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British Columbia History
British Columbia Historical Association
Vol. 15, No. 2
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BRITISH VOLUME 15, NO. 2 Winter 1982 COLUMBIA HISTORICAL NEWS Provincial Archives of B.C. 92410 Building the Yukon Telegraph Tracing the Walla Walla Trail Convention Registration pes: ■ ■■■■ ■^^■"■■-■*-t"* •-•**&?*■':: :"y ■ 1 ' Published by the British Columbia Historical Association On the cover Blacksmith shop The blacksmith was an essential tradesman required by the Atlin-Quesnel telegraph construction crews since the bulk of materials were moved by horsepower. This blacksmith is preparing to reshoe a horse. The basic tools used were a portable forge and hand-powered blower shown in the centre, a small anvil, hand tools and a supply of horseshoes shown on the ground. ... story starts on page six. MEMBER SOCIETIES Member societies and their secretaries are responsible for keeping their addresses up-to-date. Please enclose a telephone number for an officer if possible also. Alberni District Museum & Historical Society, Box 284, Port Alberni, B.C. V9Y 7M7 Atlin Historical Society, P. O. Box 111, Atlin, B.C. VOW 1A0 BCHA — Gulf Islands Branch, c/o P.O. Box 35, Saturna Island, B.C. VON 2Y0 BCHA — Victoria Branch, c/o Mrs. S. Manson, R.R #7, Echo Drive, Victoria, B.C. V8X 3X3 Burnaby Historical Society, c/o Kathleen A. Moore, 3755 Triumph St., Burnaby, B.C. V5C 1Y5 Campbell River & District Museums & Archives Society, 1235 Island Highway, Campbell River, B.C. V9W 2C7 Chemainus Valley Historical Association, P.O. Box 172, Chemainus, B.C. VOR 1K0 Cowichan Historical Society, P.O. Box 1014, Duncan, B.C. V9L 3Y2 Creston & District Historical & Museum Society, c/o Margaret Moore, Box 253, Creston, B.C. VOB 1G0 District 69 Historical Society, c/o Mildred Kurtz, P.O. Box 74, Parksville, B.C. VOR 2S0 East Kootenay Historical Association, c/o Betty Oliver, 670 Rotary Drive,Kimberley, B.C. V1A 1E3 Golden & District Historical Society, Box 992, Golden B.C. VOA 1H0 Ladysmith New Horizons Historical Society, c/o Mrs. V. Cull, R.R. #2, Ladysmith, B.C. VOR 2E0 Nanaimo Historical Society, P.O. Box 933, Station "A", Nanaimo, B.C. V9R 5N2 Nanooa Historical & Museum Society, R.R. #2, Texaco, Box 5, Nanoose Bay, B.C. VOR 2R0 New Denver Historical Society, c/o Janet Amsden, Box 51, New Denver, B.C. VOG 1S0 Nootka Sound Historical Society, Box 748, Gold River, B.C. VOP 1G0 North Shore Historical Society, c/o Doris Blott, 1671 Mountain Highway, North Vancouver, B.C. V7J 1M6 Princeton & District Pioneer Museum, Box 687, Princeton, B.C. VOX 1W0 Sidney & North Saanich Historical Society, c/o Mrs. Ray Joy, 10719 Bayfield Road, R.R. #3, Sidney, B.C. V8L 3P9 Silverton Historical Society, c/o P.O. Box 137, Silverton, B.C. VOG 2B0 Societe Historique Franco-Colombienne, 9 avenue Broadway E., Vancouver, C.-B. V5T 1V4 Trail Historical Society, P.O. Box 405, Trail, B.C. V1R 4L7 Vancouver Historical Society, P.O. Box 3071, Vancouver, B.C. V6B 3X6 Windermere District Historical Society, Box 1075, Invermere, B.C. VOA 1K0 Erratum The Council of the B.C.H.A. has a well-defined policy on granting affiliation. It is a form of membership granted only to federations of like-minded organizations or to province-wide associations. It allows voice but no vote at B.C.H.A. meetings. A subscription taken out on behalf of a museum or a library by its governing society is no more than a subscription. Similarly, an individual subscription does not confer membership in the B.C.H.A. BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORICAL NEWS W^J* Vol. 15, No. 2 CONTENTS Letters to the Editor 4 News of the Association 5 Features The Yukon Telegraph: Construction of the Atlin to Quesnel Section, 1900-1901 by David R. Richeson 6 Discovery: 1887 16 The Walla Walla Trail by R. C. Harris 18 News and Notes 22 Reports from the Branches 24 Historic Trails Update by John Spittle 26 Bookshelf The Fraser's History compiled by the Burnaby Historical Society review by Doug Hudson, Doug Nicol and Bob Smith 28 The Colonial Postal Systems and Postage Stamps of Vancouver Island and British Columbia, 1849-1871 by Alfred Stanley Deaville review by James E. Hendrickson 30 From Arsenic to DDT by Paul W. Riegert review by Robert A. Cummings 31 Canada's Urban Past by Alan F. J. Artibise and Gilbert A. Stelter review by Bryan Palmer 33 Second-class mail registration number 4447. Published fall, winter, spring, and summer by the British Columbia Historical Association, P.O. Box 1738, Victoria, V8W 2Y3. Our Charitable Donations number is 0404681-52-27. Printed by Fotoprint, Victoria, B.C. Correspondence with editor is to be addressed to Box 1738, Victoria, V8W 2Y3. Subscriptions: Institutional $15.00 per year, Individual (non-members) $7.00 per year. The B.C. Historical Association gratefully acknowledges the financial assistance of the British Columbia Heritage Trust. From the Editor I would like to thank everyone for the kind letters and calls about the NEWS. I am grateful and relieved that the new format was well received. Underneath this message is a subscription box. The economics of production of each issue is such that every additional name on the subscription list adds only a few pennies to the overall cost of production but brings in dollars of revenue to the B.C.H.A. If each of you could personally go out and sign up just one new member to your local historical society, our NEWS would be on a much better financial footing. The best way to get new subscriptions is to get new members (it's a lot cheaper for them too). If you can't get a new membership, get them to just plain subscribe. This would obviously be best for local library subscriptions, for getting your dentist to subscribe for his office, for a friend now living in Ontario, etc. Use your imagination! Let's see how many new subscriptions we can come up with. — Maureen Cassidy NEXT ISSUE Deadline for submissions for the Spring issue of the NEWS is March 1, 1982. Please type double spaced if possible. Mail to the Editor, B.C. Historical News, P.O. Box 1738, Victoria, B.C. V8W 2Y3. Subscribe! To the The Editor: The new format of the B.C. Historical News is excellent and makes for a very readable magazine. Special compliments have been making the rounds concerning the article on Indian Brass Bands — delightful! Best wishes, Anne W. Holt Secretary, Alberni District Museum and Historical Society Port Alberni, B.C. The Editor: Congratulations on your appointment as editor and on the new format of the British Columbia Historical News. The headings are clear, the illustrative material lively — in all, an interesting, very readable publication. Our very best wishes for continuing success during your term as editor — and a good response to your request for news items and letters. Yours sincerely, Dorothy Shields Secretary, Vancouver Historical Society Vancouver, B.C. Yes, I wish to subscribe to B. C. Historical News. I enclose'a cheque or money order payable to the B.C. Historical Association, P.O. Box 1738, Victoria, B.C. V8W 2Y3. Individual Four issues for $7.00 ( ) Instutional Four issues for $15.00 ( ) NAME: ♦ ADDRESS City Postal Code Page 4 British Columbia Historical News News Policy Committee The News Policy Committee has been established as the body responsible to the Council of the B.C.H.A. with a mandate to make publication policy for the British Columbia Historical News. As in the past, the editor (or editors) enjoys freedom to choose the content of our quarterly, but it is understood that the News Policy Committee acts in an advisory capacity to the editor. In order that this committee reflect the needs of our members, I, as chairperson of the 1981 Annual General Meeting, called for free-wheeling discussion on all aspects of this arm of the association. Some suggestions were made: • that meeting dates of member societies be printed annually for the benefit of visiting members • that field trips of individual clubs be publicized • why not seek advertising? • etc., etc. If you, the reader, wish to offer other suggestions, please address them to me for the committee's consideration. Members of the committee are, the president (ex officio), Helen Akrigg, and Naomi Miller, all of whom have had practical experience in publishing, as has our new editor, Maureen Cassidy. We anticipate a fruitful collaboration, feeling that we are as fortunate today as we have been with our editors in the past. Ruth Barnett, Chairperson, News Policy Committee, 680 Pinecrest Road, Campbell River, B.C. V9W 3P3 (Editor's Note: Cathy Henderson is the most valuable unsung heroine of the organization. Here's a bit that she wrote about herself and a bit more about what she does.) I was born in the Cariboo Gold Quartz Hospital at Wells, schooled in Vancouver and have now settled into life on Vancouver Island. A couple of times each week I slip away from my desk in the Provincial Archives of B.C. to walk up Government Street to the B.C. Historical Association's Box 1738 at the Post Office. There are two jobs I do for the Association. I fetch and distribute your mail — cheques to Mr. Richardson in Vancouver, review copies of books to Pat Roy, and material for the NEWS to Maureen Cassidy — and I try to keep the mailing list for the NEWS up to date. The NEWS now has a circulation of 1166; 109 copies to institutions, 63 individual subscriptions, and 994 to members of local historical societies. A Message from the President Greetings for the "Season"! I hope we all start the new year with vim and vigour. A phrase I have heard repeated often, and I'm sure every President before me has heard, "What does the British Columbia Historical Association do for us?" British Columbia Historical Association can only operate on the concerted effort of every member. Your magazine can only be successful if you all contribute to it. I would like each society to discuss this problem and let your executive know how we can help this association be more meaningful to you all. By the time you read this letter, you will have received a directive from Winnifred Weir. I hope you will all co-operate in this new undertaking for B.C.H.A. I would appreciate any ideas for projects for the coming year. Again I ask your co-operation. Yours, Barbara Stannard Winter 1982 Page 5 The Yukon Telegraph Construction of the Atlin to Quesnel Section 1900-1901 By David R. Richeson Lack of communication with the Yukon Territory became an urgent problem following the discovery of gold there in 1896 and the subsequent rush of tens of thousands of gold seekers to the area around Dawson. An existing Canadian-American dispute over the exact location of the southern Alaska-northern British Columbia border ruled out the use of an underwater telegraph cable as a means of connection with a land telegraph line which the Canadian Government completed in 1899 between Bennett and Dawson. The decision to proceed with the Atlin-Quesnel section of the Yukon Telegraph line was not made until December 1899. Private industry involvement was briefly considered and then ruled out.1 The Dominion Telegraph and Signal Service, a branch of the Canadian Department of Public Works, had been constructing and operating telegraph lines in all regions of Canada since 1881. They stepped in "where the expected business to be transacted could not in any way tempt private companies into establishing telegraphic communications".2 Dominion Government lines served lighthouses and weather stations, provided service to quarantine stations in British Columbia and Quebec, linked isolated settlements, and connected islands on both coasts