@prefix edm: . @prefix dcterms: . @prefix dc: . @prefix skos: . edm:dataProvider "CONTENTdm"@en ; dcterms:isReferencedBy "http://resolve.library.ubc.ca/cgi-bin/catsearch?bid=3202327"@en ; dcterms:isPartOf "British Columbia History"@en ; dcterms:creator "British Columbia Historical Federation"@en ; dcterms:issued "2015-07-17"@en, "1983"@en ; dcterms:description "Vol. 17, No. 1"@en, ""@en ; edm:aggregatedCHO "https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/bch/items/1.0190676/source.json"@en ; dc:format "application/pdf"@en ; skos:note """ O TTCrD® !T^mi(o]gOiJDQJ]D[P ntul An hm-, oi H ( J On the cover .. The Empress of Japan II steams past the figurehead of Empress of Japan I, at Brockton Point, Stanley Park, Vancouver, B.C. ... story starts on page nine MEMBER SOCIETIES Member societies and their secretaries are responsible for seeing that the correct addresses for their society and for its member subscribers are up-to-date. Please send changes to both the treasurer and the editor whose addresses are at the bottom of the next page. The Annual Report as at October 31 should show a telephone number for contact. ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ Member dues for the year 1982-83 (Volume 16) were paid by the following member societies: Alberni District 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 Margaret Bell, 1187 Hampshire, Victoria, B.C. V8S 4T1 Burnaby Historical Society, c/o 3755 Triumph St., Burnaby, B.C. V5C 1Y5 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, P.O. Box 1123, 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 H. Mayberry, 216 6th Avenue S., Cranbrook, B.C. V1C 2H6 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 Lantzville Historical Society, c/o Susan Turnbull, Box 76, Lantzville, B.C. VOR 2H0 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 Nootka Sound Historical Society, Box 748, Gold River, B.C. VOP 1G0 North Shore Historical Society, c/o Robert W. Brown, 2327 Kilmarnock Crescent, North Vancouver, B.C. V7J 2Z3 Princeton & District Pioneer Museum and Archives, Box 21, 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 3P6 Trail Historical Society, P.O. Box 405, Trail, B.C. V1R 4L7 Vancouver Historical Society, P.O. Box 3071, Vancouver, B.C. V6B 3X6 West Vancouver Historical Society, P.O. Box 91785, West Vancouver, B.C. V7V 4S1 Windermere District Historical Society, Box 784, Invermere, B.C. VOA 1K0 BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORICAL NEWS «.,17Nol Letters to the Editor 4 News of the Association 5 Writing Competition 7 Features Commander Henry Pybus, R.N.R 9 by Elizabeth O'Kiely 1918-1928: The Decade of Social Legislation 13 by E.B. Norcross The Teedsmuir Trail 1937 17 by R.C. Harris News and Notes Reports from the Branches 21 News from the British Columbia Heritage Trust 24 Bookshelf Mattison's Miscellany 25 New Titles 26 Second-class mail registration number 4447. Published fall, winter, spring, and summer by the British Columbia Historical Federation, P.O. Box 35326, Station E, Vancouver, B.C. V6M4G5. Our Charitable Donations number is 0404681-52-27. Printed by Fotoprint, Victoria, B.C. Manuscripts and correspondence for the editor are to be addressed to 1745 Taylor St., Victoria, B.C. V8R3E8. Send all other correspondence, including changes of address, to the Vancouver address given above. Subscriptions: Institutional $16.00 per year; Individual (non-members) $8.00 per year. The B.C. Historical Federation gratefully acknowledges the financial assistance of the British Columbia Heritage Trust. To the Editor ,5>b i J06+ 9-* 3 Mm/ins //v7 qr s,/c Sc*/e- PO So /* Dept. of Public Works Map 572 The Editor: Re-use of old (1863) piers in new (1926) Alexandra bridge near Spuzzum/Chapmans Bar. I append some further notes on Alexandra Bridges land II, which may be of interest to your reader, Mel Atkey, (Vol. 16, No. 4, p. 4). Examination of the bridge drawings shows that the sole feature common to both bridges is the location of the east tower. The new bridge has a longer, wider span at a different orientation: it could not have fitted the old piers. Comparing the Royal Engineers drawings (1863), with the Department of Public Works drawings (1925), we find: FEATURE ALEXANDRA I ALEXANDRA II 1863 R.E. 1925 D.P.W. Span, centres 262'-0 277'-0 of main (on Cpl. White's towers dwg. but not reproduced on B.C. Historical News copy) Centres of 14'-0 23'-6 main cables and hangers Width of 12'-10 16'-0 deck inside curbs Elevation of c272'-6 285'-0 road at ends (from contours of bridge on 1925 dwg.) [say 12"6 difference] Angle between — 1°26' centre lines of old and new spans "Assumed — 272'-0 height of 1894 flood" — R.C. Harris page 4 British Columbia Historical News From the Editor My friend Penny said to me the other day, "I'm so proud to display the B.C. Historical News magazine on my coffee table. It's the first thing my visitors reach for." Penny speaks for most of our readers, for during two years as editor, Maureen Cassidy has set very high standards of editorship and format. I have been handed a special legacy, which I hope will continue to be a credit to Maureen's pioneering efforts. I share with Maureen a deep interest in our province's history, and the desire to publish and preserve it for future generations. In 1982, as a "late bloomer", I completed graduate studies in British Columbia history at the University of Victoria. In addition to researching and writing, I enjoy my association with the small museum on Mayne Island in the Gulf Islands, and with the enthusiastic and dedicated council members of the Victoria branch of the British Columbia Historical Federation. Our issue this time is cosmopolitan. We look at Mary Ellen Smith's political accomplishments, sail with Captain Henry Pybus on the Empress of Japan I, and tramp the Tweedsmuir Trail with R.C. Harris. I am hoping that our writing contest will encourage many more fascinating accounts of people, places, and events. And whether you have a coffee table or not, I think Penny's idea of sharing the News with visitors is an excellent one. Do encourage your inquisitive friends to subscribe—better yet, to become members of our Federation. — Marie Elliott Editor's Note: We omitted biographical information for Kathryn Bridge, who wrote "Two Colonial Artists" for Vol. 16, No. 4. Kathryn is an archivist and exhibits coordinator for the Visual Records Division of the Provincial Archives, Victoria. She is writing her masters thesis on Eleanor Fellows and Sarah Crease. A Message from the President I have attended to all tasks assigned to me during the year. I was able to attend the meeting of six societies. I assisted at the formation of a new society in Lantzville, and attended in your name celebrations by Port Alberni, Parksville and Nanoose societies. I have been asked to open a new society iri Qualicum in June. I assisted in the interviewing for a new editor for the magazine. