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British Columbia History
Vol. 42 No. 3
56 pages
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HISTORY Journal of the British Columbia Historical Federation | Vol.42 No. 3 | $5.00 This Issue: Poetry and the War | Street trees | Art Education | and more British Columbia History Journal of the British Columbia Historical Federation Published four times a year. ISSN: print 1710-7881 online 1710-792X British Columbia History welcomes stories, studies, and news items dealing with any aspect of the history of British Columbia, and British Columbians. Please submit manuscripts for publication to the Editor, British Columbia History, John Atkin, 921 Princess Avenue, Vancouver BC V6A 3E8 e-mail: bcheditor@bchistory.ca Submission guidelines are available at: bchistory.ca/joumal/index.html Book reviews for British Columbia History, Frances Gundry, Book Review Editor, BC History, P.O. 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For reproduction for other purposes permission in writing of both author and publisher is required. British Columbia Historical Federation A charitable society under the Income Tax Act Organized 31 October 1922 PO Box 5254, Station B., Victoria BC V8R 6N4 Under the Distinguished Patronage of His Honour The Honourable Steven L. Point, OBC Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia Honorary President Ron Hyde Officers President: Ron Greene PO Box 1351, Victoria V8W 2W7 Phone 250.598.1835 Fax 250.598.5539 president@bchistory. ca First Vice President: Anne Edwards Box 148, Moyie, V0B 2A0 Phone 250.829.0666 vp1 ©bchistory.ca Second Vice President: Tom Lymbery 1979 ChainsawAve., Gray Creek V0B 1S0 Phone 250.227.9448 Fax 250.227.9449 vp2@bchistory.ca Secretary: Janet M. Nicol 611 - 1035 Pacific Street, Vancouver V6E 4G7 secretary@bchistory.ca Recording Secretary: Jill Rowland % BC Historical Federation, P.O. 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Box 75, Lions Bay, VON 2E0 Phone 604.921.9496 recognition@bchistory.ca Website Award: Contact: Duff Sutherland, History Instructor, Selkirk College, 301 Frank Beinder Way, Castlegar, V1N 3J1 Phone 250.365.7292 x 334 webprize@bchistory.ca A complete list of the Federation's membership is available at www.bchistory.ca/membership/present/index.html www.bchistory.ca is the Federation's web site Membership The British Columbia Historical Federation has been working since 1922 with historical sites, societies, groups, museums, archives, etc. throughout British Columbia preserving and promoting British Columbia's history. The British Columbia Historical Federation is an umbrella organization embracing a variety of membership classes. • Member Societies: Local and regional historical societies with objectives consistent with those of the Federation. All dues paying members of the local or regional society shall be ipso facto members of the Federation. • Affiliated Members: Groups, organizations and institutions without dues paying members with specialized interests or objectives of a historical nature. j Associate Members: Individuals may become members of the Federation. • Corporate Members: Companies are entitled to become members of the Federation. Annual Membership Dues • Member Societies: one dollar per member with a minimum membership fee of $25 and a maximum of $75, including a subscription to the Federation's journal and newsletter; • Affiliated Members: $35, receive the Federation's journal and newsletter • Associate Members: $35, receive the Federation's journal and newsletter • Corporate Members: $100, receive the Federation's journal and newsletter For further information about memberships, contact Ron Hyde - Membership Chair BC Historical Federation, PO Box 63006, Richmond, B.C. V7E 6K4. Phone 604-277-2627 email membership@bchistorv.ca "Any country worthy of a future should be interested in its past" W. Kaye Lamb, 1937 immJL (joluyhJUa/ H1STO RY The Journal of the British Columbia Historical Federation |. Vbiume 42 < Number 3 The Mark of the Hun Robert Taylor. 2 Ski Jumping Records in Canada Francis Mansbridge 8 Vancouver's Street Trees Marie-Eve Daunais 9 BC Chamber of Mines: 1898 Edition Chuck Davis 16 Rule Britannia: the I.O.D.E. and Post War Art Education in British Columbia Lloyd Bennett 18 Robert Cunningham & Son of Skeena (Port Essington) Ron Greene 24 Archives and Archivists 28 Book Reviews 30 Miscellany 40 Cover image: Robert Cunningham's boat, the Hazelton Ron Greene collection BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY - Vol. 42 No. 3 The Mark Of the Hun: The Image of Germans in Popular Verse Published in Victoria, B.C., during the Great War By Robert R. Taylor Robert Taylor is Professor Emeritus of History at Brock University and author of several books including Castles of the Rhine. Recreating the Middle Ages in Modern Germany. in this War Bond appeal, Victorians were warned that "our boys and girls" would have to work "as slaves in their own mines, in their forests, their fields and factories." "While the beast lives, his venom, his gall, his merciless, monstrous ambition threaten our homes." (Victoria Daily Times, 24 October1918, 7.) The illustrations for this article were taken from the Victoria Daily Times or the Victoria Daily Colonist. Although not specifically created for the local newspapers, they reflect what readers encountered every day in published poetry, reinforcing the imagery of the poems. Many citizens dispute the validity of Canada's current commitment in Afghanistan, but during the First World War, the majority of Canadians rallied behind the national cause. Examples of poetry from the Victoria Daily Times and the Victoria Daily Colonist illustrate this. Typically the editors of these newspapers published reports, articles — and poems by local writers—supporting Canada's war effort and giving a remarkably distorted vision of the German enemy. Even the relatively rarefied medium of poetry exhibited a "gross dichotomizing'' of "we" versus "them", as Paul Fussell has written: a "paranoid melodrama" was being played out.1 On 8 November 1918, three days before the war ended, for example, a poem of several verses entitled "The Hun—His Mark" appeared in the Victoria Daily Times. The local writer, John Murray, claimed to have seen this "mark" in several places. In the second verse, he wrote, / saw it next on a woman's throat As she lay on her pillaged bed- A fair-haired, blue-eyed winsome lass - Oh, how can the thing be said! Her pure young soul was safe with God But her body had been through Hell; And the thing that was done in that blood-soaked room Was the thing that I dare not tell, But this