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Page last updated April 7, 2009
Alcina and Manuel's house on Borland Street, Williams Lake, a block from the railway station. A downtown "refugee," it backs onto commercial buildings, and new apartments dot the adjoining blocks. It's a nicely preserved old house, with two dormers set very high in the south pitch of the roof, and would be easily missed except for its extraordinary garden, which is entirely potatoes in the back, side and front yards. The last two times I've been in Williams Lake, in 1993 and 2003, the crop was exactly the same. On the first trip, my wife Christine asked Alcina if she ever rotated her crop, to which she replied, "sometimes I plant red ones and sometimes I plant white ones." On the second trip, Alcina gave me a glass of juice, as it was a very hot June day, but as John Lennon wrote, ". . . she doesn't have a lot to say."
update summer 2007: I went through Williams Lake and went to see if the house was still there. It was, but with a large For Sale sign in front. I'd really appreciate if anyone can send me an update, and any information about the old couple who lived there for so long.
Notes from Dell Wheeler, 2009, who is curious, too, about the owners of the Potato House: I came across your site a few months ago. I know the gal who grew up in the Patricia Ranch house on Kal Lake Road in Vernon, Pat Nuyens. I grew up in Vernon too. I have lived for 30 years at 140 Mile House. I like your paintings of the 137 Mile House. When the Fishers lived there, I used to buy farm produce from them.
About The Potato House in Williams Lake, I too noticed that the house was suddenly empty, with a For Sale sign on it. I too wondered what had happened.
I was in the Field's Store just after this past Christmas, and happened to ask a clerk, I think she is Jackie, if she knew anything, seeing the distance between Field's Store and the Potato House was small. Jackie perked right up and said her dad used to work on the railway with the old man from the Potato House. Apparently Jackie's dad is retired now from the railway, and meets other old rail roaders for coffee. She volunteered to speak to her dad.
Jackie asked her dad, he asked the old railroad coffee gang and what they said was -- the nice old lady at the Potato House died, and the old man went to live with friends or relatives.
I don't know if this is true. I can ask around some more.
Alvin Shields ran his brake and muffler shop just down the hill from the Potato House for many years, Alvin must know what happened. The Shields family always watched the Stampede Parade from right beside the Potato House.
It is sad to see the old house empty like that. I guess the old couple had nobody to leave it to. I presume it will be torn down and another building put up. Sad.
... [a week later]
Just to report that my husband and I parked across from the Potato House on Wednesday, and sadly there is no real estate company 'for sale' sign on it. I think I saw a ReMax red and white 'For Sale' sign on it a few months ago.
There are 2 'House For Sale' bought plastic signs on the east side of the house, and on the front, but no phone number to call. Which is weird. If someone is interested in buying it, who are they supposed to contact? It doesn't make any sense.
The house looks okay, I don't think anyone has vandalized it, which is good. Someone must go there every so often, the fruit trees along the east fence look like they have been pruned, and the earth where the potatoes always were is not full of weeds.
On the weekend I will try phoning Irene Stangoe, she has written books on Cariboo History and for many years has had a column in the WL Tribune about local history and folks. Irene knows me, she wrote a chapter in one of her books about a gold rush murder near our home.
Irene and her husband ran the WL Tribune for years and it was on mainstreet then. The potato house was not far away and hopefully Irene knew the couple who lived in there. I will ask. Irene is 90 now and hopefully her memory is still good. I talked to her 2 years ago and then she was still as sharp as a pin.
I have a faint memory of someone saying long ago that the lady from the Potato House used to get called across the alley to the old Famous Cafe to cook when it got really busy. That cafe was long gone when I moved here in 1978. The back of the cafe faced the south fence of the Potato House right across the alley.
