While driving through town I noticed this plaque on the front of the Country Roads General Store. Inquired about the plaque, unfortunately little information was known, except that the wood floor is original.
I returned two weeks later and saw a Co-Op gas station; I inquired inside and was shown information that was posted on one of the walls. The historical information provided below was transcribed from this information.
Farmers' Co-Operative Building
The Farmers' Co-Operative constructed this building in 1936. Within a short time, Joe Woogman from Trail bought the store and sold groceries, footwear, clothing, and general merchandise.
Ralph Leckett assumed ownership in 1940, selling groceries and hardware as Leckett's Store.
Central Feed from Trail rented Ralph's little building next door.
The public library later moved into this location. When Ralph Leckett retired, Gordon (Fuzzy) and Dorothy (Leckett) Grieve continued the business as Fruitvale Feed and Seed. They also sold hardware, fishing gear, and general merchandise.
The Beaver Valley and Pend d'Oreille Historical Society
Fruitvale Co-Op
1938
During the early 1930s, many workers who lived in Fruitvale and workers at Cominco smelter in Trail faced transportation problems. Several of the workers held a meeting in October 1933 to discuss the possibility of running their own transportation company. Fruitvale Co-Op Transportation Society incorporated on Sept 12, 1935. Its twenty members each paid a two-dollar membership fee. It was the second transportation Co-Op to form in British Columbia after the Rossland's, also formed by Cominco workers.
Cars on the property of the Co-Op Transportation Society
1934
The early days were tough for the new Co-Op. Roads from Fruitvale to Trail were a lousy drive in the 1930s and especially during the war years. Spring break-ups wreaked havoc on the roads and made travel particularly difficult. The general attitude taken by the owners of Cominco and the city councils of Fruitvale and Rossland was that transportation was everybody's problem, but nobody's responsibility. This attitude was a large factor in spurring the smelter works to deal with transportation problems themselves.
After a few years, city council as well as the owners of Cominco began to realize what an important service the Co-Ops were providing to the communities of Fruitvale and Trail. At one point, road conditions were so poor that the Co-Op, vehicles had to be taken off the road, but Cominco assisted by sending out company trucks to fix the roads.
After the war, increased pressure from both the local members of the provincial legislative assembly and several Cominco officials resulted in a hard-surfaced road being built from Fruitvale to Trail. By 1950, the Co-Op had over 350 members, four 30-passenger buses, one 38-passenger bus, and four station wagons.
In the 1960’s the Fruitvale Co-Op had an active list of 356 Cominco employees, although the total membership is around 500. The Co-Op operated a fleet of seven buses, maintained a service and repair shop and employed six. The cost of transportation was $7.50, plus $1.20 towards share capital, a month.
After Cominco started to downsize in the late 1960s, the Co-Op realized it needed to both become self-sufficient and diversify its services. Members decided to construct a hardware store with electric and construction supplies as well as a weigh scale for the community. Eventually, the Co-Op expanded its garage to provide storage for local school buses.
Many employees preferred to locate in nearby communities and greater distances involved in travel made it feasible for these employees to pool their resources and form a motor Co-Op. To this extent the transportation Co-Ops have fostered growth in the outlying areas of Trail. Judging from the growth of the co-ops, and from the sound financial position experienced by each, it's not hard to share in their optimistic outlook for the future. The fact that these groups have proved to be a success providing economical means of getting to and from work is a tribute to the Cominco employees who started them and who continue to operate them.
As of the year 2000, the Co-Op has about 1100 members and while the transportation component of the Co-Op still functions, its focus is now on service stations and convenience stores.
The auto-repair shop underwent renovations in 2000, and a new gas bar and convenience store was completed in 2001. Federated Co-Operatives Limited (FCL) paid for half of the new building. The Federated Co-Operatives Limited (FCL) paid for half of the new building and financed the other half interest-free as long as the loan was paid back within two years of the building's completion. In order to honor their commitment to FCL, the Co-Op discontinued member discounts on gas. Local contractors and services were used to construct the new building. Features of the new gas bar included a key-lock with easy access for large trucks, and a larger facility that allowed for an increase in the amount of fuel held.
Its shift to a fuel and transportation Co-Op has allowed Fruitvale Transportation Co-Op to maintain its niche in the small community of Fruitvale.
In 2020, the Fruitvale Co-Op will celebrate its eighty-fifth anniversary and is one of the longest running Co-Ops in the Kootenays.