I know, and make it plain So that each may understand; The bloody mark on her fair white throat Was the print of a German hand. tDftlfiem die Sliacldw fell BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY - Vol. 42 No. 3 LEST I WE FORGET! This advertisement is a response to the Germans' unrestricted submarine campaign which led to the sinking of passenger vessels. (Victoria Daily Times, 28 September 1917, 11.) Such German actions, whether justified or not, inflamed opinion in Victoria. The Times' editors must have seen nothing objectionable in these effusions, perhaps because they reinforced journalists' accounts of the German enemy as "barbaric" and they continued themes from many other works submitted by local poets. To give them prominence, the editors frequently printed them on the editorial page. From the early days of the war, Victorians felt endangered by Germany. Indeed, they were so worried, that the provincial government bought two submarines to protect the coast. "Our flag is threatened east and west", wrote R.E. Clark of Victoria in the Daily Colonist 1 (2 September 1914). In a similar vein, Edward M.B. Vaughan, also of Victoria, wrote "Aux Armes!" for the Times (28 November 1914): Men of Canada, arise! . . . Rise to guard your native land. Would ye see your sons in chains Toil to swell a tyrant's gains . . . ? The most notorious example of poetic distortion and sensationalizing was the case of Edith Cavell. A British nurse, Cavell had been working at a military hospital in occupied Belgium. When she helped Allied prisoners escape, she was comirutting a technically hostile act against the Germans who executed her in 1915. When the German military governor of Belgium died, Victoria's B.C. Weekly News rejoiced in verse, noting that "the might of the Allies was pressing him well/ ... and the cry on their lips was of Edith Cavell..." (26 May 1917). In support of the War Bond campaign of late 1918, the Colonist printed on 6 November 1918 a verse by the B.C. Poet, R.D. Cumming, part of which ran, Out of the land of 'Kultur' come the cries of Nurse Cavell,... And other ghost-like voices filter from that murder done, And speak other vital reason for a further Victory Loan. Appealing to male readers' chivalry in the Times (17 August 1917), A. Petch of Saanich referred to Cavell in "Answer to a Slacker's Prayer," "the slacker would send the dear women out there,/The fate of Nurse Cavell he does not deplore". BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY - Vol. 42 No. 3 Even before atrocity reports were circulating, Emperor William II was vilified in the press. The "Germans-as-animals" metaphor was also popular in poetry. (Victoria Daily Times, 12 August 1914, 13.) THE GERMAN MENACE. -—Willi Apologies to tlir Gwman Boar Clearly, many of Victoria's poets invited readers to see the Germans as ruthless criminals. "There is a law for the Hun and a law for his foes," wrote one local poet (Times, 16 September 1916), "and the Prussian assassin 'tis sin to oppose". In the Colonist (24 December 1916), A.S. Barton of Victoria described Germans as "mad dogs". For John Murray, writing in the Times (12 September 1917), the Germans were "a conscienceless, barbaric race". Poets also urged Victorians to consider the Germans as an uncreative people. In the Times, 30 March 1915, "J. McM." wrote verses entitled "Not 'Made in Germany'," maintaining that nothing constructive was ever invented by a German: No Faraday his country knew, No Edison hails from his shore. No Jenner, Lister claims him kin . . . Like many such offerings, its presence on the editorial page, suggesteding, not only that the publishers agreed, but also that — since the editors were presumably wise, knowledgeable men — the readers should regard such views as the truth. Even German classical music was suspect to BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY - Vol. 42 No. 3 Victoria's W. H. Stokes in "Gesang and [sic] Musik", printed in The Week (15 May 1915): Last night I listened as she played and sang The music of her country, German born. Her brow was dark with sorrow, sad, forlorn, She yet sang bravely, tho' the hot tears sprang Into her eyes then suddenly it seemed As if the music exquisite was filled With horror. Souls of dead men, tortured, killed To satisfy a maniac's passion, screamed And wailed while the fierce cannon's deep bass roar Thundered interminably, sullen, vast Sweeping me onward in the glorious floor of sound "Oh God" I cried, "no more, no more! This music I so loved I loathe at last The very notes are smeared and wet with blood. The German Emperor, William II, was specifically vilified in poetry. "J. McM." wrote that the Kaiser enjoyed "butchering" as if it were a "holiday." (Times 13 April 1916) Another poet in the Times (14 September 1916) called William "Old Satan" who had "orchestrated [the war] in Hell". William was the star of a winning limerick submitted to a contest held by The Week on 16 December 1916: There was a mad Kaiser from Berlin— Who set the girls knitting and purlin'. You should see how he runs, Now we're after his Huns With both his mustache ends uncurlin'. An anonymous poet in the Times (11 September 1914) drew on readers' memories of William's erratic history: Amazing Monarch! Who at various times, Posing as Europe's self-appointed saviour, Afforded copy for our ribald rhymes By your behaviour. We nursed malice; nay, we thanked you much Because your head-piece swollen like a tumor, Lent to a dullish world the needed touch Of saving humor. . . . Master of all the Arts, and, what was more, Lord of the limelight blaze that let us know it - You seemed a gift designed on purpose for The flippant poet. . . John Murray found an unusual metaphor. His poem, "Some Dogs", printed in the Times (3 March 1917), praised the British "war dogs", because these dogs have the courage for which they're renowned; They're not Pomeranian or petted dachshund. What is now called "regime change" must occur in Germany, said A. Petch of Saanich in the Times on 23 August 1916. Tyrants we must conquer, Cause their thrones to fall, And the helpless succor, When to us they call. Although, as Petch suggested, humanitarian aid might be in order, for some Victoria poets, a negotiated peace was out of the question. "Peace with [the] Poisoner? No!" cried another poet in the Times on 11 October 1915, referring to the Germans' use of poison gas in the trenches. John Murray, as might be expected, led the pack crying for total victory and subsequence vengeance. In the Times on 5 June, 1917, he imagined Emperor William fearing "the gallows." His 4 January 1918 poem "The Reckoning" went even further, recommending