At age 15 i was sent to a boys home. CCM Ranch in Haney BC.
While I was there I began building a dam on a small crick that ran threw the ranch. T he crick was in the bottom of a small valley with steep hills on both sides and the bottom was spread out about 100 feet. The crick ran mostly on one side of the bottom up againest the bank. The water wasnt running very fast so i just started shoveling dirt off the bank into the creek.
I didnt really think it would work but to my surprise the water started to back up. Then I got serious about it and really started throwing in the dirt.
It took me a couple of weeks but finally the water started to back up over the bottom and really spred out.
I got a small pick and started digging dirt out of the bank and soon was useing a wheelbarrel to get the dirt where i wanted it. I got some advice from some of the other guys, Bob Hamelton helpt me most. and i built a wooden culvert for the water to run over top of the dam. Everybody got interested in it but nobody wanted to help me move that dirt :)
Anyway , i got the water up to about 6 feet deep at the dam and it spred over most of the bottom. I had a preety good size pond by the time I got finished. Even had ducks come in and land on the pound.
Oneday while i was sitting on the bank a few wood ducks came in for a lading. They didnt see me and i had my 22 rifle with me.
I took ame and as that beatiful woodduck lifted out of the water I fired, hitting him in the brest, he went down in the under brush ,not more than fifty feet away from me. I searched for almost an hour and never did find that duck. I remmber feeling guilty about shooting him. He was so pretty and I wanted him to hang around on my pound.
A few weeks after that there was a big rainstorm and when i went down to the pound in the morning ,the pound, the dam, everything was gone, i remmber wishing i could have seen it all wash away
That was also were i trapped my first racoon, and he tore a hole in the homemade trap and got away :)
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