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British Columbia History
British Columbia Historical Federation
Vol. 29, No. 4
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$4.00 Volume 29, No. 4 Fall 1996 ISSN 1195-8294 - . ,.xll,. xx \ < ) 1: ' \] Journal of the B.C. Historical Federation Shipbuilding in North Vancouver MEMBER SOCIETIES Member Societies and their Secretaries are responsible for seeing that the correct address for their society is up to date. Please send any change to both the Treasurer and the Editor at the addresses inside the back cover. The Annual Return as at October 31 should include telephone numbers for contact. MEMBERS' DUES for the current year were paid by the following Societies: Alberni District Historical Society Arrow Lakes Historical Society Atlin Historical Society Burnaby Historical Society Chemainus Valley Historical Society Cowichan Historical Society District 69 Historical Society East Kootenay Historical Association Gavel Historical Society Gulf Islands Branch, BCHF Hedley Heritage Society Koksilah School Historical Society Kootenay Museum & Historical Society Lantzville Historical Society Nanaimo Historical Society North Shore Historical Association North Shuswap Historical Society Princeton & District Museum & Archives Qualicum Beach Historical & Museum Society Salt Spring Island Historical Society Sidney & North Saanich Historical Society Silvery Slocan Historical Society Surrey Historical Society Trail Historical Society Vancouver Historical Society Victoria Historical Society AFFILIATED GROUPS Boundary Historical Society Bowen Island Historians Fort St. James Historical Society Fort Steele Heritage Town Kamloops Museum Association Kootenay Lake Historical Society Lasqueti Island Historical Society Nanaimo District Museum Society Okanagan Historical Society Box 284, Port Alberni, B.C. V9Y 7M7 Box 584, Nakusp, B.C. VOB 1 RO Box 111, Atlin, B.C. VOW 1A0 6501 Deer Lake Avenue, Burnaby, B.C. V5G 3T6 Box 172, Chemainus, B.C. VOR 1K0 P.O. Box 1014, Duncan, B.C. V9L 3Y2 Box 1452, Parksville, B.C.V9P2H4 P.O. Box 74, Cranbrook, B.C. V1C 4H6 3-1384 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver, B.C. V6H 1J6 c/o A. Loveridge, S.22, C.11, RR#1, Galiano. VON 1 PO Box 218, Hedley, B.C. VOX 1K0 5213 Trans Canada Highway, Koksilah, B.C. VOR 2C0 402 Anderson Street, Nelson, B.C. V1L 3Y3 c/o Box 274, Lantzville, B.C. VOR 2H0 P.O. Box 933, Station A, Nanaimo, B.C. V9R 5N2 1541 Merlynn Crescent, North Vancouver, B.C. V7J 2X9 Box 22, Celista, B.C. VOE 1L0 Box 687, Princeton, B.C. VOX 1W0 587 Beach Road, Qualicum Beach, B.C. V9K 1K7 129 McPhillips Avenue, Salt Spring Island, B.C. V8K 2T6 P.O. Box 2404, Sidney, B.C. V8L 3Y3 Box 301, New Denver, B.C. VOG 1S0 8811 - 152nd Street, Surrey, B.C. V3R 4E5 P.O. Box 405, Trail, B.C. V1R 4L7 P.O. Box 3071, Vancouver, B.C. V6B 3X6 P.O. Box 43035, Victoria North, Victoria, B.C. V8X 3G2 Box 580, Grand Forks, B.C. V0H 1H0 Box 97, Bowen Island, B.C. VON 1G0 Box 1421, Kwah Road, Fort St. James, B.C. V0J 1P0 Fort Steele, B.C. VOB 1 NO 207 Seymour Street, Kamloops, B.C. V2C 2E7 Box 537, Kaslo, B.C. VOG 1M0 Lasqueti Island, B.C. VOR 2J0 100 Cameron Road, Nanaimo, B.C. V9R 2X1 Box 313, Vernon, B.C. V1T 6M3 SUBSCRIPTIONS / BACK ISSUES Published winter, spring, summer and fall by British Columbia Historical Federation P.O. Box 5254, Station B Victoria, B.C. V8R 6N4 A Charitable Society recognized under the Income Tax Act. Institutional subscriptions $16 per year Individual (non-members) $12 per year Members of Member Societies $10 per year For addresses outside Canada, add $5 per year Back issues of the British Columbia Historical News are available in microform from Micromedia Limited, 20 Victoria Street, Toronto, Ontario M5C 2N8, phone (416) 362-5211, fax (416) 362-6161, toll free 1-800-387-2689. This publication is indexed in the Canadian Index published by Micromedia. Indexed in the Canadian Periodical Index. Publications Mail Registration Number 4447. C~lJ^^n. Financially assisted by {-s\j7f Historical News Journal of the B.C. Historical Federation Volume 29, No. 4 EDITORIAL FaU 1996 Changes, changes! Even those of us who do not move may be given a new address by Canada Post. Now B.C. Tel is changing half the province to the new prefix 250. Those living in the Lower Mainland retain the 604 part of their telephone number but residents of Vancouver Island and the Interior change to 250 effective October 19,1996. See the list inside the back cover for addresses and phone numbers of the B.C. Historical Federation officers and committee heads. ******* Most local historical societies have commerrced their usual meeting schedules. We extend greetings and best wishes to the members and officers of each group, particularly those who spend so much time and energy planning meetings, outings and projects. We are pleased to note that the Vancouver Historical Society has regrouped after a frustrating period. We hope that everyone enjoys the time of sharing local and provincial history. Thank you all for participating and good luck in the coming year. Naomi Miller COVER CREDIT This picture, submitted for the article "Staying Afloat", shows a group posed for a photographer on July 9, 1916. This is hull #92 in the Wallace Shipyards Ltd. in North Vancouver. Identified are Andy Wallace, Mrs. Geraldine Wolvin, and Mrs. H.W. Brown. Mrs. Brown was honored when this ship was launched as the Mabel Brown. Vancouver Public Library Phot #20058 CONTENTS FEATURES Quesnel Forks: Slides 1898 and 1996 2 by Mary Elliott Notes on Galiano Postal Service 4 by Phyllis Harris The Fairchild Husky Bushplane 7 by Dirk Septer The Hudson's Bay Company and Kettle Falls Salmon 10 by Chris Bogan Nanaimo's Princess Royal Day 15 by T. Don Sale Staying Afloat: Shipbuilding in W.W.I 17 by Rick James Harry Bullock: Pioneer Photographer 22 by Tony Farr Charlotte Herridge 25 by Rosemarie Parent Why Nakusp Could Have Been Named Abrielville 27 by Rosemarie Parent Expo Extravaganza Fondly Recalled 32 by Leonard W. Meyers The Rowling Family 35 by Paula Cyr NEWS and NOTES 40 BOOKSHELF Boundary History 42 Review by George Newell Waiting For The Light 42 Review by David Mattison Catalysts and Watchdogs: 1836-1871 42 Review by Phyllis Reeve The Wilderness Profound 43 Review by Robert Allen Sointula 43 Review by Allan H. Salo Tales From Hidden Basin 44 Review by Kelsey McLeod Underlying Vibrations 44 Review by Melva Dwyer Manuscripts and correspondence to the editor are to be sent to P.O. Box 105, Wasa, B.C. VOB 2K0. Correspondence regarding subscriptions is to be directed to the Subscription Secretary (see inside back cover). Printed in Canada by Kootenay Kwik Print Ltd. Quesnel Forks: Slides 1898 and 1996 by Marie Elliot This 1897picture shows Ae eroded bank behind the centre piling. This is thesame area that hadmajor slides in 1898 and 1996... with minor sloughing between those years. # HP74112 Photo courtesy of British Coiumbto Archives. On Sunday morning, April 28, 1996, visitors to the historic ghost town of Quesnel Forks witnessed the effects of Cariboo slum on a grand scale. The south bank of the Quesnel River had given way, filling in the riverbed with tons of material. To make matters worse, when the river broke through on the north or shallow edge of the slide, the new channel threatened to erode the bank in front of a heritage log building at the Forks. The building had recendy been restored through the initial efforts ofthe Likely Cemetery Society and then the provincial government. This isn't the first slide, nor will it be the last to block the Quesnel River. In 1898 hydraulic operations at the Bullion Mine, five miles above the Forks, caused an identical slide. For four years the mine had dumped tons of gravel into the river (known then as the South Fork), which eroded downstream, filling in the riverbed near Quesnel Forks. As a result, the raised height of the river undercut the slum banks, endangering the South Fork bridge as well as the village. At that time more than 200 miners patronizing hotels and whiskey joints' kept Quesnel Forks bustling night and day. Besides the activity at the Bullion Mine, a huge dam had just been built across the foot of Quesnel Lake by the Golden Quesnelle Dam Company. In preparation for mining the riverbed, the nine gates of the dam were about to be closed after being open all summer to cope with the annual freshet. When the slide of 1898 came down a message was sent to the Company to close all the gates immediately. Water was then turned on slowly to wash away the slide. After each slide Government Agent Stephenson super vised the installation of rows of protective pilings, and the infilling of rocks and brush "mattresses". By 1903 the provincial government had spent over $ 10,000 to safeguard the South Fork Bridge and the village of Quesnel Forks. The road leading up the bank opposite the Forks had been relocated several times. Road superintendent A Stevenson despaired of ever rebuilding an adequate road down the side of the slum bluff to connect with the South Fork bridge. "Is there no way to make these people [at the Bullion Mine] responsible for the damage they are doing? If not the people at the Forks town and others along the river have better move out." The residents of Quesnel Forks remained. Stevenson managed to survey a new road that lasted until the bridge was destroyed by extremely high runoff in 1948. The other major gold hydraulic opera- B.C. Historical News - Fall 1996 This picture of the April 28,1996slide was taken from the same viewpoint as the 1897picture. tions, in California, were shut down by a Circuit Court decision in 1884 because of environmental damage to the Sacramento valley. But in British Columbia no laws prevented dumping tailings into rivers. The Bullion mine continued to operate for another eight years, supervised by John B. Hobson, who had mined on the Feather River in California. Between 1898 and 1904 nine million cubic meteres of material washed into the South Fork River. At the same time, the barrier across Quesnel Lake created by the Golden Quesnelle dam prevented one of British Columbia's major sockeye runs from spawning in the Horsefly River. The ten miles of riverbed from Quesnel Lake to Quesnel Forks was an environmental disaster. During the next decade there were more slides. Unable to pass through the Golden Quesnel dam, thousands of dead fish washed up on the banks at Quesnel Forks. The provincial government spent a further $10,000 on erosion protection and $4,000 to install a proper fish ladder at the dam site. The history of British Columbia is in part a history of the triumph over environmental ruin. Fortunately, the sockeye were able to regenerate themselves after being almost wiped out in the Quesnel River drainage system. But Cariboo slum remains untamed. Almost one hundred years later, the provincial government is once again obligated to spend money on protection for Quesnel Forks. ******* Considerable rip rap was introduced above Quesnel Forks before the spring runoff commenced. By the end of the Photo courtesy of Skip Fennessy summer 1996. Likely residents heaved a sigh of relief because the increased flow made the channel deeper down the middle and there were minimal changes to the banks beside buildings at Quesnel Forks. Marie Elliott makes her home in Victoria but has done extensive research on Cariboo history. April 28,1996- Ghost city of Quesnel Forks, population 1859 -1,500 people. On the morning of our tour here about 2 am, a landslide brought down the hillside on left side of picture forcing the river to move 300feet out of its original channel Photo courtesy of Jack Roff B.C. Historical News - Fall 1996 Notes on Galiano Postal Service by Phyllis Harris Sha* Landing Retreat Cove Trlncomall Channel Shinties Bay map courtesy ot Oallano Chamber ot Comment John Shaw Ah, the power of transportation! But consider too, the power of the lack of access to transportation! Both affected and still affect the mail delivery to Galiano Island. The Active Pass waterway and all the public and private marine vessels that travelled her surface prior to 1900 created close associations between the southern Galiano Island residents and the mainland area of Vancouver, Mayne Island, Salt Spring Island, the Pender Islands and the Saanich Peninsula on Vancouver Island. Therefore it is not surprising that postal records show the first Post Office on Galiano was established in the southern area in September 1895. Mail at that time was probably dropped by marine vessel at Georgeson Bay wharf, in later years to Sturdies Bay wharf, and sometimes at Montague Harbour Bay wharf when it was used by B.C. Ferries. Vessels such as The Iroquois; and the two CP.R. vessels, The Otter, and Island Princess; and the Lady Rose, of Coast Ferries, delivered mail to the southern portion of Galiano Island. B.C. Ferries did not find delivering mail to be part of their mandate. To work around this B.C. Ferries' policy, Stage Contracts were let for individuals taking mail in vehicles on the B.C. Ferries. One such contractor who serviced this area for many years was a Mr. McGregor of "The Sidney and Saturna Stage". He dropped off mail at many B.C. Ferry terminals including Sturdies Bay, where it was received by other people, who also had a Stage Contract, (sometimes called Wharfside or Side Service Contract) to take it to the local Post Office. Postal Stage Contracts were sometimes supplied to small boat operators as well. Northern Galiano Island residents did not have the same friends as rhe southern residents. Several circumstances created this separation: the close proximity by boat, of northern Galiano to Chemainus, and Ladysmith via Porlier Pass and/or Trincomali Channel; their own school(s) in north Galiano and therefore no need to travel south; and the lack of a real road from north Galiano to south Galiano until the early 1960s. In the 20s and perhaps into the 30s, boggy parts ofthe road were filled in with logs to form corduroy sections. South Galiano locals who worked at the cannery salteries considered the trip north an exciting, even an unpredictable journey. It was still a 'summer work job' in the 40s and 50s to cut the grass growing in the middle of the north-south road. With these conditions, it should not be con sidered unusual that a second Post Office was established on a relatively small, very narrow, but 25 kilometre long island. Retreat Cove was the first Post Office to service north Galiano. It functioned from 1904 until 1923, when it moved further north to Shaw's Landing. It was at this time in 1923, and perhaps even earUer, that a CP.R. boat would anchor out in the Trincomali Channel and the postmaster, in a row boat, would take the mail ashore to Shaw's Landing. The Shaw family home was built just after the family came from Scodand in 1870. This house also served as the Post Office during part of John Shaw's term as Postmaster. A long time resident, John Kolosoff, told ofthe times when he, as a child, walked there to pick up the mail. The path leading to the Shaw home was dramatically bordered by whale bones. The journey down the path became more odorous the closer you came to the bay. Shaw had found a beached whale on Valdez Island and was in the process of boating home portions of it to render down. He sold the resulting oil to mining companies near Nanaimo. Kolosoff left Galiano in 1919 and returned in 1942. From this we know that John Shaw was dispensing mail from his home location as well as the Retreat Cove location, or the Post Office had already moved to Shaw's home some time before the new official postal location was announced. The second Shaw home was dismantled approximately 100 years af- B.C. Historical News - Fall 1996 ter the first one was built, Sometime in the mid to late 20s, one day per week, mailbags marked North Galiano were being received from Victoria and Vancouver and dispatched from North Galiano through the Sturdies Bay dropoff/pickup. One important move for the north Post Office was to the North Galiano Store. This store was later called Spanish Hills Store when Salt Spring Lands took over. It would be interesting to know what happened to the Post Office during E.H. Streetan's term, when the store burned down and a new store was being built. The North Galiano Post Office was closed in March 1970, at the time ofthe postmistress' retirement. Thus it ended, with Devina Baines' term. By the time of this closure, the mail was being delivered to the north Post Office, with ease, over the north-south road from Sturdies Bay; the cannery/ salteries were closed; the marina was soon to close; the number of fishermen spending time in the north part of the island had declined as well and seventeen years earlier the north school had merged with the school at a south location. The numbers were too small and transportation distance by car to south Galiano thought to be too small to warrant having two post offices. Service was transferred to the Galiano Post Office in the south area of the island. Over the years many other changes occurred in postal service. In the early days women were not allowed to be the Postmaster (or Postmistress as they were later called) so in September 1919 Philip Steward became the official Postmaster for south Galiano but all the work was done by his wife, Katherine, who took on the job so they could send their son Alan to Shawinigan School, The locals referred to her as the Postmistress. This type of arrangement occurred quite often until regulations became relaxed; women could be Acting Postmistresses; later yet Postmistresses were allowed. Another old rule did not allow a simultaneous contract for rural route delivery and to be Postmaster/Postmistress. Donald New was Postmaster for 32 years. In 1959 when applying for the number one rural route delivery, Nan New, rathet than her hus- band, applied for and got the contract... but Don delivered the mail because Nan could not drive!! Don and Nan were married in 1930. Up until the War years, the Post Office Department figured, rightfully or wrongfully, that a Postmaster's spouse would automatically be his or her assistant. When Don joined the RC.A.F. Nan became Acting Postmaster and was allowed to hire an Assistant P.M.. For the first few months Mr. Stevens had the position. This was to be only temporary, so when a war evacuee, Mrs. Diana Snow, arrived she was offered and accepted the position. She was Assistant for several years, and when she gave up the position Frank Johnstone took over. Having an assistant gave Nan a break occasionally, although in the five years Don was away she did not take many! David New tells this story about his father. "As soon as the C.P.R. let it he known that the Gulf Islands were losing boat service, Don started inquiring ofthe P.O. Department ofTransportation as to how the mail was going to arrive and depart at Galiano. Week after week came the same reply; "We are looking into it." BUT nothing was done! Then the C.P.R. did quit and the M. V. Lady Rose started, but she did not carry the mail - no contract. It just happened that the Canada Postmasters' Association was holding its Annual Convention in Vancouver at this time (1950) with a big banquet at the end. For a week there had been no mail in or out and the Galiano residents were getting resdess. Don knew that the Director ofTransportation would be at the Head Table, so he made his plans. Mrs. Hutcheson Postmistress outside the North Galiano Post Office. Ihe date is in the 20s. Photo courtesy of Alistair Ross. Arriving after everyone had been seated, Don strode up the main aisle to the Head Table and slammed down a mailbag, containing a token dispatch, in front of the Transportation Director and demanded in a loud voice for all to hear, "How else can we send our mail?" He then walked to his seat and sat down. The Director was absolutely LIVID, but he had the bag sent to the Vancouver P.O. immediately. Within a few days the Lady Rose was bringing the mail. AND Don never had a reprimand!" During the New's term in office the official south Post Office was in theit home on Georgeson Bay Road. As so many people met the in-coming ferries, Donald thought it would be better to have the Post Office near the ferry landing. He managed to create this unofficial Post Office through using temporary locations, and movable small buildings. The frequent moves were an annoyance. The News purchased land on Madrona Drive between Sturdies Bay Road and the present Galiano Lodge in 1942 or '43, with the idea that part of it could be used for a permanent Post Office location. In June of 1959 Canada Post finally decided to construct a building on one of the Madrona Drive lots. It was opened in June 1960 very close to the end of Don and Nan's time with the Post Office. It was unusual that such a small population should have a federally constructed building. Donald New once told Jim Ripley (postmaster from '76 to '89) that B.C. Historical News - Fall 1996 Sturdies Bay wharf and Post Office c 1928 the building was obtained through personal contact with Jack Pickersgill, an elected member of parliament whose charge was Canada Post. There was a special holiday tour to Spain for Postmasters from across Canada. Don and Nan New went on that tour. During the trip, the Postmasters told each other what they would really like to change in their postal service back home. Don joined in, describing their many moves from one location to another. Pickersgill, also on the tour, spoke up and said, "I can get you a Post Office," and he did. Along with a federal building came federal inspectors. Jim Ripley will never forget the day that a federal building inspector arrived by ferry to have a look at the Madrona Drive location. He spread out the building plans and after a few glances declared that something was wrong; the building was too small. Jim, looking over his shoulder, noticed that the blueprints were for Gabriola not Galiano. Jim told him he just had time to catch the ferry to Salt Spring and explained how he could access Vancouver Island via Ve- suvius Bay to Crofton, and thus continue his trip to where the Gabriola ferry departed. It was not a strange error for the building inspector to make, as those unfamiliar with the islands frequently confused (and still confuse) Gambier, Gabriola and Galiano. During Jim Ripley's time with the Post Office there were as many as 13 mail- bags sent out in a day or as few as two. Five or more letters to one place were bundled together then placed in respective mailbags for Sidney, Victoria, Salt Spring Island and Mayne Island with everything else going to the Victoria Forward bag. Jim was with the Post Office when weights changed from pounds and ounces to metric. He was allowed to buy the two old scales from Canada Post for $15 each. Galiano Island postal service was carried out from the red brick Post Office on Madrona Drive from 1960 until 1991 5 t-mll f,'m-rtMmamaaamtttm%^^lm rtfJSi f *L^ \ This old photo shows the lost of many moves for the unofficial South Galiano Island Post Office. The building in the photo was put in place, in die early 50's, on die Lodge side ofthe gas station. In 1960 tbe brick post office replaced the wooden structure on a lot close to the former one. That lot, along with four others between Sturdies Bay Road and the Lodge, bad been bought by die New family because tbey became so tired of all tbe moves. Note the unlocked wooden post boxes. when it was privatized and contracted out as a franchise to the Daystar Market located on the corner of Georgeson Bay Road, Porlier Pass Road and Sturdies Bay Road. David New, Donald New's son, has a photo taken in 1960 showing Steve Riddell, the new Postmaster and Donald New, the retiring Postmaster, receiving the incoming mail from a speed-boat at Sturdies Bay wharf. This was followed by periods of deliveries via Stage Contract vehicles on the B.C. Ferries. Today mail arrives by water taxi from Saanich to Sturdies Bay. But it is changing; British Columbia Historical News received the above notes by facsimile. Galiano Postmasters and Acting Postmasters: Galiano Post Office- Established 1-9-1895 D - M Y Postmaster H.Macklin 1-9-1895 Postmaster J. Page 1-3-01 Postmaster E.C. Erwine 2-2-14 Postmaster P. Steward 5-9-19 Acting Postmaster S. Page 10 - 3 - 28 Postmaster D.A. New 9-7-28 Acting Postmistress Mrs. N. New 15-3-41 Acting Postmistress Mrs. D. Snow 31 ■3-41 6-41 9-45 6-60 7-60 7-75 8-76 Acting Postmistress Mrs. N. New 1 ■ Postmaster D.A. New 6 ■ Acting Postmistress Mrs. N. New 6- Postmaster S.S. Riddell 9 Postmaster K.Fraser 15 Postmaster J. Ripley 4 - Acting Postmistress T. Bell (Saanich) Acting Postmistress N.Quist 30-10-89 Acting Postmaster J. Koralwicz (Bentwood Bay) Zone Postmaster Acting Postmaster Wilf Wagner (Westbank) 18-1-91 Franchise- Daystar Market 21 -1 - 91 to present D - M -Y 15-1-1901 29-1-14 18-7-19 9-3-28 8-7-28 15-3-41 31 -3-41 31-5-41 15-9-45 6-6-60 9-7-60 15-7-75 3-8-76 29-10-89 date Retreat Cove Post Office ■ Established 1 • 1 1904 (became North Galiano Post Office, t 9-23) D-M-Y D-M-Y Postmaster J. Shaw 1-1 -1904 16-8-1907 Postmaster H. Vollmers 1-11-07 16-5-10 Postmaster W. Cruikshank 1-7-10 9-4-11 Postmaster J. Shaw 11-5-11 1-9-23 North Galiano Postmaster J. Shaw Postmaster G. Hutcheson Postmistress Mrs. C. Hutcheson Postmaster W.H. Clutterbuck Postmistress Mrs. H. Clutterbuck Postmaster C.I. Reynolds Postmaster E.H. Streetan Acting Postmaster A.B. Creasey Postmistress Mrs. N. Creasey Postmaster I.B. Fisher Postmaster J.R. Gibson Postmistress Mrs. D. Baines Closure Post Office D-M-Y 1-9-23 12-3-25 27-7-33 11-2-48 19-10-48 24-11-49 13-7-50 17-3-54 21-7-54 1-4-60 1-3-62 1-12-66 D-M-Y 15-8-24 24-3-33 11-2-48 19-10-48 20-10-49 28-6-50 6-3-54 21-7-54 15-7-60 15-2-66 21-11-66 10-3-70 Bio Note: Phyllis Harris is editor of a monthly publication The Active Page which serves Galiano and neighbouring islands. She extends thanks to David New, Alistair Ross, Jim Ripley, Elizabeth Steward, Debbie Holmes and many others who contributed information to make the compiling of this story possible. Photo source unknown. B.C. Historical News - Fall 1996 The Fair child Husky Bushplane by Dirk Septer On June 14,1996, it was 50 years ago that the Fairchild F 11 Husky took to the air for the first time. Over the years Canada has produced a number of successful bush planes like the Noorduyn Norseman, de Havilland Canada DHC- 2 Beaver and DHC-3 Otter. With the exception of operators and pilots who flew it, few people have heard of that other Canadian bush plane, the Fairchild Husky. The Husky was a relatively large aircraft with a distinctive upswept rear fuselage. It has been compared to a pregnant fish or called a "guppy". It was designed and built in Longueuil, Quebec. The aircraft was especially designed to transport goods over difficult terrain at the lowest possible operating cost. It was symbolically named after the hard working "husky" dogs, pulling the sleds. At one time, these dogsleds were the only means of transportation in the north. Now the "Husky" aircraft would become rhe symbol of modern-day transportation over rigorous terrain. The Husky project had started early in 1945, resulting from enquiries from northern operators regarding Fairchild's plans to re-commence the manufacture of their famous pre-war Fairchild 71 and 82 models. However, the tools for these aircraft were not available any more. They were either unusable or had been destroyed during the intervening years. This led the company to consider building a completely new aircraft utilizing the new technologies of the day. From the time the project was officially launched until the airplane's first flight, was a litde less than 10 months. This included building the production tools which were to be capable of producing three aircraft per month. On June 14, 1946, the Husky prototype made its first flight, flown by chief pilot Arch M. "Mac" McKenzie. Certification was obtained in September, 1946 at 6,300 lbs. The skiplane version was certified in January, 1947 at a gross weight of 6,500 lbs. with a tail ski. The Husky was a strut-braced, high- wing monoplane, following the conventional pattern for successful bush aircraft. It was all metal with a conventional stressed skin fuselage, but incorporated fabric covered wings, elevators, and rudder. The aircraft was powered by a 450 h.p. Pratt & Whitney Wasp Jr. engine. Removable sling seats fore and aft seated three passengers each, with detachable chairs seating two more: a total of eight passengers in the cabin with room for a crew of two, or pilot and one passenger, up front. The monocoque fuselage with a rear loading door offered many advantages to the bush operator. A rear door for loading and unloading freight was designed after recommendations of some of the operators. The cargo doors permitted loading from the rear of such awkward items as canoes, lumber and drill rods. At the back of the cabin the bottom of the fuselage sloped up sharply to the high tail. The tail loading hatch, opened by a crank, was one of the aircraft's best features. Routinely, 16-foot canoes were pulled through this hatch into the cabin. Loading two such canoes into the cabin was easy. When BC Tel had a large piece of telephone equipment to go to Trutch Island, they unsuccessfully went all around Vancouver to find a float plane that could handle it. They finally phoned Island Airlines at Campbell River. Their answer was: "No problem". They just backed their Husky up to the ramp and slid the cargo through the big tail door.' The rear door hatch could be opened in flight with the hand crank. This feature was quite useful for air dropping cargo in places where no suitable landing spots were available. The Manitoba government, who operated two Husky aircraft, dropped hay bales to catde marooned by spring floods in southern Manitoba, thus saving them from starvation. Lee Frankham, a pilot from Campbell River, remembers dropping frozen quarters of beef from tree top level close to the construction camps of the crews building the railroad into Lynn Lake in northern Manitoba.2 The Husky was well received and highly regarded by many operators. The aircraft at first appeared on its way to success, when several of these were purchased by Nickel Belt Airways. This Sudbury, Ont. -based operation was owned by businessman Ben Mervin, who also controlled Boreal Airways in Quebec. However, at the same time, de Havilland Canada was also developing a new plane in the same general category as the Husky: their DHC-2 Beaver made its first flight on August 16, 1947. The Beaver soon showed to have an edge over the Husky. The big difference was the power-to-weight ratio. Whereas both aircraft had the same Pratt & Whitney R- 985 engine, the Husky had a much larger gross weight. This 450 h.p. engine provided enough power for the Beaver, but not quite enough for the Husky. At the time, the Ontario Department of Lands and Forests was looking for a new bushplane. Frank MacDougall, Ontario Department of Lands and Forests' deputy minister and a bushpilot himself, promised an "order of 25 machines" to whichever company produced the best aircraft. Both the Husky and Beaver were serious candidates. At the end of a series of tests, MacDougall decided in favour of the Beaver. He considered the Husky's performance no match for the Beaver, particularly on take off. Early on, George Neal, de Havilland's test pilot, had given him a full demonstration of the Beaver's capabilities. The Department immediately ordered four Beavers. This order was B.C. Historical News - Fall 1996 soon increased, and over time some 50 Beaver aircraft were delivered to the Ontario Department of Lands and Forests. Because it had too small an engine and because ofthe initial success ofthe DHC- 2 Beaver, the Husky never became a success. When Fairchild lost an opportunity for a quantity purchase, the company started a struggle from which it never Arctic was not particularly impressed with its performance. Though the Husky had comparable cargo- space with the advantage of rear end ramp loading, he found the Husky's 450 h.p. Junior Wasp engine too small compared to the 600 hp. Norseman Wasp Senior engine. Compared to the Norseman, on acceleration the Husky was also sluggish.3 Cy "Irish" White, a retired pilot now living •*| Ml W* ^ta%^tmmmm^. ''' "-^ V *aam&L ; ? £M ■ am ' <*£&&$ fffiP^ f W UW 5** * -M * - i i C-FE/MatFred Wright Lake - September 1982. recovered. After the aircraft was put into production, only 12 Huskys had been built when the company went bankrupt. Though the factory was still giving good support to their customers, during the winter of 1947 Fairchild was down to a skeleton staff. Shortly after the skiplane was certified in January, 1947, the senior people connected with the project were told that the company would be wound up. The reasons were three-fold: the financial losses that had been incurred on a pre-fab housing project, the loss of a Canadian contract for a twin engine trainer program which had been cancelled a few weeks previously and the final word that the Ontario Provincial Air Services would not be ordering any Huskys. The 12 aircraft that had been sold would be completed and delivered. It was generally agreed that the Husky was underpowered. Rocky Parsons, who test flew the Spartan Air Services' Husky to assess its performance compared to the Norseman Mk 5 for a project in the high Photo courtesy Dirk Septer at Qualicum Beach, who flew an early model ofthe Husky throughout northern Ontario and northern Quebec for Nickel Belt Airways, described it as being "lazy". Being underpowered, the Husky was pretty hard to get off small lakes with a full load which usually consisted of two canoes, a whole moose and two or three hunters with all their gear, in a low, thick autumn morning fog. 4 More than once, pilots had to throw something like a 50 pound bag of onions off the Husky, just allowing them to take off.5 The Husky's lack of take-off performance was the most persistent criticism. With equal loads, the Husky required more room for take-off than the Norseman and later the Beaver. However, the necessary room was almost always there, and the aircraft could perform beautifully a number of bush freighting functions which the Norseman and the Beaver handled either very inefficiendy, or not at all. Although accused of being under powered, the Husky proved to be a solid and dependable bushplane. The Manitoba government operated the Husky on skis and wheels. In this configuration the aircraft performed well. According to Hugh P. Smith, former Director of The Manitoba Government Air Services, the Husky was a really nice aircraft to fly. And he knew, because he spent many hours flying their two Husky aircraft . 6 After an initial start in eastern Canada, most ofthe remaining Huskys ended up on the west coast. While Red Lake in northern Ontario likes to call itself the Norseman capital ofthe world, Campbell River on Vancouver Island could easily have been the Husky capital ofthe world. Island Air, which was later taken over by the Jim Pattison Group to form Air BC, operated three Husky aircraft out of Campbell River. Starting in the mid 1950's, the first of half a dozen Huskys was re-engined with the 550 h. p. Alvis-Leonides engine. With the larger British engine the aircraft was relatively fast, able to fly 120 mph (192 km/h). In later years attempts were made to revive the Husky project. Preliminary work was done to convert it to a turbo prop engine, a stretched fuselage and tricycle landing gear. Saunders Aircraft of Gimli, Man. had plans to build five complete sets of Husky components. When one ofthe partners in the project pulled out, this venture failed. Only one aircraft was built at Gimli from parts of a salvaged Husky pulled from the bush where it had crashed in 1955. Later this rebuilt Husky ended up sitting idle at the Vancouver airport for several years. Being the only Husky in flyable condition, it is now on display in the Western Canada Aviation Museum in Winnipeg, Man. The last Husky flying commercially crashed and sank near Prince Rupert in 1985. This aircraft had become something of a trademark for North Coast Air Services of Prince Rupert. For about 22 years it served the north coast and Queen Charlotte Islands. Soon after this Husky crashed, the wreckage was lifted from the bottom of Seal Cove and is now part of the collection ofthe Canadian Museum 8 B.C. Historical News - Fall 1996 of Flight and Transportation in Richmond. Despite the lack of take-off performance, the Husky proved to be a solid and dependable bushplane. If Fairchild would have continued, it is certain that eventually a respectable number of aircraft would have been sold. The original Husky with its 450 h.p. engine never got off the ground due to a combination of circumstances: a reputation for being underpowered, competition of cheap war surplus planes, Fairchild's switch to prefab houses and ultimately, the superiority of the de Havilland Beaver. The Husky was a superior Canadian-made product far ahead of its time that should have been produced in a big way. In 1946, an executive of engine builders Pratt & Whitney called the aircraft with its tail-loading door and other outstanding features, "far in advance of anything being built in Canada today". If later attempts to revive the improved Husky had not been killed by the Canadian bureaucracy, the aircraft could have been an excellent export product for Canada. Red tape and other government restrictions put an end to a possible Canadian success story. As recently as 15 years ago, there was still talk about manufacturing the Husky again. Plans to produce the aircraft in South America never came through. ******* (The author is currently working on a book on the Husky and is looking for photographs and information. Mailing address: Dirk Septer, RR 1, S-4, C-22, Telkwa, B. C. V0J2X0). Bio Note: The author is an aviation history buff who works for the B.C. Forest Service in the Smithers district. Footnotes: 1. Dave Nilson, personal communication, November 20, 1994. 2. Lee Frankham, Personal communication, May 5, 1994. 3. Rocky Parsons, Personal communication, June 20, 1994. 4. Cy "Irish" White, In BC Aviator, June/July, 1993. 5. Milberry, L. 1981. Austin Airways, Canadas oldest airline, p. 82. 6. Hugh P. Smith, personal communication, March 7, 1994. Books Entered in the 1995 B.C. Historical Federation Writing Competition Listed in order received Author/publisher Kanaka Tom Koppel - Whitecap Books Trails To Gold Branwen C. Patenaude - Horsdal & Shubert Publishers Just East of Sundown Charles Lillard - Horsdal & Shubert Publishers Catalysts and Watchdogs Joan Weir - Sono Nis Press The Valencia Tragedy Michael C. Neitzel - Heritage House Chilcotin Preserving Pioneer Memories Veera Bonner, Irene E. Bliss and Hazel Henry Litterick - Heritage House victims of Benevolence Elizabeth Furniss - Arsenal Pulp Press Flapjacks and Photographs Henri Robideau - Polestar Book Publishers The Garnet Fire Lorraine Pattison - Penticton Writers and Publishers John Tod Robert C. Belyk - Horsdal & Shubert Publishers The Wilderness Profound Richard Somerset Mackie - Sono Nis Press Raincoast Chronicles 16 Pat Wastell Norris - Harbour Publishing Sointula: Island Utopia Paula Wild - Harbour Publishing God's Little Ships Michael L Hadley - Harbour Publishing HR: A Biography of H.R. MacMillan Ken Drushka - Harbour Publishing Canada's Forgotten Highway Ralph Hunter Brine - Whaler Bay Press Above Stairs Valerie Green - Sono Nis Press A Thousands Blunders Frank Leonard - UBC Press Roaring Days Jeremy Mouat - UBC Press Paul Kane's Great Nor-West Diane Eaton, Sheila Urbanek - UBC Press Pay Dirt Laura Langston - Orca Book Publishers Pass The Bottle Eric Newsome - Orca Book Publishers Geology of Southern Vancouver Island CJ. Yorath, H.W. Nasmith - Orca Book Publishers Tides of Change Sheryl McFarlane, Ken Campbell - Orca Book Publishers District of Kent Centennial Cook Book Agassiz-Harrison Community Services - Treeline Publishing Essays in the History of Canadian Law ... Edited by Hamar Foster, John McLaren - University of Toronto Press Historic Nelson: The Early Years John Norris - Oolichan Books Those Lake People Lynne Bowen - Douglas & Mclntyre Atlin: The Story of British Columbia's Last Gold Rush Christine Frances Dickenson, Diane Solie Smith - Atlin Historical Society Red Flags and Red Tape Mark Leier - University of Toronto Press Sawlogs on Steel Rails George McKnight - Forest Industry Seniors' History Committee Pilgrims in Lotus Land Robert K. Burkinshaw - McGill-Queen's University Press The Four Quarters of the Night Tara Singh Bains, Hugh Johnston - McGill-Queen's University Press M. C Barry SaU is Flanked by "ATUN" Winners, Diane Solie Smith and Christine Dickenson B.C. Historical News - Fall 1996 The Hudsons Bay Company and Kettle Falls Salmon by Chris Bogan This paper is dedicated to the loving memory of John Richard Sigsworth Pioneer of Trail, British Columbia, 1914-1995. The spelling of place names is that used In the Hudson's Bay Company records from which this material was gleaned. With the merger ofthe Hudsons Bay Company (HBC) and North West Company (NWC) in 1821, the HBC began using Spokan House as the base of its operations in the Spokan District. In 1825-26, Spokan House was abandoned in favour of a location near Kettle Falls on the Columbia River. The new post was named Fort Colvile and the area was renamed the Colvile District (Mapl). The principal subsistence resource ofthe Colvile District was anadromous salmon and, in order to meet necessary subsistence requirements, it was vital that the HBC secure access to that resource. At Spokan, the HBC fished for itself, whereas, at Ketde Falls, the Company was forced to accommodate to the Ketde Falls Indian fishery tenure regime, that is, they were denied direct access to anadromous salmon and were forced to access it indirectly. In order to gain access to the product of the fishery, the HBC provided what the local economy demanded, that is, transportation services and agricultural products rather than European trade goods. The Kettle Falls Indians dictated the terms of HBC access to their salmon resource and secured considerable advantages for themselves in the process. Prior to abandoning Spokan House, the Company sought both permission to settle in the new jurisdiction and assurance that it would have access to the local salmon. To gain permission to setde on the plain near the falls, the HBC had to conform to the local salmon resource tenure regime. In 1824, the Kettle Falls Chief made an agreement with HBC Governor George Simpson which permitted Company use of "the land and the woods," but prohibited Company fishing at the falls because the fishery was "necessary" to his "own people." Requiring the Company's transport capabilities to increase the flow of leather into their country and, more importantly, requiring the Companys agricultural technology to increase their subsistence security, the Ketde Falls Indians allowed the HBC to settle in their jurisdiction on the condition that it participate in the pre-existing native trading system by exchanging leather goods and agricultural produce for salmon. The Kettle Falls Indians wanted the HBC to provide specialized products for their salmon because they were uninterested in standard trade goods. As HBC Governor George Simpson noted, "the trifling articles of British Manufacture (required by the Kettle Falls Indians) are very few indeed; as they are perfecdy independent of us for any necessary; arms they merely require for show or defence as they rarely hunt." Significantly, Simpson's statement clearly contradicts the Eurocentric over- generalizations made by fur trade histo rian E.E. Rich who claims that "there was no doubt at all that... the Indian would trade for European goods as soon as they were brought within his grasp" and that "there could be no denying that without trade with Europeans the Indians would have been denied something which was essential to their way of life." At Kettle Falls, participation in a native trading system and accommodation of native demands for specific products was the only means by which the HBC could secure salmon. The HBC operated in an area in which the native inhabitants had an established economy and subsistence strategy. The diversified traditional economy of the Interior Plateau tribes involved seasonal hunting, fishing, gathering, and intertribal trading for locally unavailable products. Resources were seasonal, scattered, and variable from year to year, making it necessary to gather, preserve, and store surplus food during seasons of availability. In order to secure enough ofthe food resource to get them through seasons of non-availability, tribes had to be 'in the right place at the right time'. During any given year, the native inhabitants ofthe Colvile District subsisted mainly on fish, roots, berries, and game. Every spring was welcomed because the availability of fresh food signaled an end to winter regimen of dried salmon and dried roots. Fishing was the most important part of their subsistence cycle, as various species of anadromous and fresh-water fish formed 10 B.C. Historical News - Fall 1996 their principal food throughout the year. At both the Spokan and Ketde Falls fisheries, anadromous salmon were taken in the greatest numbers between mid-June and mid-September. Since the salmon runs were limited to a few months of each year and followed by months when other food resources were also unavailable, preservation of the salmon caught during that period of time was critical. With the exhaustion ofthe salmon runs, they subsisted on dried salmon, dried roots, and fresh meat until the spring brought them the usual round of food. The focus of the district subsistence quest was Kettle Falls, the site of a surplus salmon fishery and a major native trading center. NWC employee David Thompson, the first European to visit Kettle Falls, remarked during the salmon run of 1811 that "(a)t this Village were Natives from several ofthe surrounding Tribes, as a kind of rendezvous for News, Trade, and settling disputes." Ethnologist James Teit described the site as one ofthe "greatest salmon-fishing places" of the southern Interior Plateau and anthropologist Vern Ray called it "the great salmon fishing center" from which "tremendous quantities" of salmon were caught each summer. Such abundant summer salmon meant that Kettle Falls was frequented by a greater number of tribes than any other location in the Colvile District (Table 1). Ray declared that "such a mixture of peoples was certain to result in a considerable interchange of goods" and Teit believed the falls to be an important trading position (Map 1) that "trade came to their door; they did not have to go after it." For the Kettle Falls Indians, salmon was a principal article of trade and the various tribes of the Colvile District accessed the salmon through participation in a traditional trading system that adhered to the Ketde Falls salmon resource tenure regime. Attracted by the abundant summer salmon ofthe Kettle Falls fishery, the majority of the tribes did not congregate at the falls until July or August (Table 1) because the Kettle Falls Indians monopolized the chinook salmon run during June. Access to the salmon probably depended upon the tribe's resources and distance from the falls. The more distant tribes generally arrived in August (Table 1) and those with highly esteemed, locally unavailable products enjoyed preferential treatment in the trading of salmon. During June, 1830, the Pend D' Oreilles and Kootenais were likely trading locally scarce leather products for Ketde Falls chinook salmon (Table 1). While at the fishery for the purpose of trade, it is probable that visiting tribes were permitted to catch some salmon for their daily subsistence. The Kettle Falls salmon fishery was under the "exclusive control" of a Salmon Chief and the principal technology in use was the basket-trap. David Thompson had noted in 1811 that "the spearing of the Salmon at the Fall was committed.. . (to) one man for the public good." Only after the Salmon Chief, Thompson's "one man", had announced that the prescribed number of salmon had ascended the falls was the basket trap employed. Each summer, the salmon fishing at the falls was commenced by the First Salmon Ceremony. Preceding this ceremony, it is probable that the Salmon Chief supervised the construction ofthe basket, assigning individuals to certain tasks, choosing the materials to be used in its construction, selecting a suitable location for it to be placed, and ultimately helping to raise it. While at the falls in 1847, artist Paul Kane recorded the construction of such a basket as "stout willow wands woven together... supported by stout sticks of timber" and placed so that "the salmon, in leaping up the falls strike against a stick placed at the top, and are thrown back into a confined space at the bottom ofthe trap, which is too narrow to allow them to attempt another jump." Basket yields were distributed by the Salmon Chief at sunset each day and every member of the Kettle Falls tribe received an equal share. During the month of June, the chinook salmon run was monopolized by the Ketde Falls Indians and it was only at the end of one month that the catch was more openly marketed. The HBC accommodated the market requirements at Kettle Falls by exchanging leather for salmon. Each year the Company outfitted summer and winter trades amongst the Flat Head and Kootenai Indians (Map 1), generally obtaining large quantities of leather goods with each trade. Indeed, the men in charge of these excursions were instructed to "procure as much good dressed leather and as many lodges, cords, &c &c" as possible. The types of leather goods in demand at Ketde Falls included large and small buffalo robes, bags, lodges, large and small deer skins, dressed deer skins, shirts, pairs of leggings, and horse accoutrements. Concerning the trade of leather for salmon, John Work reported: During the Salmon season a sufficiency of fresh fish may be obtained to maintain all of the people of the Establishment. The price they cost varies according to the articles with which they are traded when they are paid for principally with leather they come cheap but when dry goods have to be given they cost high. The demand for leather at Kettle Falls was considerable, as HBC employee Francis Heron noted in September, 1830: "We have now in the small store, behind the big one, 3200 Es of Salmon, and the Natives still press more on us for leather." By applying its transport capabilities to the importation of leather products into the Kettle Falls' jurisdiction, the HBC was able to acquire a share of the local salmon. Significandy, the returns of the Flat Head and Kootenai summer trades reached Fort Colvile in August at the height ofthe salmon season. During the summer of 1830, the Company secured approximately 4229 salmon and over one half of those were obtained in August. That the Company traded 161 fresh and 760 dried salmon from the Kettle Falls, 702 dried from the Lakes (Map 1), 176 dried from the Spokans, and 469 dried from the Sanpoils (Map 1) indicates that these tribes obtained dried salmon from the Kettle Falls Salmon Chief not for food, but rather as a medium of exchange or currency with which they could acquire the products brought to the market by the Company. At.Ket- de Falls, dried salmon was the currency, 11 B.C. Historical News - Fall 1996 Map 1 Colvile District t COLVIlg DISTRICT IH.I.C.) »»••»■• MM —i- OISTRICT MUMMY IN) WITS Or THE N.Mt Ca OMIT SHUSWAP P A I U S 12 B.C. Historical News - Fall 1996 not Made Beaver. The other means by which the Company successfully secured salmon was through the production of a food crop. The agricultural potential of the area around Kettle Falls was first noticed by Europeans in 1811, when David Thompson described the soil as "a fine vegetable mould on a rich clayey loam very fit for agriculture." By 1825, George Simpson was of the opinion that "Fort Colvile is well adapted for a Farming Establishment and from what I have seen ... Indian corn, Pease, Wheat, and Barley I am satisfied will thrive there, (and) Potatoes in any quantity may be raised." The first crops harvested at Fort Colvile, however did not "realize the expectations that were entertained for them," especially the potatoes which were destroyed by moles. Despite problems during the first year, the farm became increasingly productive as, by 1830, John Work reported that "the farm which was commenced three years ago (has) now become so productive as to render the place nearly independant of any other means of subsistance whatever." Having invited the Company into their jurisdiction on the condition that it augment their diet with a non-indigenous food crop, the Kettle Falls Indians developed a strong liking for HBC potatoes. With its introduction amongst their population, the Fort Colvile Potato was immediately prized. Indeed, during the winter of 1825-26, the "old chief" ofthe Kettle Falls tribe "promised to take good care" of the Company's seed potatoes which were buried under " good thickness of earth" at the site of Fort Colvile. John Work acknowledged the possibility that the potatoes might be stolen by the natives over the winter, but it never occurred because the two groups were acting under agreement and the Ketde Falls Chief would not have jeopardized the new source of subsistence security. By 1830, native women helped harvest the new food source, receiving "each a milk tureen full (of potatoes) at night." Ultimately, the trading of Company potatoes for native dried salmon was "an exchange . . . which answer(ed) well for both parties." When, in 1824, the Kettle Falls Chief was asked, by George Simpson, for permission to establish a fur-trading post in his jurisdiction, he was also asked to assure that the HBC would have access to his abundant salmon. Aware ofthe Company's desire to relocate and aware ofthe Company's dependence upon salmon, the Ketde Falls Chief viewed the requests as an opportunity to benefit from certain skills ofthe HBC. He prohibited the Company from fishing, but assured Simpson that, if the Company supplied the local market with leather and food crops, it would receive plenty of salmon in return. The Chief knew that leather was highly prized amongst his people and he realized that having a productive farm near his village would increase his people's subsistence security. Simpson agreed to his terms and, in return, he granted the HBC permission to settle on the plain near the falls, even assuring that no others would be allowed to settle in the area. From 1826 onward, the HBC applied its transportation and agricultural abilities to the production of trade goods for the Ketde Falls salmon market. From the HBC's perspective, accommodation ofthe Kettle Falls Salmon tenure regime was the only viable option. Kettle Falls was a convenient and economical location from which to conduct the fur-trade and, there, the Company could concentrate on farming. At Spokan House, Company time and labour had been divided between procuring salmon from a non-surplus salmon fishery and harvesting small crops from unproductive soil, resulting in limited gains from each endeavour. The HBC had grown accustomed to direcdy accessing salmon at Spokan and attempted to gain direct access at Kettle Falls. Although the Company was forced to access salmon indi- recdy, it was to their advantage to engage in activities in which they were the most proficient. At Kettle Falls, the natives caught and dried salmon and the Company imported leather and planted and harvested potatoes. In this way, the subsistence security of each group was maximized. . The anadromous salmon fishery at Kettle Falls on the Columbia River was governed by a sophisticated native resource tenure regime. The resource was overseen by a Salmon Chief who performed ritual and ceremony, supervised the technology, and distributed the resource. The regime was species specific, as the resource owners monopolized the finest salmon. The HBC, like many of the surrounding tribes, was prohibited from fishing. The salmon were traded to those groups with the most highly prized locally unavailable products. Forced to behave similarly to neighbouring native groups, the HBC had to bring marketable products to the fishery. In this way, the Kettle Falls Indians dictated the type of trade goods entering their country. Significantly, the HBC provided for them, at their behest, not large quantities of standard Company trade goods, as E.E. Rich would have us believe, but, rather, a useful native product and a locally produced European food crop. Only by accommodating the Kettle Falls salmon resource tenure regime was the HBC able to secure Kettle Falls salmon. Bio Note: Chris Bogan was awarded the 1995 British Columbia Historical Federation Scholarship. He received his BJL in May 1996 at the Okanagan University College in Kelowna. His winning essay was double the usual length of submissionsJbr this magazine. He has obligingly condensed this Jbr our readers. If any researcher wishes a copy ofthe original (with its 109'footnotes) please send $3 with your request to the Editor, Box 105, Wasa, B.C. VOB 2K0. Sources: I would like to thank Duane Thomson for introducing me to the concept of resource tenure in this project. Also, I would like to thank Sylvia Russell, the library staff at Okanagan University College in North Kelowna, and Elizabeth Furniss. I must also thank the governor and committee ofthe Hudsons Bay Company for permission to quote from the company archives. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Barker, Burt Brown., ed. Letters of Dr. John Mcloughlin Written At Fort Vancouver, 1829-1832. Portland: Binfords & Mort for the Oregon Historical Society, 1948. Chance, David. "Influences ofthe Hudsons Bay Company on the Native Cultures ofthe Colvile District* Northwest Anthropological Research Notes, Memoir Number Two. 13 B.C. Historical News - Fall 1996 TABLE 1 This table indicates sightings of various tribes at Kettle Falls during the salmon run of various years. Such references are scattered, as only the years 1811,1814,1826,1830,1845, and 1860 are represented. A further problem in determining the pattern of inter-tribal trading at the Falls is that several of the observers were not at the Falls for the duration ofthe salmon run. The information available from 1830 provides the clearest indication of when the various tribes came to trade. Lakes June 1830 July 1830 1845 1860 August 1826 1830 1845 September 1814 1830 Spokan 1830 1830 1845 1860 1811 1826 1830 1845 1830 Sanpoil 1811 1845 1830 1830 Kalispel 1845 1811 1845 Coeur D' Alene 1830 Pend D' Oreille 1830 1830 1811 1826 1830 1830 Okanagan 1845 1811 1826 1830 1830 Kutenai 1830 1845 1826 Nez Perces 1830 SOURCES Thompson, 142, 170; Tyrell, 432; Cox, 189; Douglas, Journal, 65-66; Work, WHQ. 6:1; HBCA, B.45/a/1; De Smet, 480, 482; Moscow, Idaho, 1973. Chittenden, Hiram Martin, and Alfred Talbot Richardson., ed. Life, Letters and Travels of Father Pierre-Jean De Smet, S. J. 1801-1873. v. 2. New York: Francis P. Harper, 1905- Cole, Jean Murray. Exile in the Wilderness; The Life of Chief Factor Archibald McDonald, 1790-1853. Seatde: University of Washington Press, 1979. Cox, Ross. The Columbia River or scenes and adventures during a residence of six years on the western side ofthe Rocky Mountains among various tribes of Indians hitherto unknown; together with "A Journey across the American Continent". Edited by Edgar and Jane Stewart. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1957. Douglas, David. Journal Kept by David Douglas During His Travels In North America 1823-1827. New York: Antiquarian Press Ltd., 1959. "Sketch of a Journey to the North-Western Parts ofthe Continent of North America During the Years 1824-25- 26-27" Oregon Historical Quarterly. 5:3, Sept, 1904, 230-271. "Sketch of a Journey to the North-Westcrn Parts ofthe Continent of North America During the Years 1824-25- 26-27" Oregon Historical Quarterly. 5:4, Dec., 1904, 325-369. Elliott, T. C. "David Thompson, Pathfinder and the Columbian River" Oregon Historical Quarterly. 12:3, Sept., 1911,195-205. Franchere, Gabriel. A Voyage to the Northwest Coast of America. Edited by Milo Milton Quaife. New York: The Citadel Press, 1968. Gibson, James R. Fanning the Frontier: The Agricultural Opening ofthe Oregon Country 1786-1846. Seatde: University of Washington Press, 1985. Glover, Richard., ed. David Thompson's Narrative, 1784- 1812. Toronto: The Champlain Society, 1962. Hudson's Bay Company Archives, 6.45/a/l, 1830-31 Fort Colvile Post Journal. B.45e/1, 1827 Colvile District Report. B.45/e/2,1829 Colvile District Report. B.45/e/3, 1830 Colvile District Report. B.208/a/l, 1822-23 Spokan House Post Journal. B. 208/e/l, 1822-23 Spokan District Report. "Information Concerning the Establishment of Fort Colville, Washington." (n.d.) Washington State University Library, Ms. 979:725 H869i. Kane, Paul. Wanderings of an Artist among the Indians of North America from Canada to Vancouver's Island and Oregon through the Hudson's Bay Company's Territory and Back Again. Edmonton: Hurtig Publishers, 1974, Lewis, William 5. "Information Concering the Establishment of Fort Colvile" Wuhington Historical Quarterly. 26:2, Apr., 1925, 102-107. Merk, Frederick., ed. Fur Trade and Empire: George Simpson^ Journal, 1824-25. Cambridge, Mass.: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1968. Nisbet, Jack. Sources Ofthe Riven Tracking David Thompson Across Western North America. Seatde: Sasquatch Books, 1994. Oliphant, J. Orin. "Old Fort Colvile" Washington Historical Quarterly. 26:1, Jan., 1925, 29-48. Ormsby, Margaret A. British Columbia: A History. Toronto: The Macmillan Company of Canada Limited, 1958. Ray, Verne F. "The Sanpoil and Nespelcm: Salishan Peoples of Northeastern Washington" University of Washington Publications in Anthropology, Volume 5, December, 1932. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1933. Rich, E.E. The History ofthe Hudson's Bay Company, 1670-1870. v. 2. London: The Hudsons Bay Record Society, XXII, 1959. "Trade Habits and Economic Motivation Among the Indians of North America" Canadian Journal of Economics and Political Science. 26:1, 1960, 35-53. Romanoff, Steven. "Fraser Lillooet Salmon Fishing" in A Complex Culture ofthe Interior Plateau: Traditional Sd 'ad' imx Resource Use. Edited by Brian Hayden. Vancouver: UBC Press, 1992, 222-265. Ross, Alexander. Adventures ofthe Fiist Setders on the Oregon or Columbia River. Edited by Milo Milton Quaife. New York: The Citadel Press, 1969. "Journal of Alexandar Ross - Snake Country Expitition, 1824," edited byT. C. Elliott. Oregon Historical Quarterly. 14:4, Dec., 1913,366-388. The Fur Hunters ofthe Far West. Edited by Kenneth A. Spaulding. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1956. Simpson, George. Narrative of a Journey Round the World During the Years 1841 and 1842. London: Henry Colburn, 1847. Sperlin, O.B. "Exploration ofthe Upper Columbia" Washington Historical Quarterly. 4:1, Jan., 1913,3-11. "Washington Forts ofthe Fur Trade Regime" Washington Historical Quarterly. 8:2, Apr., 1917, 102- 113. Stanley, George F.G. Mapping the Frontier between British Columbia tc Washington: Charles Wilson's Diary ofthe Survey ofthe 49th Parallel, 1858-1862, while Secretary ofthe British Boundary Commission. Toronto: Macmillan of Canada, 1970. Teit, James A. "The Salishan Tribes of the Interior Plateau," edited by Franz Boas. Forty-Fifth Annual Report ofthe Bureau of American Ethnology, 1927-1928. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1930. Thompson, David. Columbia Journals. Edited by Barbara Belyea. Montreal & Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press, 1994. Thomson, Duane. "The Response of Okanagan Indians to European Setdement" BC Studies. No. 101, Spring, 1994, 96-117. Tyrell, J. B., ed. David Thompson's Narrative of his Explorations in Western America, 1784-1812. Toronto: The Champlain Society, 1916. Wilkes, Charles. Narrative ofthe United States Exploring Expedition During tbe Years 1838,1839,1840,1841, 1842. v. 5. Philadelphia: Lea & Blanchard, 1845. Work, John. "Journal of John Work, June-October, 1825," edited by T.G Elliott. Washington Historical Quarterly. 5:3, July, 1914,163-191. Work, John "Journal of John Work, Sept. 7th - Dec. 14th, 1825" edited by T.G Elliot, Washington Historical Quarterly, 5:3 July, 1914,163 -191. "Journal of John Work, Dec. 15th, 1825 to June 12th, 1826," edited by T.G Elliott. Washington Historical Quarterly. 5:4, Oct., 1914,258-287. "Journal of John Work, July 5-September 15, 1826," edited by T.C. Elliott. Washington Historical Quarterly. 6:1, Jan., 1915,26-114. 14 B.C. Historical News - FaU 1996 Nanaimo's Princess Royal Day by T. Don Sale This Nanaimo historical event had its beginnings in the "Black Country" of* Staffordshire, specifically Brierly Hill which is now a part of Dudley, Worcestershire. There the extraction of coal to supply heat and power for the country required the labour of many coal miners. After their shift below ground it was the universal custom of many miners to visit a local pub to Barque Princess Royal (1853 "wash down the coal dust" and to catch up on the news ofthe day. It should be remembered that many of these miners could neither read nor write as they had worked in the coal mines since a very early age. At the Black Swan Inn a notice was tacked up with permission of the pub owner William Baker; the Hudsons Bay Company requested the services of coal miners in the far off Colony of Vancouver Island at a place later to become Nanaimo. A verbal agreement was made amongst the group of coal miners to embark on this venture. In due time the miners' wives were persuaded to become part of this adventure. An Indenture and Contract was drawn up requiring their signature (or "X" mark) binding them to five years of service. The Contract included wages to be earned, conditions of employment, guaranteed return passage to England after five years, a piece of land and materials to build a house. For the purpose of transporting the -1885) coal miners and their families the Hudson's Bay Company in 1853 had Messrs. Money, Wigam and Sons specially construct the barque Princess Royal of solid oak. It was 145 feet in length, 18.2 feet in depth, 29.5 feet in beam and weighed 583 tons. The cost of construction was £10,200 (Pounds Sterling in 1850's funds.) The Princess Royal was designed to carry spars of a large size and a cargo of furs as freight. The miners and their families would be quartered on board below deck in the area known as steerage (which was very dark and poorly ventilated.) The miners were required to pay a portion of their fare and to work out the remainder by performing certain deckhand and other assigned tasks during the voyage. Hudson's Bay Company records show that on June 2, 1854 at 6:45 pm "23 men and 23 women with a quantity of children were received on board as emigrants." In addition to the miners and their families ten Norwegians were added to those in Photo courtesy of Don Sale steerage. Cabin passengers included the manager of the new coal mine George Robinson together with his wife, son, daughter and maid. Other cabin passengers were the schoolmaster, Mr. Clark, with his wife and their baby. After being "provisioned and watered" the Princess Royal under the command of Captain David Wishart and First Mate Charles Gale left the East India Dock in London at 4:00 am on June 3 and was towed down the River Thames to below Gravesend where it was turned loose in the English Channel to make use of the ocean currents and prevailing winds. The stout little ship set out for Nanaimo via Cape Horn, reaching Honolulu on October 20 - 140 days after leaving the London dockside. During this part of the journey the ship's log recorded five deaths and two births. Three more deaths occurred while the ship was being provisioned and watered in Honolulu. On October 31 the Princess Royal set sail for Esquimalt. Two further deaths occurred prior to the ship arriving at anchor on November 23. At 4:30 pm on November 25 the Beaver and the Recovery were brought alongside so that the passengers destined for the coal mines could be transferred along with their belongings. The next day, with a good supply of potatoes and fresh meat, the two smaller Hudson's Bay 15 B.C. Historical News - Fall 1996 Company ships departed for Colvile Town (Nanaimo.) Next morning the travel-weary group arrived in the harbour and came ashore at Pioneer Rock; the time 11:00 am, the date November 27,1854. It is said that the sun broke through the clouds at the moment the first miner set foot on land. The party was greeted by Hudson's Bay Company clerk Joseph William McKay and the twenty-one Scottish male employees ofthe Company who had arrived earlier. For the protection ofthe inhabitants of Nanaimo, the now famous octagonal shaped Bastion had been completed in June 1853. This building was meant to be a safe rendezvous in the event of an attack by the Indians. Two French Canadian axemen, Jean Baptiste Fortier and Leon Lebiane had masterminded the construction of this formidable project. In December 1854 the Nanaimo Indians signed a conveyance with their "X" mark allowing acquisition of twelve miles of harbour frontage by the Hudson's Bay Company. It was into this setting that the Princess Royal passengers were injected. Perhaps due to a feeling of homesickness for his native England, Edwin Gough, probably alone, visited the landing site just below the Nanaimo Bastion at 11:00 am on November 27,1855-the first anniversary of his arrival. His thoughts probably recalled the long six months voyage under cramped conditions; he vowed to continue the observation ofthe arrival ofthe Princess Royal passengers. Over the years more and more descendants have joined in the annual observance. The Nanaimo Pioneer Society, the Native Sons of British Columbia and the Nanaimo Historical Society have all helped to organize and add to the annual celebration. In the centennial year at 11:00 am on November 27,1954 a cast of seventy under Miss Anne Mossman, director ofthe Yellow Point Drama Group, re-enacted the landing ofthe original pioneers. Also in 1954, a cobblestone commemorative cairn was built by Louis Guizetti and placed at the landing site just below the Bastion. Within the cairn is an inner vault where there is deposited a lead cap sule weighing 22 112 pounds which contains the detailed proceedings of the whole centennial celebration along with other memorabilia of the day. It is planned to open the cairn at 11:00 am on November 27 in the year 2054. A typical annual ceremony commences with the ringing ofthe Bastion Bell. (The 140th celebration saw a seventh generation descendant ring the bell.) The President ofthe Nanaimo Historical Society then welcomes the assembled gathering and acknowledges the presence of descendants of those who were in Nanaimo prior to the arrival ofthe Princess Royal passengers. A selected descendant then conducts a roll call during which descendants step forward and are acknowledged. Dignitaries present (Mayor, M.P and M.L.A.) express appreciation and greetings. A guest speaker delivers a speech on a timely topic then a minister's invocation concludes the ceremony. If the weather is inclement the ceremony is held on the first floor of the Bastion. All present are invited to sign the guest book. The group then moves to the Nanaimo Museum, or alternate site, where refreshments are served and people can mingle and renew acquaintances. A concentrated effort has been made in the last five years to research and publish the history of the families descendants of the Princess Royal passengers . We thank Peggy Nicholls for her extensive work Two goblets engraved and decorated by a glass manufacturer in England's "Black Country" are shown in the Nanaimo Museum along with other artifacts which date to those early families. The goblets were presented to the people ofNanaimo in 1979. The Hudson's Bay Company ship Princess Royal had twenty-four successful voyages before she ran aground on a sand bar during a violent storm in Hudson Bay on October 3,1885. While she met her end the Captain and crew managed to survive. A model of the barque Princess Royal is now displayed in the Nanaimo Museum. The historic arrival which is com memorated annually is important as it celebrates the creation of a community of immigrant families. LIST OF families who sailed from England on the Princess Royal June 3, 1854 and arrived at Nanaimo November 27, 1854: 1. Baker, George, wife Maryanan and daughter Esther Elizabeth 2. Baker, John and wife Isabella 3. Bevilockway, Joseph, wife Ann, two sons George Louis and Louis Moses, and daughter Catherine (Kate) 4. Biggs, John and wife Mary Jane 5. Bull, George, wife Ann and daughter Sarah 6. Dunn, Daniel and wife Eliza Ann 7. Ganner, Elijah, wife Frances, three sons Joseph, William, & Elijah Jr.,and two daughters Hannah and Sarah 8. Gough, Edwin, wife Elizabeth, son Samuel and daughter Amanda Theresa 9. Harrison, William, wife Ann and daughter Ann 10. Hawks, Thomas, wife Mary, son James and daughter Jane Ellen 11. Incher, William with two daughters Clara Maria and Ellen 12. Jones, Thomas with wife Elizabeth 13. Lowndes, Mrs. Thomas (Charlotte) and son James 14. Malpass, John, wife Lavina, son James and daughter Eliza 15. Meakin, John, wife Maryann, two sons Frederick Charles and John Jr. 16. Miller, Matthew, wife Caroline, two daughters Elizabeth and Sarah Jane 17. Richardson, Richard, wife Elizabeth, daughter Mary 18. Richardson, John George, wife Seadoanah, daughter Hester Ann 19. Robinson, George, wife Ann, son Victor Ernest, and daughter Amanda Theresa. 20. Sage, Jesse, wife Maryann, three sons Selina, William and George 21. Thompson, John with wife Elizabeth 22. Turner, Richard, daughter Christiana 23. Webb, Joseph with wife Naomi 24. York, Thomas, wife Anna Marie, daughter Phoebe Don Sale ofNanaimo has been Corresponding Secretary ofthe B. C Historical Federation since 198Z Sources: 1) P. Nicholls From the Black Country (5 Volumes) 2) E. Blanche Norcross Nanaimo Retrospective 16 B.C. Historical News - Fall 1996 Staying Afloat: Saving B. C. 's Lumber Industry by Shipbuilding by Rick James The arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway in Burrard Inlet in 1886, marked the real beginning of the forest industry in British Columbia. Along with thousands of new settlers, the transcontinental railway also brought with it eastern Canadian and American capitalists eager to exploit the province's vast timber resources. Over the next 25 years entrepreneurs who invested in the construction of westcoast sawmills rushed to fill the orders from the railways for badly needed lumber for trestles, bridges, and railway stations and also to meet demands for lumber by immigrants who were rapidly filling Canada's prairies with thousands of new farms. The industry found itself paying a heavy price for ignoring international markets for what proved to be a short lived domestic market. As the flood of immigrants to the west slackened by 1913, building activity came to a halt on the Prairies and in British Columbia. ' As a result, a year later the B.C. lumber industry found itself facing "little demand, overproduction, high freight rates, and no overseas exports." 2 The outbreak of World War I and the subsequent collapse ofthe world economy, compounded these problems with devastating implications for the B.C. lumber trade. Mill owners realized that in order to survive they would have to break into the lucrative overseas market dominated by American brokers and mill owners. While B.C. sawmills languished, across the border American sawmills were busy filling orders. A large part of their success was due to the fact that many American sawmill owners had LAUREL WHALENis shown here with masts raisedfollowing ber launching in Victoria in 1917, Canadian Puget Sound Lumber Company Mill in background. At tbe end of her seagoing career the hull of this vessel was intentionally sunk as part of an artificial reef breakwater at Royston, B. C the foresight to build up a large fleet of their own lumber carriers to carry their product to foreign markets. Since the war dragged commercial shipping into the caldron ofthe Atlantic, virtually cutting off foreign trade, frantic mill owners realized that the Canadian industry needed its own fleet of deepwater cargo vessels if their businesses were to survive. As a consequence, a group of lumbermen lobbied the provincial government for a shipbuilding program. With the passage ofthe Shipbuilding Assistance Act on 31 May. 1916, the provincial government granted liberal financial help and other concessions to British Columbia shipbuilders and others who wanted to enter the business. British Columbia's nascent lumbermilling industry was rescued through the timely action ofthe provincial government. As a result, after World War I coastal mill owners were able to BCARS #HP 1932 continue the process of capital accumulation with the industry's incorporation into the international trading system. Prior to the coming ofthe railways the lumber industry in British Columbia was primitive. James Cook sparked the first interest in British Columbia timber when he replaced his rotted masts with Douglas fir cut in Nootka Sound. 3 This drew the attention of both the British Admiralty and private interests and timbers for ship masts became the main export of coastal timber well into the 19th century. The discovery of gold in California in 1849, with the consequent rapid influx of population into the state, plunged the province's first sawmill (located near Fort Victoria and owned by the Hudson's Bay Company) into the lumber export business. 4 In 1858, a large domestic market was created with the huge demands for lumber brought about by the thousands of eager miners who flooded the main- 17 B.C. Historical News • Fall 1996 ^^mr~m( m J l h Aii'itmimi v i.^t .. .. -V-—,.■■.-„■■-■■ ■ . V-i .. \ / v\ i ■ s *&MMMn ifts^M: " *^< *k - r@£^ttli M 2 iSnH ' ffVfl Wf^j^ 4 f" ~ Laying tbe upper deck ofthe MABEL BROWN, November 9,1916. St. Paul's Church can be seen in tbe background. Vancouver Public Library #20084 of eager miners who flooded the mainland following the discovery of gold on the Fraser River. With the establishment of more sawmills to meet this demand, timbers sawn into planks from coastal mills soon found their way into sailing ships headed for markets in Australia, the west coast of South America and the Hawaiian Islands. Recognizing the potential for international trade, two large export lumber mills were built. Captain Edward Stamp, an English shipmaster who made a voyage to Puget Sound to pick up spars and lumber noted the large tracts of land with magnificent stands of timber on Vancouver Island. Stamp convinced two English companies to finance a steam sawmill at the head of the Alberni Canal which was built in 1860-1861. The mill supplied the tree for the highest flagpole in England, erected at Kew Gardens in 1861, and also exported shipments to Peru, Australia and the Hawaiian Islands that same year. 5The mill closed in 1864 when it ran out of all the accessible wood (the only means to get logs to the mill at that time was to drag them to the water with horses and oxen) and a new site was chosen in Burrard Inlet which became, after a change in ownership, the site of the Hastings Sawmill Company. An earlier operation had already established itself on the north shore of Burrard Inlet and during the 18-month period prior to October 1866, the Moodyville Sawmill Company exported over five million feet of lumber to Australia, the west coast of South America and China. 6 While these early mills attempted to establish themselves they experienced various economic difficulties arising from a lack of capital, a lack of exchange facilities and an ignorance of market conditions. An early partner in the Moodyville operation recalled that in the 1860s the company loaded two ships and sent them to Australia. The ships arrived in a glutted market and the captain was forced to sell or give the timber away and ended up getting only $400 for the two cargos.7 There were two factors why sawmills in British Columbia found it difficult to be economically viable in the international export market. One was the high duty of 30 percent the U. S. government imposed on foreign "manufacturers of wood" and the other was the stiffcompetition from the extensive lumbering operations in Puget Sound. In the period from 1861-1870, the total production of all kinds of wood was 128,743 thousand board feet from the state ofWashington alone, twice as much as the total export from British Columbia for the whole period.8 Little expansion ofthe lumber industry occurred until 1882. When construction finally began on Canada's transcontinental railroad, westcoast sawmills quickly grasped the opportunity to focus their attention on domestic markets, a process that was to dominate the industry until the First World War. The extremely large amount of timber needed for the Canadian Pacific Railway alone for its ties, bridges, trestles, snowsheds, stations, roundhouses and company buildings, as well as for all the freight, passenger, work and cook cars was possibly equal to the annual cut at that time.9 The building of the Canadian Pacific Railway provided the impetus to the setdement of Canada's West and the flood of immigrants to the Prairies provided a new market that quickly stepped in to replace the slowdown in railway construction. Both the capacity and cut of British Columbia mills doubled between 1888 and 1894 and by 1900 had doubled again. The expansive growth ofthe industry in the first decade is reflected in the increase in the number of sawmills from 85 in 1897 to 261 by 1911. 10 As A.R.M. Lower aptly summed it up, "on the St. Lawrence the timber trade brought immigration ... in British Columbia immigration brought the lumber trade. n While production in lumber, shingle, and lath continued to increase through 1911, the prairie region absorbed those increases and cargo shipments to export markets remained flat. Canada's prairies had become the primary market of B.C. lumber at the expense ofthe cargo trade to foreign markets. The Canadian Western Lumber Company which owned the new Fraser Mills near New Westminster - said to be the largest sawmill in the 18 B.C. Historical News - Fall 1996 Tbe bows of Hull number 92 (MABEL BROWN) and93 1916. world - sent eighty percent of its output direcdy to the Prairies while ten percent was used for the local trade and the remainder was shipped to Australia and South Africa in 1912. 12 The 27 March, 1917 Victoria Daily Colonist noted that "in the year 1895 British Columbia accounted for 35 percent ofthe Pacific Coast lumber export business to Australia, and this has gradually declined until in the years 1912-1913-1914 it did not average 5 per cent, the States to the south having secured all the balance." As a result, when the immigration stream began to dry up, westcoast sawmills found themselves in a perilous position in the international trading market. By 1913, mill production with a capacity of three billion feet per year was only 60 per cent in use. 13 E.J. Palmer, manager of the Victoria Lumber & Manufacturing Company, suggested that British Columbia lumbermen should get together and sell through one agency. This way each mill would bind itself to the amount of wood they would furnish and with the agency ' ". . . charging the same commission as they now pay California brokers, everything (GERALDINE WOLVIN) as tbe stems were being set on August 19, Vancouver Public Library #20084 in excess ofthe amount required for actual expenses, to be expended in the extension of our markets, if possible, in conjunction with the Government."l4 H.R. Macmillan, the provinces chief forester, while on a world tour to study overseas markets, had come to the same conclusion and also suggested that B.C. lumbermen establish business connections with strong timber agents overseas. The problem with dealing with foreign brokers, he wrote to then Premier Richard McBride, was that it was "unnecessarily indirect, and exposes the Canadian producer both to paying two commissions on profits, to making his quotations known to his competitors, and further prevents him from keeping in touch with the London Market."15 The outbreak of World War I and the subsequent collapse of the world economy had a devastating impact on the B.C. lumber industry. Ten days after Britain and Germany went to war, the export markets were cut off and all British shipping from Prince Rupert to Panama was paralyzed. For those coastal mills who had come to depend on the offshore trade, the world crisis was disastrous. While Fraser Mills was unable to meet its payments on its debentures of £1,500,000, it was at least able to arrange a new payment scheme with its London debenture holders. The Canadian Pacific Lumber Co., another one ofthe big sawmill, logging, and timber holding operations in B.C., wasn't so fortunate and was forced into receivership. 