genocide as the ideal solution: For this offence Earth asks for vengeance On this murderer, and his barbaric race! And appeals to Heaven for their extinction As a blight, a curse, a world menace. Several other poems demanded revenge. An anonymous author offered a poem "In a Hospital" in the Colonist, 5 January 1919, some two months after the armistice. The wounded soldier describes the death of a nursing sister in a German bombardment and concludes, God, Who chasteneth His own by pain and tribulation Make my body whole and sound against the coming day. Vengeance, Lord, is Thine, but hear Thy servant's supplication — Make of me Thine instrument whene'er Thou shalt repay! Given the attitudes expressed in these poems, the Treaty of Versailles (1919), with its demand that the Germans acknowledge their "war guilt" and pay reparations therefore, was easily accepted in Victoria. The demonization of the enemy has a long history, dating back to the ancient world, when the Greeks painted the Persians as monsters. Much later, during the South African War (1899-1902), the British press denounced the Boers as inhuman. Victoria's poets and editors, moreover, were not alone. By 1915, writers throughout the British Empire described the whole German population as vicious savages. But such vilification did not emerge in later conflicts and — mercifully — has not developed during our Afghan War. Why, therefore, did it occur in the Great War and why in a relatively literate and sophisticated city such as Victoria? The causes for this anti-German hysteria are not hard to find. A system of censorship, both in BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY ■ Vol. 42 No. 3 5 of a Foe mWight The Hun Is on the Run—Keep Him Bay Victory Bonds The young British soldier is unarmed, innocent and rendered helpless by a head wound. The German is a grizzled warrior and evidently not a "good sport". His knife is already bloody from previous murders and in the right background another atrocity is being perpetrated. It may be worth noting that Desmond Morton writes, "In their own letters and diaries, Canadians commonly boasted that they did not take prisoners — boasts the Germans soon discovered." (When Your Number's Up [ Toronto: Random House, 1993], 209.) BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY - Vol. 42 No. 3 the trenches on the Western Front and in Ottawa, discouraged the publication of views sympathetic to the Germans in any way.2 As well, the wire services provided both genuine and imagined atrocity stories which contributed to the formation of anti-German attitudes. These coloured press accounts of the war were designed to maintain civilian morale and to provide solace for the fear-ridden and the grief- stricken. Victoria's poets, for their part, had no way of knowing that many of the reports were false or exaggerated. Indeed, they seem to have been sincere and patriotic, freely offering their verses to the public. They were not hired propagandists. The shock of the Great War's relentless slaughter coming after a century of relative peace and faith in inevitable "progress" also partly explains the vituperation in poetry (and prose). Moreover, Unfortunately for the Germans (and their enemies), the Reich civilian and military leadership occasionally lived up to their image as "monsters."3 Many Victorians felt an intimate connection to Britain and therefore to its causes and role in the world. For a British traveler writing in 1911, the city embodied "a refined English society."4 Many Victorians still felt a profound sense of Britishness. In fact, these citizens regarded themselves not so much as Canadians as "overseas Englishmen or -women."5 By 1901, the Canadian census recorded that one third of the population of Victoria identified themselves as British-born (7,273 out of 23,688), a figure which would not include those born in Victoria of British immigrant parents.6 Various organizations, such as the Sons of England, the British Navy League, the British Empire League, and the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire helped keep alive ties to ""the old country". Retired imperial officials and military men from Africa and Asia tended to settle in Victoria at the turn of the century, adding to the British quality of the city. In Victoria, therefore, much of the population were recent British immigrants or only second generation Canadians, with relatives in Britain with whom they were still in contact. Such people were especially vulnerable to imperialist and atrocity propaganda coming from across the Atlantic. Denunciations of Germany were usually disseminated by respected British writers and reproduced in ostensibly reliable British newspapers, the content of which was sent to Canada. Victoria's leaders were relatively well-educated and articulate — and enjoyed writing and reading verse. The appreciation of poetry, furthermore, was taught vigorously in Canadian schools and in 1914 Victoria's literacy rate had never been higher. On an almost daily basis, local newspapers published verse on a multitude of topics. Given these factors, alert and concerned Victorians naturally expressed their views in poetry and, not surprisingly, few of their poems published in Victoria's newspapers expressed any sympathy for the enemy. Perhaps, however, a few skeptics existed on local editorial staffs. On 16 June 1916, the Times printed a poem by a British soldier-poet, Private Wilfrid J. Halliday, "The Grave." The writer sees a young dead German, whom he describes as "innocent" and "sweet." Possibly at least one of the Times' editors wished to offer a different point of view, but he was the proverbial "voice crying in the wilderness." Otherwise I can find no poetry in Victoria's newspapers suggesting that at least some Germans were civilized and that they possessed virtues similar to those which Canadians attributed to themselves. Did no poet lament the attribution of monstrous traits to a European nation which had made great strides in science, education and the arts and which Canadians had previously admired? If such writers existed, and if they submitted their thoughts to local editors, their works must have been rejected. What is daunting to consider is the possibility that no such poets existed in Victoria during the war years. Today, both popular and academic historians are bound to ask: do Victorians (and possibly Canadians) still have illusions about the nature of our enemy during Great War?7 At the very least, moreover, this review of poetry which appeared n the local Victoria press in the years 1914-1919 shows how, in an age of developing mass culture, populations can be encouraged to hate an official enemy through the encouragement of local misperceptions. • Notes 1 Paul Fussell, The Great War and Modern Memory (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1975), 75. 