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my executive and committees for their cooperation. Special thanks to Cathy Henderson for a job well done. We will miss her. To Fran Gundry for her devoted service. To Maureen Cassidy for her tremendous effort in bringing our magazine up to a very high standard. We will look forward to more contributions from this talented lady in our magazine in the future. Thank you. Barbara Stannard Volume 17, No. 1 Page 5 From the Treasurer The British Columbia Historical Federation was first registered under the Societies Act in 1927. In the early years a number of Provincial Archivists in Victoria were actively involved in the Association and the members were drawn from throughout the Province. As years passed, historical societies were established in many centres in British Columbia, and the function of the Association developed from being the central authority for many individuals to being the co-ordinating body of a number of fully independent historical societies. This change in function was recognized at the Annual General Meeting in 1983 when the name was changed to The British Columbia Historical Federation. The re-written Constitution states that: "The purposes of the Federation are: (1) to stimulate public interest, and to encourage historical research in British Columbia history; (2) to promote the preservation and marking of historical sites, relics, natural features, and other objects and places of historical interest; and (3) to publish historical sketches, studies, and documents." Membership in the Federation is dependent upon prior membership in a local historical society. Bylaw 2 states that local historical societies are entitled to become Member Societies of The British Columbia Historical Federation; that they may use such local designation as they choose; and that all members of the local society shall ipso facto be members of the Federation and shall pay dues to the Federation as provided for in Bylaw 43. One of the Regulations under Bylaw 38 makes the requirements that: (1) all members of the Federation must be members of a Member Society; and (2) persons resident within or without British Columbia may belong to any Member Society of their choice. Organizations that are not historical societies, but that have "specialized interests or objects of a historical nature" may join as an Affiliated Group. As such, they may participate in the activities of the Federation, and may send observers to its meetings, but without voting privileges. Alternatively, such an organization would be very welcome to join as a Member Society. Bylaw 43 requires that the annual Federation Dues for all members shall be set at the Annual General Meeting for the succeeding financial year. Regulation 8 requires that the publication of a quarterly magazine shall be a continuing effort of the Federation. For the year 1983-84 the dues were set at $1.00 per member of each Member Society. The subscription rates to THE BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORICAL NEWS were set at: (1) another $4.00 if a member wished to receive the magazine; (2) $8.00 for a non- member subscriber; (3) $16.00 for Institutions; and (4) $16.00 for an Affiliated Group. In 1982-83 Member Societies were located in: Alberni, Atlin, Burnaby, Chemainus, Cowichan, Creston, District 69, East Kootenay, Gulf Islands, Golden, Ladysmith, Lantzville, Nanaimo, Nanoose Bay, Nootka Sound, North Vancouver, Princeton, Sidney & North Saanich, Trail, Vancouver, Victoria, West Vancouver, and Windermere. There are 80 or more societies in British Columbia with the word "Historical" or "History" in the title. To the many historical societies that are not members of the Federation a special invitation to join is issued. Such support would be welcome for it would help to give a much more persuasive and stronger voice to those interested in our history when matters of historical concern and interest arise. If you wish to subscribe to THE BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORICAL NEWS, or to join a local Society, or become a Member Society, or an Affiliated Group, you are welcome to write to the following address for full information. — J. Rhys Richardson, Treasurer, P.O. Box 35326, Station E, Vancouver, B.C. V6M 4G5 page 6 British Columbia Historical News Writing Competition The British Columbia Historical Federation invites submissions for their first annual competition for writers of British Columbia history. Entries are welcomed from any person or group who has published a book on local or provincial history within the 1983 calendar year. Any book, whether written as a thesis, or a community project, or just for the pleasure of recording old timers' memories, is eligible if it is based on some facet of history within British Columbia, and bears the copyright date of 1983. Plese send a copy of your book with your name, address, and telephone number to: British Columbia Historical Federation, c/o N. Miller, Box 105, Wasa, B.C. VOB 2K0 Deadline is January 31, 1984. There will also be a prize for the writer submitting the best historical article published in the British Columbia Historical News quarterly magazine. Articles are to be submitted directly to: The Editor, British Columbia Historical News, 1745 Taylor Street, Victoria, B.C. V8R 3E8 Deadlines for the quarterly issues are September 1, December 1, March 1, and June 1. Winners will be invited to the British Columbia Historical Federation convention in Vernon, in May 1984. Certificate of Merit Nominations Requested by C.H.A. The Regional History Committee of the Canadian Historical Associations invites nominations for its "Certificate of Merit" awards. These annual awards are given for meritorious publications or for exceptional contributions by individuals or organizations to regional or local history. Nominations for British Columbia and the North should be sent to Patricia E. Roy, Department of History, University of Victoria, Victoria, B.C. V8W2Y2. Nominations should be received by mid- November 1983 to ensure entry in the 1984 competition. The