The Past
Businesses
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~ City Hall
~ ~ Building of
the City Hall
~ ~ Incorporation
as a City
~ ~ City Clerks
in Enderby
~ ~ Mayors of
Enderby
~ ~ ~ Jobs
of Mayor
~ ~ ~ George
Bell
~ ~ ~ John Ruttan
~ ~ ~ Fred
Barnes
~ ~ ~ Richard
Coltart
~ ~ ~ Samuel
Polson
~ ~ ~ George
Smedley
~ ~ ~ Charles
Hawkins
~ ~ ~ Nikolus
Johnson
~ ~ ~ George
McMahon
~ ~ ~ Bill
Attlesey
~ ~ ~ Terry
Fergus
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Mayor, 1911 - 1913
John
Levi Ruttan was an entrepreneur above all else. From an early age, Ruttan set about
establishing saw mills throughout the Cariboo.
He married Matilda Jane Miller and while he ran his mills, his wife ran a roadhouse that catered to many of the men who worked in Ruttan's mills as well as any travellers who happened to be in the area. While in the Cariboo, Mrs. Ruttan also had children, nine to be exact. One son died in childhood, but four girls and four boys lived to reach adulthood.
In the early 1900's, Ruttan moved his family to Sicamous in order to be near a saw mill he had established in Mara, and started a construction business specializing in brick buildings in the growing city of Enderby.
Almost immediately, Ruttan purchased land beside the railway tracks and opposite from the United Church. He owned the entire block, and began construction on a two-storey house right away. In 1904, the Ruttan family moved into their newly finished home on Regent street, a very stylish building with many windows and an immense yard. In 1905, an addition was done by the contractor Ira Jones and in 1909, a west wing was added and the entire house was refinished in brick veneer.
Ruttan was a busy man in Enderby. He was one of the driving forces behind the raising of money for building the Fortune School and was also the contractor in charge of its construction. It is due to him that the school was done in brick and he also added many luxuries to the building free of charge to the school board. Ruttan also built City Hall and many brick homes in the area.
When George Bell left the town and the position of Mayor, Ruttan was the man elected to take his place. He was Mayor for three years and managed his investments in the lumber industry as well as his construction business and his large family. In 1922, the family moved to Vernon, and the Ruttan House was occupied by other tenants. In 1938, John Ruttan's son Percy Ruttan returned to live in the Ruttan House with his wife and four daughters.
The Ruttan House is still standing today, but many changes have been made. The characteristic circular balcony has been removed, making the house appear much less exotic. Before Ruttan left Enderby, he sold a part of his land to the city for the construction of a power station. The house was at one time converted into an apartment building, and the upstairs which was probably bedrooms originally had a kitchen as well as many rooms. The front door opened on to a large entryway which housed the winding stairway that led to the second floor. The living room was large and adjoined the dining room. Until 1993, the old wood-burning kitchen stove was still in the house and the cupboards were differently styled from the ones built today. The shed that is in the back of the Ruttan House was built before 1910 and is still in use today.
Mayor Ruttan was a large contributor to the building of Enderby and left behind a house that was a credit to the town.
Mayna Vancaillie
Enderby Museum 1995