2 In 1915, Ottawa established the office of Chief Censor, who distributed directives on acceptable copy to publishers across the country. Jeffrey A. Keshen has described this system in his Propaganda and Censorship during Canada's Great War (Edmonton, University of Alberta Press), 1996. His Chapter Two in particular concerns "Canada's Great War of Deception"; I.e. of the Canadian people. 3 See John Home and Alan Kramer, German Atrocities, 1914: A History of Denial (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2001), 430 and esp. 75-86. 4 John Foster Fraser, Canada as It Is (London: Cassell, 1911), 193. 5 The phenomenon was noticeable elsewhere in the Dominion, but nowhere more so than in Victoria. See Sandra Gwyn, Tapestry of War, A Private View of Canadians in the Great War (Toronto: Harper Collins, 1992), 74. 6 Fourth Census of Canada 1901 (Ottawa: King's Printer, 1902), 1,16. 7 On 9 April 2007, the ninetieth anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, the Toronto Globe and Mail published on its editorial page a cartoon showing a skateboarding youth, asking "Please tell me again about this 'Kaiser'...," suggesting incorrectly that the main Canadian aim in the Great War was to resist the German Emperor. The poetic, prose, and visual imagery of that time lives on. BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY - Vol. 42 No. 3 Ski Jumping World Records in Canada? By Francis Mansbridge Francis Mansbridge is a Vancouver writer and archivist. His previous books include God's Recording Angel, a biography of the Canadian poet Irving Layton, and Launching History: The Saga of Burrard Dry Dock. The latter book won the B.C. Lieutenant- Governor's award for historical writing in 2002. His latest book is Hollyburn: The Mountain and the City Above Right: Nels Nelsen jumping in 1916 BC Archives photo A-08985 Ski jumping was a major sport in the Pacific Northwest in the first half of the past century. Europe's best often came here to compete, and many of the local skiers gave them all they could handle. While most of the jumps were relatively small, Revelstoke's huge jump was the setting for some outstanding achievements. B.C/s press claimed a number of world records for Nels Nelsen and Robert Lymburne, two Revelstoke skiers. Two of these were in 1924 (Nelsen) and 1933 (Lymburne), both on the big jump at Revelstoke. But a check of Tim Ashburner's supposedly definitive The History of Ski Jumping comes up short on these or any other Canadian names. So why aren't they here? Are Canadians being robbed of their due? Some suggest that jumps at Revelstoke were not recognized because the jump did not fit the International Ski Federation (FIS) profile - it was too steep. If so, this did not deter some of the best jumpers in the world from coming here to test their skills. The January 13,1921, Revelstoke Review states that American Anders Haugen, current world record holder at 213 feet (64.9m), "expects to make a new record this year on the Revelstoke hill, in view of the fact that he jumped 212 [64.6m] feet here last year", suggesting that records on this hill were generally accepted. Anders Haugen was after the professional record, which was separate from the amateur record. Nels Nelsen turned professional in 1921. He made an official certified jump of 202 feet (61.6m) on his hometown hill in 1924. (He also had jumps up to 235 feet (71.6m) that were not recognized because of falls or hand touches). At this time the official amateur record, according to Ashburner, was 61.5 meters, set by Henry Hall of Michigan in Steamboat Springs in 1918, a shade less than Nelsen's distance. But as Nelsen was at this time a professional, his jump was rightly not recognized as an amateur record. Unfortunately a shotgun he possessed to prevent robberies in his capacity working for the CPR went off accidentally, blowing off one hand. This curtailed although it did not end Nelsen's competitive jumping. His son Don recalls that he carved a variety of replacement hands that he kept in his pantry for different activities, some designed to carry the bags that were part of his job for the CPR. Nelsen moved to Vancouver about 1938 where he died of a heart attack in 1943 at the age of forty-nine, having fathered ten children. But while Nelsen may not merit a place in the record books, his protege Robert Lymburne does. Lymburne leaped 287 feet at Revelstoke in March 1933. Ashburner lists the 1933 amateur world record as eighty six meters set by Sigmund Ruud at Villars, Switzerland. Lymburne's jump converts to 87.48 meters - a clear margin for the Revelstoke skier, who does not appear to have been a professional. His career ended in 1934 with a serious head injury from a fall. Revelstoke's 1951 program for the Olympic trials lists the FIS world distance records. These do not include Nels Nelsen's (professional) jumps, but they do rightly include Lymburne's 1933 record, which was set on the old Revelstoke jump. Apparently FIS recognized records on this jump. It looks like Ashburner missed him. And the women? They were prominent on the jumping scene well before the current controversy over the inclusion of women's ski jumping in the 2010 Winter Olympics. Isabel Coursier, a Revelstoke high school girl, captured the women's world, jumping championship in 1924 with a jump of ninety-eight feet (29.9m). She is the only girl on record to have dared the pony ski-race, 'ski-joring", where a skier is pulled by a horse and rider like a winter version of a surfer riding the snowdrifts. A versatile athlete, in a January 1933 ski meet on Vancouver's Grouse Mountain she posted better slalom times than any of the Band C class boys. Note to future ski jumping historians - don't forget the Canadians. • BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY - Vol. 42 No. 3 Vancouver's Street Trees: A Public Affair By Marie-Eve Daunais By the late 19th century, Europeans had settled much of the North American continent. On the west coast, however, Vancouver was just coming into existence: the City was officially incorporated in 1886. With the early settlers and immigrants came new American—and to some extent European—ideals of landscaped architecture and urban planning. Using an urban-historical approach, which focuses on specific influential decisions made by individuals or groups with regard to urban development,1 this essay analyzes how, and which, individuals and groups contributed to expanding the legislation