and in the Great Lakes.3 The Yukon Telegraph thus drew upon twenty years of Government experience in construction and operation of telegraph lines in remote and isolated areas of Canada. Work began on clearing a trail south from Atlin in March 1900.4 Some supplies remained at Bennett from the 1899 telegraph construction in the Yukon which could be applied to the Atlin-Quesnel line. J. B. Charleson, who had directed the construction in 1899, returned from Ottawa with a work party of men. Supplies were shipped to Ashcroft on the C.P.R. main line. Freighters took them north in return for what was considered the extravagant rate of 4$ per pound. Other supplies were delivered by Hudson's Bay Company sternwheelers to Hazelton on the Skeena River and to Telegraph Creek on the Stikine River. Horses and sleighs brought from the east supplemented horse and mule pack trains in moving the supplies from the river depots.5 The telegraph construction crews and packers at work in northern British Columbia were not the first to be seen in the region. The Yukon Telegraph between Quesnel and Hazelton roughly followed a route used in 1865 by the unsuccessful Collins Overland Telegraph. Telegraph Creek on the Stikine River derived its name from its role as a supply point for the Collins Telegraph in the 1860s. By 1900, however, all that remained of the Collins line was the Quesnel to Ashcroft section owned by the Canadian Government and operated under contract by the C.P.R. Materials for the Atlin-Quesnel telegraph line came from a variety of sources, similar to those used in the construction of the line in the Yukon. No. 8 galvanized iron wire was ordered from J. A. Seybold & Company in Great Britain. White porcelain insulators were supplied by the St. John's Potteries in Quebec. Oak insulator brackets were supplied by Firstbrook Brothers in Toronto.6 Food supplies were largely obtained through Page 6 British Columbia Historical News British Columbia suppliers such as Kelly Douglas & Company in Vancouver. Large contracts were tendered but smaller contracts for specific food items, labour, or freight often were awarded on a patronage basis with local Members of Parliament, such as Hewitt Bostock, or the Minister of Public Works taking a direct role in the decision making. This was consistent with late nineteenth century government practice in such matters. Permanent jobs with the Telegraph Service required political approval even at the level of line repairer or operator.7 By the end of May 1900, wire had been strung 70 miles south of Atlin and 30 miles north of Quesnel.8 Problems had already become apparent which threatened the planned Fall completion date. Supplies of wire were delayed, spring breakup caused unexpected transportation problems, and it was found necessary to begin major repairs and renovations on the Ashcroft-Quesnel section of the telegraph. J. B. Charleson received permission to buy interim supplies of wire and insulators in Vancouver to keep crews at work.9 In June additional complications arose when it was discovered the distances involved in the construction had been seriously underestimated, further aggravating a wire shortage and increasing transportation costs. Work stopped altogether for a period in August and then resumed through late October, when it was X STFiArwcdrf . rt. ■>-,-^'.*'JJ.--r*r-,^ *.; - * --. Jy -r ^.yjtmZ. -* Ml.-*1* <fll J&Jk '"■** S* *oA-^>^" ' *j Provincial Archives of*B.C 92400 Hudson's Bay Company Steamer Strathcona at Telegraph Creek, 1900. The major supply points for the construction of the British Columbia section of the Yukon Telegraph were Atlin, Telegraph Creek, Hazelton, and Quesnel. Supplies from these points were moved primarily by horsepower. The bulk of the supplies consisted of food; construction tools used in clearing the line and erecting buildings and support facilities such as bridges and corduroy roads; and coils of No. 8 or No. 9 galvanized iron wire, barrels of porcelain insulators, spikes, and oak brackets. Once the materials were removed from the steamboats, everything had to be repacked for horse transport to the end of construction. Winter 1982 Page 7 apparent that a connection between the Atlin and Quesnel ends of the line would not be possible before winter ended the work for the year.10 The actual gap turned out to be 121 miles, but Charleson badly underestimated it. This lead to an ill-fated attempt to bridge the gap during the winter using dog teams to carry messages. This effort was abandoned after some of the dogs died and one man was hospitalized as a result of the trip.11 During the winter of 1900-1901 there was political criticism of the project in Ottawa for the failure to complete it on schedule and for the tremendous costs. The Atlin-Quesnel section of the line had been estimated to cost $225,000 in December of 1899. By March 27,1901, J. B. Charleson had already spent $420,813, nearly twice the original estimate. This compares with $157,209 which was the initial cost of the Bennett-Atlin- Dawson telegraph line.12 The Government however was not deterred and expanded the conception to include a branch line from Port Simpson to Hazelton.13 Plans for the Atlin-Quesnel line included 37 stations or refuge houses, one every thirty to forty miles. More substantial offices and the chemical batteries which powered the line were established at Quesnel (220 battery cells), Hazelton (175 cells), Telegraph Creek (132 cells) and Atlin (72 cells).14 In each case accommodation was provided for the operator and separate space for the glass, acid battery cells. As in other parts of Canada, Canadian Government services were grouped in a single building wherever possible. In Atlin where the post office previously existed in rented accommodation, a building was purchased to house the telegraph office, the post office and a custom house. The Atlin building when completed was described by Charleson as "the finest building in the district by long odds and the admiration of the people of Atlin".15 The telegraph between Port Simpson and Hazelton line was completed first in 1901 because work could begin earlier than in the interior.16 It took the remainder of the summer to complete the final link, "through the hardest possible country" between the fifth and sixth cabins north of Hazelton, at 4 p.m. on September 24,190117 Communication was now possible between Dawson and Vancouver or Ottawa or any other point in the world on the telegraph line. The Vancouver Daily World under a heading of "Direct to Dawson" indicated that it was a day to be marked in the history of British Columbia and the Yukon.18 William Ogilvie, Commissioner of the Yukon, telegraphed the Minister of the Interior in Ottawa saying: "Time and space annihilated. We are of the world now."19 These reactions are similar to those of other communities gaining access to the telegraph for the first time. Perceptions of the greater world were altered, business styles Unless otherwise cited all references in this article are to: Canada, Department of Public Works records, R.C. 11, Public Archives Canada (PAC). J. Israel Tarte (Canada, Minister of Public Works) to Wilfrid Laurier (Prime Minister), December 14,1899, R.G. 11, vol. 1308. Department of Public Works "Report", Jan. 16,1905, R.G. 11, vol. 2851, file 1880-4. For an illustrated overview of the Canadian telegraph system in the nineteenth century see: David R. Richeson, The Electric Telegraph in Canada, 1846- 1902 (Ottawa: National Museum of Man/National Film Board of Canada, 1982), Volume 52 in the series Canada's Visual History. J. B. Charleson to Deputy Minister, Public Works, March 7,1900, R.G. 11, vol. 1381. ). B. Charleson, "Report No. 1" to A. Gobeil (Deputy Minister, Public Works), Feb. 17,1900, R.G. 11, vol. 1318. Deputy Minister Public Works to J. Israel Tarte, Dec. 18, 1899, R.G. 11, vol. 1308. Acting Minister, Public Works to Superintendent, Government Telegraph Service, July 6,1900, R.G. 11, vol. 1341. ). B. Charleson, "Report" to Superintendent, G.T.S., May 30,1900, R.G. 11, vol. 1998. Deputy Minister, Public Works to J. B. Charleson, May 17,1900, R.G. 11, vol. 1998. J. B. Charleson to A. Gobeil, Oct. 26,1900, R.G. 11, vol. 1359. J. B. Charleson to A. Gobeil, May 20, 1901, R.G. 11, vol. 1395. Public Works, Accounting Department "Report", May 27,1901, R.G. 11, vol. 1395. J. B. Charleson to A. Gobeil, March 23,1901, R.G. 11, vol. 1384. ). B. Charleson, "Report" to J. Israel Tarte, Nov. 20, 1900, R.G. 11, vol. 1367. J. B. Charleson to A. Gobeil, May 12,1900, R.G. 11, vol. 1339; also June 12,1900. J. B. Charleson to J. Israel Tarte, June 14,1901, R.G. 11, vol. 1399. J. B. Charleson to A. Gobeil, Sept. 24,1901, R.G. 11, vol. 1416; also see; Louis LeBourdais, "On the Yukon Telegraph Line", Maclean's Magazine, October 15, 1932, p. 14. Daily World (Vancouver), September 25,1901, p. 1. William Ogilvie (Commissioner, Yukon Territory) to Clifford Sifton (Canada, Minister of Interior), telegram, September 28, 1901, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Records, R.G. 18, vol. 218, file 803- 01, PAC. For details of life along the telegraph line see: Louis LeBourdais, "On the Yukon Telegraph Line"; J. G. Lawrence, 40 Years On The Yukon Telegraph (Vancouver: Mitchell Press, 1965); Diamond Jen- ness, "The Yukon Telegraph Line", Canadian Geographical Journal, vol. 1, no. 8, (Dec, 1930), pp. 695-705. "Report", 29 April 1938, R.G. 11, vol. 2841, file 997-3. Page 8 British Columbia Historical News changed, administrative centralization increased, and local standards of news changed. Unfortunately, as with many new developments, the subsequent operation for the Atlin-Quesnel section of the Yukon telegraph presented serious maintenance problems. Maintenance costs were estimated to be $6 per mile or twice those of lines in eastern Canada. During the first winter's operation the line was inoperable IOV2 of 19 weeks through February 1902. Falling trees caused all of the interruptions until December 22 when a month's interruption was caused when massive snow falls near the Nass Summit carried out nearly three miles of the line. The burden of repair fell fully upon the isolated operators and repairmen who manned the line of cabins between Hazelton and Atlin. These men, two to a cabin, were supplied once a year and might not have any other contact with the outside than over the telegraph.20 The completed telegraph line was maintained with great difficulty until 1936 when sudden spring floods washed out major portions of the line between Hazelton and Telegraph Creek forcing its final abandonment.21 Between 1901 and 1936 the telegraph served the communications needs of the people of the Yukon and linked centres in northern British Columbia with the entire Canadian Telegraph system. The existence of the line established a greater Dominion Government presence, based on length of telegraph line and total expenditure, in British Columbia's communication system than in that of any other province. Finally the telegraph provided a measure of stable employment through often difficult economic periods for those involved in the supply of the isolated line cabins and the maintenance of the "Telegraph Trail." HyMi|Wifri'B_» W'l'l! j,l " hi' " "T<"."X Dominion Government Telegraph Office at Pike River Pike River was the first station south of Atlin and in its finished state reflects access to sawn lumber for roof, doors and windows. Slab roofs were more common in more isolated offices. The interiors of such offices, which were rarely photographed, were simple. The telegraph wire entered the office from the left side and the operator's table would probably