two winners from British Columbia in the 1983 competition were Dr. Margaret Ormsby, "in recognition of [her] scholarship and teaching as well as her promotion of the appreciation of British Columbia history among the people of the province," and Hugh Brody, for Maps and Dreams: Indians and the British Columbia Frontier (Vancouver: Douglas and Mclntyre, 1981). NEXT ISSUE Deadline for submissions for the next issue of the NEWS is December 1,1983. Please type double spaced if possible. Mail to the Editor, B.C. Historical News, 1745 Taylor, Victoria, B.C. V8R 3E8. Volume 17, No. 1 Page 7 Page 8 British Columbia Historical News Elizabeth O'Kiely Commander Henry Pybus, R.N.R. Henry Pybus was born in the Cape Colony, South Africa, on December 19,1850, the son of Captain Joseph Pybus and Jeanetta Elizabeth Smith. Joseph Pybus had retired from the sea in 1843 at the age of thirty, after making a fortune in the maritime trade between India and China. The story of Joseph Pybus and his brother is well chronicled in Basil Lubbock's The Opium Clippers, a book which is still in print. When Henry was thirteen he won a scholarship to attend South Africa College (now the University of Capetown). After three years at college he went to sea. His family was distraught because he had not completed his education, and he was only sixteen years old. Four years later, Henry received his certificate as a ship's officer in 1872. Following further service with the Union Steamship Company, he qualified as a Master, Extra-Master, and for Steam and Compass Deviation, in 1881. For the next five years he served in the Chinese coastal trade as a river pilot on the Yangtse Kiang, employed by the Indo-China Steam Navigation Company. This firm was owned by Messrs. Jardine, Matheson & Co., a company which had been one of the Hong merchants at Canton in the 1830s at the same time that the Pybus brothers (Henry Pybus's father and uncle) were Hong merchants there. On the board of directors at that time in Hong Kong was John Bell-Irving. Later, Henry Pybus's only children, his two daughters, both married members of this same Bell-Irving family. Henry had learned by now that in order to be really successful in a career at sea it was necessary to have Royal Navy training. A new policy, very much frowned on in many quarters, had been instigated by the Admiralty in order to give the merchant service naval experience. Pybus applied and was the first merchantman candidate to be accepted for training. He was appointed Sub-Lieutenant, Royal Navy Reserve, on March 9, 1885, in England. In 1887 Pybus married Miss Florence Falconer, the daughter of Captain William Falconer, a wealthy shipowner and merchant. The couple lived as newly-weds in London, but soon Pybus went to sea again. Henry supervised the construction of the Cass, one of two vessels being built for the Viceroy of Formosa, and then took command of the ship during delivery to her owner. Her sister ship was the Smith, and each ship had fifty Chinese as crew. The Cass was 1,394 tons and 250 feet long. She was later renamed the Hating and eventually became one of the Canadian Pacific Railway's coastal passenger ships, the Princess May. Pybus then applied for an appointment to the CPR's new steamship line, received it, and was sent to Barrow to supervise the construction of the R.M.S. Empress of China. The Empress of China was launched on March 25, 1891, and Henry Pybus was in command until her sea trials were complete and the CPR crew took over ownership. He was then appointed First Officer. The Empress of China carried only twenty passengers as she set forth on her maiden voyage to Vancouver via Hong Kong, where she picked up a Chinese crew. She rounded Brockton Point at eleven o'clock, September 23, 1891, with her siren sounding. Most of the twenty original intrepid passengers were still on board, and about as many more had been picked up in the Orient. Pybus remained with the Empress of China on the trans-Pacific run until 1898, when he was appointed Commander of the Tartar, which was Volume 17, No. 1 Page 9 ■i .* The Empress of China was constructed under Henry Pybus's supervision. He served as First Officer on the ship's maiden voyage to Vancouver, via Hong Kong. to carry passengers and freight bound for the Yukon gold rush. This venture was not an economical success for the CPR and was soon abandoned. In 1901, after several stints as relief skipper, Henry Pybus was appointed to the permanent command of the Empress of Japan. He loved this ship. As her skipper he gained a reputation for being "a martinet" (Dr. W. Kaye Lamb, Dominion Archivist, thus once described him), but most of all, an extraordinarily talented navigator. As Kaye Lamb puts it, "When he was on the bridge things were liable to happen." While he was Captain he broke all speed records, events which in their time evoked world-wide interest. Henry Pybus's wife Florence and their baby daughter Anne arrived in Vancouver soon after he did. He bought a house on Hornby Street, across from where Robson Square is now located. Later, as the city grew the family moved to Jervis Street, near English Bay. A second daughter Mary was born in 1894. She was my mother, and in 1975 she wrote the following about her early life: It was a red letter day when father came home and we went to meet him, climbing down a flight of steep wooden stairs at the foot of Howe Street to the wharf below. I can still remember the thrill of seeing father on the bridge calling orders through a megaphone. Then, when we finally went on board there was a smell of tar, page 10 British Columbia Historical News V The Empress of Japan I at Victoria, B.C. and teak, and camphor wood. There were interesting-looking passengers, and Chinese "boys" in long blue Mandarin coats and pillbox hats. Then up the stairs to the top deck, near the bridge, where father had his sitting room with a big desk. Then the presents. Somehow, they were always a bit of a disappointment. The toys were very Oriental, often mechanical. The dolls were Japanese, and the party dresses made in Hong Kong were not like the ones worn by other girts at school. Henry Pybus did not plan to settle permanently in Canada. He always thought of himself as a "Cape man", and intended to retire to South Africa. However, World War I and, later, a variety of Canadian grandchildren made these plans change. When he retired in 1911 he became very active in the Art, Historical, and Scientific Association of Vancouver, occupying the position of