and practice of planting street trees, and relates this practice to a broader cultural, professional, social, and economic context. More specifically, it argues that the dominant white English-speaking population of Vancouver played a crucial role in developing Vancouver's street tree programme from 1896 to 1925. Beginning with an overview of the origins of street trees, and the emergence of the parks and boulevard movement and of the City Beautiful movement, this paper assesses their impacts on Canada's urban planning and explains why Vancouver presented such a great opportunity. Then it describes the local individuals, groups, and associations that influenced Vancouver's street tree programme, and how they contributed to shaping legislation and practices. Finally, it argues that the park board's practice—or necessity—of depending on residents' activism and private investments favoured the greening of the wealthier western districts of Vancouver. Prior to 1929, it should be noted, the city's southern boundary was 16th Avenue and its western boundary was Alma Street. South Vancouver and Point Grey were separate municipalities and are not considered in this essay. The origin of the practice of planting urban trees can be traced back to the eighteenth-century when" a new concern with connecting the dwelling to nature,... developed almost simultaneously in France and England." In England, open spaces encircled by apartments and houses were reconstituted as "squares," redesigned with grass, flowers, and trees and enclosed by fences, to which only a few people had access. Yet, planners"had not yet conceived the role of trees on a busy avenue."2 Not until 1853 did the French Emperor Napoleon III and his engineer Baron Georges Haussmann the practice of carefully planning tree-lined boulevards.3 In fact, Paris was the first city to carefully plan the transplantation of trees on its streets. Several historians of planning argue that this innovative beautifying strategy hid political and military agendas. Wide and long avenues ensured more efficient military defence and police interventions, and eliminating shabby alleyways led to the first slum-clearance programme.4 Unlike the English square, the freely accessible French boulevard Marie-Eve Daunais, UBC is the winner of the third or fourth year essay prize of $1,0000 from the British Columbia Historical Federation *§§ Georgia and Burrard Streets, 1920s City of Vancouver Archives photo SGN 1596 BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY - Vol. 42 No. 3 Notes 1, 2 Ira Bruce Nadel, Cornelia Hahn Oberlander, and Lesley R. Bohm, Trees in the City (Toronto: Pergamon Press, 1977), 14-15. 3 For the purpose of this essay, boulevard will refer to the portion of land located between a city street and a private property, and often landscaped with trees, shrubs, and flowers, as specified in the first Boulevard By-Law (1896). City of Vancouver Archives, By-law No. 246: a By-Law relating to Boulevards and Shade Trees 1896, Public Records #36, 29-A-4 file 46. The City of Vancouver Archives is subsequently abbreviated as CVA. 4 Nadel et al, _Treesin the City _, Oberlander, a Bohm, 16; GeneW. Grey and Frederick J. Deneke, Urban Forestry, 2nd ed. (Toronto: John Wiley EtSons, 1986), 3. 5 Grey & Deneke, Urban Forestry, 4. 6 Charles N. GlaabandA. Theodore Brown, "The Growth of a Planning Tradition," A History of Urban America, 2nd ed. (New York: MacMillan, 1976), 234-236. 7 For more details on landscape design and the park movement, see George F. Chadwick, The Park and the Town: Public Landscape in the 19th and 20th Centuries (London: Architectural P., 1966). 8 Glaab & Brown, History of Urban America, 70-71. 9 Margaret Anne Meek, "History of the City Beautiful Movement in Canada 1890-1930" (Master's thesis, University of British Columbia, 1979), 14-15, 5. 10 Daniel H. Bumham and Edward H. Bennett quoted in Glaab 8t Brown, History of Urban America, 241. 11 Walter Van Nus, 'The Fate of City Beautiful Thought in Canada, 1893-1930," G.A. Stelter and A.F.J. Artibise, eds., The Canadian City (Ottawa: Carleton University Press, 1984), 162-171. 12 Percy Nobbs, quoted from the Ontario Association of Architects' integrated dwelling, commerce, and nature. Urban trees started appearing in North America during the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, as early settlers planted seeds of species from their homeland. The Lombard poplar, the Norway maple, and the English elm were among the most popular trees. American Andrew Jackson Downing was the first to advocate the use of indigenous trees such as maples, oaks, and elms.5 Downing's park designs and horticulture books were very influential establishing cultivated landscapes in the mid-nineteenth century. His contemporary and friend, Frederick Law Olmsted, known for his conception of Central Park in New York, took this concept further, promoting city park development and tree-lined boulevards, believing that the relaxing effects of trees could relieve city-induced stress.6 From Montreal, Quebec to Berkeley, California, Olmsted designed several famous parks and campuses.7 By the 1870s, a parks and boulevard movement was well underway in the United States and Canada and various cities favoured this with the hope of enhancing their residents' wellbeing and beautifying their cities.8 The parks and boulevard movement was progressively swallowed up by the broader City Beautiful movement, which emerged in the United States during the 1890s and drew its inspiration from European—especially Parisian—baroque planning. In general, plans derived from this movement focused on the beautiiication of streets, civic centres, and parks and boulevards.9 The City Beautiful movement took off following the Chicago World Fair of 1893-94, where the concepts of landscape design and city planning merged. According to Chicago architects Daniel H. Burnham and Edward H. Bennett, who enthusiastically promoted the City Beautiful movement, civic beauty would convey proper ethical and moral values to its residents. Indeed, they wrote in the Chicago Plan of 1907: "natural scenery furnishes the contrasting element to the artificiality of the city.... He who habitually comes in close contact with nature develops saner methods of thought than can be the case when one is habitually shut up within the wall of a city/'10 These ideas on urban beautification and boulevards quickly spread to Canada. Early in the twentieth century, major Canadian professional journals published articles preaching the City Beautiful principles of "coherence, visual variety, and civic grandeur" and parks commissions assumed leadership in beautifying such