1926 -1964

Snyder’s Garage was built in 1926 by Oscar Fredrickson for a relative Harry Palmerson who operated it in 1926 and 27 then it was rented by Bill Patterson for 1928, it was then bought by Charles M. and Roy H. Snyder in 1929. Times were tough and the first few years were a struggle to keep in the black. Especially when Mr. Patterson raised money enough to build an opposition garage next to the Hotel where G. and G. solo store is at present. There were few cars in the area then in the summer and as there was no anti-freeze, almost all were put on blocks and stored till warm weather came again. We survived mostly by charging batteries to operate radios in the winter. There were eventually some freight trucks hauling fish and supplies from and to Camperville and Duck Bay and fish camps around the lake. Gradually business built up so that we made a good living but there was always enough opposition to take the cream off the top and we never did have a very profitable business. My brother Alan and I, Ray, grew up in the business and eventually became a part of it. Charles met with an accident in 1940 and left the three of us to carry on. Then in 1942 Ray was taken by the army till 1946 when he came back to help out.

We never did have a cement floor to work on. My Dad, Roy, had suffered polio as a child and it had left his feet crippled so that walking was difficult, but he could navigate on the dirt floor. Our clothes suffered as we had to throw down pieces of cardboard to lay on when we had to work under a vehicle. We sold gas from a Bowser Pump with two bowls one for red and another for amber gasoline but the money kept for this service was small and our shortage was large and so it was not a profitable part of the business. It was, however a boon to the buyer as there was never water or other contaminants in what went into their tanks. Through the 1930’s no one had much money and so our labor charge had to be small if we were to get paid for what we had to do. We worked mostly cars and trucks that were quite a few years old and only put new parts in if it was impossible to repair the old part.

Ray left the business in 1950 and found work farther north and Alan and his dad kept going till 1963 when Alan found work in Alberta and they closed up shop. In 1964 Ray and his wife Mona cleaned out the building and had it demolished.