be located under the left hand window. The operator would have had a clock, a ledger book, and a volume of telegraph regulations and candles or an oil lamp in addition to the key and relay box. Other furnishings included rough cots, a couple of chairs, a small stove and perhaps a one volume medical encyclopaedia. Operators and repairmen were assigned to such offices on an annual basis and might receive $60 to $80 a month in 1900 in addition to a year's supply of food. Small gardens in summer normally supplemented the employees' diets. Winter 1982 Page 9 Provincial Archives of B.C. 92416 Freight teams crossing a bridge, Little Nakina River The absence of roads meant supplies moved either by packtrain or on the sleigh-type carriages shown. Coils of heavy galvanized iron wire can clearly be seen on the bottom of the load pulled by the centre team. This type of transport permitted movement during spring and fall periods when snow might or might not exist. The bridge across the Little Nakina River is typical of those built along the route of construction to facilitate the work. Page 10 British Columbia Historical News Winter 1982 Page 11 Lunch at a moving camp Work crews, packers and freighters had ample, if monotonous, fare during the construction phase of the Atlin-Quesnel section of the Yukon Telegraph. Live cattle for slaughter and milch cows moved with the crews to supplement a diet of dried or salted foods. Small cast iron stoves permitted the cooks to prepare hot meals even on the move. The hordes of insects which plagued the camps at certain times of the year appear to be mercifully absent in this photograph. Page 12 British Columbia Historical News Winter 1982 Page 13 Building a telegraph office, Iskoot River, British Columbia Telegraph Office buildings were built along the line approximately every 30 to 40 miles. In certain sections, such as north of Iskoot, refuge cabins would be built between offices and stocked with supplies for use of the repairmen who were stationed on every section and upon whom the successful operation of the completed line lay. The log buildings along the line exhibited a variety of styles, roof lines and cornering techniques. In general buildings in settled areas were more carefully finished with squared logs and used sawn lumber for floors and roofs. The Iskoot River Office, shown under construction, is typical of more isolated offices. It is constructed of peeled logs chinked with moss. Finishing details such as floors and interior furnishing and subsequent renovations were normally left to the imagination of the individual operator and repairman. Page 14 British Columbia Historical News David Richeson is the Western Canada Historian in the History Division of the National Museum of Man in Ottawa. Winter 1982 Page 15 Discovery: 1887 Editors' note: Several of our readers have suggested that it might be enjoyable to run excerpts from old government records or manuscripts from time to time. This one, our first, is taken from a verbatim account of a conference which took place in Victoria on the 3rd and 8th of February, 1887, between government officials and Indian delegates from Fort Simpson and the Nass River. Richard Wilson from Fort Simpson gave the following answer to Premier William Smithe when asked why the delegation had come. This account is unedited and unabridged. New paragraphing is all that has been added. You have the power to very easily settle what we want, which is, to be free as well as the whites. You know, if they catch a little bird, they put it in a cage. Probably that cage will be very fine; but still the bird will not be free. It will be in bondage and that is the way with us, and is what we have come to tell you. Can we be free under the laws of Queen Victoria on the top of our land? We have seen that it is not only ourselves who will be in bondage, but it will be worse for our children; because now in this generation there are some who can read and write — who are educated; and how much different the next generation will be from us we cannot say. The Government sent money to help our Indian schools, where our children are; and it will be nothing but right for them to be free as well as the whites, and get into their ways. We feel that we are not doing right to be always Indians. We have followed the law, so far, and now we are finding it to be very good for us. We have quit all our old-fashioned ways — feasting and drinking whiskey — giving whiskey among the Indians, and we are now keeping the Queen's Laws, which are very good for us. We have not come here to cheat another tribe or blind them. There is no difference between the Fort Simpsons, the Naas, and the Skeena Indians. All speak the same language, and our ways are about the same; and we go to work and divide lands. There was a reserve cut out for one tribe, but it is impossible for them to go on it. It is not enough; you cannot make them do it. If all were free on their lands how happy they would feel. I say this because I have seen it when I was a boy. The chiefs of the Fort Simpsons ate with those of the Naas: the chiefs of the Fort Simpsons were friendly with the chiefs of the Skeena River. They all ate together, and this is what we want. We don't want the Government to break this up. All we want is for them to make it right, and be as much to us as a father, or something like that. I ask you that you will always speak with the Indians just the same as we are speaking now together, after this. Not by frightening us, or by a fuss, or making trouble to make it right, but to make it right with us by what in English you might We have seen that it is not only ourselves who will be in bondage, but it will be worse on our children . • ■ call a treaty among the Indians; and that is all in the world we ask you. We have been sent from Fort Simpson to you because the Indians' hearts are troubled. It is not right for a man to be troubled, when a law is standing to settle his trouble and make peace. We have come for this one purpose. We have sent letters to you — sent papers — and perhaps they never reached you. We don't know; but we never got an answer, and that is why we came ourselves for an answer, which we will take back to our homes and shew to the poor people we have left. We, from Fort Simpson and from the Naas are from Christian villages; but there are tribes outside of Fort Simpson and outside of the Naas which are heathens; yet they don't know anything, and that is the reason we are afraid of them that they may do something that is not according to the law; and we come for you to settle this before these blind people (who do not know any better) do something wrong. We do not wish to do anything dirty, for that would be no way to settle it. This is all I have got to say, and hope that it will be settled. If it is not settled now, in what other way could we help ourselves? British Columbia, Report of the Conferences between the Provincial Government and Indian Delegates from Fort Simpson and Naas River, Government Printer: Victoria, 1887, p. 254 Page 16 British Columbia Historical News Provincial Archives of 8.C. 78667 Winter 1982 Page 17 THE NORTHERN END OF THE 410 MILE WALLA WALLA TRAIL FROM THE LOWER COLUMBIA RIVER TO THE KOOTENAY MINES KOOTENAY RIVER <£•' Prehistoric flint tt quarry el7500' FORT STEELE (Galbraith's Ferry) 0 10 U Hrl Hgfe 20 30 MILES HWY95 PEAVINE CREEK COOTENAY LAKE ^x^Xi •" Pci (Flatbow or Arcplat) s Njl / MOYIE IE CRESTON MON213/**; //CRANBROOK /r (Josephs Praii z o r- CD Z X w I o I < Q V? \ j^ KOOTENAY 1 |,>ev' river n vv^ I*) gy BONNERS FERRY *y (Chelempta) //Pack River Pass el 2190' (Sinyakwateen)l jtt KOOTENAI SANDPOINT,'' HOPE (Kullyspell Lake) (Kalispelm Lake) KOOTENAY RIVER 49°00 JENNINGS Modern Names — UPPER CASE Former Names — Lower Case Page 18 British Columbia Historical News By R. C. Harris Hie Walla Walla Trail From the Lower Columbia River to the Kootenai Mines The Walla Walla Trail came to life in the 1860's as the main supply route to the mineral riches of the "Kootenai". While the trail flourished, Walla Walla was the largest city in Washington Territory.1 Primarily, the city served American interests, but goods would often come up the Columbia River to be freighted north to the interior of British Columbia. The Colonial Government tried to divert the Walla Walla trade through British Columbia with Dewdney's "Trail to Kootenai's" from Fort Hope to Wild Horse. This effort to keep the trade in British Columbia did not succeed however. As late as 1877, the British Columbia government continued to recommend the Victoria-Portland-Walla Walla, Washington route to the "Kootenai". Much of the Walla Walla Trail's utility came from its diagonal course, NNE or nearly magnetic north, across the general grain of the country. There were no mountain ranges or swampy river bottoms to cross. Later, much of the route was used by railways and highways. The trail's purpose faded as the creeks played out. Concurrently it was intersected and shortened by several transcontinental railways. The building of the Canadian Pacific Railway through Golden in 1883 gave an acceptable all-Canadian route along the Rocky Mountain Trench. Now only a few by-passed pieces of the trail remain. Nearly all of the trail is overlaid by Highway 95. The names of the trail varied along its length and with the passing years. Parts were used as sections of other important routes, such as the Mullan military road to Fort Benton on the Missouri River. The most significant factor was the observer's direction. Southbound, or from the south, it was the Walla Walla Trail. Northbound, or from the north, the entire trail was the Wild Horse Trail. Above the border, it was the Mooyie or Moyea Trail to some users. North of Yahk, B.C., it was adopted by Dewdney's Trail. David Thompson called it the "Lake Indian Trail" in 1808. In 1812 he referred to the section between Coeur d'Alene and Pend Oreille Lakes as the "Skeetsko Road". The trail used several interconnecting prehistoric trails from the lower Columbia River and there have been several interesting archeological discoveries on its line. Near the border and almost on the trail are two prehistoric quarries for a notably hard rock, siliceous siltstone. Flint quarries, once worked by the Kootenay Indians, are located just north of the head of the Wild Horse River at about 7500 feet above sea level. "Top of the World" Provincial Park has been extended eastwards to include these quarries.2 South of Joseph's Prairie (Cranbrook), artifacts and petroglyphs have been found close by. Early Explorations The route selected by Lewis and Clark for their journey to and from the Pacific Coast of North America passed through the territory of the hospitable "Walla-Walloh" tribe. Their name, now spelled Walla Walla, was applied to the principal river draining their territory. The first trading post in the area was founded by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1826 where the Walla Walla River enters the Columbia River. This Hudson's Bay Company post was variously known as Fort Walla Walla or Fort Nez Perces. When the U.S. military took over the post in the 1850s, Fort Walla Walla was moved thirty miles east to present day Walla Walla, Washington. During David Thompson's extensive explorations in the Columbia Basin, he used parts of what Winter 1982 Page 19 became the Walla Walla Trail. In 1808, he travelled south from Skirmish Brook (Wild Horse River), via the Moyie Valley and Chelempta (Bonners Ferry on the Kootenay River) to Kullyspell (Pend Oreille) Lake, on what he called the "Lake Indian Road". Thompson completed his traverse of the future Walla Walla-Wild Horse Trail in 1812, starting from "Wollar Wollah", passing Coeur d'Alene Lake (Skeetsho), and continuing north on the Skeetsho Road to Kullyspell Lake. It was nearly fifty years before the trail was in the news again. The section straddling the border was used during the surveys of the first North American Boundary Commission. It appears on all appropriate rough and finished maps. The official strip maps along the boundary, showing the topography about five minutes of latitude to the north and south, and the locations of the relatively few monuments installed, were certified by the Commissioners in 1869. The border crossing of the Mooyie (Walla Walla) Trail is shown on British Sheet No. 6 and U.S. Sheet No. 2. The entire course of the Walla Walla Trail is depicted, though not named, on two finely detailed map sheets, East and West, reduced to 1:720,000 and published at Washington, D.C. in 1866.4 Contemporary Reports Conditions on the Walla Walla Trail and its competitor the Dewdney Trail can be assessed from contemporary reports. A.N. Birch, Colonial Secretary for the Colony of British Columbia, travelled the trail in 1864. He reported meeting "ten or twelve heavily laden pack trains daily. The entire supplies are at present packed up from Lewiston, Walla Walla, Wallula ..."