cities as Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, and Regina.11 In 1904, Percy Nobbs, an architecture professor at McGill University, insisted that "every street in the city should be made as beautiful as it can be."12 In 1911, B. E. Fernow of the University of Toronto's department of forestry published The Care of Trees in Lawn, Street and Pfl7i:13which had influence throughout North America. The economic depression that began in 1913 had cities favouring "tree-planting and smaller scale beautification" rather than grandiose and expensive plans.14 Nonetheless, street landscaping became a professional enterprise entrenched within broader city planning frames and municipal bureaucracies during the early twentieth century in Canada. On the west coast, Vancouver was growing. Its late development, in comparison to the eastern cities, presented a great opportunity for urban planners. From 1891 to 1921, Vancouver's population increased from approximately 13,709 to 163,220. The migration patterns of the time fashioned a predominantly English-speaking population of which 85 percent originated from Britain, the United States, or elsewhere in Canada.15 Historian Norbert MacDonald argues that these British immigrants "had a profound effect on all aspects of Vancouver's life [as demonstrated by] the abundance of Tudor and stucco houses, the popularity of flower gardens, ...the miles of public beaches, the number of public tennis courts, [and] the layout of parks and playgrounds." In comparison to Seattle, Washington, which welcomed a more diverse immigrant mix, especially Scandinavians, during the early twentieth century, Vancouver acquired a more British character, and as such, a greater interest in nature. Increased mobility and enhanced communication contributed to the dissemination of the values and principles of the parks and boulevards and the City Beautiful movements, and professional debates about urban planning. During the late nineteenth century, the vast undeveloped areas of Vancouver, in contrast to the overcrowded eastern cities, offered a fresh slate for planners and engineers to create an exemplary civic beauty. Most sizeable American and Canadian cities had been founded, and their urban network completed, by 1890.16 Several local individuals and groups were influential in the development of Vancouver's street tree programme. The Vancouver Board of Park Commissioners was established in 1888 as an appointed body, only two years after the City of Vancouver's incorporation. It became an elected BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY - Vol. 42 No. 3 Mrs. C.N. Davidson and others on the boulevard in front of her house at 731 Burrard Street City of Vancouver Archives photo Str N2 body of three commissioners in 1890, and was expanded to five commissioners in 1904.17 During the early decades the park board consisted mostly of city entrepreneurs, businessmen, and middle-class professionals.18 Robert G. Tatlow, an Irish immigrant who made his fortune in real estate and married the daughter of famous Canadian Pacific Railway (C.P.R.) chief surveyor Henry John Cambie, sat on the board from 1888 until his accidental death in 1910.19 Also involved were George Eldon (superintendent 1896- 1909), Andrew E. Lees (commissioner 1902-1917), Charles E. Tisdall (commissioner 1904-9 and 1926- 34; mayor 1922-3), Jonathan Rogers (commissioner 1910s-1930s), and WS. Rawlings (superintendent 1913-1936).20 This board increasingly assumed the care of parks and street trees until the City Council finally granted it full jurisdiction over tree planting and maintenance in 1917.21 In 1912, inspired residents formed a local City Beautiful Association, which later became the Vancouver Planning and Beautifying Association, to promote civic grandeur and planning. Both the Mawson Plan of 1912 to redesign Georgia Street and Stanley Park and the Bartholomew Plan of 1929, which aimed in part to transform Cambie Street into a ceremonial corridor, were in harmony with the City Beautiful principles, but were never fully implemented.22 The Natural History Section of the British Columbia Mountaineering Club (BCMC) and the University Women's Club also played a crucial role in advancing the street trees legislation in 1916-17 through their collaborative efforts under the leadership of newly-immigrated Scottish botany professor, John Davidson and the Arbor Day Association.23 Other local groups, in addition to the City Council, park board, and resident-led associations, played significant roles in modelling Vancouver's streetscape. The attitude of the engineering profession was especially influential within "Greater Vancouver." Reflecting on tree-planting on city streets, Fred L. Proceedings, 1904, 95, in Van Nus, "The Fate of City Beautiful Thought," 162. 13 Grey £t Deneke, Urban Forestry, 5. 14 Meek, "History of the City Beautiful Movement," 95. 15 Norbert MacDonald, "'C.P.R. Town': The City-Building Process in Vancouver, 1860-1914," in Shaping the Urban Landscape, ed. G.A. Stelter and A.F.J. Artibise (Ottawa: Carleton University Press, 1982), 398-399.. 16 Norbert MacDonald, "Population Growth and Change in Seattle and Vancouver, 1880-1960," The Pacific Historical Review 39, no.3 (1970): 312-321,300. 17 Vancouver Park Board, "Vancouver Park Board Commissioners," http:// vancouver.ca/parks/board/ commissioners.htm (accessed October 30, 2008). 18 Robert A. J. McDonald, "'Holy Retreat' or 'Practical Breathing Spot'?: Class Perceptions of Vancouver's Stanley Park, 1910-1913 /'Canadian Historical Review, 85 (1984), 135. 19 Tom Snyders and Jennifer O'Rourke, Namely Vancouver: A Hidden Story of Vancouver Place Names (Vancouver: Arsenal Pulp Press, 2000), 259. 20 CVA, Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation fonds, 1888- 2001, Public Records, in City of Vancouver Archives, http:// vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/archives/ index.htm (accessed October 30, 2008); Vancouver Park Board, "Parks and Gardens," http:// vancouver.ca/parks/parks/ Stanley/nature, htm (accessed October 30,2008). 21 Gregory Paris and Hugh Monroe, "Boulevard Tree Operations of Vancouver, B.C.," Journal of Arboriculture 15, no. 3 (1989): 68. BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY - Vol. 42 No. 3 11 22 For more details about these plans, see Lance Berelowitz, Dream City, Vancouver and the Global Imagination (Vancouver, Douglas a Mclntyre Ltd, 2005). 23 Jim Peacock, The Vancouver Natural History Society, 1918-1993 (Vancouver: Vancouver Natural History Society, 1993), 7-11. 24 Fred L. MacPherson, "Tree- Planting on City Streets," The Canadian Engineer 25 (1913): 857-859.. 