By Honor Neve

A Mather Moment

Fort Steele Heritage Town has had many important families throughout its history.

The Mathers are one such family who continue to play a part in our story. Robert Mather, son of a Scottish sailor, moved to Canada sometime in the early 1880s. During his time in Victoria B.C. he met and married Mary Jane Dalgardus of Port Townsend. After their marriage in January 1882 the couple journeyed to the Wild Horse.

They went in by pack horses to operate the trading post and post office, providing supplies for the gold miners in the area. When trouble arose between the white settlers and the local First Nations people many people left the area in case violence broke out.

Mrs. Mather, who was pregnant at the time, returned to her family home in Port Townsend until the trouble was over. Colonel Sam Steele and the NWMP detachment quickly settled the trouble and Mary Jane was able to return, three months later, with a new baby girl, Janet. She returned on horseback, carrying Janet papoose fashion.

After several years at Wild Horse they sold their trading post and took up a thousand acre ranch on Cherry Creek. Robert’s father brought a large herd of Scottish cattle over the Dewdney Trail to raise on the ranch. They also raised pigs, chickens and ducks, grew hardy potatoes, and had a large herd of mules and horses for hauling.

It was during their time at Cherry Creek that Robert Mather constructed the first sawmill in the East Kootenay and sawed lumber to build a new house for the ever-growing family. At this time the family consisted of three girls and one boy, Janet, Mabel, Earl, and Hazel. There were no hospitals or doctors in the area yet and Mary Jane returned to her family each time to have her children.

After 12 years on the farm, Robert saved enough lumber to build a new hotel at Fort Steele, the Dalgardus (later the Windsor). His younger brother, Harry, came from Scotland at this time to help Robert with his new business endeavour.

While the hotel was still under construction Mrs. Mather had four more children, Mildred, Pearl, Ruby and Gertrude. By the time the Mathers came back to the Fort Steele area it was a booming little place.

In the 1890s ferrys traversed the Wild Horse, bringing supplies and pioneers to the area. There were seven hotels, a boarding house, general stores, an assay office, Government Office, Indian Agent Office, a Doctor, hospital, three churches, a two room school house, two blacksmith shops, and a livery stable, just to name a few.

By 1895 the Delgardus Hotel was up and running. The family lived in a private house, which still survives on-site today. All the children went to Fort Steele School and Mrs. Mather was an active part of the community. For a while the town site continued to thrive and the entrepreneurial family opened an ice cream parlor as
well. However, when the railroad finally bypassed the town things began to die down. The family continued to run the hotel but they moved back into some of the rooms. The Mather girls helped their mother with the cooking and cleaning. Finally Robert’s health failed him and he died at age 50.

His brother, Harry, took over the management of the hotel and eventually married Mary Jane. After all the children had married and left home Harry and Mary Jane finally sold the hotel and moved to Penticton around 1920. Mary Jane Mather returned for the last time to attend the Golden Jubilee Celebration of Old Timers in the East Kootenay in 1958.

She died soon after at the age of ninety-six.

We know a great deal about the Mather family, possibly more than any other family from the area.

Our archives are full of wonderful stories and pictures of the family and their time here. Robert and Mary Jane started out in the small trading post here on the Wild Horse and today their successors prosper throughout Canada. It has been Fort Steele’s great honour to host family reunions, and preserve the Mather House and Windsor Hotel for the descendants of one of Fort Steele’s most memorable families.

The original story of the Mather family was written and complied by Janet Catherine Duncan, the first of the nine Mather children.

#ExploreYesterdayToday #FortSteele #Mather

– Honor Neve is Assistant Curator at Fort Steele Heritage Town

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