* Birch's photograph and part of his private diary of this journey were published in B.C. Historical News, Volume 14, No. 3 (Spring 1981). The Dewdney Trail, built after Birch's trip, was not as successful as the Colonial Government had intended. The first indication that the Walla Walla Trail was not getting much competition comes from James Turnbull, eastbound on the Dewdney Trail in 1865. Turnbull was extraordinarily well qualified to comment, being a surveyor recently retired from Col. Moody's detachment of Royal Engineers. Turnbull made several important explorations, laid out the mule trail, and later the Cariboo Wagon Road from Yale to Spences Bridge. He recorded that: The tra/7 from Fort Shepherd (Columbia River) to the 5 mile creek is very badly located, considerable very heavy and tortuous grades having been adopted which might have been easily avoided had the trail been carried lower ... The trail to the Summit (Kootenay Skyway) is very steep and swampy, in fact almost impassable in places ... (the height I found to be 6200 feet); for the first 6 miles eastward of the summit the trail is very bad— one continuous mudhole, which must be corduroyed before it is practicable for horse traffic ... The British Columbia Tribune of Yale, B.C. reported August 20, 1866, on the "Latest from Kootenay": (T)he men were waiting for canvass from Walla Walla to proceed with the work in a shaft ... An express from Walla Walla runs regularly to Kootenay, making the round trip in 21 days. Provisions were exclusively supplied from Walla Walla; the first (pack) trains had arrived in the middle of May .. .6 Gilbert Malcolm Sproat wrote in his "Report on the Kootenay Country" that even by 1884 (T)he district of Kootenay has been supplied of late years entirely from the United States. The goods have been brought in by pack routes. Kootenay has not reached the humble level of a bull-team country ... (g)oods were brought from Walla Walla and other places by teams or (pack) trains to Sand Point on Lake Pend d'Oreille in Idaho and thence 165 miles by pack-train up the Mooyie Valley to Joseph's Prairie, or Wild Horse Creek, as centres of distribution. The Northern Pacific Railway now comes to Sand Point ...7 Eclipse Railways and highways gradually shortened and superseded the trail. The transcontinental Northern Pacific crossed the trail at Sandpoint in 1882. The Great Northern arrived at Bonners Ferry in 1892. In Canada, the Canadian Pacific Railway gave access via the Rocky Mountain Trench at Golden in 1883. Finally, wagon roads, railways, and then Highway 95 were built along the northern half of the trail. Now only a few short by-passed sections of the trail remain. There are two historical markers on the line of the Walla Walla Trail just north of Bonners Ferry, but the best acknowledgement of the trail is Highway 95 which closely follows the trail for nearly two hundred miles passing right by Fort Steele at the mouth of Wild Horse River. Three sections by-passed by Highway 95 in or near British Columbia may reward examination: The trail crosses the border in a broad abandoned river channel at Monument 213, whereas Highway 95 stays with the Moyie River Page 20 British Columbia Historical News Supplies had to be carried to the Kootenay mines at all times of the year. Notice the snowshoes on the horse. crossing in its canyon at Monument 217. Past Monument 213 the trail was improved to a wagon road about sixty five years ago according to the legal surveys of the Kootenay District Lots through which it passes.8 This road was converted to a logging road on the British Columbia side in the summer of 1981. South of the border, however, it remains an overgrown wagon road with a carved rustic wooden sign "Wild Horse Trail" about a mile below the border. There is no trace of bronze Monument 213 at the border although its supposed site is the intersection of the twenty foot border slash with the wagon road. The only artifact remaining is a solitary gatepost. Highway 95 diverges again from the Walla Walla Trail just north of Moyie Lake; this time to the west. The Walla Walla Trail takes a higher but more direct north northeast route to Cranbrook, up Peavine Creek and over Peavine Prairie. This was not examined by the writer in 1981, but it has good potential. The last remnant of the trail likely to be found is close to its terminus at Wild Horse placer mines. Downstream from Brewery Creek a well-preserved one and a half mile section runs along the north side of a ridge bordering a canyon section of Wild Horse River. The wagon road was built south of the ridge on the canyon side which spared the trail. This section of trail was resurrected and signed by the East Kootenay Historical Society in 1962 as part of the Dewdney Trail which is correct. However, it is also part of the Walla Walla Trail. A few of the EKHS signs remain at the ends of this piece of the trail where it leaves and rejoins the gravel road. 1 Numerous references to the Walla Walla Trail and the traffic it carried will be found in contemporary Washington, Idaho and Oregon newspapers. The trail is often mentioned in the learned publications of the Oregon Historical Quarterly, the Washington Historical Quarterly, and its successor, the Pacific Northwest Quarterly. 2 B.C. Studies, No. 48 (Winter 1980-81). 3. Datum (Heritage Conservation Branch's newsletter); Vol. 5, No. 2 (1980). 4 U.S. North West Boundary Survey, 2 sheets: Map of Western Section, Map of Eastern Section. U.S. National Archives, RG 76, Series 66. 5 British Columbia, Gazette (1864). 6 p. 3. 7 G.M. Sproat, "Report on the Kootenay Country", S.C. Sessional Papers, 1884, p. 322. 9 Surveyor General of British Columbia, Kootenay Land Recording District. Field books: 1911: District Lots 10317, 318; 1921: District Lots 10102,104; 12978. Winter 1982 Page 21 News and Notes The Symposium Committee pose for the NEWS. Standing left to right are Clarence Karr, Barbara Stannard, Don Sale, Shirley Ramsay, Pamela Mar and Elizabeth Norcross. The Company on the Coast The Nanaimo Historical Society and Malaspina College are co-hosting a one-day symposium on the Hudson's Bay Company's activities on the Pacific and adjacent lands. This event will be held on Saturday, 27 March, 1982, in the Malaspina College Theatre. Generally, historical conferences are based on a variety of themes, often national in scope and in participation. Local emphasis must, therefore, come from those residing in the local area. For many years local historical societies have provided the focal point of community history. The "Company on the Coast" is simply an extension of that commitment to local history. It combines a local historical society with a local college and brings to the community's doorstep experts from the universities, the colleges and other institutions, while still focusing on the local history too often ignored at the professional level. It promises to be an enriching experience for all. Those participating will be: from the universities, H. Keith Ralston on the Hudson's Bay Company and coal production on Vancouver Island, and Barry Gough on Fort Rupert; from the colleges, Clarence Karr on James Douglas and Morag MacLachlan on Fort Langley; and from other institutions, Jocelyn McKillop from the Hudson's Bay Archives in Winnipeg and David Hansen from Fort Vancouver, Washington. A registration form for the Symposium is on page 25. Please photocopy it or make a facsimile if you do not wish to cut up the News. Need Help to Publish? An anonymous contribution from a member of the Association in 1980 made possible the establishment of a publication assistance fund to aid British Columbia Historical Association members (groups or individuals) engaged in publishing British Columbia material of historical significance. The aid is made in the form of grants to help pay printing costs. The fund is not intended to assist in typing or editing costs. It is hoped that, if the sale of the publication goes well and a profit is realized, part or all of the grant will be returned to the publication fund so that others will benefit in the future. There are two deadlines for applications, March 1st and September 1st. Any manuscripts submitted must be typed double-spaced. Requests for application forms should be addressed to: Publications Assistance Fund Committee British Columbia Historical Association P.O. Box 1738, Victoria B.C. V8W 2Y3 The publication assistance fund was recently reimbursed by the Burnaby Historical Society for the $1000 granted them to help with the publication of The Fraser's History. The Burnaby group also donated an additional $200 to help the fund aid future publications. Page 22 British Columbia Historical News ^■■■■■■■■■■■■CailllllllllllC3llllllllllllC3IIIIIIIIIIIIC3IIIIIIIIIIIIC3IIIIIIIIIIIIC3IIIIIIIIIIIIC3IIIIIIIIIIIIC3IIIIIIIIIIIIC3IIIIIIIIIIIIC3IIIIIIIIIIIICaillllllllllfCailllllllllllCailllllllllllC3IIB □ BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION ANNUAL CONVENTION APRIL 29, 1982 - MAY 2, 1982 REGISTRATION FORM THURSDAY NIGHT WINE AND CHEESE $6.00 WALKING TOUR FREE FOREST MUSEUM TOUR $5.00 4 HISTORIC SITE TOUR $5.00 TOTAL THE INN AT COWICHAN BAY COWICHAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY BOX 1014 DUNCAN, B.C. V9L 2Y3 FRIDAY MORNING FRIDAY AFTERNOON SATURDAY AFTERNOOr REGISTRATION FEE $5.00 CONVENTION SITE: SEND CHEQUE TO: MAMF Apr>RF« PHOMF MAMF AnnPF« PHOMF SOCIETY REPRESENTED maiiiiimiiiiamiiiiiiiiioiiiiiiiiiiiiaiiiiiii^ Winter 1982 Page 23 News and Notes Reports from the Branches Burnaby The program committee of the Burnaby Historical Society is planning the following events for the balance of the 81/82 season. Please note these dates on your calendar. February 10th: We expect to have a speaker to give us the history of the Burnaby General Hospital. March 10th: Our annual general meeting. This is a dinner meeting to be held in the Ice Cream Parlour in Heritage Village. Blythe Eagles always has some interesting entertainment for us. April 14th: Mr. Brian Kelly will tell us about the early days of the B.C. Electric Company. May 12th: B.C. Telephone Company has promised us a speaker to give us the early history of the phone company. June 6th or 13th: Annual Picnic. At the present time we have two suggestions — a trip on the Royal Hudson or one on the Sampson — to be decided at a later