President from 1921 to 1927. He died in January 1938, and at his request his ashes were committed to the sea from the new Empress of Japan. The eldest grandson of Henry Pybus, Henry Pybus Bell-Irving, has recently served as Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia. Elizabeth O'Kiely, West Vancouver, prepared this article from her grandfather's memoirs, which he wrote at age seventy-five, in Vancouver. Volume 17, No. 1 Page 11 Mary Ellen Smith, M.L.A. Page 12 British Columbia Historical News E.B. Norcross 1918-1928: The Decade of Social Legislation That title might just as well read "The Decade of Mary Ellen Smith" for it was she who spearheaded the long-overdue social reforms in British Columbia. It was no accident that ten years of social legislation followed the granting of the vote to women, and no accident that Mrs. Smith was elected to the provincial House by an overwhelming majority in the first election that gave her an opportunity to run. (It was a by- election to fill the vacancy caused by the death of her husband nearly a year earlier, in March 1917.) As she said with truth in her maiden speech—"Not only did the women of my fair city stand behind me ... but the men were there, too." Mary Ellen's campaign slogan had been "Women and children first", and in her speech she asked the House for legislation in the interests of women and children. For twenty years and more prior to gaining that legislative seat Mary Ellen Smith had been active in innumerable organizations that worked for community betterment, and in particular for women and children. Her public speeches, however, dwelt on the issue of political equality for women. Clear-sighted and practical, for her the suffrage was a means to an end, the end being improvement in conditions for women and children, and social justice for all through the women's vote. One of the women's causes for which Mary Ellen had battled had been equal guardianship for the mother of the child she bore. The law which deprived her of this right had been struck from the statute books in the same year and by the same government that granted her the right to vote. The booming young city of Vancouver with its crop of overnight millionaires, its hopefuls who saw no reason why they, too, should not be millionaires, its ladies young and old leading the social life of the leisured classes—this Vancouver had at the bottom of the heap poor widows, deserted wives, and unmarried mothers scrambling for a bare existence for themselves and their children. Society recognized its obligation not to let them starve, at least not outright, not obviously, but a scramble for existence it was for many of them. Apart from the social stigma of accepting charity, most mothers found themselves slightly better off if they went to work, even on the low wages then prevailing. Having no option when the job made it necessary, they boarded their children with ignorant, wholly untrained women, who gave these children only minimal care. Their young sons picked up small change here and there, mowing lawns, clearing snow from sidewalks, peddling papers on downtown street corners and working after school as errand boys for neighbourhood grocery stores. These things did them no harm, but when they dropped out of school at twelve or thirteen if well grown, to take f jll-time jobs such as floor boys in department stores, or, in the country, as farm labourers, it was an undesirable situation. Almost to a boy, they went to work at fourteen, the legal school leaving age. It was mothers such as these and children such as these that Mary Ellen Smith, and other more fortunately placed women, saw the need to protect. Volume 17, No. 1 Page 13 The Minimum Wage Bill Mary Ellen's first bill—and while it was introduced as a Government measure, she was always given sole credit for it—was the Female Minimum Wage Bill. When moving second reading, she reminded the House that men enjoyed the protection of their labour unions, while women, having nothing of that sort, must be protected in other ways. The bill was very moderate in its terms. No actual minimum was set for any occupation, but provision was made for an inquiry in each case, and no compulsion would be exerted except as a last resort. In the mercantile industry wages for women aged eighteen and over were fixed at 26 9/16 X [^ 7 i| Creek diversion-. ')u Ekaeplion £, (Tommy's) ra 3hc 7¥ ^»"V Be.//, LANOE CROSSING (END OF WAGON ROAD, rJO"]) (No, '°o/ A Nufcatsum Mountain (pELU&EJ Stupendous l\\ ^-^XPhtooit) , / Mountain \\ YxSf'jie ^doolder camp (Chil-a-thlum-dinki) //East Branch V v^Crf Young Ck) if Hiariway connected If *in 1955 vci&iuii-, ly UUNCHlf „„o...T..4.|/Mpsher Ck Grass// PsLo fo~, 11 (Edwards) v Trail//Younq S j/ (Cheddeakuuk; 'a I ker \\K.\\ , \\ jL ^ (end of highway "1957) Ck. Salmon \\ House H** s: 0 l 4- fe & Km 1 I I I I I I 1 I 0 12 3 4 5 Miles Talchako^ River i (Vw.TEWATEr) UNOFFICIAL AMD OLD NAMES MS. IN CAPITALS THE TWEEDSMUIR TRAIL 1937 NORTH FROM MNARKO RIVER TO MACKENZIE VALLEy Page 18 British Columbia Historical News Early History The Bella Coola valley was first mapped in some detail by the Royal Engineers in November 1862 following Lt. H.S. Palmer's exploration of the well-used trail between North Bentinck Arm (Bella Coola village) and the Fraser River at Fort Alexandria.5 Plan No. 3 of Palmer's report, shows the main creeks that enter the Bella Coola valley. He notes three of the deep hanging valleys to the north as "Possible pass to the Plateau".6 The first side creek was the Kahylskt, now Burnt Bridge Creek. Mackenzie came down the cliffs on the east side to his "Friendly Village" in July 1793. Palmer shows this village as "Nootkleia",7 and his contemporaries as "Newcliff", in the early 1860s.8 Nothing remains of Friendly Village, but Rascals' Village (Bella Coola) flourishes. The steep old Burnt Bridge Trail comes down the west side of Burnt Bridge creek. Tommy Walker proposed using it for access to the Rainbows in 1935, before he found the better route up the next creek, in 1936.9 The next creek, Palmer's "Snookhalk", was in Walker's time Edwards Creek, and is now Mosher Creek.10 This was the route chosen for the 1937 Tweedsmuir Trail. Again, the west bank was used. Palmer's third possible side creek was the Cheddea-kulk, now Young Creek. The Bunch Grass Trail, and in 1955, highway 20 to the Chilcotin country, again used the west side of this deep valley. Walker's Trail Tommy Walker's location for the new trail to the Rainbows runs almost