16 As the war progressed the shortage of shipping was exacerbated by the government needs for vessels to transport troops and munitions. These requirements, along with the losses to German submarines, drove freight rates to all-time highs. The lumber was stacked up in mill yards and the big export mills shut down creating unemployment in B.C., while across the border in Puget Sound mills were working to fill orders for local and California markets. The key to their success was that over the previous 75 years they had built up an unusual fleet of lumber schooners for both the costwise trade and trans-Pacific markets; American mill owners were able to rely on over 300 schooners registered to Pacific coast shipowners. Shipyards in Puget Sound had been building vessels for years for small as well as the big operators like Pope & Talbot and the Port Blakely Mill which co-owned and operated fleets of the schooners. 17 J.O. and D.O. Cameron, expatriate Americans who were part owners of an export mill at Genoa Bay on Vancouver Island, were at the forefront of a group of lumbermen who realized that if they were to survive, then the B.C. lumber industry needed its own fleet of carriers. They believed that it was possible to build these vessels in B.C. by drawing on the wealth of talent and experience in wooden shipbuilding from just over the border. A December, 1915 article in Vancouver trade magazine by master mariner Captain H.W. Copp advocated the building of such boats. This sparked a 19 B.C. Historical News - FaU 1996 meeting of the Manufacturer's Association of B.C. where Captain Copp suggested that suitable vessels could be built for $60,000 a vessel. 18 Pressure applied by shipping interests, the Manufacturer's Association in combination with the provinces worried lumbermen resulted in the provincial government appointing a special committee of inquiry. Such was the concern of the Richard McBride administration that on 31 May, 1916 the Shipbuilding Assistance Act was passed, legislation drawn up to encourage the venture capital that would support a local shipbuilding industry. The provincial government was willing to provide aid to the aggregate amount of two million dollars to the province's shipping and shipbuilding industries if they were willing to direct their energies specifically to vessels capable of carrying cargos to international markets. The act stated that its intent was to encourage yards to build ships "for the carriage of freight on ocean routes and not to include any vessel intended for use in Provincial coastwise or inland water trade. 19 The Shipping Credit Commission, composed of a superintendent and two directors, maintained control ofthe act and ensured the carrying out of its provisions.20 H.B. Thomson, the superintendent ofthe Shipping Credit Commission, pointed out that he was fully aware that "B. C. is suffering in the export of lumber business from competition with the United States where by means of their control ofthe shipping by owners and brokers they virtually control the business. 21 The commission was willing to loan up to 55 per cent ofthe value ofthe ships under the terms of the Shipping Act if the builders were unable to secure financing elsewhere and the ships were to be under the commission's control as regards loading, charters, etc. 22The annual subsidy was offered only to those vessels that remained in the continuous service ofthe B.C. industry, carried cargo outwards from B.C. and returned with cargos to the province. Even before the act passed, Wallace Shipyards in North Vancouver had al ready signed a contract for two schooners and the Victoria Machinery Depot was negotiating for another two.23 Upon the enactment of the legislation, the Cameron Lumber Company Limited, and the Genoa Bay Lumber Company put together their own shipbuilding firm, Cameron-Genoa Mills Shipbuilders, Ltd. and constructed a shipyard close to their Victoria mill in the city's inner harbour. On 3 February, 1917, the first of six five- masted auxiliary schooners, the Margaret Haney was launched from the company yard. A Victoria Dairy Colonist reporter who attended the launching noted "what a handsome inducement the Government placed at the door of any enterprising concern in this Province... to induce the development of this important industry." In the end, the unusual fleet of five masted auxiliary schooners were somewhat of a commercial failure in the offshore trade. When the war ended, returning cargo ships flooded the market, freight rates dropped and wooden schooners were unable to compete with the modern lumber carrying tramp or liner. Their carrying capacity was too low and with their unreliable engines most ended up getting into trouble with the weather. Ofthe Cameron built schooners , the Beatrice Castle on a voyage to Yokohama first had engine trouble and then lost her rudder and two sails in a typhoon. In the winter of 1918, the vessel finally caught fire in Shanghai and was abandoned. A sister ship, the Laurel Whalen, made at least two voyages to Australia but eventually had engine trouble, and after being dismasted, was towed back to British Columbia in 1921. 24 What the government backed shipbuilding programme did accomplish was help stimulate a local shipbuilding industry. The high wages attracted thousands of British Columbians to shipyards in Burrard Inlet and Victoria's Inner Harbour and kept them working through World War I up until 1920 when too many bottoms finally flooded the market. The work ranged from auxiliary schooners to wooden and steel freighters and pumped over $ 100,000,000 into the economy. 25 More importandy it gave employment to thousands more in the logging industry while it kept the sawmill industry alive. Enormous quantities of timbers and planking were needed, around 50 million board feet of lumber annually, in the construction of the wooden motorsailers along with several wooden steamships,26 all launched from Victoria and Vancouver shipyards. When the province's sawmiUing industry appeared on the point of collapse the compliant McBride administration stepped in and rescued it with a shipbuilding programme. The British Columbia industry survived the early war years, and with the signing of the armistice in 1918, eagerly looked forward to grasping the profits waiting to be reaped in international markets following the end of the war. In the end, a desperate British Columbia lumber industry managed to get through to better times. Freight costs soon dropped and the Panama Canal was open. Now, desired markets were accessible in both the Atlantic and the Pacific and, as A.R.M. Lower pointed out, Canada's Pacific coast lumber was quick to shift its position "from that of a support of wheat production for Great Britain to that of a support of industrialism in Japan." 27 Bio Note: Rick James of Courtenay wrote this essay while doing fourth year studies at Simon Fraser University. FOOTNOTESi 1. WA. Carrorhers, "Forest Industries of Bridsh Columbia," The North American Assault on the Canadian Forest: A History ofthe Lumber Trade between Canada and the United States, ed. A.R.M. Lower (Toronto: The Ryerson Press, 1938), p. 271. 2. G.W. Taylor, limbcri History of the Forest Industry in B.C, (Vancouver: JJ. Douglas Ltd., 1975) p. 102. 3. G.W. Taylor, Timber, p. 7. 4. Ibid., p. 10. 5. Ibid., p. 21. 6. Ibid., p. 27. 7. F.W. Howay, "Early Shipping in Burrard Inler, 1863- 1870,* British Columbia Historical Quarterly, January, 1937. 8. WA. Carrorhers, "Foresr Indusrries of Brirish Columbia," p. 267. 9. Ibid., p. 269. 10. Ibid., p. 272. 11. A.R.M. Lower, The North American Assault on the Canadian Forest, p. xi. 12. Financial Saturday Night, (December 14,1912), p. 17. 13. G.W. Taylor, Timber, p. 98. 14. Palmer to Gosnell, (November 2, 1914), McBride Papers, British Columbia Records and Archives Service, Victoria, B.C. 15. H.R. Macmillan, Macmillan to McBride, 1915?, 20 B.C. Historical News - Fall 1996 Principal Companies, (Victoria: Morriss Publishing, 1986). p. 86. 18. G.W. Taylor, Timber, p. 103. 19. British Columbia, Statutes, Bill No. 43, 1916, "An act respecting shipping and to make Provision for aid to the ship-building industry in the Province of British Columbia." 20. Western Lumbennan, vol. 13, (June, 1916), p. 26. 21. Victoria Daily Colonist, February 4,1917. 22. Ibid. 23. G.W. Taylor, Timber, p. 103. 24. Charles M. Defieux, "Laura Whalen's Long Tow Recalled by Real Old Salt," Vancouver Sun, September 1,1966, p. 45. 25. G.W. Taylor, Shipyards of British Columbia, p. 104. 26. By the middle ofthe first world war British shipping tosses from the U-boat campaign were so serious that several programs were launched to cope with the emergency. The Imperial Munitions Board placed contracts for 48 wood-built steamers. S.C. Heal, Conceived in War, Born in Peace: Canada's Deep Sea Merchant Marine (Vancouver Cordillera Publishing Company, 1992), p. 10-11. 27. A.R.M. Lower, The North American Assault on the Canadian Forest, p. xi. BIBUOGRAPHY: Albo, Gregory and Jane Jenson. "A Contested Concept: The Relative Autonomy ofthe State," In The New Canadian PoUtical Economy, ed. W. Clement and G. Williams. Montreal: McGill-Queens Press, 1989. Aldred, Robert William. "The Public Career of Major- General Alexander D. MacRae, " an unpublished Master of Arts thesis, University of Western Ontaria, 1970. British Columbia. Statutes, 1916, Shipping Assistance Act, Bill No. 43. Cameron, Jamie. "Cameron Brothers pioneered Island Timber Industry," Victoria Daily Colonist, January 5, 1969, pp. 10-12. Cameron, Newton. Personal Interview, December, 1994. Defieux, Charles. "Laura Wbalen's Long Tow Recalled by Real Old Salt," Vancouver Sun, September 1,1966, p. 45. Financial Saturday Night, December 14, 1912, p. 17. Heal, S.C. Conceived in War, Born in Peace: Canada's Deep Sea Merchant Marine. Vancouver: Cordillera Publishing Company, 1992. Howay, F.W. "Early Shipping in Burrard Inlet, 1863-1870," British Columbia Historical Quarterly, January 1937. Howtett, Michael and M. Ramesh. The PoUtical Economy of Canada: An Indroduction. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart Inc., 1992. Lawrence, Joseph Collins. "Markets and Capital: A History of the Lumber Industry in British Columbia," an unpublished Master of Arts thesis, University of British Columbia, 1951. Lower, A.R.M. The North American Assault on the Canadian Forest: A History ofthe Lumber Trade between Canada and the United States. Toronto: The Ryerson Press, 1938. Macmillan, H.R. Macmillan to McBride, 1915? McBride Papers. British Columbia Archives and Records Service, Victoria, B.C. Palmer, E.J. Palmer to Gosnell, (November 2, 1914), McBride Papers. British Columbia Archives and Records Service, Victoria, B.C. Perrault, E.G. Wood & Water: The Story of SEABOARD Lumber and Shipping. Vancouver/Toronto: Douglas & Maclntyre, 1985. "Ship Margaret Haney successfully taunche4d, "Victoria Colonist, February 4, 1917. Taylor, G.W. Timber: History ofthe Forest Industry in B.C. Vancouver J.J. Douglas Ltd., 1975. Taylor, G.W. Shipyards of British Columbia: The Principal Companies. Victoria: Morriss Publishing, 1986. Victoria Daily Colonist, February 4,1917. Western Lumberman, Vol. 13, June, 1916, p. 26. NEW LIGHT On Simon Fraser's 1808 Canoe Expedition by Ralph H. Brine I have been fortunate to have seen practically every portion of the Fraser River at firsthand, from the Musqueam Reserve to Lytton. I've boated on all three channels of its delta from Point Grey to Harrison Lake; helped organize canoe races from Hope down to New Westminster, as well as First Nation war-canoe competitions in Annacis slough; tagged salmon at Hell's Gate for the International Pacific Salmon Commission; and been rowed across the Fraser between North Bend and Boston Bar before the bridge or cable-car were in place. Then in 1967, as part of the Eastward Ho Canoe Expedition heading for Montreal, I was able to follow Simon Fraser back up the awesome lower canyon section of his river. When it came to reading Fraser's journal of his expedition as edited by Dr. Kaye Lamb, I was able to visualize the river much as he himself must have seen it. Not all the information gleaned while researching for my book Canada's Forgotten Highway could be included in the publication. The following paragraphs amplify a quotation on page 25. "In the early days of the North West Company, it was common practice for traders to enter into marriages of convenience, an arrangement welcomed by native maidens and their parents. - Some of these liaisons were short-lived, but many were broken only at the grave. "Fraser's men, with a multitude of health problems, were a long way from professional medical aid. Strenuous work brought on torn and bruised muscles, judging by the number of sore back and hernia complaints. Stomach problems abounded, due perhaps to the almost exclusive winter diet of dried salmon. A medicine chest of sorts was part of the baggage in expeditions such as this. Fraser himself had need of a remedy when he wrote to John Stuart during the long winter of 1806-07: "/ would thank you for some of that Medicine you made use of Last winter with Directions how to take it, as I have a small Touch of come riddle come Raddle. "Social diseases were probably the most debilitating of all the sicknesses visited upon the voyageurs, and they were generally treated with compounds of mercury.The phrase come riddle come raddle is probably a Scottish shepherd's euphemism for such an illness. Raddle was the red ochre painted on a ram's brisket to mark a ewe's rump, letting the farmer know when she had been serviced." My wife and I ran a small sheep-farm operation on Galiano Island for ten years, before retiring for the second time. During that period we made a journey to Scotland looking for clues as to the whereabouts of the field notes made during the Fraser River Expedition. John Stuart had been Fraser's official note taker and observer. He had retired to Forres, Scotland, where he built a lovely home to live out the remainder of his days. It was still standing in 1985. Dr. Lamb had warned us that many people had searched Stuarts' home turf in the Strathspey area, but had found nothing. And he was right. My wife and I drew a blank, but we had lots of fun trying. We returned from Scotland, however, with some new knowledge. Visits to sheep farms in the Highlands had enabled us to pick up a few clues on riddle come raddle. When raddle was explained, and further, that riddle meant 'to perforate' or penetrate', the meaning of the phrase became clear. It was somewhat in the nature of a double entendre, when applied to human relationships. 'While the ram was busy marking the ewe, the ewe might also be marking the ram'. I didn't spell this out in stark detail in the book, believing the definition too coarse to put in a publication that could be read by young people. Although heaven knows, its pretty mild compared to what they are exposed to on their TV sets at home. ****** Ralph Brine now makes his home on Galiano Island. As a child he lived adjacent to Musqueam Village. His writing ties his love of the river to the history of the waterway. 21 B.C. Historical News - FaU 1996 Harry Bullock, Pioneer Photograpther by Tony Farr The Salt Spring Island Historical Society Archives has acquired a unique collection of historic photographs. It is remarkable for two reasons; one is the very high technical quality of the pictures, the equal of Leonard Frank's work but preceding his by some 30 years; the other is the attention given to composition and detail, which provides us with a window through which to observe life on a (then) remote island. ■ Photography was one ofthe many interests of Henry Wright Bullock, who arrived on Salt Spring Island from the Bristol area of England in 1892. Before considering his photographic work, let's take a brief look at the man behind the camera. Harry Bullock, as he was generally known by islanders, was a man of means, derived from the British brewing industry, a bachelor who sported a full beard and full figure. He bought 300 acres on upper Ganges Road, fronting a small lake, now called Bullock Lake, and had an imposing 12-room house built, the contract for which amounted to $2000. It was the first house on the island to have Harry Bullock gas-engine powered electric light and the first to boast 'indoor plumbing' It was totally destroyed by fire in 1964. He entertained on a scale never seen on Salt Spring before, and rarely since. He employed a housekeeper and a farm manager. A must for acceptance of a dinner invitation was a long gown, picture hat and veil, long gloves, and earrings, for a lady. (He pierced ears in his kitchen, using a needle inserted in a cork. Volun- The Bullock Farmhouse. teers were not lacking, as he often gave them the gloves and pearl earrings to keep). Men were required to wear formal dress including black tie and top hat. It is claimed that when the number of guests exceeded the seats at his table, he would hold two sittings, and do full justice to every course at both. His enormous girth bore evidence of this, as does the story that he used his fork to comb crumbs out of his beard. Bullock sponsored boys from Dr. Barnado's Homes in England and from the Protestant Orphanage in Victoria, to train as apprentices in domestic science and farming. He outfitted them in Eton suits with metal buttons for formal occasions such as attending St. Mark's Anglican Church or serving at table. It may be argued that he obtained free household help by this means, but when their training was completed he set the boys up in business or provided land and a cottage to start farming on their own. One at least ofthe 'boys in buttons' as they were known, is still living on the island in 1996. Gavin Mouat, who obtained the local Ford agency before he was out of his teens, sold Bullock the second car on the island. The new motorist would send word out when he was going to take his 1910 Model T on the road, so that those driving horse-drawn buggies could avoid him, since horses shied at his strange, noisy vehicle. There being no hearse on the island, Bullock supplied a wagon for the purpose, which he kept in top condition. If the first camera on Salt Spring was not his, Bullock certainly was the first person to use one extensively and expertly. He built a shed on his estate as a darkroom. Betty Peters, a professional photographer, has cleaned, described and made a contact print of each ofthe 221 glass negatives, which measure 6 3/8" x 4 5/8" (16.0 cm x 11.7 cm). The pic- 22 B.C. Historical News - Fall 1996 f -if ■I -l ■ /£■ H ■ 111! r^v ™ h 3 1 \ ■ Four young ladies, unwillingly posed Mast young men, like Cecil Baker, hunted for the table. Boys at the beach - unhappy in sailor suits tures are of fine quality, without visible grain, and well composed. Bullock often used a blanket as backdrop, strung across his or some other verandah, and sometimes flanked his subject with well arranged potted plants. Most are portraits of one, or two, people. A few show groups often or more and some depict farm or lake activities. All the ethnic groups settled on Salt Spring at the turn of the century are represented - Blacks, Hawaiians (Kanakas), Chinese, Japanese, European and British immigrants. Bullock used natural side lighting to full effect and posed his subjects Island pioneer (tbe hat doesn't quite cover tbe trouser patch). 23 B.C. Historical News - Fall 1996 A Kanaka (note die too-large collar). Two of Bullocks Eton-suited young gentlemen. with care. He tried artificial light for the occasional indoor photo, with limited success owing to the primitive flash techniques available. Jesse Bond, one of his 'button boys', took an interest in Bullock's hobby, and some pictures, most likely those of Bullock himself, may well be his work. The earliest dates from 1893. While no last date is known, it can be deduced from the dress styles and furnishings to be about the time of World War I. Although he died at age 78 in 1946, there are still islanders who remember the 'Squire of Salt Spring Island', Harry Bullock. His photographs bring back his life in a long-past era for the rest of us. All photos courtesy of Salt Spring Island Archives Tony Farr is an energetic retiree living on Salt Spring Island. He spends many hours working on projects related to this magazine. SOURCES: Borradaile, John, article in The Islander, Dec. 16, 1984 Horsdal, Lillian, memo, c. 1957 Thompson, Graeme, article in Gulf Islands Driftwood, Oct. 11, 1995 Warren, Dorothy, memo, undated Fashion-conscious, even on Salt Spring. Gift Subscriptions * send a subscription to a friend or relative at $12 per year within Canada, $17 to an address outside the country, Mail your cheque to: The B.C. Historical News, Subscription Secretary, 6985 Canada Way, Burnaby, BC V5E 3R6 24 B.C. Historical News - Fall 1996 Charlotte Herridge Charlotte Herridge was one ofthe intrepid pioneer women who came to Canada just after the turn ofthe century. With her husband, William, they left their neat farm in Hampshire, England and the rigid English class system to come to live in Canada. They started out in Winnipeg, where Willie first settled on his own, until Charlotte and their two sons, Herbert and Archie, came to join him in 1906. They were not impressed with the sub-zero prairie weather and when they read the ads put out by the Frontier Investment Land Co. describing the land in the Nakusp area, they were ready to move further west. Willie was trained as a haberdasher and Charlotte had run an exclusive boarding house, but the idea of fruit farming appealed to them and they decided to make the change. They paid $ 1000 for ten acres of land in Glenbank, a few miles out of Nakusp. This stately and handsomely dressed couple must have made an impressive sight when they arrived and proceeded through town. Charlotte was not too enchanted with the walk up to Glenbank as she stumbled over rocks and roots on the trail. When she viewed the primeval forest which was their land, she made it known to Willie that this was not what she had in mind for their future home. She refused to participate in working on this property and being the industrious woman that she was, she soon settled the family into a small building north ofthe Grand Hotel and secured work at the Leland Hotel to earn enough to keep them. Willie did odd jobs and poked away at his 'estate' on the hill. It soon became obvious to Charlotte that her family could not survive on the meager wages she was receiving at the Leland Hotel. The opportunity came in 1908 to rent Columbia House, which was a small hotel that was built in 1898. With a litde rearranging of the rooms, she could take in boarders and have am- bys Rosemarie Parent pie room for the farn- ily. The building next to Columbia House is now known as the Bon Marche but at this time it served as a butcher shop and it is thought that Pat Burns was the owner. A year had passed since the Herridges had moved into Columbia House and they had done quite well but the opportunity to run the butcher shop in conjunction with Colum- Bert, bia House appealed to Charlotte. Nakusp in 1910 had its first lady butcher! However, after several months of running two businesses, the Herridges realized it was too much for them. Another family arrived to whom they sold the Columbia House business. Meanwhile, litde had been done on the ranch. Willie was more interested in his 160 acre pre-emption above Glenbank which he obtained shortly after moving to Nakusp. He had managed to construct a litde log house near the top, which served as a home base for hunting forays and trips to the hot springs. Improvements were made on the pre-emption each year, which were the terms you had to adhere to to keep the pre-emption, therefore the summer months went by without much being done at the ranch. They did attempt to plant peanuts on a section of ground which was painstakingly prepared through hundreds of hours of toil. The plants grew beautifully but they were puzzled when not a single peanut was produced. Next spring, while the soil was being tilled for the sowing of a more reliable and common vegetable, bushels of rotten shells surfaced behind the plow! 25 •Pi 1 31 W* A_ kL i *~* *^3 Willie, Charlotte and Archie - circa 1097 Charlotte continued to manage the Burn's butcher shop on Broadway. Willie helped at times and then found a new job of painting and wallpapering under the guidance of Tom Abriel. He became a good painter eventually and was sought after, even travelling to New Denver to work at his new trade. Besides being an astute business woman, Charlotte was always there to lend a hand to those less fortunate than themselves. She was a busy woman with all the tasks she set for herself. Although she had litde knowledge of medicine, she nursed many ofthe sick in Nakusp and even travelled sometimes with the town doctor on his cases. Her kindness reached out to the elderly and infirm when she sent out food to those living alone whom she knew were not able to look after themselves. Although Charlotte had an imperious, even haughty nature, she had a genuine concern for other people. About 1913, Alfred Harvey-Smith approached Charlotte about renting her meat market because he believed this was a good place to set up a Co-op store. Charlotte was agreeable to this, thankful for the opportunity to relax a litde from the heavy work of running the meat B.C. Historical News - FaU 1996 market. She and the family would still live in the back and the upstairs, whereas the front ofthe building would serve as the Co-op. In 1915, men were enlisting to go to war. When the young men of the district left to join the 54th Kootenay Battalion, Edward (Ted) Young went with them. His wife Eleanor went to work in Silverton leaving her daughters, Olive and Lillian, with Charlotte to look after them. They continued to live with Charlotte for several years. When the flu epidemic of 1918 hit Nakusp, Charlotte pitched in with her usual zeal. She cooked and delivered gallons of soup to those who had fallen ill and did what she could to nurse them to health. Amazingly, she never contracted the flu, although she was in direct contact with so many in her ministrations. However, both Olive and Lillian fell severely ill. Olive lost all her hair, which eventually grew back when she recovered. Lillian was dangerously affected but Charlotte managed to bring her through the ordeal and back to good health again. Charlotte found time to belong to the Hospital Auxiliary and to work towards supplying the hospital with necessary items and to improve this facility in Nakusp. Upon hearing of the incorporation of the Women's Institute in Ontario, she organized a chapter in Nakusp in 1909. This organization first started out to help teach young mothers how to keep food safe without the use of refrigeration, how to cook, preserve, pickle and so on. They moved on to learn first aid and life saving. They also were involved with the Fruit Fairs and assisted when necessary at the hospital and schools. The Myrtle Lodge No. 16 of the Pythian Sisters was formed in 1902. Charlotte was a charter member and became the Most Excellent Chief at this time. Men were allowed to belong to the order but had no voting rights. She had asked a member, a local carpenter, if he would make a chest of drawers for them to hold their various meeting items. He said that he was a litde busy but would try. A couple of meetings later, Charlotte asked him how the chest was coming along. He replied: "Well, I haven't got your drawers done but I've taken the measurements!'' The members burst out laughing, much to Charlotte s embarrassment, and with an amused but stern face, she pounded her gavel and pleaded for order. During the war years, Charlotte continued to look after Olive and Lillian Young while their mother worked in Silverton. She taught them how to keep house and help with the chores. Charlotte, always a compassionate person, also took in an unfortunate young mother with a brand new baby. She had contracted a rare but highly contagious disease and the hospital, fearing infection, had refused to allow her to stay. Her family was living in a tent-house erected on the comer of Broadway and