date. Cowichan This year has been particularly rewarding for members of the Cowichan Historical Society, as they saw seven years of perseverance and hard work become a reality with the opening on August 29th of the Cowichan Valley Museum, in the basement of Duncan City Hall. Built in 1913 as the post office, customs and Indian Affairs offices, this three-story heritage brick building is a most fitting site for the museum and has attracted a large number of visitors. Rooms of a typical Cowichan Valley pioneer's home of the 1885-1915 era are portrayed. A rather unique hospital room exhibit set in 1911 uses items from the old King's Daughters' Hospital. The museum operates throughout the year and is manned by members of the Society on a volunteer basis. It will be a valuable asset to Duncan's current program for rejuvenation of the downtown core of the city. The Cowichan Historical Society is, of course, basically engaged in finalizing plans for the 1982 B.C. Historical Association convention, for which it will be host. It has an interesting program drafted for the visitors coming from all over the province to the Land of Tzinquaw. We hope to see you there. — Report submitted by Jack Fleetwood Nanooa A public meeting was held on March 8,1981, at the Nanoose Bay, B.C. library to organize the Nanooa Historical and Museum Society. Elected to the board of directors were: president, George Butler (Nanoose Bay); vice- president, Gordon Williams (Nanoose Bay); secretary, David R. Elliott (Parksville); treasurer, Robert W. Carpenter (Nanoose Bay), and directors, R. Clingon Cughan (Qualicum Beach), Edith Gilmour (Cassidy) and Marlene Akenclose (Nanaimo). Prior to this date, George Butler and the Friends of the Nanoose Library had collected over 2000 photographs and several dozen artifacts pertaining to the history of the area between Craigs Crossing and the Nanoose Indian Reserve. The Friends of the Nanoose Library turned the M.<gs//vs<yv ARLINGTON HOTEL One of the lovely drawings done by Marion Robinson for the Nanooa Society. Page 24 British Columbia Historical News collection over to Nanooa during Nanoose Days in August. The society received its Certificate of Incorporation on June 29, 1981. We have approximately 50 memberships at present; some are single and some family. The first member was none other than B.C.H.A. president Barbara Stannard! We are very pleased to have Barbara and Mr. Stannard in our membership. As the junior member of B.C.H.A. we would appreciate any helpful information from other members. The NEWS will be a great asset to us and we are looking forward to each publication. The Nanooa Historical & Museum Society chose its name Nanooa from the native Indian band which resides on the shores of Nanoose Bay. Several interpretations of the word Nanooa have been passed down through the years but the accepted meaning now is indentation or to work or push in which describes Nanoos Bay where Indians settled when they broke away from the Nanaimo tribe. Other spellings of Nanooa were; ►♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦< Sno-no-was, Sno-noos, Nuas, and Nanoose. In 1859, Captain Richards of H.M.S. PLUMPER, chose the last name for the bay, Nanoose Bay. Since incorporation we have participated in Nanoose Days, displaying our photos, artificts and historical site road signs, selling prints and hastinotes depicting historic sites of Nanoose; submitted articles and stories to local newspapers (a press book is started with thirty clippings so far); donated historical prints to three area schools; and have a dark room in the last stage of construction. We have yet to finalize our letterhead and membership card design. We are considering using the historic prints drawn for Nanooa by Marian Robinson. Future plans of Nanooa include finding a museum site, building a museum, and filling it to capacity! Looking forward to an "historical" membership with the B.C.H.A. and B.C.H.A. NEWS. — Report submitted by Marlene M. Akenclose ►♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦< Historical Symposium 'The Company on the Coast" (Hudson's Bay Company) Sponsored jointly by the Nanaimo Historical Society and Malaspina College Saturday, March 27,1982, at Malaspina College Theatre, Nanaimo, B.C. Registration desk open: 8:30 a.m. Please mail all registrations as soon as possible together with covering cheque made payable to Nanaimo Historical Society, c/o Mrs. G. Ramsay, P.O. Box 117, Cedar, Vancouver Island, B.C- VOR 1J0. You may also register at the door. If further information is required, contact Miss Elizabeth Norcross, at 754-6191. REGISTRATION AND RESERVATION FORM Name Address Member society (if applicable) : Basic registration (per person) $20.00 Couples 35.00 ($2.00 discount on registrations before February 15.) Students, special rate •....• 10.00 (Coffee and lunch included in registration fee.) I enclose my cheque, made payable to Nanaimo Historical Society for $ Do you wish a room reserved for you at Nanaimo's Tally Ho Town & Country Inn? □ Single □ Double □ Twin "Conference" rates, subject to change, $39-45 single; $47-49 double; $52-54 twin beds. NOTE: Accommodation in Nanaimo will be tight; make reservations early. Do you wish to attend our no-host dinner Saturday night? (Approx. cost, $12.00) □ Yes □ No ♦♦♦♦< Winter 1982 Page 25 Can You Add Information? Historic Trails Update By John Spittle Study and documentation of the routes of the explorers and the evolution of lines of communication and transportation is fundamental to an understanding and appreciation of a country's history. The preservation and protection of representative sections of such routes, whether it be for their characteristic method of construction and/or the visual amenity of the terrain through which they pass, is fundamental to recognition of a country's heritage. This article briefly examines some of the current activity and the problems faced. Of the sixty or so recorded historic routes in British Columbia only a handful played a significant part in our history, although many rate high in visual amenity. A few have been studied and documented in varying degrees. None has been preserved to the extent that they are afforded any permanent protection. The study of any route requires a great deal of diligent historic research before any attempt is made to retrace it in the field or to search for and identify any extant portions. Whilst the Heritage Conservation Branch of the Provincial Government has carried out extensive studies of some of the more significant routes (Mackenzie's Route, the Harrison-Lillooet Wagon Road, the Cariboo Road and the Dewdney Trail, for example), their resources are limited. Much of this work has fallen to private groups and individuals throughout the province. The most prolific in this field has undoubtedly been Bob Harris of West Vancouver. His regular contributions to B.C. Outdoors and B.C. Historical News include lucid maps and reflect the great amount of historical research which precedes his field trips. Another, Harley Hatfield of Penticton, was recently honoured with an award from the Heritage Canada Foundation in recognition of the more than fifteen years he has devoted to the discovering, marking and preservation of old pack trails in the Cascade Wilderness adjoining Manning Park. The writer, in collaboration with Adrian Kershaw of Kelowna, has for several years studied Provincial Archives of B.C. 90044 Page 26 British Columbia Historical News and retraced historic routes through the Coast Range — Alfred Waddington's Wagon Road from Bute Inlet, Lieutenant Palmer's Trail from Bentinck Arm, and Commander Mayne's Trail from Jervis Inlet. To provide some relief from the monotony of rain forest, our next project is to retrace the section of the Yukon Telegraph Trail which runs through Mount Edziza Park. Preservation and Protection Urban areas and private property: Usually little can be done to preserve and protect trails to any extent here. However, all is not lost, even if they are perpetuated in name only. Sections of the Semiahmoo Trail in Surrey have recently been reopened as a corridor park. Near Langley, residents successfully opposed their street, Telegraph Way, being "straightened" to assist traffic as it is built over the line of the old Telegraph Trail. Sections of the Dewdney Trail over private land have been allowed to remain open to hikers. Even the visual amenity of the Cariboo Road still remains even though most of the original now lies beneath a modern highway. Parks: In Class A Parks, any known historic trails would generally be preserved and protected ... after up-grading to park standards! Unfortunately, few if any, historic trails appear to fall within park boundaries. Other parks and nature conservancy areas allow "limited" resource extraction or can merely be re-zoned by Order- in-Council. Crown Lands: Whilst the legislative machinery could preserve and protect historic trails, in practice there exists only a tacit agreement between the Parks Branch and B.C. Forest Service for the latter to maintain known trails which receive public usage. This in no way affords any protection to the visual amenity which is usually reduced to a completely defoliated landscape criss-crossed by logging roads. Mines have less overall visual impact, but access roads unfortunately open up the area to vehicular traffic. The lobbying of our resource extraction industries has never been greater than it is today. The main opposition is coming from environmentalists and recreationalists who greatly outnumber those interested primarily in preserving a piece of our cultural heritage. The fact is that, unless an historic trail meets all the criteria necessary for the support of these groups — the hiker, camper, fisherman, botanist and all who merely enjoy the unspoiled wilderness, its preservation is unlikely to receive any sympathetic consideration. Those who support cultural heritage alone have little impact in the voting booth. The Cascade Wilderness adjoining Manning Park proposed by Harley Hatfield, the Okanagan Historical Society, and the Okanagan Simalka- meen Parks Society is at this time the only such region which meets all of these criteria and embraces well preserved sections of numerous historic trails. Victor Wilson admirably presented the case at the 1980 B.C.H.A. Conference. For the past year he has been addressing meetings around the province. The moratorium placed on logging there is soon to expire. Shortly after taking office I was reminded by my predecessor that the Cascade trails were not the only historic trails in B.C. True — but the message is clear. If the attempt to save this region fails, I can unfortunately see little hope for any other historic trail when its preservation is in conflict with a resource industry. This is obviously but a sample of what is and has been going on throughout the province. I would like to hear from any individuals or groups researching and retracing historic lines of communication with a view to providing a regular update in the NEWS. Unfortunately, the difficulty of access to source material is often a problem for those in remote parts of the province; perhaps we can be instrumental in providing some help. Hopefully we will make available an inventory of historical trails together with a bibliography of published reports in the not too distant future. John Spittle is Chairman of The Historic Trails Committee of the British Columbia Historical Association. Local History Book Sale The Vancouver Historical Society is repeating last year's successful sale of local histories at the upcoming B.C.H.A. Annual Convention in Cowichan