due north, in the general direction of the 126th meridian.11 Deception Pass, at about the midpoint, is split by the meridian, and is thus not apparent on maps until adjacent sheets are joined. This may account for most maps showing the Pass two miles west of its true location. Despite this minor deception, the name is attributed to 1937 trail foreman Bob Boyd, who had expected to find a "real" pass in the ridge, rather than a shallow saddle in the skyline.12 From Deception Pass, and particularly from its west flank, there are extensive views north over the broad flat valley of the Capoose to the volcanic Rainbows country.13 The Capoose meadows contain sloughs, swales, swamps and lakes. The largest lake is Octopus, named by Ches Lyons in the 1940s for its long arms. The Rainbow Mountains, or "Mountains that Bleed" according to the Indians, display mostly reds, but patches of yellow, green, white, and purple will be seen in theashes and lava flows which originate from Tsitsutl Peak. Just north of Octopus Lake, the Tweedsmuir Trail crosses the ancient east-west Capoose summer trail, a "summer trail" because it is passable in July, August, and September only. The Be//a Coola Courier, 1912 to 1917,14 shows Antoine Capoose frequently used the trail, bringing pack trains from his ranch on Abuntlet Lake to Bella Coola several times a year, to trade furs for supplies. He occasionally continued to Vancouver. Dr. CM. Dawson of the Geological Survey of Canada also used this trail, eastbound in 1876, during one of his numerous surveys in British Columbia, in association with the Canadian Pacific Railway Surveys which followed Confederation. Construction The Tweedsmuir Trail was built, or cut, by the Parks Division of the Forest Service, working through the Young Men's Forestry Training Program.15 They brought in Bob Boyd as foreman, Wally Hughes as assistant foreman, and about twenty-two young men from the. Vancouver-New Westminster area. The crew travelled to and from Bella Coola on the Union Steamship vessel Cardena. Location of the five miles of trail from base camp to the first summit was by Tommy Walker. From summit camp, Walker and Boyd climbed a fairly high peak (probably now Mount Walker), and Walker showed the general route north to Boyd, who continued the locating. The trail construction camps were set four or five miles apart, as follows: No. 1 Base Camp—at the end of the wagon road (Mackenzie Highway), near Atnarko River 2 Summit Camp— at the first summit, before descending to cross Bear Camp Creek 3 Mosquito near crossing of Mosquito Camp— Creek 4 Pass Camp— near the small lake, south east of Deception Pass 5 Capoose between Octopus Lake Camp— and the rim of Mackenzie Valley Volume 17, No. 1 Page 19 6 Rainbow in Mackenzie Valley, near Camp— Kohasganko Creek, where the new trail joined Mackenzie's route North from Rainbow Camp, the old trail down the Mackenzie was brushed out as far as Tanya Lakes, near where it intersected the prehistoric Algatcho summer trail from Bella Coola, described in the Minister of Lands Report for 1914, p. 335. Not long after the Tweedsmuir Trail was opened, Tommy Walker put in a westerly diversion via Bear Camp Meadows (just north of Mount Walker), to ensure horse feed would be available on the first night out. The two ends of this diversion are still marked by wooden finger boards on trees, now illegible. Where the diversion rejoins the main trail, a Rogers Golden Syrup tin is also nailed to the signpost tree. A card in this simple mail box records that a Geological Survey party under Alex Baer passed this way, en route to Octopus Lake on August 17,1962, confirming that the Tweedsmuir trail was being used 20 years ago. During his 1937 visit Lord Tweedsmuir and his entourage were expected to fly to Tanya Lakes, on their way south through the new park. Due to a shortage of time, they were flown over the trail, and landed in the sea at Bella Coola, whence they were driven east to Tommy Walker's lodge at Stuie. Tommy Walker was graciously permitted to rename it as Tweedsmuir Lodge. Though Lord Tweedsmuir did not use his trail, it fulfilled its primary purpose of improving recreational access to the Rainbows. However, completion of highway 20 in 1955 has drained much of the traffic from the horse trails. 1 T.A. Walker to Hon. Wells Gray, August 17,1936, letter 1168940, Lands file 0124360, Victoria. 2 Tweedsmuir Park, British Columbia, Canada, a commemorative booklet, pp 30, incl. map and illus. Minister of Lands, Victoria, B.C., 1938. 3 "Mackenzie Park as a Field for Survey, Exploration, Literature and Art" by Harlan I. Smith. Reprinted from Science; Sep. 4,1925, NWp 971.242 S649, PABC. 4 7ra/7 Guide: "In the Steps of Alexander Mackenzie", John Woodworth and Halle Flygare, 1981, sponsored by the Nature Conservancy of Canada, pp 105, illus.; + folded maps. 5 "Reliable News from Bentinck Arm", British Colonist; Aug. 26, 1862; and "Four Days Later, from Bentinck Arm", British Colonist; Aug. 27, 1862. 6 Plan No. 3, "Sketch of the Valley of the Bella Coola or Nookhalk River from the Coast to the Precipice" by Lieut. H.S. Palmer, R.E. "To accompany Report of Nov. 24, 1862." Scale: Two Miles to One Inch. 7 Barnston and Macdonald to Governor Douglas, from Bonaparte River, July 24, 1861. Report on a new and shorter route into the upper districts of British Columbia. Mentions "Nontclaoff". EB B261, PABC. 8 "The Bentinck Arm Road", Oct. 1862, A.L. Fortune, in British Colonist, Jan. 3,1863; p. 3, mentions "Newcliff", Mackenzie's Friendly Village. 9 T.A. Walker to Chief Geographer (Major G.S. Aitken), Victoria, B.C., September 10, 1935 pp 5, proposing a tourist route from Stuie to Tetachuck, 9 days, using the Burnt Bridge trail, then following Mackenzie's route. 10 See number 1. 11 With the Trail Riders through Tweedsmuir Park, under the Personal Direction of Mr. T.A. Walker. Inaugural Ride, 1938, from Tweedsmuir Lodge to the Rainbow Mountains" [uses the new Tweedsmuir Trail]. Lands File 0124360. 12 Bob Boyd continued with the Parks Branch until his retirement. He was responsible for the Lightning Lakes dam, and several of the main trails in Manning Park. 13 "The Rainbow Mountains in Tweedsmuir Park", by Don Munday, shows pack train crossing, "Tommy's Pass", Canadian Geographical Journal; Jan. 1939. p 2- 17; illus. 14 The Bella Coola Courier, a local weekly newspaper, published almost continuously between 1912 and 1917. 15 Record of Interview between Bob Boyd, Trail foreman, 1937, and Bob Broadland of Heritage Conservation Branch, 1973. 