25 CVA, By-law No. 246: a By-Law relating to Boulevards and Shade Trees 1896. 26 Joanna Dean, '"Said Tree Is a Veritable Nuisance': Ottawa's Street Trees 1869-1939," Urban History Review 24, no. 1 (2005), in LexisNexis Academic (accessed September^, 2008), 86. 27 CVA, By-law No. 343: a By-Law to amend By-Law No. 2461899, Public Records #36, 29-A-5 file 52. 28 The Vancouver Daily Province, "Frontage Tax for Boulevarding," June 28,1906,4. 29 The Vancouver Daily Province, "Boulevard on Residential Streets," April 28,1910, 7. 30 CVA, By-law No. 940: Boulevard By-Law No. 9401912, Public Records #36, 29-C-3 file 11. 31 CVA, Correspondence - tree planting on boulevards, 1912- 1917, Public Records Series #81, (herafter PRS #81) 48-C-6 file 5. 32 "An Act to Amend the Vancouver Incorporation Act, 1900," in Ibid. 33 A.S. Wooten to F.G. Macpherson, 5 November 1913, CVA, Correspondence - boulevarding and tree planting, 1913-17, Public Records Series #81,48-06 file 6. 34 CVA, Correspondence - boulevarding and tree planting, 1913-17. MacPherson, a municipal engineer for Burnaby B.C., wrote in The Canadian Engineer journal in 1913: Although a well-designed and well-constructed street primarily serves traffic and building conditions, beauty and harmony are necessary to give the street character and tone. Such an atmosphere is created with impressive shade trees and well kept boulevards. He listed several economic, physical, and other benefits of tree planting and boulevarding. By his account they: increased property values, indicated a city's character and well-being, caught the attention of visitors and investors, cooled the air and provided shade during summer, masked noise and dust, and created a soothing effect on residents. Even more significant were the cumulative social benefits argued by MacPherson: shade trees add to the beauty, health, comfort and charm particularly of residential districts and lend an air of dignity and repose to the thoroughfare therein. Socially, tree- planting and boulevarding foster civic welfare and further "community efficiency." MacPherson also discouraged working on boulevards before streets had been permanently graded and classified in order to avoid unnecessary tree removals or mutilations and advised a distance of 30 to 40 feet between trees.24 These standard recommendations surfaced in Vancouver's street tree policies and practices. How did these movements and local individuals and groups impact the street tree programme of Vancouver? The City of Vancouver passed its first By- Law relating to Boulevards and Shade Trees (No. 246) in 1896, as it was "deemed expedient to the interests of the City to encourage the making and keeping of boulevards and the planting and care of shade trees in the sides of streets." In addition to defining a boulevard and its adequate use, it prohibited the planting of "silver poplar, balm of gilead, cotton trees or willows," regulated the planting of trees "no less than 20 feet apart" under the direction of the City Engineer, and established a penalty "not exceeding the sum of fifty dollars" for any breached provisions. Additionally, to encourage the planting of street trees by the residents, section 6 of the By-Law declared that: There shall be paid out of the municipal funds of the City a bonus or premium of fifty (50) cents for each and every Ash, Basswood, Beach, Birch, Cedar, Chestnut, Oak, Walnut, Butternut, Elm, Hickory, Maple, Whitewood tree, and all other shade trees approved of by the Council which shall have been planted...25 The City of Vancouver was possibly influenced by the City of Ottawa, which had passed a similar By- Law in 1869 that awarded twenty-five cents for every tree planted by the property owners.26 Section 6 of the Boulevard and Shade Tree Vancouver By-Law was repealed in 1899, without any written explanation.27 Nevertheless, merely a decade after its incorporation, the City of Vancouver was already endorsing City Beautiful movements and the greening of parks and boulevards in its city regulations. Predictably, funding and maintaining the boulevards quickly became problematic. In 1906, the Vancouver Daily Province reported on a debate between members of the City Council and the Garden City Association about the cost of mamtaining boulevards and the city's right—or not—to charge the cost against the adjacent property owners.28 Discussions also arose, in 1910, over boulevarding responsibilities; it was finally decided that the Board of Works would assume the construction and the park board would be responsible for maintenance.29 In 1912, the City Council increased the penalty fines to a maximum of one hundred dollars.30 The City of Vancouver would not tolerate any careless action with regard to its street trees! The planting of trees, in spite of the earlier withdrawal of the 50 cents incentive, was progressing well owing to the keenness of the Vancouver residents. Filing an application form from the Board of Park Commissioners, ensuring the transportation of the trees from the Stanley Park Nursery, located at the Pender Street Entrance, to their home, and respecting a newly-determined distance of thirty feet between the trees, effectively allowed the residents to continue the landscaping of their respective boulevards. The trees supplied during the 1900s and 1910s consisted mainly of large deciduous trees, such as the mountain ash, chestnut, maple, elm, and sycamore.31 The funding issue was finally addressed in 1913 by amending the City charter—previously the Vancouver Incorporation Act of 1900—to help financially support the planting and maintenance of street trees. Section 78a authorized the City to levy a tax that would charge the adjacent property owners with: the payment of any and all sums necessary to meet the cost and expenses of the constructing, maintaining, sodding, planting, caring for and keeping in good order, repair and condition [by the Park Board] such boulevards or grass plots in front of such land, (but not to any greater extent than ten cents a year for each front foot of such land).32 BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY - Vol. 42 No. 3 itf0' &v% f# B***** tio**" gtf 9AO tose A^' (A^1^3 iol^1 r^"*3* eeX^^-Ae, «A\* Ae,v This amendment also legally designated the Park Board as the sole agency responsible for managing boulevards, which amounted to twenty miles.33 Over the next few years, hundreds of requests and complaints about street trees were mailed to the park board, especially regarding lack of pruning. For example, the British Columbia Electric Railway Company, Ltd. reported trees in contact with its wires, while the Northern Securities Ltd., on behalf of the Bute