Bay. Member societies who have published local histories or other items such as hastinotes should act now to have their items sold at this popular convention feature. This year the Vancouver group is asking for a 25% discount. Proceeds will augment their Centennial Fund, set up to finance a bibliography of Vancouver. Anyone interested should get in touch with Anne Yandle at the Vancouver Historical Society, P.O. Box 3071, Vancouver, B.C. V6B 3X6. Winter 1982 Page 27 Bookshelf THE FRASER'S HISTORY: FROM GLACIERS TO EARLY SETTLEMENTS. The Burnaby Historical Society, comp. Burnaby: British Columbia Historical Association, 1981. Pp. 50, illus., $4.95 paper. The Fraser's History, published by the Burnaby Historical Society, consists of four papers presented at the Annual Meeting of the British Columbia Historical Association in May 1977. These essays — "From Glaciers to the Present" by W. H. Mathews, "Archaeological History of the Lower Fraser River" by C. E. Borden, "The Fraser River Gold Rush" by G. P. V Akrigg, and "Agricultural Settlement of the Fraser Valley" by J. E. Gibbard — add little or nothing new to our understanding of the subjects they entertain. Rather, these authofis present concisely many of the themes which they have long studied. One often greets with some trepidation the attempts of highly respected authors to translate their knowledge to an audience generally outside their field of expertise. All too frequently such attempts leave the reader with more questions than answers, or with an account of little substance. It is perhaps some measure of W. H. Mathews' scholarship that his contribution to this work avoids both difficulties and provides an account that is intelligible and informative. Mathews' short article focuses, for the most part on the recent and post-glacial geological history of the Lower Fraser Valley. After providing some detail on the technique, practice, and usefulness of radiocarbon dating, Mathews uses a chronological framework to document the processes and patterns of surface geological change in the Fraser Valley between about 12,500 years ago and the present. The chronology is based, to a large extent, on the availability of radiocarbon dates in the area, and is illustrated by a series of four very useful maps. For each period identified, the author discusses the position of glacial ice, the pattern of sedimentation, the courses and activities of the Fraser River, and the general shape of the coastline. Throughout the discussion Mathews avoids virtually all geologic jargon (no mean feat in itself!); maintains a general, but satisfying, level of analysis; and provides the reader with a clear sense of how well-known physical features of the present valley developed over time. In the latter regard, for example, we learn Pitt Lake was once a fjord, and Point Roberts an island in a much more extensive Strait of Georgia. Mathews concludes his article with a reference to an 1880 newspaper description of a landslide near Haney. He points out how the written evidence of "ordinary historians" (Mathews' term!) can sometimes be used to supplement the geological record or explain recent changes in the activity of the Fraser. The example reminds us, too, that while the Fraser has had a significant impact on the nature of the Valley itself, it also has the capability of greatly influencing the residents along its course. In sum, while geologists and geographers may not find much new information in Mathews' article, it stands nevertheless as a worthwhile contribution to the literature of the Fraser River. It pulls together data and interpretations from a variety of sources, not the least of which is Mathews' own work. Many of these sources are complex, difficult for the non-geologist to read, and not readily available. Their distillation in the present form should be welcomed by teachers, instructors, and any individuals whose interests in the Fraser Valley include its geologic history. The late C. E. Borden's article describes the theory of the movement of Indian cultures into the Fraser Valley region, and the text of his oral presentation has its positive and negative aspects. On one hand, it stands as an understandable summary of archaeological evidence for early movements into the southwest of British Columbia and highlights the work of others who expanded on Borden's initial excavations and conclusions. But, on the other hand, part of the text consists of descriptions that accompanied visual material not reproduced in the article. While the latter is interesting, its utility to someone Patricia Roy is the Book Review Editor. Copies of books for review should be sent to her c/o B.C. Historical News, P.O. Box 1738, Victoria, B.C. V8W 2Y3. Page 28 British Columbia Historical News Bookshelf not "in the know" about specific sites and artifacts is limited. Borden deals with the problem of the origins of the first people in southwestern B.C. after ice sheets covering B.C. had dissipated perhaps 11,000 to 15,000 years ago. Discounting interior and north coast origins on the basis of geological and cultural evidence (interior and north coast were ice-bound after the southwest was deglaciated, for example), Borden argues that we must look in Washington, Oregon, and the American northwest for the antecedents of southwest B.C. Indian culture. Between 11,000 and 15,000 years ago desiccation in the plateaus of Washington and Oregon forced hunting groups over the Cascade Mountains to the ice-free and inhabitable Puget Sound lowlands. From there, movement to the Fraser Valley was easy, although much of the Valley was a salt-water reach. Borden argues that the move into southwestern B.C. is reflected in crude artifacts from the Yale area, one hundred miles up the Fraser River. While Borden suggests that these artifacts may date as far back as 11,000 years ago, he also notes that controversy exists — on both the dates and whether or not the items can be classified as artifacts. However, other sites excavated by Borden in the same area do take the record back 9,000 years (for example, the Milliken site). After describing some of the important phases revealed in the archaeological record in the Yale area, Borden provides an exercise in diet reconstruction. Wild cherry pits were found in some of the sites (including the oldest). As the cherries ripen in the fall, one can infer that the sites were occupied during this period. This would also place the people there at the time of the salmon run. While lacking the remains of salmon bones at the Yale site, Borden suggests that other evidence establishes that salmo/i was part of the Indian economy perhaps 9,000 years ago. Shifting locality somewhat, Borden then presents information indicating that by at least 8,000 years ago Indian groups were in the Vancouver area. The last part of Borden's paper consists of the material accompanying slides which he presented at the conference. However, the overview stands as one of the clearest statements on the issue of movements of indigenous people into the lower mainland of B.C. A more sophisticated version of the same argument is found in Borden's last published article, "People and Early Cultures of the Pacific Northwest: A view from British Columbia, Canada," Science, 9, March 1979. With that article in hand, the reader can then refer to a recent issue of B.C. Studies (No. 48, Winter, 1980- 81) devoted to archaeology in which mention is made of several of the sites and theories briefly discussed by Borden. The publication of this brief article gives us an idea of how Borden's pioneering work started the dialogue. G. P. V. Akrigg's "The Fraser River Gold Rush" addresses the familiar events of 1856 when Indians extracted gold on the Thompson until 1859 when the lower Fraser River gold rush had begun to extend onto the Interior Plateau. He focuses on European-Indian violence, Douglas' protection of Indians, the overnight transformation of Victoria from sleepy fur-trade outpost into bustling entrepot to the gold fields, and the massive impact of European miners. The article tends to overdo, in the "Britannic" fashion, the lawlessness of Americans. This view can be sustained only on a selective basis, since most American miners, like most others, readily accepted Douglas' invocation of law and order, British sovereignty, and mining regulations. In fact, Akrigg seriously over-estimates the violence in and around Yale in the summer of 1858 and fails to cite examples of widespread cooperation, i.e., the Native supply of food, canoes, and packers. Akrigg's statement that Indians "supersti- tiously ... believed that the presence of the whites would drive the salmon from the streams" might have read "presciently ... believed ..." Akrigg's estimate of 700 Natives in the lower canyon is incorrect and much too low, unless he is referring to the number of Natives at Yale only. Another estimate — that miners extracted Northern B.C Books The possibility of getting out-of-print and hard-to-find Northern B.C. books from a periodical price list is proving to be a popular shopping method according to Audrey L'Heureux, who is responsible for offering this service. Customers for her NORTHERN B.C. BOOKS Catalogue and Newsletter are researchers and both public archives and private reader/collectors. Anyone interested in receiving a current copy can write NORTHERN B.C. BOOKS, Box 1502, Vanderhoof, B.C. V0J 3A0, or phone 567-2836. Winter 1982 Page 29 Bookshelf $50,000,000 worth of gold "at that time" — is colossally inflated. Akrigg concludes with references to further American outrages against Indians on the Okanagan and Indian retaliation — references out of keeping with the essay's geographical focus — and Douglas' attempts — assisted by these "lawless" miners — to improve transportation routes as the gold rush extended northward. It seems that with little effort this essay could have introduced other themes such as the nature of "pick and pan" technology, the role of gold commissioners, the beginnings of a multi-ethnic society, and so on by reducing the melodramatic and forced emphasis on violence. By comparison, John E. Gibbard's "Agricultural Settlement of the Fraser Valley," the final presentation in The Fraser's History, is much more satisfactory. Gibbard focuses on the period from 1827, when Fort Langley was founded and the first crop of potatoes was harvested, to 1885, when the Canadian Pacific Railway was completed. The author mentions at least a dozen major themes, among them the coming of notable pioneer farmers; early horticulture and dairying; the supply of produce to the gold fields; survey and alienation of Crown lands; the appearance of municipalities and agricultural fairs; population growth and variations such as the Chinese and the Royal Engineers who, having come to B.C. for other purposes, shifted to agriculture; dyke construction; the linkage between land clearance and sawmiUing; formation of co-ops; and the supply of produce and milk products to the emerging metropolitan markets of the Lower Mainland via the B.C. Electric Railway. Gibbard's essay concludes with a reference to the enormous incursion of the city and housing into the Valley and questions whether the decline of agriculture can be arrested by the "land freeze." Gibbard's work, based on his M.A. thesis completed in 1937, offers a good point of departure to the novice reader, and his themes retain, at least for this writer, a certain freshness, given the virtually studied neglect of our agricultural history by B.C. historians. The Fraser's History is not, nor does it propose to be, a major contribution to the geolgocial, archaeological, frontier, or