16 Topographic Sketch Map 19T2, Surveyor General of British Columbia; by F.C. Swannell, B.C.L.S. April 9, 1928 1 inch = 1 mile, shows parts of Algatcho and Capoose summer trails, and Mackenzie's route. Swannell's Report of Surveys, seasons of 1926 and 1927, describes trails north of Bella Coola valley. Add. MS. 392, PABC. R.C. Harris is a retired professional engineer and has a lifelong interest in trails and bridges. Page 20 British Columbia Historical News News and Notes Reports from the Branches Nanaimo The major event of the year was the very successful and well-attended symposium, "The Company on the Coast", in March 1982. Three junior secondary schools participated in the Ethel Barraclough Memorial Fund Awards. Books were presented to students and school libraries, and to commemorate the year Constitution Dollars were also presented to the students. There has been an encouraging response from members to a request for their Family Histories. A valuable resource is being accumulated for a possible further publication. The book published by the Nanaimo Historical Society in 1979, Nanaimo Retrospec tive, proved to be a best seller, and paperback copies are now out of stock. An excellent slate of speakers provided variety and special knowledge. All were taped for reference. Due to the inclement weather the Princess Royal Day ceremonies organized by the Society were held inside the Bastion this year. Mr. Howard Nicholson used his many years experience as clerk to the city council in his address. Hope Late in 1981, the Hope and District Historical Society began to make arrangements to acquire and restore the derelict Home Gold Mill. The machinery was dismantled at the mine site and brought to Hope Museum by enthusiastic volunteers in 1982. Plans to restore the mill adjacent to the museum were approved by Hope town council, which supported the society's application for a winter grant under the Community Recovery Program funded jointly by the Federal and Provincial Governments in conjunction with the Unemployment Insurance Commission. Great attention was paid to re-creating the exact layout of the mill circuit and, fortunately, people involved in the original design were available to give valuable advice. Metal parts were sandblasted to remove rust and then painted. Many donations of time and materials necessary to build the log foundation and assemble the machines were received from interested residents. A special plaque mounted on the front of the mill building lists these indispensable donors. Since most of the machines are free to rotate, the society plans as a future project to fully restore the circuit to working condition. The official opening of the mill took place September 16, 1983. Volume 17, No. 1 Page 21 District 69 Craig Heritage Park has been established this year in the Qualicum School District 69on land bordering the Island Highway near Craig's Crossing where the Craig family first pre-empted property in the 1880s. Through grants-in-aid, District 69 Historical Society moved Knox Heritage Church to the new park, and then restored it to its original appearance. It was officially opened on February 19 by Mrs. Barbara Stannard, President of the British Columbia Historical Federation, and remained open for the showing of special displays during the day, and also was open to visitors on Sunday, February 20, 1983. The first post office in District 69, a log building dating back to 1886, has been moved from French Creek to Craig Heritage Park, near the old church. In the early days,fires were kindled on the beach at French Creek, signalling to the pioneers on Lasqueti Island that their mail had arrived. The Society is now waiting for funds to move the old Duncan McMillan house from the Seaton farm near Englishman's River in Errington. Built in 1886, it is one of a very few which were built of squared-off logs in British Columbia. It will join the Knox Heritage Church and the French Creek post office at Craig Heritage Park. Regarding plans for a museum in District 69, all organizations in the district, including Qualicum Beach, Parksville, Errington, and Nanoose Bay, were invited to a meeting addressed by Mr. Greg Evans, Museums Coordinator for the Provincial Museum, who provided our Society with guidelines for planning. This April meeting is to be followed up by a September meeting to receive further input from District residents. We have the approval to go ahead with washrooms and a fireproof vault for Craig Heritage Park. —Grace d'Arcy Cowichan The Cowichan Historical Society has had another busy and interesting year. We have held eight General Meetings and ten Executive Council Meetings. Our speakers have been: Mrs. Audrey Ginn, on the history of Kuper Island; Hank Williams, slides of Port Townsend, Washington; Jack Fleetwood, on Duncan and the boom year of 1912, and the early days of education in the Cowichan Valley; Mrs. Shirley Green, slides of totem poles near Kitimat; and Mrs. Barbara Stannard on first aid to small museums. We also had one meeting of show and tell, and at our December meeting we had entertainment by the Chemainus Hillbillies. Our executive council meetings were held in the museum and were mostly concerned with the purchase and storage of the mahogany shelving from the Rexall Drug Store, and the development of the C.P.R. train station. We have had interviews on CKAY Radio and CHEK-TV—Channel 6. Our display case in the library has been well used and well received. Displays have been a bell collection by Roma Croy, antique toy cars by Shane Davis, Egyptian display and presently we have a display of items from an old country store by Art Dawe. For the third year we were able to hire a student, Michael Sandercock who was extremely efficient in the museum, cataloguing, arranging displays and performing many other valuable duties. The archival section of the museum is developing with the acquisition of the old copies of the Cowichan Leader; the tax rolls of the Municipality of North Cowichan; the diaries of Elias Castley, the first telephone linesman in the district; and the autobiography of May Robinson Castley, the first telephone operator. —Myrtle Haslam Page 22 British Columbia Historical News Vancouver An active program for its members and friends was held during the 1982-83 season, its 47th year. In addition to our monthly speaker at our Annual Incorporation Day Celebration on April 6,1983, we were addressed by Chuck Davis on his forthcoming book on the history of