Nelson. Her husband was unemployed and they were desperate for help. It was typical of Charlotte to open up her home for such a case, confident that her benevolence would make her family immune to the disease. This proved the case, but the girls were sad to see the day the woman left because they had enjoyed having a baby to share. Charlotte's oldest son, Bert, was sent to Ontario Agricultural College after he had written the entrance examinations when he was only 14 years of age. He had completed two years when the college realized that Bert was much younger than his application had indicated. They suggested that he return to complete the balance ofthe course for his Bachelor of Science in two years time. In the meantime, Archie and Willie had been working sporadically at the ten acres of bush and it was looking much more like what the land company circular had promised, with five acres cleared and some fruit trees planted. It was hard work with only horses and dynamite to rid the hillside of its thick growth of trees. They also had built a log cabin on the property and it seemed it just might be possible to glean a living from the previously inhospitable land. Then Bert went off to war, enlisting with the first group to leave from Nakusp. In 1916, he was brought to the British Red Cross Hospital at Torquay because of a severe shrapnel wound to his right arm. He nearly died from loss of blood and did lose the use of his right hand but was brought through the ordeal mainly due to the attention of Ella Leppingwell, the nurse who looked after him. They fell in love and were married. After convalescing in Vancouver, Bert brought his bride home to Nakusp in 1918. For a time they lived with Charlotte and Willie until they could rent a house. They built their own house on the ranch that was given to them as a wedding present. Bert first entered politics as a Liberal but then joined the CCF party. He was a member of the B.C. Legislature representing Rossland-Trail from 1941 to 1945. He resigned his seat then to seek a federal seat for the NDP for Kootenay West. He was successful and served from 1945 until 1968 when he retired from politics and lived out the remainder of his life at his residence at Shoreholme in Nakusp. He achieved national prominence both for his wit and for his dogged but unsuccessful fight against the Canada-U.S. treaty for Columbia River development. Archie was capable of diverse occupations. He was employed by the CPR in early years and became the mining recorder and registrar of births, deaths and marriages in 1934. He became the Justice of the Peace in 1936 and was foreman of Bell Pole Co. for several years. From 1958 to 1963 he served as the Arrow Lakes Hospital administrator. As well, he was active in many organizations to improve Nakusp in its many facets of development. When Charlotte rented out her store about 1919 for a barbershop and pool hall, she and Olive Young went to live at the ranch for a year. At this time, Ella went to visit her relatives in England for a holiday and Charlotte and Olive helped Bert run the farm. Lillian Young had gone to Sechelt to live with her mother, Eleanor. When Ella came back, Olive and Charlotte moved to Charlotte's little house on Broadway where the Kuskanax Lodge is now. At the back, there was a barn for Olive's horse and a cow which Olive milked daily before school and made milk deliveries in town. Olive remembers Charlotte for all the 26 B.C. Historical News - Fall 1996 good things she did for others. If there was a fire and people needed help, she was the first there with clothing, food or whatever was needed. If a parent died, she was there to help the children, even taking them in and looking after them for a time. Olive felt that there was no one like Charlotte anywhere. She was very strict and expected to be obeyed and respected. And she was. Olive was encouraged to have a bank account from an early age and half of any money she earned was to go into the bank. Olive still has that same bank account now 80 years later. She picked blueberries for Thomas Abriel, the town entrepreneur, and used this money to help pay for her shoes and clothing for school. Many other children of this time period did the same thing. Money was scarce in those days and children were expected to help whenever they could. This taught them to be responsible for themselves and their belongings, a good thing for children to learn at any time. Olive continued to live with Charlotte until she married Charlie Jansen in 1933. Charlotte put on a wedding breakfast for her at the home they lived in that is now the Bon Marche. Charlotte enjoyed many crafts and taught young people to do the same. She made them for her store when she took it over again. (Bon Marche). She knitted, crocheted and embroidered all types of items and after a time, took clothing, hats, shoes, yard goods on consignment from wholesale houses. Hazel Fellows, one of Archie's daughters, used to go to the store after school and help her grandmother. She stayed many nights with her in the cold, drafty building. She adored her grandmother for all the things she did out ofthe goodness of her heart. A lot of people never did see behind the severe strict manner that she projected in common with many ofthe English pioneers who came to this country. But behind that exterior was a lady who was very fond of all people and would give away anything she could if they were needy. Charlotte suffered from what was called rheumatism in those days, but it may have been rheumatoid arthritis. She suffered gready from it most of her life, especially in her back and hands. Every night Olive rubbed her back to try to ease her pain. As she got older the pain got worse and she soon had to give up her store, selling it to the Mayohs in 1942. At this time, Charlotte bought a house on the outskirts of Nakusp and lived there the rest of her days. Willie, at the grand old age of 89 years, suffered a stroke in 1946 from which he did not recover. Charlotte was ill for several years with a bout of cancer and a severe reoccurance of arthritis before she died in hospital in the Herridge Ward at 77 years of age in 1950. Bio Note: Rosemarie Parent is a Nakusp resident and a hard working member ofthe Arrow Lake Historical Society. She assisted her husband to prepare tbe book PORT OF NAKUSP. Thanks go to Olive Jansen and granddaughters - Hazel Fellows and Pom Oilman for their contribution to the biographical data. Thanks go also to Barbara MacPherson for her help with the composition of this article, and Milton Parent for supplying the pictures from his private collection. Why Nakusp Could Have Been Named Ahrielville Tom Abriel was a remarkable man who was instrumental in all facets ofthe work needed to establish the town of Nakusp on upper Arrow Lake. Other men worked alongside him, but never equaled Tom's ambition and stamina. He put money into any situation that needed it and organized the meetings, even building the meeting halls as they were required. Using his many provincial connections, he wrote letters to the government for help and when necessary chaired the meetings or headed the committees. Tom Abriel came to Nakusp in 1892 and once he saw the area, decided it was here that he would spend the rest of his by Rosemarie Parent life. He was born in Pope's Harbour, Nova Scotia on July 4th, 1867, the second son in a family of eleven children. His father was an industrious man who engaged in fishing, mining and merchandising and at one time, the family operated seven lobster plants in Nova Scotia. Tom only attended school until grade 6 when his interest in the commercial world prompted him to leave and to go to work. He started out by looking after theTangiers Gold Mine manager's horse and buggy while accompanying him to the mine. After spending a year as a book agent he next learned the pulp business while employed at the Sheet Harbour Pulp MiU. At 21 years of age, Tom left Nova Scotia, to continue in this field in Boston and then to Portland Oregon, where he became the foreman for a year. Unfortunately, the fumes from the processing plant caused health problems and he was advised to move to a climate where clean, fresh air was offered. When Tom heard ofthe development in the Kootenays, he decided to venture forth into this new territory in 1892. He was not wealthy but was a hard worker even though his health at the time was not what it should be. He started out cutting firewood for the steamboats and while helping to unload a scow with the first lumber into Nakusp, he learned it 27 B.C. Historical News - Fall 1996 Thisportraitof Tom Abrielwastaken before he moved to tbe Kootenays. Picture courtesy of Milton Parent was to be used to build a hotel. As the structure was taking place, Tom approached Hugh Madden, the owner, and asked if he could acquire work there. He was hired to hang wallpaper in the rooms and from this simple beginning, Tom started to save money for his own future business plans. In a short period of five years, Tom became a leading businessman in the community, being involved in real estate and insurance as well as in mines and customs work. He had a general store and insurance/real estate office on Bay Street in the lower part of town. He then decided to build a first-class building to accommodate a rental office and an office of his own, uptown. In addition, the building would provide living quarters and a hall upstairs. With this structure, Tom furnished the townspeople with facilities for commerce and a place for social activities for the future. The location of his building was on Broadway - an undeveloped street high above the waterfront business section of Bay St. This was a bold move but Tom constantly ignored commercial trends, downturns, disasters and world conflict. He always forged ahead intent upon a goal, never looked sideways and certainly, never backwards. Abriel's building was shared by the Dominion Government Customs office and the hall upstairs was first used by the Independent Order of Foresters which was started in 1897. The hall was named the Woodman's Hall be cause of this association. At this time, the owners of the preemptions in the Glenbank area, which is about two miles out of town, showed litde interest in clearing their land to make them productive. One exceptional preemption belonged to Lyle McDougald. In 1903, Thomas Abriel took possession of this acreage and by 1905. employing a hired man to clear a section, had, at Home Ranch - the name he gave to this property - many fruit trees planted. His goal was to ship fruit by the carload. Tom patented a garden cultivating tool and was always experimenting and trying to find better varieties of fruits and vegetables. Using horticultural methods he produced Strawberry Rhubarb by the process of eliminating the sour variety. He sold tons of it over the years - one year alone, he sold 20 tons of rhubarb off the ranch. Also in the 1900s, Tom, who was always on the lookout for another way to earn money, had purchased some lots where a superb spring produced the coolest, clearest water in Nakusp. The overflow from this spring also fed the old Nakusp laundry. He had the spring cribbed in to make a pool about ten feet square and three feet deep. A barbed wire fence enclosed the perimeter ofthe lots. A gate was fashioned on one side, while a bucket and hook were placed near the well for use by anyone who wished to carry their own water. He also ran a pipeline from there to his office on Broadway, to the Grand Hotel and to the Leland Hotel. Then he hired a man to deliver the water around town in a large wagon which had several barrels on it. Most houses put out flags if they required water and for 25 cents, you could have your 40 gallon barrel filled. In 1904, a collection was started to build a Catholic Church. Tom, who was an ardent follower of this faith, provided a twelfth ofthe cost to build 'Our Lady of Lourdes' church which was completed in 1905. This building still stands today and is the only one left that was built at this time and still being used as a church. A Drama club was started in 1905. Again Tom was involved in the produc tions that were held in the Woodman's Hall. He also supplied many items and props for the group and became their honorary president. In 1907, the Nakusp Amateur Dramatic Club members took the launch 'Minerva" out on a summer excursion. Picnic hampers were brought as well as a portable phonograph to supply the music for singsongs. They drew up at the landing at Makinsons, a few miles down the lake from Nakusp. The men sprang up to assist the ladies who were preparing to disembark Tom was one of these gallants and the lady who he was helping, caught her heel in the hem of her long skirt. She missed the plank and fell into the lake, pulling Tom with her! There was much amusement at their expense, but it didn't dampen their spirits for too long. They returned in the early evening under a beautiful sunset, after an exciting, enjoyable day. Tom was appointed agent for the Frontier Fruit Lands Co. in the spring of 1907. People were now coming in who were serious about wanting to have profitable farms. The enticing advertising, especially in the United Kingdom, was now starting to pay dividends for the land companies. Tom Abriel was made chairman and Bob Baird, secretary, when the Arrow Lakes Farmer's Institute was formed in 1907. This group was originally formed to apply pressure on the government to address the problems that beset the early settlers. A Sidewalk Committee was formed in Abriel's office in 1907 to build sidewalks for the town and Tom again was appointed chairman. This group was the forerunner ofthe council that was needed to see to improvements for the town, to obtain a doctor and to address any other problems that might arise. By 1908, a Meeting ofthe Council was established. They next tackled the building of roads which were required as more settlers arrived and needed provisions brought to their homesteads. Another matter that council addressed was the building of a proper government building to better provide official services. The 28 B.C. Historical News - Fall 1996 Court House was completed in 1910 and is still one of the finest heritage buildings in Nakusp. Before this time, Tom was a notary public, a justice ofthe peace and a magistrate for many years, administering justice in a very capable manner. He, and several other prominent men in town who had to solve disputes and whatever to keep the peace, were happy to see the first policeman arrive. It was not until 1909, that they discussed the advisability of forming the Nakusp Board ofTrade. Tom was instrumental in the development of all facets of the work that the Board did in the ensuing years, either on the executive or on Committees to help with any work that needed to be done. In 1910, Tom decided to invest a large quantity of his savings into another building on Broadway. His motto was: "If people are happy and having fun, they will spend money." He had an Opera House built which was, despite the tide, a rather unimpressive building. However, a large stage was installed, raised well off the floor, offering the audience an excellent view ofthe performers. The First Fall Fair was held in the Opera House and was a huge success. Of course, once again, Tom Abriel was the first President. In March of 1910, Dr. Mossman had cabled to the Nakusp Board ofTrade to say that he would accept the resident physician position for Nakusp. Later that year, a cottage hospital was established from a house in town. It was a great day for this litde burg to have its own doctor and a hospital as not many small communities could afford such a luxury at this time. Although the Farmer's Institute continued strongly addressing any local problems, it seemed they Suffered from apathy now and then. Tom wrote an addenda to the minutes of the February 1909 meeting which read: "... I found this meeting hard, there appeared to be stagnation from the start. Everything seemed to drag. Most are willing to assist in debate and anyone that is willing to talk, I appreciate very much. It makes no difference to me if he is for or against my ideas, but to have to sit in the chair and practically do all the talking, almost having to make the motion on certain topics is very trying, and I feel at times as if it would be better for me to throw all these public offices to the winds! ..." How often have most of us felt that way! These sentiments are timely for any era. Fortunately for Nakusp, Tom continued in his role as chairman ofthe Institute as well as executive on many other boards in the town. The Farmer's Institute was extended to include an Industrial Association and was incorporated in May of 1911. It is possible that political pressure was brought to bear through Tom's affiliation with the Conservative party to allow the upgrade ofthe annual fair that was now held at the Opera House. A much bigger and more accommodating centre that would reflect the status and magnitude of farming in the Nakusp and surrounding areas was badly needed. The government responded favourably, releasing the funds required to construct a wooden frame building with a metal roof. Grants were received to cover the cost of some paid workers to assist the volunteer group. Tom again provided the land on which to build the complex, which included a compound along the east side where livestock were exhibited and sometimes sold. This was part of the Home Ranch property. The tide was not given to the village so it had to be presumed that Tom also paid the taxes for the building along with his ranch taxes. The impact produced by having this building must have been of great benefit to the community because it provided a place where people from other areas came to socialize, gossip and exchange ideas. Children were entertained and competed for prizes in the different categories. It offered incentive to the local farmers to do better next time and to try new ways of doing things that others had used successfully. In the winter, the shavings were removed from the floor and it was flooded until a surface of ice was produced for skating and the game of hockey. Other small towns came to compete in the games in future years. In other words, the building was used in all seasons by one and all for great benefit and enjoyment. Tom was approached by the local barber, Eugene Leveque Sr., who needed a larger building for his barber shop and pool hall. Tom provided the building (which still exists today used as a local business of a different sort - Chickadee Cafe and Book Store 1995.) Tom continued to help others wherever he could assist them and always for the betterment ofthe town. In 1914, the trend to move businesses to Broadway continued. Tom realized that to compete with the Co-op, he would have to relocate his general store which was on Bay street. (This area is usually all under water now due to flooding caused when the Hugh Keenleyside dam was constructed in the late 60s). An added advantage was that the new store, which was built on the corner of Broad- A Sunday gathering is shown here posed in front of Abriel's new office building on Broadway. Abriel is shown holding bis dog at tbe far left of tbe picture. His office was on tbe lower right and the Woodsmen's HaU upstairs. 29 B.C. Historical News - FaU 1996 way and Slocan, was just across the street from his office which he had built in 1897. Tom had shown great foresight and confidence in Nakusp's steady growth when he had purchased these lots a few years earlier. Also in 1914, Tom, who had always been interested in establishing a newspaper for Nakusp, persuaded a printer and editor, Robert Barrett, to set up the essential equipment. The paper was named the Advocate and the first edition was put out in October. However, the lack of commercial participation contributed to the eventual demise of the paper. Brief as it was - it only lasted nine months - it gready helped the local archival records because we had to wait until 1922 for the Arrow Lakes News for information of those early days. Before this time, the Nakusp Ledge had a newspaper for about 16 months from October 1893 to December of 1894. By 1915, Tom realized that the Opera House was a litde too large for many of the small social events such as meetings, concerts, weddings and dinners. He had a vacant piece of land which was close to his office and decided to build the Small HaU. There was a spacious second floor included although the ceiling was a litde low and a little later, a long lean-to style kitchen was added on the ground floor. It was equipped with a large number of dishes with the Abriel name embossed in red across each piece. It was an important addition to the town, but was never given any other name than Small Hall. The next improvement to the town was started in 1916 when a newcomer, George Horsley, explained to the Nakusp Board ofTrade that he could establish an electric power system for Nakusp. It took four years to become a reality, but we know that Tom was in on every meeting to help get the system up and running. Power was more than a luxury. It provided industry with an efficient safe source of power for Nakusp. Tom was a chairman of the school board for many years because ofthe good early records that were kept by the school. He would also have been instrumental in the buUding ofthe schools as they were needed. A big two-roomed school was buut in 1912 when the Nakusp School Board realized that the Uttle school house that they had was bursting at the seams. It is now the home ofthe ViUage Office, Nakusp Library and Nakusp Museum and one of our finest heritage buildings today. Another task that the Nakusp Board ofTrade had to tackle was to improve access to Nakusp Hot Springs. Traffic was increasing yearly. The nine mUe traU to the springs, the grounds and primitive accommodation needed upgrading. It took a lot of negotiation between Mrs. EUen Gayford, the owner ofthe mineral claim at that time, and the Board before this could be accomplished. A proper protected water system was needed in the community, so the Board ofTrade met with the Government Water Commissioners in 1915. At the first meeting, Tom was made Chairman ofthe committee, which was named the Nakusp Development District, and boundaries were defined. The Government promised a loan and an engineer was hired to do the work. There were many problems over the years it took to instaU the system but everyone was very pleased with the end results. Even Tom was thankful for the convenience, in spite of the fact that it meant the end of his faithful water wagon. Tom had his fbUowers but there were also others who resented him because of the somewhat pompous air he developed through his control of the town's commercial development. During the drastic fire of 1925, when the Grand Hotel burned to the ground, Tom was out fighting the fire alongside the rest of the townspeople. Taking advantage of the situation, some volunteer firemen in directing the hose towards the flaming buUding, quite by "accident" twisted it in Tom's direction, drenching him thoroughly! He took it all in good humour. Tom, like most ofthe other fruit growers in the Nakusp area, was independent. He used his old stable to pack apples into boxes he bought from LangiUe's box factory at Edgewood. He realized that this was expensive and extremely inefficient when compared to a high volume arrangement that could be set up if all the fruit growers would ship together. He had been in on the ground floor when the provincial organization, the B.C. Fruit Growers Association was formed. This group represented the large fruit growing interests ofthe Okanagan and East Kootenays. His knowledge of the industry, coupled with his connections with other agricultural bodies, made him a logical choice as president of the organization. He held this position for most ofthe 25 years that he was a member. Through this association, he convinced the area growers to unite and by 1922, a large addition to the Cannery Association building at the Home was constructed. Boxes were produced there and fruit was received from various fruit farmers in the district, with the grower being given a preliminary receipt showing the number of boxes accounted for. The produce was then stacked in separate lots and passed over the sorting tables to the packing bins. The boxes were packed and moved on to be nailed shut and labeled by the checker. There were four packers continuously at work, trying to keep up with the mountain of fine fruit arriving each day. The CPR had run a spur from the main track to the packing house, thus allowing dock loading ofthe fruit, a decided reduction in expended energy. Large wholesale houses and distributors in the east wielded tremendous power. If they were aUowed to dictate the price of fruit, the farmer would soon go under. Tom Abriel was lauded for his unyielding stance, determined through the B.C. Fruit Growers Association to mount a unified attack to obtain a fair return for the B.C. growers. His was a strong voice that postponed the end of orchard farming on the Arrow Lakes for many years. Tom was able, through his poUtical and executive influence, to do more than any other Nakuspite in the field of agriculture and railways. He was in his element, meeting, conferring, writing and planning in an effort to improve the farmer s 30 B.C. Historical News - FaU 1996 lot wherever possible. After spending hours every day at the typewriter, he would pass the evening hours attending meetings to continue the work of building or arranging everything from sidewalks to fair buildings. Apart from managing a farm that eventually would ship six to seven carloads of fruit per year, plus tons of blueberries and fruit from three acres of strawberry plants, he supplied the mines with meat, at one time averaging a carload every two weeks. Rich mineral finds were being worked in the Kootenays at this time; miners and prospectors were flocking in at an incredible rate to get in on the action. The Home Ranch was used later by the University of B.C. for experimental farming and this was not by accident. Tom had worked closely with other influential men to establish the Department of Agriculture at U.B.C. Through his connection with the C.P.R, he assisted in getting the U.B.C. Endowment Lands set aside, as well as a large tract of land in the Peace River developed for wheat growing. Indefatigable, one wonders how Tom survived the schedule he set for himself. With his involvement in the Conservative Party, his real estate business and agricultural investments, and the constant executive responsibilities he accepted with nearly every organization in town, Tom needed to find some help. In 1909, he invited his sister, Bessie, who was iU with TB and living in Nova Scotia, to come to Nakusp, offering her a position as his secretary. Bessie agreed to come, hoping that the fresh air of the mountains - this was about aU that could be prescribed for the disease at the time - could be beneficial and might even cure her. She became very proficient at the job and at the same time, endured the rigours of sleeping, both summer and winter in a tent-covered platform Tom had constructed next to his office building on Broadway. Bessie, besides working for Tom, became secretary-treasurer for the Women's Institute at their first meeting in Nakusp in 1909. She was a great help to Tom in his work and he must have missed her help greatly when she passed away in 1920. The loss of her companionship as well must have been hard, for he led a lonely life. No one knows why he never married. We do know that he had some parental yearnings. In 1911, Jerry Smith, the policeman in Nakusp, brought a boy of six, Dave Fulkco, and his two younger sisters to stay overnight at Tom's house enroute to an orphanage in New Westminster. They touched his heart but he let them go on their way; however it was learned later that Tom did keep in touch with them. The youngest girl died of diphtheria a short time after arriving in New Westminster, and the other sister was adopted out. Possibly, Tom did not want to split the children up. Because Bessie was managing his home at the time of Tom's decision to bring Dave to Nakusp, the children's Aid Society allowed the boy to come in 1918. Seven years had gone by before Tom became Dave's guardian and sent for him. He now had a 13 year old to look after which must have lightened his lonely life and it gave him someone to help on the farm with the chores, which Dave thoroughly enjoyed. He later took in Dick Blyth in 1924 and then, his niece, EUen Abriel, in 1926. It was rather fitting that Dave and Ellen eventuaUy married. Dick used to take produce to town and had an aptitude for fixing things like old refrigerators. He maintained the many houses that Tom had, including painting and papering them, and learned plumbing and some electrical work as weU. Both boys attended school and grew up to be good citizens in Nakusp. Throughout his life, Tom usuaUy had enjoyed good health. However, in September 1935, he broke an ankle. He had come home from the hospital and seemed to be recuperating well. On the Tbe Nakusp Amateur Dramatic Club members were treated to a summer outing on the Minerva c 1907. _,_ _ Picture courtesy of Milton Parent. 