Edward Andrew Seebach was born to in 1880 in Fullarton, Ontario. Ed was a descendent of German immigrants from the Heltersberg area in Germany. His parents were Louis Seebach and Wilhelmina Saakel. Ed was their first born child, followed by a daughter, Louisa. Their mother, Wilhelmina, died in 1883 of tuberculosis. Ed's father then married a woman named Christine Grube and had nine more children. It is not known exactly when Ed decided to come west but according to the 1901 census a 20 year old Ed was living with his family in Fullarton and has no listed profession. Sometime during the next few years he set out for British Columbia.

Around 1903 Ed met Al Huble and trapped with him on the upper Fraser River northeast of Huble Homestead. Ed and Al started up a trading post on the homestead site in 1904, which did brisk business. They also were in the business of freighting supplies over the Giscome Portage. As part of their operations Ed and Al also had land and warehouses on both Summit and McLeod Lakes.

Edward Seebach

Ed held the pre-emption for the land just north of Al Huble's. Today their two pre-emptions make up the Huble Homestead Historic Site. As the business grew the partners built a false front store that faced the river. This store was closed in 1919 when the road from Prince George to Summit Lake was completed and business declined. Seebach then moved to his own store on McLeod Lake, which he operated until 1931.

Sam Huble described Ed as “…tough. He could hike 50 to 60 miles in a day.” He also mentioned that Ed remained a bachelor. Because Ed remained a bachelor he was often the one to do much of the traveling for the business ventures. Al's diary mentions many times that Ed is heading to Fort George, McLeod or Summit Lake. The diary mentions Ed taking many of these trips in order to pick up furs to trade or transport goods.

In 1931, the roof of his store caught fire, and he fell off a ladder trying to extinguish the blaze. Ed sustained third degree burns and multiple fractures to one of his legs, which later had to be amputated. He appeared to recover his strength, but in February of 1932 he was admitted to the Prince George Hospital, where he died on February 27, 1932, at the age of 51.

Seebach was buried in the Prince George Cemetery; his plot was unmarked until fall 2011, when the Huble Homestead/Giscome Portage Heritage Society installed a stone on his grave. A memorial and stone dedication service was held on May 5, 2012, attended by members of the Society, the Huble family, and even a relative of Edward Seebach.

Edward Seebach