Vancouver. A seminar on Oral History was given by Mr. Alan Specht of the Provincial Archives, which has now led to the establishment of a permanent operation on the part of the Vancouver Historical Society. Two tours were laid on: one to the Grocery Hall of Fame in Vancouver, which is a gathering of items from times past that used to be the stock of your neighbourhood grocery store; and the other was a visit to the Western Canada Gold Rush Museum in Cloverdale, operated by VHS member, N.E. Barlee. This is a celebration of the pioneer days and people of British Columbia. The VHS's Certificate of Merit was awarded to the Grocery Hall of Fame for its unique and nostalgic presentation. The Society's current major undertaking, a bibliography of Vancouver—to be published as its contribution to marking Vancouver's centenary in 1986—is proceeding very well both in terms of operation and staff. Financial support from both the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and from the B.C. Heritage Trust is in place. At its Annual General Meeting held on May 26, 1983, membership was reported to be 189 and finances were in a satisfactory condition, but major problems in both areas were foreseen to be imminent and steps to meet the problems were urged. The Vancouver Record, the proposed annual publication, has not yet appeared due to ever-escalating publishing costs. Three members of the Executive retired and three new members were elected to the Executive. —Leonard G. McCann ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦< Subscribe! ►♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ I wish to subscribe to B.C. Historical News. I enclose a cheque or money order payable to the B.C. Historical Federation, P.O. Box 35326, Station E, Vancouver, B.C. V6M 4G5. Individual Four issues for $8.00 ( ) Institutional Four issues for $16.00 ( ) NAME: ADDRESS City ! ! ►♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦J Volume 17, No. 1 Page 23 News from the Columbia Heritage Trust Grants Some grants of note recently awarded by the Trust include: A $15,000 grant was awarded to the Underwater Archaeological Society of B.C. toward their inventory of historic shipwrecks in Clayoquot Sound and Nootka Sound. The UASBC will research, locate and document the current status of each wreck. Their findings will be compiled into a final report as well as recorded on film. ■ The Trust has awarded a grant of $42,500 to the Greater Vancouver Regional District for restoration of the former Bowen Island General Store. The store was built by the Union Steamship Company in 1924 and continued to operate until 1975. The building will be restored for use as visitor centre for the newly established Crippen Regional Park. ■ The District 69 Historical Society received a grant of $4,000 toward restoration of the McMillian log house, built in 1885-86 and believed to be the only hand-hewn log building in the area. The District of Chilliwack was awarded a grant of $31,750 to assist with restoration of their former City Hall. The structure was designed by Thomas Hooper and served as municipal offices until 1980. Upon completion of restoration, the building will be used by the Chilliwack Museum and Historical Society. Bowen Island General Store New Publications The sixth publication in the Trust's Technical Paper series is Local History in British Columbia: A guide to Researching, Writing and Publishing for the Non- Professional by Maureen Cassidy. The paper guides the inexperienced author through the monumental task of writing a local history. The paper provides the criteria the Trust uses to judge all local histories submitted for a possible grant from their Publications Assistance Program. Copies of the Technical Paper are available from the Trust at the cost of $5 per copy of $3.50 each for ten or more copies. The Trust's address is: B.C. Heritage Trust, Parliament Buildings, Victoria, B.C. V8V1X4. The Trust's 1982-83 Annual Report, which describes the Trust's programs and lists all grants awarded in the previous fiscal year, is now in print. It is available upon request, free of charge, from the Trust. Roberta J. Pazdro Page 24 British Columbia Historical News Bookshelf Mattison's Miscellany — Brief Notes on Some Recent Books The Best of Canada West. N.L. Barlee, ed. Volume 2. Langley: Stagecoach Publishing, 1980. 184 pp., illus. $3.95 pa. (Stagecoach Publishing, P.O. Box 3399, Langley, B.C. V3A 4R7) Second anthology from N.L. Barlee's Canada West magazine. Lively, entertaining stories all set in B.C. Compares with the Pioneer Days in British Columbia series (see below) for colour and conversationality. Unencumbered by footnotes, bibliographic references or index, all the articles should be used with caution. Great value as motivational reading for budding historians as many may go on to research further some of the fascinating but lightweight treatments offered in this collection. Pioneer Days in British Columbia. Art Downs, ed. Volume 4. Surrey: Heritage House, 1979.160 pp., illus. about $7.95 pa. (Heritage House Publishing Company, 5543-129 St., Surrey, B.C. V3W4H4) Layout improvements have shaped this reprint series into one of the finest of its type in Canada. Largely selected from past issues of B.C. Outdoors, this volume also includes articles from reports of the Okanagan Historical Society and the Boundary Historical Society, as well as an article from The Fisherman, and an excerpt from Hilary Stewart's Indian Fishing: Early Methods on the Northwest Coast (J.J. Douglas, 1977). The map indicates the general area of each article; the index, photo credits and the notes on contributors all make this and previous volumes good reference tools, though, again, the lack of bibliographic notes is a shortcoming for scholarly purposes. Patricia Roy is the Book Review Editor. Copies of books for review should be sent to her at 602-139 Clarence St., Victoria, B.C. V8V2J1. The Nine Lives of a Cowboy. H. "Dude" Lavington. Victoria: Sono Nis Press, 1982. 216 pp., illus., $8.95 pa. Born in Alberta in 1907, Dude Lavington's densely packed memoirs are full of humour, aphorisms, cowboy English (note the glossary of terms), and just plain good information on the life of a rancher near Quesnel. Contains all the quirks and prejudices one expects from the older generation. No index. Barkerville Days. Fred Ludditt. Revised ed. Langley: Mr. Paperback, 1980. 