20th of September, friends had been in to see him but an hour later, he was found dead. His death came as a sudden and severe shock to his many friends. He was only 68 years old. The B.C. Fruit Growers Association passed a resolution that was adopted by a unanimous standing vote. It was worded: "...Resolved that this convention shall place on record in its minutes its sorrow for the loss of its past president, Mr. Thomas Abriel, whose death terminated a long, faithful and efficient service as a member, director and president of this association, during which he won the esteem of its members by his unselfish devotion to their cause and by his fine personal character, and the tolerant and broad minded way in which he performed his official duties..." Thus ended the life of one ofthe most industrious men in the early days of Nakusp. He also was so well thought of by the Province's most influential men that he was invited often to take a high ranking position in the city. But he remained faithful to Nakusp, always hoping that the town he had helped to build would grow and become prosperous. It would not have been unreasonable for Nakusp to have been named Abrielville to honour this incredible man. Submitted by Rosemarie Parent ofthe Arrow Lakes Historical Society which is located in Nakusp. The information was compiled from die Society's archives and their book PORT OF NAKUSP which was written in 1992 by Milton Parent, Archivist. Photos are from Milton's personal collection. 31 B.C. Historical News - FaU 1996 Expo Extravaganza Fondly Recalled by Leonard W. Meyers Heigh-ho, come to the fair! And that's what some 22,111,578 visitors from all over the world did, when a not insignificant 20 miUion were anticipated in advance. Vancouver and British Columbia's highly successful Expo 86 World Exposition, running from May 2nd to October 13,1986, has been over for ten years, but to many local citizens it seems a dim, distant memory. To others as though it were only yesterday. And many youngsters weren't even born or too young when it ran so magnificendy. The flood of memories come rushing back - the sights, sounds, the smeUs. The excitement, entertainment, the tempo, and the dynamics of a miUion visitors on the go. Who can forget Highway 86, an incredible theme sculpture in the Red Zone. It involved an undulating concrete highway over 700 feet long teeming with some 200 vehicles of every description - cars, carts, motorcycles, airplanes, bicycles, tractors, trucks, campers, vans, boats, scooters, snowmobiles, yes even a pogo stick all sturdUy mounted on the highway and aU painted a drab gray, the same as the roadway, providing fun-fiUed artifacts for the young, and not so young. To play on and to climb and clamber aU over them, sitting in them hands firmly on the steering wheels to their heart's content as cameras clicked, and mothers kept happy watch as youngsters Uved it up on the transfixed traffic jam. What's that scream? Murder at Expo 86? No, it's only frightened passengers on the Scream Machine, a diabolical device, or super roUer-coaster not designed for the faint of heart or queasy stomach, but an exciting, stimulating, hair-raising experience for others. Besides, there were too many other attractions to capture the imagination. Crowds, crowds, crowds, everywhere. Excitement, long line-ups, good cheer and excited banter fiUed the air. Some of the longest line-ups were at the General Motors of Canada pavilion where the Spirit Lodge presentation was packing them in daily, to the tune of some 11,000 visitors a day who sometimes had to wait in Une for two hours to see the brief Indian show. FinaUy the visitors made it into a simulated Indian lodge complete with totem poles, etc. In the centre of the room a log fire, or believed to be a real log fire. Nearby a Kwakiud Indian storyteUer narrated the spiritual goings-on. Gossamer white smoke(?) rose from the fire and metamorphosed into ghosdy or wraithlike images of early Indian legends materializing from the hazy smoke-like mist before their very eyes. The animated figures of early Indians, or spirits, engaged in Native activities who, near the end, paddled away in a ghosdy canoe to be embraced, no doubt, by the Great Spirit. The audience throughout was spellbound, and while there obviously was an explanation of the technique involved, most patrons never did find out how the mysterious "smoke" or ghosdy figures were created. In sharp contrast, adjacent to the Washington, Oregon, California pavU- ions, on an outdoor stage shapely Can- Can dancers disported themselves and their sexy limbs to the sheer delight of males in the audience, with perhaps a touch of envy in the eyes of their spouses as cameras clicked, movie cameras roUed amid much applause and the occasional wolf whistle, as a good stimulating time was had by aU, well, almost by all. Great dancing and good theatre to be sure. Did you say you heard an old steam engine whisde mournfuUy in the night as weU as in the daytime at regular intervals? Or were you dreaming? No, the train whisde was very real. You heard the plaintive whisde of an old CPR locomotive, the historic engine that drew the first train into Vancouver on May 23, 1887. The ancient engine, fuUy restored, was on display on the turntable in front of the old CPR roundhouse near the middle ofthe Expo site in the Green section, and maintained a fuU head of steam to blow the whisde for the benefit of visitors and train buffs alike. The CPR Esso Roundhouse, Vancouver's oldest industrial building which was used years ago for repairing steam engines, housed the CPR's exhibit, which consisted of vintage motorcycles, a vintage beer wagon and other mechanical marvels. Also a replica of an early flying machine suspended on a wire which an old-time aviator vainly tried to fly across the exhibit hall to the delight and amusement of audiences. Nearby, looking like a massive boUer called the Retrospective Corridor, inside were amusing old black and white movies of incredible inventions, hardly any of which worked. In fact, most crashed or coUapsed during, or even before takeoff in a cloud of dust and a bruised inventor - bruised of body and ego - extricated himself from the coUapsed machine to the amusement and hilarity ofthe intrigued viewers who were perched on or leaning against raUs instead of seats. Surrounding the turntable, was a plaza of red bricks engraved with the names of thousands of Vancouver citizens who paid a smaU fee for an autographed red brick and an accompanying certificate sponsored by Esso Imperial Oil. Hope- fuUy the bricks wiU remain in place in perpetuity and not be disturbed by the developers. The huge Expo 86 site, stretching from Main Street to Seymour Street was divided into six zones designated by colors: purple on the east, red, blue, pink, green, and yellow on the western end. Long line-ups were the daUy norm at most pavilions - Malaysia, Singapore, Yugoslavia, Australia (no seats, you lounged on the carpeted floor), Japan, Yukon, South Pacific pavilion, Indone- 32 B.C. Historical News • FaU 1996 sia, Korea, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - with its fantastic exterior murals, intriguing exhibits ofthe "mysterious East," a Bedouin tent, a gleaming model of a modern air terminal at Riyadh to exhibits of super highways, industries, especially oil, and an overaU look at life in the desert where camels stiU roam and feel at home at the nearest oasis, or watering hole. And only water, as liquor in Saudi Arabia is a no-no for man or beast. There was the magnificent Ontario museum with its winding cavalcade of vehicles spiralling up into the heights of the pavilion, a truly great restaurant, and a breathtaking outdoor theatre overlooking a picturesque pool for added scenic attraction to charm its many and appreciative audiences. Hungary was represented, as was Switzerland, a giant Swiss wrist watch; its dimensions projecting a visual logo visible over much ofthe fair site. The Saskatchewan pavilion with its simulated grain elevators, prairie movie scenes, and its restaurant featuring luscious turkey dinners and homemade berry and apple pie for which hungry customers lined up in the hundreds daily, and many were turned away - to look and marvel at a real live steam engine chuffing away daily, its large flywheel always going around in circles - like many ofthe fair visitors. "Look, Mama - mountain climbers." Indeed, real live mountain climbers scaling the heights of the Alberta Pavilion. The Italian pavilion is a historicaUy intriguing show. Here can be seen Expo's most ancient vehicle, an Etruscan chariot, to say nothing of many historical artifacts on display. Many fair-goers availed themselves of passports which were stamped with the logo of the pavilion to be visited. They made a truly wonderful souvenir, when filled, and lasting memento of a magnificent World Exposition staged so successfuUy in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1986. Of course you didn't forget to take in the Plaza of Nations where daily entertainment was provided, and where heads of State, whose countries were represented by a fitting paviUon, would appear on an appointed day and address the ever-present crowds, including such dignitaries as Vice-President Bush ofthe United Stated, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of the United Kingdom, and many others, including Prince Charles and Diane. Anyone for a drink? 1986 was a long, hot summer, and thirst was apparent in many a parched throat walking for hours in the hot sun. Not to despair. There were two large German beer gardens on the grounds, complete with German brass bands, dancers and singers and, yes, good food as well. And the huge halls were invariably fiUed with beer imbibers in fine spirits and filled with mirth. For the lovers of horseflesh - no, not to eat - there was the ever popular RCMP musical ride in the Yellow Zone with a full grandstand for every performance. Tradition has it that the Mounties always get their man. In this case they got their horses to perform their intricate routines with precision and perfection to the joy and delight of the audience. And every "^..^•'j Anyone for a ride on a ponderous wooden pachyderm at die Land Plaza and one of numerous exhibits in tbe International Traffic Jam.! youngster wanted to be a Mountie. Spectacular fireworks lit up the skies over the Expo site every night, and huge crowds congregated at different vantage points and waited for hours for the fire spectacular - launched from a huge barge in False Creek - to begin. Most visitors really enjoyed the gondola Skyrides, six-passenger gondolas which gave you a lofty and spectacular panorama of the glittering fair site and its many night lights and arresting sights. Unfortunately it only ran between four points on the grounds. The Skyride in the eastern sector of the fair took you between Folklife, in the Purple Zone (near Main Street), to the Pavilion of Promise - where popular religeous presentations were held daily - in the Red Zone. The western Skyride took its passengers from the General Motors of Canada pavilion in the Yellow Zone to the Air Canada pavilion in the Green Zone. The ride always ended too soon, and before you knew it, you were back on the ground pounding the pavement. And if your feet tired of pavement pounding, even in your comfortable jogging shoes, there was always the faithful, smooth and scenic Monorail encircling the fairgrounds continually. Frequendy there were long line-ups waiting to get aboard, but sooner or later you made it, and the comfortable ride and fantastic view were weU worth the wait, and your feet appreciated the rest while the camera lens and the eyes did the rest. The United States, Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China were widely separated to avoid any unpleasant incident stemming from the cold war. The United States and the Soviet Union were in a bit of a space race. The United States pavilion featured a mock-up of a space station; the thundering launch from Cape Canaveral of a Saturn moon rocket blasting off on a giant screen, a close-up of a nose cone of a Gemini rocket, numerous incredible photos of earth taken from space, etc. The Russians too were big on space. They 33 B.C. Historical News - FaU 1996 A magnificent replica of Sir Francis Drake's "Golden Hind" moored in tbe International Harbor, and a great favorite with historic warship buffi and Expo visitors generally. exhibited a real Soyuz space station protruding from their pavilion which was open to the public. And young and older alike clambered aboard to inspect the space vehicle and pretend that they're astronauts. As for the large pavilion, one ofthe biggest on the site, it was crammed with scientific exhibits, communication gadgets and assorted vehicles. By contrast, the People's Republic of China pavUion in the purple zone resembled in some ways a large department store with piles of rugs for sale, and a wide variety of Oriental goods and souvenirs for the customers. Also on view were several life-sized statues, unearthed several years ago, of sculpted stone figures of The old restored CP.R. roundhouse and historic engine 374 which drew tbe first transcontinental train into Vancouver on May 23, 1887. On the turntable with a full bead of steam. ancient soldiers on horseback. Shades of Genghis Khan! Cars, cars everywhere. The French pavilion has its share, as does the British pavilion and the Republic of West Germany. You saw and admired RoUs Royces, Citroens, Ferraris, Peugeots, and the authentic Dailmer- Benz in the West German pavilion. The glut of vehicles of every description - from horse-and-buggy to space craft - was not surprising, as the theme of Expo 86 was transportation. Apart from josding in long line-ups to take in the various pavilions, there were hundreds of free attractions to enliven the fair site every day. There were some 78,000 amateur performers, clowns, jugglers, puppets, Indian drummers and dancers, Metis fiddlers, hillbilly bands, rube and rock bands. As well, there were dozens of big name acts and personalities at the 4,000 Expo Theatre and elsewhere - Bob Hope, Bill Cosby, Russia's Kirov Ballet, Bryan Adams, the Peking Or- c h e s t r a . Loretta Lynn, the Rhythm Pals, Joan Rivers, Julio Iglesias, the Mitzi Gaynor Show and many others. Who can forget the in teresting Marine Plaza with it's teeming International Harbour and its massive, fully rigged Dream Ship, a huge walkaboard sculpture cum pier. Floating around the wooden jetties were boats from all over the world. A Haida dugout canoe, a life-size replica of Sir Francis Drake's "Golden Hind," a Chinese junk, a handsome Venice gondola, reed boats, a steam tug, canal boats, and nearby Captain Bligh's second "Bounty". Nearby was the Air Plaza commemorating the age of flight. Suspended among massive girders were colored bunting, balloons, a dirigible, kites, flimsy old- time planes to modern fighter planes. Suspended below the balloon was the Gizmo Gondola, a delightful old boat with a rather sexy, somewhat buxom figurehead affectionately known as the "Gizmo Gal." One of the most impressive was the Canada Pavilion at B.C. Place under the massive white sails on Burrard Inlet. The favorite exhibit drew an average 25,000 visitors a day. The favorite movies, the static displays and the entertainment were always inspired, creative and most entertaining. Canada Celebration: This Is My Home, was a kaleidoscope of large still images on 10 big screens accompanied by thunderous soundtracks. There was the Great Hall. High overhead a giant UFO-type airship caUed the Hystar went silently gliding high above the crowd by remote control. The following day the crowds were all back to see and enjoy more of this marvellous fair, as, in aU probability, it would be years before the likes of it were to be seen again in Vancouver, if ever. "Well done, British Columbia," a departing visitor was heard to say. And a magnificent, dazzling show it was in 1986. All photos courtesy of Leonard Meyers. Mr. Meyers is a freelance writer living in Vancouver, and a regular contributor to this maga- 34 B.C. Historical News - Fall 1996 The Rowling Family In looking at early British Columbia history it is impossible to ignore the work ofthe Royal Engineers. The contribution of many of these men went beyond their term of military service in the colony. Those who stayed, along with their families, continued to play a role in developing the province. This is a study of one of these families; William and Mary Rowling and their seven children. The Rowling family started in England and continued in New Westminster. The majority ofthe family's life, however, was spent on their farm located on the North Arm ofthe Fraser river. From this period the most information on the family exists. The avaUable evidence makes it possible to construct an idea of what life was like on the North Arm for the Rowling family in the latter part ofthe nineteenth century. In 1858 the Royal Engineers were sent from England to help solidify British ownership ofthe mainland of B.C.. On 19 November 1858, foUowing the arrival of the first two contingents of Royal Engineers, Governor Douglas declared British Columbia an official British colony. The Victoria Gazette reported that the announcement ofthe birthday of British Columbia was ushered in by a steady rain."1 The Royal Engineers were not regular soldiers but were chosen for their skills. Among them were surveyors, architects, draftsmen, printers, a photographer and numerous skiUed craftsmen. These men played an important role in the development of the new colony. Some returned to Britain but others elected to stay and make a new home in British Columbia. One of those who made the choice to remain in the new colony was WiUiam Henry RowUng. He was born 9 February 1826 in Truro, CornwaU, England.2 In 1848 WiUiam had joined the Royal Sappers and Miners, who later became part ofthe Royal Engineers. He married by Paula Cyr Mary RusseU circa 1856 in England.3 She had been born 19 November 1832 in Stickland, Dorset, England.4 The couples first chUd, Rosetta Mary (Rose), was born 8 August 1858 in Plumstead, Woolwhich, Kent.5 At the time of her birth Rose's father had already landed at Esquimalt.6 Mary and Rose made the arduous six month journey around the Cape Horn aboard the Thames City, arriving in mid-April 1859.7 Rowling was discharged with "good conduct" on 29 April 1862.8 He, however, rejoined to work on the North American Boundary Commission. The N.AB.C. was in charge of surveying the border between what was to be Canada and the United States. William was proud of his work with the commission. His son Henry Soar Rowling remembers seeing his father sign his name foUowed by "Corporal, N. AB.C."9 After his work with the boundary commission was finished William wanted to stay in the colony. A letter written by Lieutenant- Colonel J.S. Hawkins to Governor Douglas on the 18 October 1861 stated that: Corporal William H. Rowling has completed a term of twelve years with the Royal Engineers, and is having a further two years with the Boundary Commission ... is due for discharge . .. and is asking permission to remain in this colony after the withdrawal of the Boundary Commission, and to receive grant of land given to colonists.10 A marginal note on the letter reads "assent given".11 During the 1860s William operated a saloon caUed "The Retreat" in Sapperton, New Westminster. It was located east of Saint Mary's Church12 as was the Rowling residence.13 Possibly connected to his saloon business is the interesting but undocumented family rumour that he smuggled casks of liquor hidden under a log to the mouth ofthe Fraser river. Henry Rowling does provide details of how this was done but does not state his father was involved.14 While living in New Westminster four more children were added to the Rowling famUy: James William Russell Rowling (Jim) on 14 October 1862; Henry Soar Rowling born 3 February 1864 and named after Royal Engineer Henry Soar, PrisciUa Amelia Rowling born 24 February 1866; and WiUiam Henry Kearly Kemp Rowling born 2 September 1867.15 In September of 1868 the Rowling family left New Westminster and moved to property on the North Arm of the Fraser river. One newspaper romanticaUy described the move in the following man ner: 35 Floating down the winding course of the Fraser river on a barge, through a forest of Douglas fir and cedar trees in the fall of 1868 came W.H. Rowling accompanied by his wife and family and the household effects of his future home - a home to be hewed out ofthe forests.16 Also included on the raft occupying "a place of honour" was a goat brought to supply the need for milk in this growing family.17 Five children, aged ten, five, four, two and one, on a barge with furniture and a goat probably made the journey down river a lot less serene than the previous description would indicate. Floating down the river was the only way to reach their future home, as Henry Rowling remembers; "At that time the means of communication from our home to New West or Gastown was by water".18 Even later, when a road is shown on maps from the 1870s, the reality was different; "Road, no road! . . . you couldn't drive along it, you could have scarcely pushed a wheelbarrow. It was just a narrow trail through bushes and trees".19 To add to the physical isolation was the scarcity of neighbours. Between New Westminster and Vancouver there were about fifteen farmers. Of these fifteen, seven were located in the Rowling's B.C. Historical News - FaU 1996 area,20 what was later known as South Vancouver. While they might not have had many neighbours, two more children were added to the family. Thomas George Rowling on 14 AprU 1869 and Elizabeth Jane Russell Rowling on the 24 August 1874. The Rowling's new home was caUed Truro Farm,21 presumably after WiUiam's birthplace. The property was District Lot 258, he also acquired D.L. 330,331 as weU as some lots on Lulu Island. The first home ofthe Rowling's on this new property was "a house of logs"22 located on the trail, that later became Marine Drive. The second home was built by WiUiam and his sons. It was made of cedar 'shakes'. These shakes or homemade shingles were approximately three feet by eighteen inches wide and formed the outer shell ofthe new home.23 After the completion of this new house Rowling and his sons made good use of their shake making skiUs. They were able to turn out 1500 a day which were then sold for one cent each.24 The final Rowling home was much fancier. It was Victorian in style and was separated from the road by a stone and wrought iron fence.25 The evolution ofthe Rowling homes can be seen as a reflection of their growing prosperity. It also reflects the development ofthe surrounding area. The buildings went from simple ones to ones that required increasing degrees of technology for their manufacture. On their property the Rowlings both had livestock and grew produce. The types of animals kept were: ducks, chickens, pigs and cows.26 By 1872 they had approximately forty head of cattle.27 With their livestock the Rowlings had to watch out for wild animals. Tame animals, however, could also present a problem, as this notice placed in the British Columbian illustrates: NOTICE Strayed into my premises on or about the 14th inst, a flock of tame geese. If the owner does not prove property, pay charges and take them away within two weeks from the date of this notice. I will sell them to pay expenses incurred. Elizabeth Laura Cyr (nee Byrne) W.H. Rowling Truro Farm, North Arm, Sept. 22, 1882 28 As for produce Henry Rowling commented that "we grew everything that could be grown".29 Food was either what the family grew themselves, got from their animals, or from their neighbours. The cows had succeeded the goat in providing milk for the family and butter was also made and sold. There was also hunting, and fish from the river were plentiful. James Rowling recalls that "the produce we raised was so good that when we went up to New Westminster to the fair we won most ofthe prizes."30 On thing that the Rowling farm was known for was grapes. Another early pioneer, J.H. Scales, recalls travelling along the Fraser; "... Rowling was there when we passed, he shifted there a little before we started to come over here; I remember, because he was having some trouble with his grape vines; they would not grow properly, and he thought he would have to move back."31 WiUiam Rowling obviously overcame this difficulty because in 1882 he sent F.W. Laing, the Secretary ofthe Department of Agriculture in Victoria, a basket of homegrown grapes.32 Rowling had found a spot where his grapes thrived, his house, as his son Henry describes; "There was a grape vine running over our cedar shake house .. . it ran all over the house; over the roof, and we had the greatest lot of grapes you ever saw; there must have been 'tons' of them; you could not sell them aU."33 Another early settler, W.H. Gallagher, recalls the grape vine as well as WiUiam Rowling's fondness for flowers; "the whole place was a picture, honeysuckle growing all over the stumps so that you could not see the stump, and flowering wonderfully, and a vine running all over the house." The Rowling home did not just serve as a place to grow grapes on, it was also the children's school. The education of the Rowling children was probably largely of a private nature. As Henry remembers; "When we settled on the north arm, and long after that, there were no schools. Any education the children received was by private teaching."34 Both Mary and William were able to read and write. William had even composed poetry.35 So it is likely that one or both of them instructed their children. The children were all literate as various cards and notes in the possession of their descendants show. The 1881 census does not list any ofthe school age children attending school, but this is likely because one did not exist in their area. The earliest schools were located in people's homes. The first was on Sea Island and later moved to the area that became known as Point Grey.36 Both schools were too far away to make attendance practical for those living on Truro farm. The first government school was not built until 1886. It was located where Fraser and Marine Drive meet. One of the Rowling girls did attend school. Which sister it was or what school is not mentioned; "My sister boarded with another farmer to be nearer the school and even then had to walk a mile."37 Henry also "attended the public schools of New Westminster in the acquirement of an education".38 It is not stated at what age he did this. The Rowling family had access to a church much sooner than to a school. The North Arm Methodist Church was built about 1876 as a group effort, the Rowlings contributed the cedar shakes 36 B.C. Historical News - Fall 1996 for the roof.39 The church was used by several denominations: Methodists, Presbyterians and Anglicans. The Rowling fanuly did attend church but their adherence to a particular denomination seems to be flexible, at least among the chUdren. The 1881 census lists the family as Presbyterian. The 1891 census shows WiUiam (jr) as being Church of England. PrisciUa later converted to Roman Catholicism when she married her husband, Peter Byrne. James appears on the 1901 census as Methodist. What seemed to interest the Rowling chUdren was temperance. As Henry put it; "I was in my teens