together and that nourishes the soul with its solitude and beauty, they gain a new perspective on the inevitable nature of change and privilege."--