42 A ridge To The Past

hand turned maple and other wood, also ceramics in Vrious shapes and colours. Interested visitors often call to admire and pughase their hand-

craft.

FOX RANCHING

About 1900 E.H. Rayner built a fox ranch in Wiliot Valley on land that is now part of the Charles Waugh property. Aln3st ten years later another ranch was started, and a company was forme by Roy Simmons and John Lecky. Other fox men in this area were Robrt Stavert, Reuben

Large and J. Harry Waugh.

This was a new and exciting industry all across PFTICC Edward Island and involved the investment of thousands of dollars for wreeding stock. For example, the sum of $17,000 was paid by J. Harry Wagh for one female fox, also the cost of building a fox ranch was quite high.

A site was chosen, usually in a quiet wooded ara, where the foxes would feel at home in their natural surroundings. A guad fence was erected all around the ranch. The large pens about 20 feet squar were built about 8 feet high with an open top and a wire overhang of [Wt feet in width. The foxes could climb the wire on the sides of the pens but Iere stopped by the overhang. A small house, with a hinged top was put :1 each pen and the foxes soon felt reasonably secure in their substitute (let in this man-made environment but never quite forgot their wild natue. Occasionally an orphan fox pup would be adopted by a purring mother at and raised as one of her babies. This fox pup could be petted and tamer and would become

quite docile.

During a winter of extreme snow the drifts WOUl( build up overnight and present a pathway to freedom over the top of the )en for these caged animals. The story is told of the caretaker of a ranch suih as this, who made a similar discovery on his morning rounds and ran to th: owner of the ranch in great excitement. He was heard to exclaim: “I wen to feed the big old fox in the corner pen and there he was—GONEil” Alother means of eg— cape that came naturally was the underground tunnels trey dug_ The owner had to keep a sharp look-out to avoid this mishap. Tht five foot barrier of wire that was trenched into the ground when the pens Vere built was a pre— ventative measure as was also the eight foot guard feice, Later the pens were designed with wire as a top cover, and as a floor.to make a safer en— closure.

When one of these valuable animals escaped, a (all was sent out for “Eli and his hound” and a chase was started immediztely. The owners of nearby ranches were notified and a sharp look-out was kept for tracks or a stray fox around their premises. Usually the foxes” lid for freedom was