then and although deeply interested in church matters, did not belong to any particular denomination but I did belong to the Good Templars, a temperance organization, and took much interest in them."40 James also belonged to the Good Templars as did his sister PrisciUa. She was secretary of their branch, the Golden Rule Lodge, No. 13, International Order of Good Templars.41 It was common for temperance organizations to hold various activities. The Good Templars would have provided an acceptable way for young adults to socialize. On one occasion such socializing ended in tragedy. On 26 December 1889 the Rowlings had held a dance at Truro farm. Shordy after leaving a sleigh carrying six people had a tree fall direcdy on it, killing four ofthe passengers. All the passengers had been Templars. In response to the "terrible calamity" it was "Resolved that our Charter and Regalia be draped in mourning for the period of three months in memory of our departed brethren".42 This resolution was signed by J.W Rowling and PA. Rowling. There are not many references to what social activities the Rowlings did together as a family. Church would be one obvious one. Christmas dinner is mentioned by both Henry and James. Henry also remembers that; "In those days excursions were organized occasionally from New West to Gastown, Old Granville Townsite, down the Fraser River around Point Grey and into Burrard Inlet. The family went on those excursions on a number of occasions."43 Probably attending the fair in New Westminster was another activity the famUy would have done together. Working, both on the farm and off, was also something that members ofthe family shared together. Henry remembers that "About 1876, Jim and I would hire out by the day to row for the fishermen and we did this for two or three years."44 The boys later fished themselves and sold their catch. Henry also recalls that "When I was about 10 years old, (1874) I hunted extensively and sold game in New Westminster".45 Henry had squatted on D.L. 330 and James had done the same on D.L. 331. Both lots had natural pastures where they ran the cows.46 It was a courtesy at that time that other farmers would not bid on land where others were squatting. The boys were therefore able to acquire the lots when they came up for auction, even though they were minors. William later traded with his sons 330 and 331 in exchange for two fractional lots he owned on Lulu Island.47 In the 1881 census James, aged 19, and Henry, aged 17, are both listed as farmers under occupation. There is far less detail available on the lives of the female members of the Rowling family. Only two references to Mary Rowling were found. One of these was a reference to the Rowling farm as being "a nice place for the setders to call ... to get a drink of spring water and genial greeting from Mrs. Rowling and her growing family, who in this isolated place were glad to see and welcome any passers-by."48 The second reference is by her son Henry when discussing the grape vine. It is simply that from all the grapes; "Mother made lots of wine, and jam."49 He goes on to describe how 'they made preserves, probably meaning his mother and three sisters; "You know in the summertime they were always making preserves on the stove in the kitchen, and the heat rose up and passed through the cedar shake roof."50 These are the only two quotes that make direct reference to what sort of work the women did on the Rowling farm. The latter quote gives some insight into the conditions, working inside a hot kitchen in summer would have been a tiring task. Ofthe RowUng daughters the earliest recoUection of them was when the family was still living in Sapperton; "I also know Mr. Rowland [sic] .. .He had two daughters, fair haired girls."51 The eldest, Rose, died in 1891 in Victoria.52 The most information available is about PrisciUa. This is probably because her husband, Peter Byrne, was a counciUor and Reeve of Burnaby. She seems to have been the only female member ofthe family to be interviewed about her early life. What was printed was: She well remembers how, in those early years of her childhood the McCleerys . . .drove in winter their sleighloads of beef along the frozen Fraser, to New Westminster, andhowpackoftimberwolves which were numerous in those days followed the scent along the snowy track, howling as they went.53 The other reference to PrisciUa is made by Henry, the subject is again wildlife; The cats (lynx) have no fight in them . . .a cat thinks he's dead when a shot hits him, and just lies down dead. I remember one time a lady came along and said a cougar was killing her ducks, and Peter Byrne and another man went into the house and got two rifles, and went off after it, but PrisciUa (Mrs. Byrne, my sister) said, "You just take the old shot gun; it's only a cat."54 This quote shows that PrisciUa did have some knowledge about local animals and hunting and was not merely confined to making preserves in the kitchen. It could also reflect a bit of pride in his sister's practicality that this particular incident stuck in Henry's mind. He did listen to her, took the old shotgun "and went and got the cat."55 This incident occurred when the Rowling children were adults. Thomas had died in 1893, two years after Rose. William moved to California. The remaining famUy members continued to live near one another. PrisciUa, now Mrs. Byrne, lived with her husband and family on the North Arm close to her parents. Henry also moved his logging 37 B.C. Historical News - FaU 1996 :LiISH BAY ISLAMD *—r PT CARRY From Major Mathews Early Vancouver Vol. 3 38 B.C. Historical News - FaU 1996 operations near the Byrne family. James continued to live in South Vancouver, now with a family of his own. WiUiam Henry RowUng died 7 December 1905 and Mary died 15 February 1906; "both of old age, mother as she was walking across a room; father just passed away; worn out."56 Elizabeth had been made the "sole executrix and trustee"57 of her father's estate which was left to his wife. FoUowing her death Elizabeth was to get a third of the estate with the other surviving children sharing the remaining two thirds.58 William probably arranged his wiU this way to make sure Elizabeth, who had not married, would have a means to support herself. As it was "Aunt Lizzie"59 went to live with her sister and her nieces and nephew. The nature ofthe evidence affects what sort of picture is formed about the life of the Rowlings. Public aspects of life such as church attendance, pioneering experiences or description ofthe family home are readily discussed. Subjects belonging to the private sphere' such as what went on inside that family home are not. This is because the majority of evidence on the family is of a public nature: newspaper articles, oral history transcripts and books. Personal items such as letters and journals are not available. What interested the people who recorded and read the history ofthe Rowling family in the 1920s, 30s, and 40s was their pioneer experience; how they had "witnessed the phenomenal growth of New Westminster and Vancouver from the primeval forest."60 Also reflecting the type of history written during that time period is the predominance of information on the male members ofthe famUy, most notably William, James and Henry. These three had aU been active in early pioneering, politics and business. PrisciUa receives some mention, usually as a 'daughter of an early pioneer and a wife of a Reeve and Indian Agent.' Regardless of what is lacking, the evidence is stiU important. From the available information an idea of what life was like on the North Arm ofthe Fraser river during the last three decades ofthe nineteenth century can be formed. As Henry Rowling said: You wiU understand that, living as we did in more or less isolation on our solitary farms, incidents which would be of very minor importance in our great city of today with its daily newspapers, its foreign news, its radio, telephone, telegraph, loomed large in the minds of men whose ears heard few sounds, whose eyes saw litde other than trees and greenery, and whose concern was cattle and crops rather than economics and industry.61 Catde, crops, education, religion, farm life, social events, and work patterns are all included in the information available on Rowling famUy life. These things illustrate how the Rowling family interacted with the outside world as well as with each other. The experiences of the Rowling family also show how limited that outside world was and in consequence how much more important family relations would have been. ****** The author lives in Coquidam. She took a BJL History Major at Simon Fraser University then a Diploma in Public History. She donated the materials, found during her research for Ms paper, to the Burnaby Historical Society Archives. FOOTNOTES! 1. Alan Woodland, New Watminstcr - The Earh/ Yean 1858-1898 (New Westminster. Nunaga Publishing Company, 1973) p.3. 2. Major J.S. Mathews, Early Vancouver (Vancouver: Brock Webber Printing Co. Ltd., 1933) Vol. 3, p. 154. 3. Peter S.N. Claydon & Valerie A. Melanson, Vancouver Voters, 1886 (Richmond: The British Columbia Geneological Society, 1994) p. 609. 4. Ibid. 5. Ibid. 6. jack Strickland, "The Rowlings - Father and Son", The Daity Province (1 November 1947) magazine section, p. 3. 7. Claydon, p. 609. 8. City of Vancouver Archives (CVA) Rowling, William Henry AddMSS 146,1851-1889. 9. Mathews, Vol. 2, p. 131. 10. Mathews, Vol. 3, p. 153. 11. Ibid. 12. George Green, History of Bumaby and Vicinity (North Vancouver: Shoemaker, McLean & Veitch, 1947) p. 61. 13. Mathews, Vol. 3, p. 24. 14. The Daily Province, 1 November 1947, p. 3. 15. Claydon, pp. 609-617. 16. "He Arrived in 1868", unidentified newsclipping, family collection, 9 June (1923?). 17. Ibid. 18. Mathews, Vol. 2, p. 132. 19. Ibid, Vol. 3, p. 155. 20. "He Arrived in 1868", 9 June (1923?) 21. Mathews, Vol. 3, p. 153. 22. Ibid, p. 165. 23. "He Arrived in 1868", 9 June (1923!) 24. Ibid. 25. Photograph, family coUection. 26. Mathews, Vol. 3, p. 164. 27. "He Arrived in 1868", 9 June (1923!) 28. 23 September 1882. 29. Mathews, Vol. 3, p. 158. 30. "He Arrived in 1868", 9 June (1923!). 31. Mathews, Vol. 3, p. 42. 32. Claydon, p. 609. 33. Mathews, Vol. 3, p. 167. 34. Ibid, p. 155. 35. CVA, AddMSS 146. 36. "He Arrived in 1868", 9 June (1923-). 37. Ibid. 38. F.W. Howay, British Columbia Pictoral and Biographical (1914) p. 29. 39. Mathews, Vol. 3, p. 158. 40. Ibid, p. 158. 41. CVA, AddMSS 146. 42. CVZ, AddMSS 146. 43. Mathews, Vol. 2, p. 132. 44. Green, p. 89. 45. Ibid, p. 90. 46. Mathews, Vol. 3, p. 166. 47. Ibid, p. 166. 48. Thomas Kidd, History of Richmond Municipality (Wrigley Printing Co. 1927) p. 27. 49. Mathews, Vol. 3, p. 165. 50. Ibid, p. 165. 51. Ibid, p. 167. 52. Claydon, p. 609. 53. Green, p. 117. 54. Mathews, Vol. 3, p. 164. 55. Ibid. 56. Ibid, p. 154. 57. Cloverdale Public Library, Will of W.H. Rowling, Vol. 9, p. 473. 58. Ibid. 59. Postcard, family collection. 60. Green, p. 117. 61. Mathews, Vol. 3, p. 158. BIBUOGRAPHY: Census of Canada - 1881, Province of British Columbia, District of New Westminster, North Arm, p. 39. -1891, Province of British Columbia, District of New Westminster, North Arm, p. 9. -1901, Province of British Columbia, District of New Westminster, Richmond, p. 11. City of Vancouver Archives, Rowling, WiUiam Henry, Add.MSS 146,1851-1889. Claydon, Peter S.N. & Valerie A. Melanson (eds.) Vancouver Voters 1886; A Biographical Dictionary. Richmond: The British Columbia Geneological Society, 1994. Cloverdale PubUc Library, Will of W.H. Rowling, vol. 9, p. 473. Conversations with Judge Patricia Byrne, 12 February 1995 and 21 February 1995. "He Arrived in 1868", 9 June, (newspaper clipping in family coUection - unable to locate title & page no. - probable year of publication 1923). Green, George. History of Burnaby and Vicinity. North Vancouver: Shoemaker, McLean & Veitch Ltd., 1947. Howay, F.W. British Columbia Biographical. Vancouver S.J. Clarke, 1914. Kidd, Thomas. History of Richmond Municipality. Wrigley Printing Company, 1927. Lewis, A.H. South Vancouver: Past and Present. Vancouver Western Publishing Bureau, 1920. Mathews, Major J.S. Early Vancouver. 7 vols. Vancouver: Brock Webber Printing Co. Ltd., 1933. Mullandaine, Edward. The British Columbia Directory 1887. Victoria: E. MuUandaine & R.T. Williams Pub., 1887. Strickland, Jack. "The Rowlings - Father and Son." The Vancouver Daily Province 1 November 1947: 3 (magazine section). Williams British Columbia Directory 1891. Victoria: "The Colonist" Printres & Publishers. Woodland, Alan. New Westminster: The Early Yean 18581898. New Westminster: Nunaga Publishing Company, 1973. Woodward, Frances. "The Influence ofthe Royal Engineers on the Development of British Columbia." B.C. Studies 24 (Winter 74/75). 39 B.C. Historical News - FaU 1996 NEWS & NOTES Ross Bay Cemetery Vandalized John Adams' boyhood fascination with Ross Bay Cemetery in Victoria led him to write the Historic Guide to Ross Bay Cemetery in 1983. Adams and other members of the Old Cemeteries Committee conduct walking tours of this site at regularly scheduled times. Adams was roused from his bed early on the morning of March 3,1996. Police wanted him to evaluate the damage done by three teenagers who were caught in the act of struggling to overturn a tall column. They had succeeded in overturning some 52 grave markers. Shortly after midnight their boisterous actions attracted the attention of a lady whose home overlooked that section of the cemetery. The lady called police who found that the Commissionaire designated to be doing patrols that night was on an extended (and unauthorized) break. The three juveniles appeared in court several months later. They were assessed a fine of $750 with 18 months on probation and sentenced to do 150 hours of community Service. Adams works for the Heritage Branch of the B.C. Government but puts in many volunteer hours as advisor/advocate of heritage cemeteries. He strongly recommends a public education program to open citizens eyes to the heritage value of a cemetery; security lighting in urban areas; perimeter security with gates locked overnight; and night patrols if possible, especially on weekends. Last but not least, when damage has been done to grave markers, make repairs as quickly as possible. B.C. STUDIES CONFERENCE 1997 Tradition and Innovation May 1-3,1997 To be held at Nanaimo, B.C. on beautiful Vancouver Island Hosted by Malaspina University-College Comparative works, including Regional and International Perspectives, will be presented. Traditional and Innovative Topics and Approaches, as well as Workshops, will be offered. The main venue for the Conference will be the Coast Hotel, situated on Nanaimo's harbourfront. For more information, and registration materials, contact: Cheryl Krasnick Warsh Department of History Malaspina University-College Nanaimo, British Columbia, V9R 5S5, Canada Tel: (604) 753-3245 local 2113 Fax; (604) 741-2667 E-Mail: warshc@mala.bc.ca Deadline for the Receipt of Proposals is August 31st, 1996 Leo Rutledge Honored Leo Rutledge of Hudson's Hope has been president of the B.C. Guide Outfitters Association, a director of the Sierra Club, advisor on the Alaska Highway Gas Pipeline and a member of the Heritage Advisory Council. On June 14 he was awarded an honorary Associate of Arts Degree from Northern Lights College at the Fort St. John campus. Salt Spring Island Orchard Facts The items to follow concern the first European settler on Salt Spring Island. Regrettably, at least two books printed on the history of settlement and setting out of orchards on Salt Spring Island fail to mention Mr. Theodor Trage.1 On Salt Spring Island, the area we lived on was the first settled by Europeans. Mr. Theodore Trage, a qualified horticulturist from Heidelberg University, Germany, came in 1852-1853 by permission of Governor Douglas. Trage was an accomplished orchardist, and was responsible, along with Dr. Tolmie of the Hudson's Bay Company,2 in introducing various fruit stocks to the Islands (the San Juan's, now U.S.) and the lower mainland. This is an historical fact. Tomkins King came into production around 1800 in Warren County, New Jersey. Grown by orchardist, Jacob Wycoff, who subsequently brought it to Tomkins County, New York State. There are other Kings - namely King David, an apple often sold for Winter Banana.3 Kings of Tomkins County are very similar to an apple from England called 20oz. Pippin. Pippins are bearing trees from seedlings ("Pips" the seed - Old English - the seeding resultant becomes "Pippin"). No seed4 throws true to its parent. Grafting or budding to the seedling stalk or root is the only way a true species may be obtained of the particular variety desired. Any number of varieties may be transferred to one tree, area permitting, so that if you have a large tree you can imagine you many have an interesting harvest. Also, it helps to fertilize the various varieties on the trees. Some people out in the Sooke area were recounting a tale that Captain Colquhoun Grant of the 1860s "planted the seeds of these trees, Lemon Pippins, when he had cleared a patch." 5 The fact is he had some young trees of that variety on ship - as he brought fruit stock with him. After all these years, I was somewhat sorry to deflate so romantic a story! 1. Books authored by Reverent Wilson and later, in 1978, byToynbec (Ganges, B.C.). 2. Farm at Nisqually, Orgeon Territory. 3. As a retired orchardist from the Beaver Point area of Salt Spring Island, I am quite familiar with Tomkins Kings and King Davids. 4. AFameusemay. 5. I was asked by the Sooke Museum to graft some of these to the trees they had at Captain Grants place. I gave a demonstration to about 25 people, who all grafted, and whose grafts all grew. Dr. Margaret Ormsby O.C. Dr. Margaret Ormsby of Vernon, U.B.C. Professor Emeritus, and Honorary Life Member of the B.C. Historical Federation was presented with the Order of Canada in Ottawa on May 8, 1996. Congratulations come from a wide circle of former students and members of the BCHF! Jacque Mar Recognized by HSBC The Heritage Society of British Columbia held its annual conference in Nanaimo in June. Dr. Jacque Mar of Nanaimo received a Certificate of Honor for his many years of researching and preserving aspects of Chinese heritage here in Canada. The Heritage Society also recognized Archie Miller of New Westminster for his many years as Curator of Irving House. Congratulations to both of these gentlemen. Judge Henry Castillou of Merritt The Nicola Valley Museum & Archives opened a new gallery on August 22,1996 to display selected items from Judge Castillou's collection. Henry Castillou was born on the Coldwater Ranch near Merritt, in 1896. He was a large man who gained recognition as a cowboy, an anthropologist, and a county court judge of the Cariboo (1950-1960). Castillou was a legal and political advisor to the North American Indian Brotherhood and represented them before the Indian claims Commission in 1948. Over the years he also fought to legalize the sacred potlatch ceremony. He felt as comfortable conversing in Chinook as breaking a wild horse or receiving the keys to the city. Whether emceeing Merritt's first rodeo or relating pioneer stories to an archivist, his robust voice needed no amplification. Henry Castillou, the cowboy judge, will be remembered by those who visit the exhibit of personal and professional records and select items from his collection of artifacts. Community Cultural Development Conference A conference and workshops will be held in Vancouver October 24-27. For details and registration form contact the Assembly of British Columbia Arts Councils, #201 - 3737 Oak Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6H 2M4 Phone (604)738-0749 Fax (604) 738-5161. Clare McAllister, 1906-1996 Mrs. McAllister passed away in Victoria on June 12,1996 just short of her 90th birthday. She was born in Nelson, daughter of Mayor McQuarrie of that city. She received her B.A. from UBC in 1927 (majoring in French), married, had three children then studied Social Work (Diploma 1945, M.A. 1956.) She worked 40 B.C. Historical News - Fall 1996 NEWS & NOTES for the Children's Aid Society in Victoria, the Department of Veterans Affairs in Winnipeg, then was on staff at UBC. Upon retirement Clare settled on Galiano Island and later moved to the James Bay area in Victoria. She was very active with local historical societies as well as working to establish seniors care centres and retirement homes in these communities. She became Honorary President ofthe B.C. Historical Federation in 1989, serving a two year term. Her long, rich and challenging life was accorded a Memorial Service by Quaker Friends on June 19,1996. Maureen Cassidy, 1945-1996 A former editor of this magazine passed away suddenly at her summer home at Kispiox on July 30,1996. Maureen volunteered to present the British Columbia Historical News in its updated format from July 31,1981 to summer 1983. She also wrote A Guide to Researching Writing and Publishing Local History In B.C. for B.C. Heritage Trust (1983.). Speedy Incorporation At the turn-of-the-century British Columbia underwent rapid expansion in both population and property development. The infrastructure to the province's burgeoning communities was being overextended and an orderly, controlled environment was required. As a result, the provincial government passed legislation to enable property owners to apply for incorporation under the guidelines specified in the "Municipalities Incorporation under the guidelines specified in the "Municipalities Incorporation Act, 1896". However, this process took time and some impatient landowners petitioned the provincial government to help speed up incorporation through special legislation. An Act to accelerate the Incorporation of Towns and Cities. (4th March. 1897) Whereas the residents ofthe towns of Nelson and Rossland, in the District of Kootenay, and Grand Forks, in the District of Yale, are desirous of securing immediate incorporation, but are prevented therefrom by the provisions ofthe "Municipalities Incorporation Act, 1896," which necessitate, amongst other requirements, notices and petitions: And whereas the exigencies of the case justify a departure from the general statutory conditions: Therefore, Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of British Columbia, enacts as follows: - ...the "Speedy Incorporation of Towns Act, 1897." Signed by Edgar Dewdney, Lieutenant Governor. Although Nelson, Rossland and Grand Forks were accelerated into "urban municipality" status in 1897, it is worth noting that Greenwood and Sandon also became cities in that same year. Thus five communities in southeastern British Columbia will be celebrating their centennials in 1997. When attending the British Columbia Historical Federation conference in Nelson, 1-4 May 1997, take time to visit these communities. Len Nicholls - Honorary President 1996-97 John Leonard Nicholls of Nanaimo was acclaimed Honorary President at the B.C. Historical Federation's Annual Meeting in Williams Lake. Len was born in Nanaimo, where his father was a Provincial Policeman, in 1908. Later the family lived in Calgary, Vancouver and Victoria. Len was active in track and field, student's council, and dramatics during his student years. After studying at Normal School he taught at Port Renfrew then at Ganges, Parksville and Qualicum. He earned a B.A. at UBC in 1936 and a B.Ed, in 1951. During WWII he was supervising principal for the whole of School District 69. In 1936 he married Margaret (Peggy) Williams in St. Anne's Church, Parksville. They have two daughters. Together they have worked with and for four historical societies, Nanooa, District 69, Qualicum and Nanaimo. Len was president of Kinsmen, Rotary and other organizations. The Parksville Kinsmen named Nicholls Park in his honor. We say 'Thank You" to this good citizen and hope he enjoys his new role. Honorary President Len Nicholls and bis wife Peggy Canadian Historical Association Certificates of Merit for Regional History British Columbia (formerly British Columbia - Yukon) The Regional History Committee of the Canadian Historical Association invites nominations for its "Certificate of Merit" awards. Two awards are given annually for each of the five Canadian regions, including British Columbia: (1) an award for publicaftons and videos that make a significant contribution to regional history and that will serve as a model for others; and (2) an award to individuals for work over a lifetime or to organizations for contributions over an extended period of time. Nominations accompanied by as much supporting documentation as possible should be sent no later than 15 December 1996 to Dr. Mary-Ellen Kelm, History Programme, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, B.C. V2N 4Z9 1995 awards were presented to: 1. Frank Leonard, A Thousand Blunders: The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway and Northern British Columbia. (Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 1995). 2. George Brandak, archivist at the U.B.C. Special Collections. ©0 Book Shelf Books Also Noted - Olimpics 100; Canada at the Summer Games. Dheensaw, Cleve. Victoria, Orca, 1996. $18.95. Salmon Arm's Historic Routes and the People behind the Names. Marshall, Denis. Salmon Arm, Okanagan Historical Society, 1995. $12.95 Trails to Gold. Volume 2. Roadhouses of the Cariboo. Patenaude, Branwen. Surrey, Heritage House, 1996. $18.95 Gabriola Place Names. Bell, Aula and Neil Aitken. Gabriola, Reflections Books, 1996. $12.00. Cactus in Your Shorts. Matheson, George. Lumby, Kettle Valley Publishing, 1966. $19.95 Reading beyond Words: Contexts for Native History. Edited by Jennifer S.H. Brown and Elizabeth Vibert Bsterborough, Broadview Press, 1995. $29.95 41 B.C. Historical News - FaU 1996 BOOKSHELF Books for review and book reviews should be sent directly to the Book Review Editor: Anne Yandle, 3450 West 20th Avenue, Vancouver, B.C. V6S 1E4 Boundary History. The Thirteenth Report of the Boundary Historical Society, ed. Alice Glanville. Grand Forks, 1995. 163 p. illus. $13.00 The Thirteenth Report follows a well-established format: a number of articles; notes from the Society's annual general meetings (1992, 1993 and 1994); a listing of members and addresses; a listing "In Remembrance" of persons of interest who have died in recent years; and, what is not so common, an index. There are five maps, 68 photographs and five drawings. The photos have been well selected. They combine several general views with some of individual buildings and of people, and they complement the text effectively. They are clearly reproduced. The Boundary District is not well known to many of us who live outside the southern interior of the province. Essentially it runs along the border with the U.S. from Anarchist Mountain (east of Osoyoos) to Christina Lake, with a side branch up the Kettle and West Kettle River valleys. The area representatives for the Boundary Historical's Society's October 1994 annual meeting came from Greenwood, Midway, Rock Creek, Bridesvelle, Beaverdell, Grand Forks, and Christina Lake; that gives a good sense of the extent of the district One member at the 1992 annual meeting "expressed concern over erroneous signs welcoming visitors to Kootenay Country instead of Boundary Country", a concern somewhat demonstrative of the problem of being a smaller region stuck between the larger and better known Okanagan and Kootenay districts. Let's hope that Boundary History, over the years, will help correct the outside ignorance. While, as is to be expected, there is a wide divergence in the qualities of the writing in the articles, there is a certain unity in this Thirteenth Report Overall there is an unaffected feel to the collection. The Majority of the articles are biographical or autobiographical, and this gives an intimacy. Therein may lie much of the value of local history - the events and situations are immediate, personal, human. Fteople dominate, not large impersonal institutions. One learns, for example, about the cattle ranching scene in "Lawrence Folvik: the Rancher", something of the history of the Grand Forks" hospitals in Reminiscences by Helen Campbell, a nurse, both essentially biographical. A degree of continuity to the collection is also provided by the fact that often two or more articles are concerned with one area within the district There are two articles "Rock Creek History, the miners gather", and "William Cox: gold commissioner" which focus on Rock Creek, and three "The Last Resident of Phoenix: W.H. Bambury", "The Three Bachelors", and "The Diary of W.H. Bambury" which are centred on Phoenix and Greenwood. The greater value of Boundary History comes not from an individual issue but from the accumulated Reports issued over time. The Boundary Historical Society is to be commended for this particular issue, and those wishing to get a sense of the history of the southern interior would do well to read this Report and its companion issues of earlier years. _ ,, ,, George Newell. George Newell is a member of the Victoria Historica/ Society. Waiting for the Light: Early Mountain Photographers in British Columbia and Alberta, 1865-1939. Brock V Silversides. Saskatoon, Fifth House, 1995. 