agricultural history of the lower Fraser. The articles' brevity is better suited to their original medium than the printed one. Only two articles contain references. There is no index, bibliography, or substantial introduc tion. Still, with the exceptions noted above, the articles do present to the layman quite a number of varied and established themes in their respective disciplines' approaches to a burgeoning interdisciplinary study of the Fraser. Doug Hudson, Doug Nicol and Bob Smith teach at Fraser Valley College, Chilliwack, B.C. THE COLONIAL POSTAL SYSTEMS AND POSTAGE STAMPS OF VANCOUVER ISLAND AND BRITISH COLUMBIA, 1849-1871: A SKETCH OF THE ORIGIN AND EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF THE POSTAL SERVICE ON THE PACIFIC SEABOARD OF BRITISH NORTH AMERICA. Alfred Stanely Deaville. Victoria: The King's Printer 1928. Reprinted by Quarterman Publications, Lawrence Massachusetts, 1979. When Anthony Musgrave, the last colonial governor, arrived in British Columbia, he was amazed to find American postage stamps for sale in post offices throughout the colony. To his colonial secretary he protested in January, 1870, that he had "never heard of anything so undignified in any other place as importing the stamps of another nation for use in a British Colony." How this extraordinary situation arose was the subject of a detailed investigation by a Victoria philatelist, Alfred Stanley Deaville, at the request of Provincial Librarian and Archivist, John Hosie. The study, the result of meticulous research in the Colonial Correspondence in the Provincial Archives and records of the Canadian Post Office Department, was originally published by the Provincial Archives in 1928 as volume VIII in their Memoir series. Now, more than fifty years later the copyright has apparently expired, and the volume has been reprinted as a facsimile reproduction by Quarter- man Publications of Lawrence, Massachusetts. That a commercial press a continent removed can expect to show a profit from such a venture while British Columbians sit on their hands and bemoan the dearth of scholarly publications about their Page 30 British Columbia Historical News Bookshelf past says something about the state of local history, as well as the publishing industry in this province. Nevertheless, in this instance, this reviewer can only applaud what has happened because the work in question has been out of print too long and deserves to be more readily available. Although Deaville was primarily interested in the philatelic aspects of his topic, he emphasized that "a thorough understanding of the philately of Vancouver Island and British Columbia cannot be had without a knowledge of the general and postal history of those colonies" (p. 10). What is most impressive is the way in which he goes to original records to document the historic context in which events transpire, whether it be the expansion of post office facilities throughout both colonies, or the perennial need to subsidize both ship owners and express companies to provide more regular and efficient service. His description of F. J. Barnard's poker- faced approach to negotiating contracts, for example, highlights an important but little documented aspect of colonial politics, just as his description of James Douglas' relations with the charming but venal John D'Ewes offers additional insight into Douglas' character. Deaville convincingly argues that the establishment of a postal system in British Columbia constituted "a chapter of unusual and perhaps unique interest in the annals of British postal affairs." (p. 90). The Hudson's Bay Company initially provided free mail service for the colony of Vancouver Island, but even after the island was reconveyed to the crown in 1859, not a single piece of legislation governing its postal services was ever enacted. There and on the mainland after the gold rush occurred, Douglas was content to let the express companies take the lead, as they had in California, subject only to pre-paying a postal tax of 2Vi pence or 5 cents. Then they charged existing American postal rates for mails entering and leaving the two colonies, plus an express charge of about 25 cents per letter. This colonial levy in turn led to the issuance in 1860 of the first postage stamps, bearing the legend "British Columbia & Vancouver Island Postage Two Pence Half Penny". This use of the same stamps by two distinct and separate colonies, Deaville believes, was "probably unparalleled in British postal history" (p. 107). This confusing situation was terminated in 1865, after Douglas' retirement, when separate stamps were issued by each colony. Frederick Seymour, Douglas' succes sor on the mainland was also surprised to learn no legislation of any kind existed in that colony and promptly introduced an ordinance to establish a proper postal system there but even then found it necessary to continue to use express operators and private individuals to carry the mails. Only after a postal convention was negotiated between Britain and the United States in 1867 was it possible to use colonial postage stamps exclusively to pre-pay letters from British Columbia to the United Kingdom, but American stamps continued to be used on mail to Canada, Newfoundland, and Prince Edward Island until after Confederation, when the Canadian government assumed responsibility for postal services in British Columbia. The work has weaknesses, to be sure. The chapters are somewhat mechanically organized around the tenure of postal officials in each colony. Moreover, the incorporation of philatelic information in a separate section at the end of most chapters, as well as in appendices, leads to a certain amount of disjuncture in style and repetition of material. In keeping with the format of the series footnotes are quaintly placed in margins but are overly abbreviated. There are also occasional errors: Richard Blanshard had not "held several positions under the Colonial Office" (p. 24); Vancouver Island did not initiate a tariff in 1852 (p. 39); the enforced union of the colonies took place on November 19 (not 17) 1866 (pp. 106 and elsewhere). But such trifles are more than compensated for by a wealth of little known information that infuses this work. Philatelists will be delighted to see this work back in print, but all serious students of the colonial period will profit from its reappearance. lames E. Hendrickson teaches nineteenth century British Columbia history at the University of Victoria and has edited the Journals of the Colonial Legislatures of Vancouver Island and British Columbia. 1851-1871. Winter 1982 Page 31 Bookshelf FROM ARSENIC TO DDT: A HISTORY OF ENTOMOLOGY IN WESTERN CANADA. Paul W. Riegert. Toronto; University of Toronto Press, 1980. Pp. xii, 357, 20 pp. illus., $30.00 Seldom does a book appear chronicling the development of a natural science in Canda. When one does, it should be devoured eagerly by both the workers in the discipline and historians interested in the development of this nation. The latter should pay particular attention when the subject is entomology, for this science played a vital role in the settling and subsequent prosperity of Canada;, especially in the western provinces. From Arsenic to DDT is an authorative yet readable volume that documents the severe insect problems faced by explorers, settlers and farmers of western Canada and relates how these problems were solved by the ingenuity and persistence of the early entomologists. At stake was the agricultural economy of the country. Paul Riegert is an entomologist, head of the Biology Department atthe University of Regina. He has spent twenty years as a research assistant for Agriculture Canada. In his preface, he states his intention is to write "about insects and man, their encounters and the ensuing consequences". His story is "an interaction of species embarked upon a journey through time, struggling for survival and dominance". The long battle is a fascinating one, told in detail with clarity and humour. The volume is attractively printed, with extensive use of quotations from letters and government documents, many of them decidedly humorous. There are twenty pages of illustrations, mostly photographs, including portraits of prominent entomologists mentioned in the text and entomological facilities and techniques of great historical interest. These photographs form an integral part of the book — it is a shame that more were not included. It would have been informative had the portrait captions carried the lifespans of the subjects. The book is divided into five major parts. First, the hardships endured by early explorers . and settlers are documented; the first entry is from 1619. We today can hardly imagine that for some time important regions such as the Fraser Valley were virtually uninhabitable in the summer because of the plagues of biting flies. In this part, the important contributions of amateur collectors and naturalistsarediscussed. The second part describes the organization of the first professional entomologists, the appointment of the first Dominion Entomologist in 1884 and the subesequent spread westward of the federal government's insect control programs. The history of entomology in British Columbia is dealt with in the third part, including such topics as early quarantine problems, mosquito control, the growth of the fruit industry and the establishment of federal and provincial research laboratories. The parallel growth of entomology on the prairies is the subject of part four, with special emphasis placed on the war against locusts in the 1920s and 1930s. Related topics such as research into insects and health, the pests of stored products and the growth of entomology in the universities make up the last part. A comprehensive list of sources arranged by chapter is included. The history covers the four western provinces. Riegert reports that a history of forest entomology is being prepared, and so to avoid duplication, he has restricted his efforts to predominantly agricultural topics. He was shown a manuscript at the Pacific Forestry Research Station in Victoria, but was not allowed to examine it. The status of this complimentary work is unknown. It is unfortunate the two projects were not produced in cooperation, but at least their separation has enabled Riegert to delve more deeply into his subject. The present volume ends rather abruptly with the outbreak of World War II. Nowhere, except in a brief publisher's blurb before the title page is this stated, and no reason for the decision to stop at this point is ever given. Those knowledgeable about pesticides get a hint from the title (arsenic compounds were widely used insecticides in the 19th and early 20th centuries; DDT came into use in the 1940s). The title is otherwise misleading. From Arsenic to DDT reflects the tone of the book (man versus the insect hordes) but A History of Entomology in Western Canada fails to eliminate forest entomology and suggests the history is complete to the present day. A title reading From Arsenic to DDT: A History of Agricultural Entomology in Western Canada before World War II would have described more accurately the book's contents. From other sources I understand that Page 32 British Columbia Historical News Bookshelf Riegert's history does continue to the present day, but that the manuscript has been split arbitrarily into two or more volumes. When such divisions of a continuous work occur, the fact should be clearly stated in the title of each volume. As one of the minority of Canadian entomologists whose work, for the most part does not involve studying or controlling