Archibald, David Armstrong “Dave”

David Archibald was born on August 27, 1899, in Iowa, USA. He married Gladys Allison on June 15, 1930 in Penticton, BC. At the time of their marriage, he was working as a sawmill employee. He died on August 19, 1984, in a car accident near Clearwater, BC.

According to Katherine Seaman, Monty Harrison rented his place at Round Lake to James (“Jim”) and David (“Dave”) Archibald from Summers Creek. They ran a sawmill there for a few years then left for the Clearwater Country.

It is possible the sawmill was actually at One Mile as described by Mary (Harrison) Colter in Princeton Our Valley (page 234) or at Dry Lake (Princeton Our Valley, page 364). 

At any rate, the 1931 Wrigley’s British Columbia Directory lists “J.& D. Archibald, sawmill.”

In February 1924 , he was released from the Princeton General Hospital after a month long stay and “returned to Coalmont.”

The Princeton Star reported in April 1924 that the Archibald brothers [Dave and Jim] had purchased a new Ford touring car. 

In May 1927 , he was part of a three-camp forestry department effort to combat the pine beetle. He was a with a group of local men “near McCulloch’s ranch on the Merritt road.” Dave Archibald was also on the executive of the Princeton Fish, Game and Forest Protective Association (January 1938) and was the Honorary Fire Warden for Dry Lake area: “These are contact men, to whom local fires are reported. They have authority to immediately organize fire-fighting parties and have access to equipment” (May 1938).

Like his brothers, Jim and Don, Dave Archibald enjoyed competing in local shooting competitions. He came in third in July 1934, fifth in July 1935, sixth in September 1935, fifth in June 1936, and fourth in June 1937. After being on the losing team at the first annual crow shoot in April 1938, he finally won the annual shoot in June 1938. 

The Archibald’s (Dave, Jim, and Don) appear to have been keen participants in the Dominion Day celebrations. They all competed in the shooting competitions and in June 1938, Dave and Don Archibald won the log sawing contest as well as were on the winning team (Dave Archibald, C. Hansen, Ronald Cam, Don Archibald, L. Stewart) in the Tug of War. 

Jim and Dave Archibald and their families moved to Jim and Dave and their families moved to Clearwater around 1938, but they remained connected to the Princeton community through friends and family. In October 1939, Dave and Gladys Archibald visited Princeton in order to attend the Similkameen Historical Association banquet. 

The Similkameen Star (April 16, 1942, page 2) ran an brief article on Bert Thomas, Mr. And Mrs. Alfred Allison, Dave and Gladys Archibald and his mother, Addie Rudin (formerly Archibald). Also mentioned are Frank Shook, Mr. & Mrs. Johnston, and Jack Norman. All former residents that had moved to the Clearwater region.