184 p., illus. $29.95 Unlike many other pictorial tributes to the skills of mountain photographers, this book begins by introducing representative photographers and their motivations. The author, a well-known Alberta historian of Prairie provinces photography, identifies the primary characteristics of early mountain photography: the portrayal of conflicting values of wilderness and development The earliest photographers of the rugged terrain were drawn by the westward march of empire, yet by the 1880s and 1890s wilderness scenes (picturesque views) were a major stock item of landscape photographers. Throughout this collecrion of views and portraits from the Western mountains, the juxtaposition of wilderness without humans and humans within the wilderness is strikingly portrayed. While there is no other book like this, and therefore as an introduction to the subject this is the only choice, some of the subject matter is available in other books, most of which are listed in the bibliography. The design of this book duplicates that of Silversides' first book from this publisher, The Face Pullers: Photographing Native Canadians, 1871-1939 (1994). A general introduction to the subject, then short chapters foUowed by a selection of images intended to convey the pictorial equivalent of the text Chronologically the chapters in his second book cover the first photographers, the building of the railways, the establishment of the national parks and the increase in tourism, the economic base of the mountain population, and the further development of transportation networks to encourage settlement and more tourism. There is no index. Silversides discusses the work of all the major mountain photographers based in Alberta and British Columbia, except for one, a somewhat startling omission. W.J. Oliver (1887-1954) of Calgary was both an internationally renowned still photographer and cinematographer of the Western mountains. Sheilagh S. Jameson wrote and published his biography in 1984. Although a few Oliver images are included, the author did not summarize a long career that included commissioned work for the federal Parks Branch in the 1920s and 1930s. An otherwise flawless presentation is marred by a number of niggling and noticeable errors. An explanatory text at the start titled "The Western Ranges" cautions against identifying all the mountains of B.C. as "the Rockies." Yet the first sentence of the first chapter begins "Photography came to the Canadian Rockies in 1865 when Charles Gentile entered the Fraser Canyon.. ." Not only was Gentile not the first photographer through the Fraser Canyon, but he came nowhere near the Rocky Mountains, nor was he even the first to photograph among the Rockies! Royal Engineers of the Columbia Detachment stationed at New Westminster photographed in the Fraser Canyon beginning in 1859. A different group of Royal Engineers with the Northwest Boundary Commission Survey also documented through photographs taken in 1860 and 1861 the marking of the international boundary from Point Roberts to the upper slopes of the Rocky Mountains. While Silversides states that Charles Gentile (1865) and Frederick Dally (1867 & 1868) were the earliest photographers in the Central Interior, at least two other professional photographers were there first Christopher Fulton worked both the lower Fraser Canyon region in 1862 and the Cariboo in the same capacity the following year. Photographer/jeweller Louis A. Blanc preceded Dally to the Cariboo by at least one month. More careful editing could also have prevented several instances of photographs either misidentified or inadequately described by location, or the photographer not being credited despite a name clearly visible on the print. Some of the photo selections make a tenuous connection with "mountain photography": the arrival of the first passenger train at Vancouver (not Port Moody) in 1887, a logging locomotive near Cloverdale and a Native Passion Play at Mission in 1892 are but three examples. The fact that so much of B.C. is mountainous makes it important to clarify through the captions why certain photos as those were selected. The diversity and skillful work of the early photographers is well represented in this book. Anyone with a passing interest is how photography was used to shape our perceptions of the wilderness, and how people interacted with the wild mountain terrain will enjoy this work. David Mattison. David Mattison is a reference archivist with the B.C. Archives and Records Service and a widelv published photo-historian. Catalysts and Watchdogs: B.C's Men of God: 1836-1871. Joan Weir. Victoria, Sono Nis Press, 1995.116 p., illus. $14.95. Paper. Joan Weir examines the contribution made by Christian missionaries to the development of British Columbia, and poses the question: "Without the Men of God might history have been different?" In the course of that examination she scores some telling points against revisionist history and "presentism". Rivalry and prejudice marred relationships, not only between missionaries, fur traders, miners and administrators, but among missionaries of various denominations. Decisions were made in Eng- 42 B.C. Historical News - Fall 1996 BOOKSHELF land by well-intentioned prelates and well-heeled laity, none of whom had the slightest idea what awaited the ministers they sent forth. No one had begun to cope with the contradiction between their evangelical vocation, which for most of them was not mere "prejudice", and the existing culture and spirituality of the native peoples. Weir argues that despite their failures, the "Men of God" helped shape the emerging character of the region west of the Rockies: ". . .they provided much-needed leadership when there was no other source of guidance or direction. They promoted education. They brought stability to the gold fields. They served as a crucial brake on an inexperienced and often headstrong colonial government They were also among the first to speak out on the confusing and complicated issue of land title." In the course of her argument, she discusses the clumsy first priestly arrivals, the Columbia Mission, the missions to the miners, the brideships and the residential schools (both "seemed a good idea at the time"), and the dubious Utopia of Metlakatla. Finally, she looks at the clergy's role as "watchdogs" with an eye out for greed and injustice. Joan Weir is a story-teller, the author of eleven novels for young people and a half dozen volume of Western Canadian history. Ironically, the fact poses a problem for the reader of this book, because this time Joan Weir does not intend to tell a story. She is proving a point, and every step in her proof involves a true story, which can be only partially told before she goes on to the next step and the next story. The reader has to remember that the stories have been told elsewhere, some of them by Joan Weir herself. An argument not a plot, is to be followed. Nevertheless, we are left with some gripping vignettes and the personal tragedies of men like James Renard of Barkerville, John McLoughlin of the Hudson's Bay Company, and the complicated Bishop George Hills who sent his clergy into impossible situations and then denied them what they most needed: himself. This well-documented little book points us to other books and to further examination of questions which bother our historical conscience. Phyllis Reeve. Phyllis Reeve lives on Gabriola Island. The Wilderness Profound: Victoria Life on the Gulf of Georgia. Richard Mackie. Victoria, Sono Nis Press, 1995. 314 p., iUus., maps, paper. $19.95. The Wilderness Profound is a story of the Comox Valley set in the last forty years of the nineteenth century and centres around the life of George Fawcett Drabble. He was, amongst other occupations, a surveyor, road and bridge builder, farmer, auctioneer, and magistrate. In July 1862, Drabble left his wife and three children under strange and impulsive circumstances, and ended up in the Comox Valley in July 1864. His wife died in July 1863 but his three young children never joined him. Drabble was born in Barlow, England on May 17, 1833 and died in the Cumberland hospital on September 10,1901. He was responsible for many of the original surveys around what was then known as the Gulf of Georgia, from Nanoose Bay to the Nimpkish River. He surveyed preemptions, timber, mining, and cannery lands, as well as town lot subdivisions. Three months after he moved to the Comox Valley, he left for Nanaimo to work as a farm manager. It was at that time that he also tried his hand in road construction. In April 1866 he moved back to the Comox Valley to make it his permanent home. In the years to come he became a Justice of the Bsace, Superintendent of Public Works, Collector of Votes for the Comox Valley, an officer of the Comox Agricultural Association, farm agent, auctioneer, school board trustee, trader of lumber and farm products, as well as practising as a land surveyor. Drabble surveyed the townsite of Comox in 1875, the first townsite north of Nanaimo, and the townsite of Courtenay in 1888. He located a large portion of the Vancouver Island Highway from Qualicum to Oyster River, but the busiest period in his surveying career was during the 'Dunsmuir Boom' of coal exploration from 1887 to 1892. Early in 1894, he applied for the position of stipendiary (salaried) magistrate in Union (Cumberland). He did not receive the appointment, and soon after his behaviour became decidedly eccentric. Through 1894 to 1896, he was plagued by a number of land scandals; yet despite all of this he carried on as a justice of the peace until his retirement in 1898. After his retirement, his age and health were even more against him and his range of occupations diminished as the valley urbanized and younger qualified professionals arrived. Until near his death, he subdivided some old valley farms in 1898, surveyed the new Courtenay bridge in 1899, and did his last survey in January 1901 near Little River. Drabble had a relationship with an indigenous woman called "Drabble's Mary". Little is known about her or their relationship, and there is no indication that they were married. However, they had at least one child, a son named Johnny (Tlagoglas), who became one of the leading men in Alert Bay. George Fawcett Drabble is commemorated by the Drabble Lakes in Strathcona Park and Mount Drabble in the Forbidden Plateau. There was a Drabble Street in Courtenay but it was renamed 2nd Street in 1945. There was also a Drabble Street in Comox, but in 1948, Comox Village Council renamed it Church Street for no other reason than apparently they just didn't like the name. The author, Richard Mackie, currently lives at the corner of 2nd Street (Drabble Street) and Duncan Avenue (named after an old Comox Valley family and one of his many sources for the book). Mackie has done a tremendous amount of research, as is evident by the length of the bibliography - over nine pages. The text is well organized and the information on Drabble is nicely interspersed with other history of the Comox Val ley. The book has an excellent selection of maps, sketches, plans and photographs that are well placed throughout the book. The only fault 1 could find is the lack of a table listing their locations. The Wilderness Profound has filled an important void in the history of early land surveying in British Columbia, lt is of particular interest to this reviewer as 1 was born in Comox, a descendant of an early Comox Valley family, raised in Courtenay, and frequented most of the areas mentioned in the book Robert W. Allen. Robert Allen is Chairman, Historical and Biographical Committee, Corporation of Land Survyeors ofthe Province of British Columbia. Sointula; Island Utopia. Paula Wild. Madeira Park, Harbour Publishing, 1995. 240 p., illus. $28.95. "Sail away, Sail away" from the turbulence and hardships of daily life. Embark upon new relationships predicated on respect, co-operation and love. Dream about "heaven" here on earth and then proceed to make it manifest That is exactly what a group of predominantly Finnish-Canadian coal miners and their families from the vicinity of Ladysmith and Wellington on Vancouver Island did nearly a century ago. Inspired by their charismatic leader, Matti Kurikka, they founded Sointula (Finnish for place of harmony) on Malcolm Island, some 250 miles north of Victoria on the rugged and largely uninhabited British Columbia coast In Sointula: Island Utopia, Paula Wild recalls the participants' achievements and shortcomings. Her journalistic account chronicles both the collapse of the Utopian initiative in the quagmire of its own confusion and upon the tenacity of a community determined to survive and prosper into the next millennium. The anecdotal segments on non-Finn "newcomers" in the 1960s and 70s reminds us of the continuing imperative to envision choices and the need to act upon them. For the casual reader the author's style and the generous scattering of photographs offers smooth sailing through nearly a century of habitation on Malcolm Island. For the serious researcher or scholar, the book deservedly falters on the shoals. It divulges little that is new. Furthermore, its value is diminished by Harbour Publishing's annoying policy of not providing proper documentation. The mere inclusion of a broad bibliography does not compensate for or excuse the omission of full notations recognizing the use of significant aspects of previous scholarship. Nor does it encourage additional investigation and research. Throughout much of Sointula: Island Utopia the reader is left with little to connect the text to the sources from which it is squeezed. Nevertheless, on any summer afternoon, sail away and follow the dream. Borrow the book. Better still, visit Sointula. Allan H. Salo. Allan Salo is an architect and anthropologist, with a Finnish background. 43 B.C. Historical News - Fall 1996 BOOKSHELF Tales From Hidden Basin. Dick Hammond. Harbour Publishing, Madeira Park, B.C. 256 p., illus. map. $17.95 Tales From Hidden Basin is a unique blend of myth, folklore, and the realities of the lives of early pioneers. Dick Hammond, who relates the stories his father told him, plainly doted on that father. The tales are a mixture of boyish adventures, the reactions to visitors of a family living in isolation, and the attitudes of a life and society long gone. All freely sprinkled with unexplained happenings and strange characters, so that one is left wondering, and trying to decide where fact and fantasy mingle. Every West Coaster, or, should I say, Up Coaster, will relate to this book. And the many who aspire to be West and Up Coasters should read it, as part of their orientation process. That being said, I did decide half way through the book the best policy was simply relax and enjoy... Hidden Basin is on Nelson Island, not exactly a hub of activity even today, let alone early in this century when the Hammonds moved there, lt should be mentioned these are stories of the lives of men and boys. There is little reference to the women in the family, and 1 was almost surprised to discover toward the end of the book that there were seven sisters! - But then, in the early days on our coast, it was a man's world, and a rough and ready one. We read of a breed that is today extinct I lifted my head from the book at one point, and saw bicyclists with helmets, knuckle and knee guards, and heaven know what else to protect them from the awesome dangers of a city park, gazed beyond them to the ocean where boaters festooned with life jackets and other impedimenta made their hallowed progress, and wondered how anyone living up the coast long years ago survived at all, if viewed by today's standards. I also realized that any person under forty reading Tales From Hidden Basin could well find it as exotic as the written exploits of someone in the Brazilian jungle, or Indonesian waterways, so different it is from the world today. For the boys in Hidden Basin wore neither helmets nor life jackets, etc, but were trained to take full responsibility for their own safety, whether on their farm, in the bush, or on the salt chuck. There are 24 stories all together, but there is much diversity, though a theme that runs throughout is the pride men took back then of their skills with tools, their knowledge of the land around them, nature itself. It is also amazing to hear of the startling differences between visitors to the Basin. The following are remarks about some of the stories. "The Blind Man" tells of an unlikely couple: a blind old Jew who had an extensive library, and a red-haired Scot who could speak Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. Cougar Hunt Who, living up the Coast, has no memories of cougars? This story also gives a clear picture of the coastal terrain, with lots of woods and hunting wisdom thrown in. No such book would be complete without a story of Pitlampers. Long Hard Winter Contains descriptions of early hand logging, also the destruction teredos can cause in a boom of logs. Revenge: It is oft-stated today that children are under hitherto unknown pressure to excel and succeed. But, at the turn of the century the Hammond boys were expected to be able to: "..be able to do a standing jump over a bar that he could walk under without stooping, and a standing long jump of twice that distance. He should be able to stay under water for...three minutes, and swim under for two." Fire in the Iron: Hal, who goes to work in the quarry on Granite Island, ends up as the blacksmith's helper. (The blacksmith surely was kin to Raul Bunyan.) (An interesting sidelight here is the information that the granite for the lions that front what was Vancouver's courthouse, and is now the Art Gallery, came from Granite Island.) In All Directions: We tend today to think that in the 'old days' marriages were made in heaven, and did not break up. This story reveals that human relations have ever been the same. On the downside of this collection of stories, 1 found the accompanying line drawings disappointing, for they give little visual proof of the beauty of the area with which the book deals. I found the volume interesting, an intriguing insight into the days when our coast was young. - A tribute to the inventiveness, the hard work, of the pioneers, an individualistic breed unique to Canada's West Coast The comments on the back page sum it up neatly: "These are the stories of a lost civilization. It was a civilization without 'average' individuals: These stories resonate with the ring of truth and the power of myth..." Kelsey McLeod. Kelsey McLeod is a member of the Vancouuer Historical Society. Underlying Vibrations, the Photography and Life of John Vanderpant Sheryl Salloum. Victoria, Horsdal & Schubart, 1995. 96 p. illus. plus a portfolio of 58 b&w plates, $35.00. Photography, as an art form was neglected for a long time in Canada. The past few years, however, have witnessed an increasing number of books about photographers who have lived and worked both in Canada and abroad. In British Columbia, we are fortunate to have repositories of the work of several individual photographers who found the life and scenery of the province an inspiration. Such a person was Vanderpant Vanderpant was born in Haarlem, Holland, in 1884 to a family with a strong appreciation of the arts. He demonstrated a love of poetry, music and art from an early age. He decided to emigrate to Canada in 1911 when the CPR. was encouraging overseas settlers. Originally he lived in several small Albera towns where he practised photography but in 1919 he decided to move west to Vancouver, although his original destina tion was Hawaii. The western city became his home and it is the twenty years that he and his family lived and worked in Vancouver that is the subject of this book. Vanderpant established a studio/gallery where he worked and exhibited his own work and also that of artists who were living in the city at the time. The 20's and 30's were an exciting, but also, a frustrating time in Vancouver's art world. Some members of the Group of Seven were living here, the Art School was established, the University was flourishing and cultural groups were formed Little recognition of this activity was given by the eastern Canadian art world, despite constant requests for support and attention. Vanderpant became a central figure in this artistic "whirlwind of innovation." He not only encouraged the development of a cultural milieu but he himself gained an international reputation for his photographic work. He showed with such American photographers as Imogen Cunningham and Edward Weston and became a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain, the highest possible recognition for a photographer. Sheryl Salloum has written a text which is both interesting and well-documented as she places the photographer within the society of the times. We are given a vivid picture of the artistic life of Vancouver during the period between the two World Wars as well as Vanderpant's own work and activities. The fifty-eight black and white plates (the portfolio) show a representative selection of Vanderpant's work as do the forty-two smaller figures used throughout the text His leaning to the spiritual appears in his approach to his subjects. His interest in the effect of light and shadow are well demonstrated in the photographs of natural forms, architectural elements and portraits. The portraits also catch the essence of the individual personalities of the subjects. The many footnotes which follow the portfolio give a wealth of information about the many sources consulted by the author. It would have been better perhaps to have the footnotes immediately after the text rather than after the portfolio but this is a minor detail. A selected bibliography, two indexes, one to the text and one to the plates are also included. This portrait of one of Canada's major photographers is certainly a welcome addition to what has been, up to now, a lack of recognition for this important aspect of the country's artistic heritage. It is also a welcome addition to the literature about British Columbia's history. Melva J. Dwyer. Fine Arts Librarian emerita Uniuereiry of British Columbia. ALSO NOTED: Chronicler of the Kootenays; Elsie Grant Turnbull, 1903-1906; a bibliography. Welwood, Ron. Castlegar, Selkirk College, 1996. Available from Author, Selkirk College Ubrary, Box 1200, Castlegar, B.C. V1N 3J1. 44 B.C. Historical News - Fall 1996 THE BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORICAL FEDERATION HONORARY PATRON His Honour, the Honorable Garde B. Gardom Q.C. HONORARY PRESIDENT J. Len Nicholls #103 - 550 Blue Girl Way, Nanaimo, B.C. V9S 5T6 OFFICERS President First Vice President Second Vice President Secretary Recording Secretary Treasurer Members at Large Past President Alice Glanville Ron Welwood Marjorie Leffler T. Don Sale R. George Thomson Doris J. May Wayne Desrochers Melva Dwyer Myrtle Haslam Box 746, Grand Forks, B.C. VOH 1 HO Fax (250) 442-3265 RR #1, S22 C1, Nelson, B.C. V1L 5P4 (250) 442-3865 aglanvil@awinc.com (250) 825-4743 Welwood@Selkirk.bc.ca 516 Willow St, Parksville, B.C. V9P 1A4 (250) 248-3431 262 Juniper St, Nanaimo, B.C. V9S 1X4 (250) 753-2067 #19,141 East 5th Ave., Qualicum Beach, B.C. V9K 1N5 (250) 752-8861 2943 Shelbourne St, Victoria, B.C. V8R 4M7 (250) 595-0236 8811 - 152nd St, Surrey, B.C. V3R 4E5 2976 McBride St, Surrey, B.C.V4A 3G6 (604)581-0286 (604) 535-3041 Box 20,1875 Wessex Rd., Cowichan Bay, B.C. VOR 1 NO (250) 748-8397 COMMITTEE OFFICERS Archivist B.C. Historical News Publishing Committee Book Review Editor Editor Membership Secretary Subscription Secretary Historical Trails and Markers Publications Assistance (not involved with B.C. Historical News) Writing Competition (Lieutenant Governor's Award) Margaret Stoneberg Tony Farr Anne Yandle Naomi Miller Nancy Peter Margaret Matovich John Spittle Box 687, Princeton, B.C. VOX 1W0 (250) 295-3362 125 Castle Cross Rd, Salt Spring Island, B.C. V8K 2G1 (250) 537-1123 3450 West 20th Ave, Vancouver, B.C. V6S 1E4 (604) 733-6484 Box 105, Wasa, B.C. VOB 2K0 (250) 422-3594 #7 - 5400 Patterson Avenue, Burnaby, B.C. V5H 2M5 (604) 437-6115 6985 Canada Way, Burnaby, B.C. V5E 3R6 (604) 522-5049 1241 Mount Crown Rd, North Vancouver, B.C. V7R 1R9 (604) 988-4565 Nancy Stuart-Stubbs 2651 York Avenue, Vancouver, B.C. V6K 1E6 (604) 738-5132 Contact Nancy for advice and details to apply for a loan toward the cost of publishing. Scholarship Committee Frances Gundry Pixie McGeachie 255 Niagara Street, Victoria, B.C. V8V 1G4 7953 Rosewood St, Burnaby, B.C. V5E 2H4 (250) 385-6353 (604) 522-2062 (NOTE: Area code prefixes are effective from October 19,1996 onward). The British Columbia Historical News P.O. Box 5254, Stn. B Victoria, B.C. V8R 6N4 Publications Mail Registration No. 4447 BC Historical FEDERATION WRITING COMPETITION The British Columbia Historical Federation invites submissions of books for the fourteenth annual Competition for Writers of B.C. History. Any book presenting any facet of B.C. history, published in 1996, is eligible. This may be a community history,.biography,.record of a project or an organization, or personal recollections giving a glimpse of the past. Names, dates and places, with relevant maps or pictures, turn a story into "history." The judges are looking for quality presentations, especially if fresh material is included, with appropriate illustrations, careful proofreading, an adequate index, table of contents and bibliography, from first-time writers as well as established authors. NOTE: Reprints or revisions of books are not eligible. The Lieutenant Governor's Medal for Historical Writing will be awarded to an individual writer whose book contributes significantly to the recorded history of British Columbia. Other awards will be made as recommended by the judges to valuable books prepared by groups or individuals. All entries receive considerable publicity. Winners will receive a Certificate of Merit, a monetary award and an invitation to the BCHF annual conference to be held in Nelson in May 1997. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS: All books must have been published in 1996 and should be submitted as soon as possible after publication. Two copies of each book should be submitted. Books entered become property ofthe B.C. Historical Federation. Please state name, address and telephone number of sender," the selling price of all editions of the book, and the address from which it may be purchased, if the reader has to shop by mail. If by mail, please include shipping and handling costs if applicable. SEND TO: B.C. Historical Writing Competition c/o P. McGeachie • 7953 Rosewood Street, Burnaby, B.C. V5E 2H4 DEADLINE: December 31,1996. There is also an award for the Best Article published each year in the B.C. Historical News magazine. This is directed to amateur historians or students. Articles should be no more than 3,000 words, typed double spaced, accompanied by photographs if available, and substantiated with footnotes where applicable. (Photographs should be accompanied with information re: the source, permission to publish, archival number if applicable, and a brief caption. Photos will be returned to the writer.) Please send articles directly to: The Editor, B.C. Historical News, P.O. Box 105, Wasa, B.C. VOB 2K0
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