Editor's Note: The following write-up first appeared in the Oct. 2, 1974 issue of the Clearwater Times.
According to other articles in the Times, the subject of the story, Bob McCracken, was actually the fourth owner of the 600 sq. ft. store.
It was built around 1917 by a Mr. North, who sold it to Bob Alexander in 1918.
Alexander sold it to Bob McCracken's father, Tom McCracken in 1922. Bob McCracken took over the store in 1956.
The frame-built structure had no proper foundation and, towards the end of its life, the floor had several pronounced hills and valleys.
by Susan Neal
In an age of parking lots, speeding autos, supermarkets and specialization, the North Thompson Valley still boasts an old time country store. Anyone searching for the quiet of the past has but to visit McCracken’s store in Birch Island.
Mr. Bob McCracken, owner of the store, has a smile for everyone. Once inside the store you might have trouble remembering what year it is. It’s a dark place with hard wood floors. Product advertisements of by gone days adorn the walls. All kinds of things are sold – children’s toys, footwear, clothing, books, household remedies and even food.
The McCracken family arrived in Birch Island on the train from Kamloops in 1922.
The roads in those days were dusty and difficult, through barn yards and on ledges above the river. Birch Island was, at that time, the centre of the North Thompson Valley.
There was a train station, a repeater station, a hotel, housing for the crew and many farms. The Birch Island Bridge wasn’t built until 1936. Bob’s father, T.J. McCracken, ran the ferry for a few years.
In earlier days the store sold mainly staples. Sometimes trappers would come down with their pack train, load their animals right at the store and then head on into Upper Clearwater. Until 1955 the post office was located at the McCracken store. There was always a telephone but electricity didn’t come in until 1962. In 1948 the store went from wood to oil heat.
Bob attended the Birch Island School when it was located in the hall. There were 20 students of all ages in his class. He joined the airforce in 1941 and spent three years on the ground crew in Canada. Aside from that he has done little traveling, content to stay at home in Birch Island.
McCracken’s store hasn’t changed much in the last 50 years. Here’s hoping that it will continue to serve the area for many years to come.
Sadly, Bob McCracken closed his store in mid-July, 1979 and began slowly demolishing it.
In June of 1984 the remaining shell of the building burned down.
He passed away on June 18, 1989.
Inset photos:
Top - Tom McCracken in front of his store in 1922.
Middle: The caption under this photo from the Sept. 2, 1981 issue of the Clearwater Times reads, "When Birch Island was booming in the 1930s, McCrackens was one of the major stores.
Below: A photo that appears to have been taken from the water tower gives a panoramic view of Birch Island in its heyday. McCracken's store is on the left, while the railway station is on the right.
