2012 marks a major milestone for 100 Mile Ranch, which celebrates its 100th anniversary in the hands of the Cecil family.
The sprawling ranch was purchased for the princely sum of $75,000 from brothers Frank and Sydney Stephenson by British nobleman William Cecil, the 5th Marquess of Exeter, in 1912.
The property included 15,000 acres (6,070 hectares) of land, which stretched from Simon Lake to the north; Holden Lake to the west; Buffalo Lake to the east; and Horse Lake to the south.
Part of the package was Bridge Creek House, a line of five adjoining buildings completed in 1867, which included a hotel, store and telegraph office.
A water-powered sawmill built by the Stephenson brothers was positioned beside Bridge Creek in what is now Centennial Park and remnants of it can still be seen near the waterfall. A massive 24- by 24-metre fir frame barn, which still stands sturdy on the ranch, was constructed by the Stephensons sometime prior to the sale.
William first viewed the property in 1910 on a trip to Canada he made by ship and train. The rail portion of his journey ended in Kamloops, where he took the time to purchase two entire city blocks before boarding a stagecoach for the remainder of his trip to Bridge Creek Ranch.
The outright purchase of the ranch took nearly two years and the final payment was made on Dec. 6, 1912.
Williams Lake realtor C.G. Cowan was hired to manage the ranch, and while William made several visits with his wife, Myra, in the years that followed, he chose to camp in an area near the present-day Marmot Ridge Golf Course, for lack of more decent accommodations.
In 1930, William’s younger son, Lord Martin Cecil, left a career in the British Navy to take over management of the ranch. He was only 21, but clever and willing to work hard, keeping the ranch in operating order and tending a large herd of sheep and cattle.
Times were lean, but he was known to pay his ranch hands before taking money for himself. It was certainly a great contrast to the pampered life he had known in England.
Martin kept his quarters in the run-down stopping house where his sparse and draft bedroom was heated by a small, wood-burning stove. It predictably burned itself out by the middle of the night, leaving the room nearly as cold as the outdoors.
With higher aspirations for the ranch and great faith in his ingenuity, Martin set about building a new two-storey lodge to replace the old stopping house. He had no previous building experience, but he ordered books on carpentry and plumbing from England, which he read at night-and during day, he would build.
Lumber used in construction of The Lodge, as it was later named, was milled at the Stephenson Mill. In 1937, the old run-down roadhouse burned down, much to the satisfaction of Martin.
The Lodge opened its doors to the public in 1932 boasting hot-and-cold running water and electric lights powered by a generator.
Martin continued to pore his sweat into the ranch, and in 1934, Martin married Edith Csanady, a Hungarian debutante he had met while still in the navy.
The following year, the couple had a son, Michael, and on his birth, a willow tree was planted in front of The Lodge. The tree still stands today.
Martin believed The Lodge had potential as a destination resort, and in a letter written to his father in 1936 he said, “With a really comfortable and well-run place like this, including tennis courts, golf course, boating in Watson Lake, polo, etc., we could get $50 per week.”
He worked hard to market the business, travelling as far as California to rustle up customers. His aristocratic background provided him with exceptional connections and he was known to host the occasional celebrity, including United States President Herbert Hoover at The Lodge.
A Lodge brochure from the early days boasted the highway from Vancouver as being paved for one-third of the way — a real draw for car travellers. Guests could also reach their destination by stage and rail and the trip only took 1 1/2 days to complete.
Rooms went for $19.50 a week and cabins were $20 for seven days. Horses were let out for $1.50 a day.
Edith worked hard alongside Martin, but passed away in 1954.
Later, Martin married Lillian Johnson from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and together, they had a daughter, Marina.
She continues to live in the South Cariboo and is now the owner of 100 Mile Ranch — half of the original ranch holdings, which she inherited and renamed in 1995. The remainder of the property is now owned by her brother Michael and his son Anthony.
Marina says The Lodge was busy, with an open-door policy.
“If there was nobody around when a guest arrived, there was a note on the counter that said to check themselves in and take a key. When they checked out, they could just leave the money they owed.”
She has pleasant memories of growing up on the ranch, riding horses, milking goats and cows and feeding chickens.
During the early years, Martin met a spiritual man — Lloyd Arthur Meeker who was the founder of the religious society, Emissaries of the Divine Light.
“He liked Meeker’s views on life and they became good friends,” says Marina.
It was through this friendship that the seeds for an Emissaries following in 100 Mile House were sown, and in 1948, Martin formed a spiritual community in 100 Mile House, with himself as its leader.
Meeker and his wife were tragically killed in a plane crash in 1954, and Martin took in the couple’s three children to raise them as his own and also took over as leader of the entire Emissaries movement.
The Emissary community on Bridge Creek Ranch grew, with housing for members built in the area behind The Lodge. Eventually The Lodge was closed to the public and the Red Coach Inn constructed to take its place.
In 1981, on the death of his brother, David Cecil, 6th Marquess of Exeter, Martin became the 7th Marquess of Exeter, as David had no male heirs to pass on his title. David was an Olympic medal-winning hurdler — the character Lord Andrew Lindsay in the movie Chariots of Fire was partially based.
Along with the title, Martin inherited the Burghley House, a grand 16th century Elizabethan mansion on a 20,000-acre (8,093-hectare) estate in Lincolnshire, England. With more than 300 rooms, it has served as the set for several movies.
The palatial home was built by Sir William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, who was Lord High Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth I between 1558 and 1587.
He was the founder of the Cecil dynasty, which through the years has produced two prime ministers and connections through marriage to notables, including Sir Francis Bacon and the American socialite Vanderbilt family. William is even rumoured to have had a connection to the writings of Shakespeare.
Currently carrying on the Cecil lineage is Martin’s son, Michael Cecil, 8th Marquess of Exeter, who now lives in Oregon, and his son, Anthony Cecil, Lord Burghley.