158 pp., illus., $3.95 pa. Originally published by Mitchell Press in 1969, this history of Barkerville by long-time resident Ludditt is unimpeded by footnotes, a bibliography, or an index. Covers not only Barkerville but satellite communities such as Camerontown and Richfield. Deals largely with the 1860s-70s and 1930s-50s period. Lacks continuity. Ludditt credits himself and another early resident, Miss Lottie Bowron, daughter of Barkerville pioneer John Bowron, with initiating the restoration of Barkerville by the provincial government. The Long Beaches: A Voyage in Search of the North Pacific Fur Seal. Ian MacAskie. Victoria: Sono Nis Press, 1979. 136 pp., illus., $6.95 pa. Reminiscences of fur seal research. If ever there were a misleading title, this is a prime example. The cover likewise lends credence to the old saying you can't judge a book by its colour photograph. Candid and graphic, MacAskie's memoir reveals little of his research work—he was primarily a collector of corpses. Sketches impressions of coastal life in the late 1950s through the 1960s. Dates are almost nonexistent. Author's value judgments—"If mankind continues to spread himself across the earth like mould upon an orange" is a typical sample—spoil the effect. A few pages of photos break a nicely written but otherwise unexceptional book. Volume 17, No. 1 Page 25 New Beginnings: A Social History of Canada. James H. Marsh and Daniel Francis. Volume 2. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1982. 270 pp., illus., $8.95 pa. High school social studies text in the "new" style of history. Concentrates on social movements and general trends. Well supplied with photos, maps, glossaries of terms, bibliographies, and an index. Chapter 3 on the development of Vancouver and the coming of the CPR is particularly revealing as shoddy writing: "The year before the railroad came, there were only 900 people living in Vancouver. Forty years later the city was the fourth largest in Canada." Nowhere up to this point has the date of the railroad's arrival been given! The text covers the period from 1850 to 1919, though the sections on British Columbia begin with native contact with European explorers. There are some anomalies such as the Klondike Gold Rush preceding the Cariboo Gold Rush in the British Columbia section. East Kootenay Chronicle. David Scott and Edna Hanic. Langley: Mr. Paperback, 1979. 171 pp., illus., $3.95 pa. First published as fast Kootenay Saga by Antonson Publishing in 1974, this general history focuses on some of the more outstanding episodes of this region's history: the 1860s gold rush days of Wild Horse Creek, David Thompson's exploration of the area in 1812, Father De Smet's duplication of Thompson's feat in 1845, the Kootenay Indian uprising of 1887 and the founding of Fort Steele, and William Adolph Baillie-Grohman's land reclamation scheme. Maps and a bibliography make this work appealing, but no notes are used and much of the "history" is fictitious with character's thoughts and dialogue being thrown in as if they were on record somewhere! No index. David Mattison is an archivist with the Sound and Moving Image Division, Provincial Archives of British Columbia, Victoria, and a regular contributor to the B.C. Historical News. New Titles The Faces of Captain Cook—A Record of the Coins and Medals of James Cook. Allan Klenman. Victoria: Cook Publications, 1982. Illus., $30 pa. (Cook Publications, 944 Woodside Place, Victoria, B.C. V8Y 2P3.) The British Columbia Heritage Trust assisted with publication of these new titles: Indian Art Traditions of the Northwest Coast. Roy L. Carlson, Burnaby: Archaeology Press, Simon Fraser University, 1983. 214 p., ill. A Bit of Okanagan History. Dorothy H. Gellatly, Kelowna: Ehmann Printing, 1983. Historic Routes '82: A Seminar Summary. Gordon Price, Outdoor Recreation Council of B.C., 1983. 28 p. As Far As I Know: Reminiscences of an Ahousat Elder. Peter S. Webster. Campbell River Museum and Archives, 1983. Contetf We received several correct answers to our contest, necessitating a draw. Our winner is Margaret R. Grant, Chetwynd, B.C., who will receive To Market, To Market: The Public Market Tradition in Canada by Linda Biesenthal (Toronto: PMA, 1980), for correctly identifying the New Westminster public market. Page 26 THE BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORICAL FEDERATION Honorary President: Col. G.S. Andrews, 116 Wellington, Victoria, B.C. V8V 4H7 382-7202 (res.) Officers President: 1st Vice President: 2nd Vice President: Secretary: Recording Secretary: Treasurer: Members-at-Large: Past-President: Barbara Stannard, #211-450 Stewart Ave., Nanaimo, V9S 5E9 754-6195 (res.) Leonard G. McCann, #2-1430 Maple St., Vancouver, V6J 3R9 736-4431 (bus.) Naomi Miller, Box 105, Wasa, VOB 2K0 422-3594 (res.) T. Don Sale, 262 Juniper St., Nanaimo, V9S 1X4 753-2067 (res.) Margaret Stoneberg, P.O. Box 687, Princeton, VOX 1W0 295-3362 (res.) J. Rhys Richardson, 2875 W. 29th, Vancouver, V6L 1Y2 733-1897 (res.) Tom Carrington, 125 Linden Ave., Victoria, V8V 4E2 383-3446 (res.) Myrtle Haslam, 1875 Wessex Road, Cowichan Bay, VOR 1N0 748-8397 (res.) Ruth Barnett, 680 Pinecrest Rd., Campbell River, V9W 3P3 287-8097 (res.) Marie Elliott, Editor, B.C. Historical News, 1745 Taylor St., Victoria, V8R 3E8 592-9521 Chairmen of Committees: Historic Trails: John D. Spittle, 1241 Mount Crown Rd., North Vancouver, V7R 1R9 B.C. Historical News Ruth Barnett, 680 Pinecrest Rd., Campbell River, V9W 3P3 Policy Committee: 287-8097 (res.) Publications Assistance: Committee (not involved with B.C. Historical News) Helen Akrigg, 4633 W. 8th Ave., Vancouver, V6R 2A6 228-8606 (res.) Loans are available for publication. Please submit manuscripts to Helen Akrigg. ENTER The British Columbia Historical News WRITING CONTEST See page 7"""@en, "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."@en ; edm:hasType "Periodicals"@en ; dcterms:identifier "FC3801.B72 H44"@en, "FC3801_B72_H44_1983_vol017_no001"@en ; edm:isShownAt "10.14288/1.0190676"@en ; dcterms:language "English"@en ; edm:provider "Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library"@en ; dcterms:publisher "Victoria : British Columbia Historical Federation"@en ; dcterms:rights "Images provided for research and reference use only. Permission to publish, copy, or otherwise use these images must be obtained from the British Columbia Historical Association."@en ; dcterms:source "Original Format: University of British Columbia. Archives."@en ; dcterms:subject "British Columbia--History"@en ; dcterms:title "British Columbia Historical News"@en ; dcterms:type "Text"@en .