insect pests, I have some obvious biases. While I acknowledge the overriding importance of economically significant species and their stranglehold on most entomologists' activities, I regret that more attention cannot be paid in Dr. Riegert's work to the development of "uneconomic" (for want of a better word) entomology. He certainly does not ignore the topic and its importance, but it could have occupied a few more pages. I refer to the establishment of museum and research collections as well as studies on the behaviour, distribution and systematics of non-pest species. Reference is made to George Spencer's pioneer work on grasshopper control in British Columbia, as well as his legendary facility for turning out enthusiastic, expert students, but nothing is mentioned of the insect collection he developed, which today is the most important research collection in the province containing half a million specimens. What of Gordon Stace- Smith, miner and poet, who amassed the largest and most important collection of B.C. beetles? E. M. Walker, although based in Ontario, was the expert on Canadian dragonflies. In 1914 at Banff, he made perhaps the most exciting and certainly the best-known discovery in Canadian entomological history — the icebug, Grylloblatta. This insect, of great scientific interest, is placed in its own Order, and is the symbol of the Entomological Society of Canada. These and other omissions come to mind. The book has a smattering of typographical errors and a few minor errors of fact. On p. 52 F.C. Whitehouse is mentioned as having described new species of dragonflies, which he never did; there are 80 species of dragonflies in B.C., not 89. The Provincial Museum is in Victoria, not Vancouver (p. 53) and pear leaf blister mites are not insects (p. 180). On p. 106 it is noted that lady-bird beetles were released in Victoria in 1897 to control aphids and scale insects while on p. 115 the 1917 release of the beetle Calosoma syncophanta in Victoria to control oak loopers is termed "the first attempt at natural control, through the use of predators, in British Columbia". These are mostly minor criticism of a fine work on an important subject. Out of a huge mass of information, Dr. Riegert has managed to make the history of western Canadian entomology informative and entertaining. All who are interested in Canadian history, science and insects owe him thanks for creating this book. I look forward to the sequel. Robert A. Cannings, is curator of entomology at the Provincial Museum, Victoria. New Titles Drake, Stephen. A look through our past: a self- guided walk through historic Merritt; researched and prepared with funding from Young Canada Works grant under supervision of the Nicola Valley Archives Association; sketches by Jody Bjarnason. (Merritt) Nicola Valley Archives Association (1979) 12 p., ///. England, Robert. Living Learning, remembering: the memories of Robert England. Vancouver, Centre for Continuing Education, University of British Columbia, 1980. x, 210 p. $10.00. McHarg, Sandra, and Maureen Cassidy. Before roads and rails; pack trails and packing in the Upper Skeena area. Hazelton, Northwest Community College, 1980. 37 p., ///. Early days on the Skeena River. Hazelton, Northwest Community College, 1980. 45 p. ///. Raven, Mary, ed. Thesaga of Canoe 1888-1938. Canoe, Canoe Historical Research Committee, 1980. (v) 208 p., ill. $10.00 Rees-Thomas, David M. Timber down the Capilano: a history of the Capilano Timber Company of Vancouver's North Shore. Victoria, British Columbia Railway Historical Association, 1979. 60 p. ///. $4.50 Sanford, Barrie. The pictorial history of railroading in British Columbia. Vancouver, Whitecap Books, 1981, 144 p., ///. $17.95. Van den Wyngaert, Francis J. The west Howe Sound story. Gibson, 1980. (xii) 299 p., /'//. $14.00 Watt, Robert D. Rainbows in our walls: art and stained glass in Vancouver, 1890-1940. Vancouver, Vancouver Centennial Museum, 1980. (9v) 20 p., ill. $4.95 Winter .1982 Page 33 Bookshelf CANADA'S URBAN PAST: A BIBLIOGRAPHY TO 1980 AND GUIDE TO CANADIAN URBAN STUDIES. Alan F. J. Artibise and Gilbert A. Stelter, eds. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 1981, Pp. xxxii, 396, $42.00. Most reviewers wonder what there is to say about bibliographies, and the more there is to them the less it seems possible to come up with. This volume, when weighted in the intellectual scale, is a heavy item indeed. Prefaced by an opinionated and schematic introduction, it casts the 'urban' net far and wide, capturing more than 7,000 entires which encompass experiences across the regions, arranged both thematically and geographically and indexed according to subject and author. For those, like myself, who have trouble finding the reference to their last footnote, this is a book to behold with awe and respect. There is no doubt that it represents tremendous labour and will stand as one of the most 'complete' bibliographic compilations available to those interested in a wide range of concerns associated with the study of the past. Artibise and Stelter deserve our thanks. Yet, for all the praise that we must bestow upon them, it would be foolhardy to see this undertaking as the basis, in the words of the authors, enabling "those interested in studying Canadian urban development to make full use of virtually all of the material that already exists." (xiii) The problem is simply one of scope. Correctly taking an eclectic approach to material on the urban past, Artibise and Stelter cover such a vast analytical ground and such a voluminous scholarly production that what is presented is necessarily and understandably selected in a rather arbitrary manner. Much is passed over completely. What makes Harold Barclay's work on Arab and Lebanese communities in Alberta worthy of inclusion, when Allen Seager's study, "The Pass Strike of 1932," goes unmentioned? Why is Louise DecheVie's work on the seigneurial system considered relevant, when her study of William Price is not? Does S. D. Clark have more to tell us about British Columbia and Canada than Martin Robin? Perhaps, but not so much more that Clark should merit fourteen entries and Robin none. Upper Canadian travellers' accounts and antiquarian local histories of Ontario towns are underused, as are folklore studies (many of which have an urban dimension) for the Maritimes and Quebec. The latter province is perhaps the least thoroughly enumerated, with many studies neglected and other listings outdated (appearing as theses when books have been available for some time). All of this is compounded by problems of indexing. Some articles actually appear in the collection but are not included under the author index. There seems to be no rhyme or reason for this, save for the considerable difficulties in covering everything, a task too large for a score of researchers let alone a mere duo, however dynamic they may be. I write these words tongue in cheek, poking a little good-natured fun at two eminent authorities. In the authors' introduction there is a tone of certainty and a willingness to walk with a determined and sure-footed gait that is distressing if not dangerous. For they, of all people, knowing what is involved in the urban past, must surely recognize that around each analytic corner lies disputed territory or blocked pathways; within each field of inquiry an undergrowth of sources and published work obscured from view. In spite of these obstacles Artibise and Stelter have produced a vitally important work of great use to researchers. A closing "Guide to Canadian Urban Studies" provides crucial information on journals of interest, archival holdings, film resources, and on-going projects. The section on British Columbia will prove of particular significance to readers of this publication, encompassing approximately 600 entries arrnaged from the general to the specific. Vancouver, of course, looms large in this regional coverage (almost half of the material cited), but other centres including Esquimalt, Nanaimo, and Victoria are also given specific treatment. The ultimate compliment, I think, is that this is truly a book that historians, geographers, sociologists, economists, urban planners, and political scientists will want to have on their shelves. Unfortunately, most of them will be unable to afford it. They should not pass it over, however, on their next trip through the library. Bryan Palmer, a specialist on working class history, teaches at Simon Fraser University. Page 34 British Columbia Historical News THE BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION Honorary Patron: His Honour, The Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia, Henry P. Bell-Irving Honorary President: Anne Stevenson, Box 4570, Williams Lake, V2G 2V6 392-4365 (res.) Officers President: Barbara Stannard, #211-450 Stewart Ave., Nanaimo, V9S 5E9 754-6195 (res.) 1st Vice President: Winnifred Weir, Box 774, Invermere, VOA 1K0 342-9562 (res.) 2nd Vice President: Leonard G. McCann, #2,1430 Maple St., Vancouver, V6J 3R9 736-4431 (bus.) Secretary: Frances Gundry, 255 Niagara St., Victoria, V8V 1G4 385-6353 (res.) 387-3623 (bus.) Treasurer: J. Rhys Richardson, 2875 W. 29th, Vancouver, V6L 1Y2 733-1897 (res.) Recording Secretary: Margaret Stoneberg, Box 687, Princeton, VOX 1W0 295-3362 (res.) Members-at-Large: Naomi Miller, Box 1338, Golden, VOA 1H0 344-6447 Catou Levesque, 10420 Cambie Road, Richmond, V6X 1K5 273-0254 (res.) Past-President: Ruth Barnett, 680 Pinecrest Rd., Campbell River, V9W 3P3 287-8097 (res.) Ex Officio: John Bovey, Provincial Archivist, Victoria, V8V 1X4 387-3621 (bus.) Maureen Cassidy, Editor, B.C. Historical News, 316 Montreal St., Victoria, V8V 1Z5 383-8062 (res.) Chairmen of Committees: Historic Trails: John D. Spittle, 1241 Mount Crown Rd., North Vancouver, V7R 1R9 Finance: H.R. Brammall, 4649 W. 12th, Vancouver, V6R 2R7 228-8958 (res.) Seminars: Leonard G. McCann, #2,1430 Maple St., Vancouver, V6J 3R9 736-4431 (bus.) B.C. Historical News Policy Committee: Ruth Barnett, 680 Pinecrest Rd., Campbell River, V9W 3P3 287-8097 (res.) Publications Assistance Committee (not involved with B.C. Historical News): Arlene Bramhall, 5252 Grafton Court, Burnaby, V5H 1M7 433-7176 (res.) Helen Akrigg, 4633 W. 8th Ave., Vancouver, V6R 2A6 288-8606 (res.) B.C Historical Association 1982 Convention The Inn at Cowichan Bay, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island Thursday, April 29 registration, wine and cheese party, Council meeting (7:30 p.m.) Friday, April 30 morning — walking tour of Cowichan Bay afternoon — a visit to the B.C. Forest Museum evening — entertainment Saturday, May 1 Annual General Meeting (9 a.m.-12 a.m.) afternoon — bus tour of historic sites of Cowichan district evening — banquet (7:30 p.m.) Sunday, May 2 new Executive Council meeting Forms with prices and reservation requirements will be mailed to each member society early in the new year. The Cowichan Historical Society will be the host. Cowichan Bay is 36 miles north of Victoria, 5 miles south of Duncan, Vancouver Island. Pacific Coach Lines buses leave the Vancouver depot, at Cambie and Dunsmuir, at 5:45 a.m. and 12:35 p.m., and travel via Nanaimo to Cowichan Bay. Air B.C. has flights from Vancouver harbour to Quamichan Lake, 2 miles from Duncan. As well as the convention site, there are hotels and motels nearby. °'/>rp
Titled "British Columbia Historical Association Report and Proceedings" from 1923-1929; "British Columbia Historical Quarterly" from 1937-1957; "BC Historical News" from 1968-2004; and "British Columbia History" from 2005 onward.
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