The Way It Used To Be

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What's it like to live in a Northern Town

In the 1970s, Atlin lacked many amenities, but the inconvenience of outhouses and water-storage barrels is offset by an easygoing air. Time was available to exchange a yarn over a cup of tea or to listen to the tinkle of the ice along the lakeshore. Time was also available to skin a moose or to help a neighbor start a frozen truck.

Time was, very likely, part of the small northern town newly found wealth, discovered and highly prized by the new pioneers who harbored vivid memories of the mad-hatter pace of other places. It was also a place in which to change the course of a life. People came here searching for new surroundings, new friends, and new adventures. The town drew those who had jogged themselves from old worn ruts and were now experiencing the joys and pitfalls of trying something entirely different.

Get a cup of hot tea and read about:

And life in Atlin was different from southern big city life.

The porcupine who stalked and attacked a dog.

Was the Engineer Gold Mine cursed?

The Malamute who drove the family car.

Ben’s encounter with a Sasquatch.

What was the Indian River monster?

A young girl who trapped by dog team.

Last Christmas concert in the old Moose Hall.

The tradition of the latchstring

What makes a gold-rush town unique?

The people who made Atlin home.

About the Author

Author Diane Solie Smith knew when she first rounded the last bend in the road and saw Atlin Mountain and the beautiful body of water stretched out before it, that she had found her new and forever home. She moved to the remote British Columbia town in 1967 with her husband and young son, Bradford D. Smith.

As a young girl, Diane was given Jack London’s book, White Fang, by her father. It is hard to say if that book ignited a lifelong calling to the north, but it is certain she ended up there. Once settled in the small town, Diane put down permanent roots. Her engineering degree would mostly collect dust. On the other hand, her artistic talent served her well and, at times, was the only thing that kept food on the table. Diane opened a gift shop and sold her own wares as well as offering space for other artists and craftsmen.

Diane turned her hand to writing articles for the local Atlin News Miner from 1972 through 1978. Her son, Bradford, collected these articles to create The Way It Used To Be: Stories from a Small Northern Town.