Street Hospital, criticized the trees for shutting out the light. Overall, however, most complaints originated from residents who wanted a severe trim of the trees on their front boulevard.34 Urban nature needed to be tidy for the residents and s^ I different organizations if it I was to remain soothing, enjoyable, and safe. In an attempt to further define its role #$• and regulations, the Vancouver Park Board in oX '& 1916 communicated with the park superintendents of Seattle, Washington and Calgary, Alberta. The latter replied that boulevards were under the direct care of the City Council and that no frontage tax existed.35 Seattle had no policy regulating the planting or maintenance of street trees on boulevards; a property owner was free to use this strip of land "as he may (%N'tt aS see fit, provided he does 30^ not obstruct the street or t-rt\to • Ac s^de walk."36 Thus, it appeared oXi trotf* ^e \ vjtt ^ th^ Vancouver was well *a * & w^ ,eeo-s ahead of its neighbouring sC ixof^S* Y> $*e constituents with respect to *01 \0i ^ policies and administration A of street trees. . 0x ^Sr Meanwhile, the Q^U^" -\o,VrA& Vancouver Natural History \vcflkei: Yva.^' Section of the BCMC and ,^af\ s^c -vtf.e&> s° , the University Women's ' . #^' -tioo5 Club joined efforts to found , « $\e Vx° the Arbor Day Association. .,_«. The latter advocated for E^wrts a transfer of jurisdiction from the Engineer's department to the Park Board, a stricter boulevard legislation regarding planting and removals, and a civic Arbor Day.37 As a result of pressing demands from the Arbor Day Association, which had the support of the Park Board, the School Board, the B.C. Teachers' Association, and the City Beautiful Association, the City of Vancouver appointed the president of the Arbor Day Association, University of British Columbia (UBC) Professor John Davidson, and W.S. Rawlings, Park Board superintendent, to draft regulations to "secure uniformity, protection, and preservation of our work for the benefit of the future generations."38 As for an Arbor Day, the association believed it would encourage residents 35 W.R. Reader to W.S. Rawlings, 20 December 1916, CVA, Correspondence - tree planting on boulevards, 1912-1917. 36 Roland W.Cotterill to W.S. Rawlings, 23 December 1916, CVA, Correspondence - tree planting on boulevards, 1912-1917. 37 John Davidson, "Vancouver Natural History Society's President Address," 6 October 1921, CVA, Public Addresses, 1916-19, Private Records Add. Mss 505, 565-F-3, file 3, John Davidson fonds. 38 Peacock, Tfie Vancouver Natural History Society, 19. 39 Davidson, "Vancouver Natural History Society's President Address," 6 October 1921.. 40 By-Law No. 1290, quoted in Ibid., 3. 41 Dean, '"Said Tree Is a Veritable Nuisance,'" 87-90. 42 CVA, Public Addresses, 1916- 19, John Davidson fonds, 14. 43 Ibid., 24. Underlining in original. 44 Peacock, The Vancouver Natural History Society, 22-29. 45 Government of British Columbia, "Official Symbols of British Columbia," http://www. protocol.gov.be.ca/protocol/ prgs/symbols/symbols.htm (accessed October 30, 2008); City of Vancouver, City Clerk's Department, "Symbols of the City," 2007, http://Vancouver, ca / ctclerk/symbolsofthecity/ index.htm (accessed October 25, 2008). 46 W.S. Rawlings to the Board of Park Commissioners," Re Boulevards," 28 January 1920, CVA, Tree pruning on boulevards and street ends, PRS #81,49-A-2 file 1. 47 W.S. Rawlings to M.L Copley, 2 March 1920, CVA, Tree pruning on boulevards and street ends, PRS #81, 49-A-2 file 2. BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY - Vol. 42 No. 3 48 City Solicitor to W.S. Rawlings, 19 October 1922, CVA, Tree pruning on boulevards and street ends, PRS #81, 49-A-2 file 2. 49 G. Champion to W.S. Rawlings, 30 January 1922, CVA, Tree pruning on boulevards and street ends, PRS #81, 49-A-2 file 2. 50 Residents of Stephens Street to the Park Board Commissioners, 11 March 1916, CVA, Correspondence - tree planting on boulevards, 1912-1917, PRS #81,48-C-6file5. 51 W.S. Rawlings to the Board of Park Commissioners," Re Boulevards," 28 January 1920, CVA, Tree pruning on boulevards and street ends, PRS #81,49-A-2 file 1. 52 W.S. Rawlings to the residents, in CVA, Tree planting, PRS #81, 54-E-7, file 10. 53 Jean Barman, "Neighbourhood and Community in Interwar Vancouver: Residential Differentiation and Civic Voting Behaviour," BC Studies 69/70 (1986): 97-141. 54 CVA, Correspondence - tree planting on boulevards, 1912-1917. 55 Jean Barman, "'Knowledge is Essential for Universal Progress but Fatal to Class Privilege': Working People and the Schools in Vancouver During the 1920s," Labour/Le Travail 22 (1988): 14. For details, see Barman, "Neighbourhood and Community," 56 Table 3: Birthplace of Vancouver Residents, by Percentage, Sex and Geographical Area, 1931, in Barman, "Neighbourhood and Community," 111. Since immigration significantly slowed down after 1914, one can assume that these 1931 data are somewhat reflective of the geo-ethnic reality of the 1910s. and organizations, such as schools, "to beautify their surroundings by planting trees on the boulevards in front of their homes." The Natural History Section of the BCMC and the Arbor Day Association merged in 1918 to become the Vancouver Natural History Society. According to its president Professor Davidson, the Society's mandate was to "introduce its members to healthful physical exercise in 'God's great out of doors', to mental activity in the study of His works, and to spiritual uplift in reading the lessons He has written in the great book of life - Nature." Thus, it was a citizen's association, with a marked interest in nature and sustainability, that gave the key momentum to further boulevard legislation. In 1917, the Park Board was given official jurisdiction over the boulevards and parks by the City Council. The elaborate By-Law No. 1293 clarified boulevard property and management: All trees, saplings, or shrubs planted on any boulevard of the city shall be deemed to be the property of the City; and the control of such trees, saplings, or shrubs are here-by declared to be under the care or control of the Board of Park Commissioners. Written permits to plant trees were mandatory, to ensure respect for the optimal conditions predetermined by the board. These conditions included, among many others, that trees be no less than thirty feet from one another, and three feet from the sidewalks. The board also became responsible for any required pruning, trimming, removal, or transplant, unless authorization was otherwise given.39 Vancouver had thus decided that regulating street trees and boulevards was a necessity to ensure a standardized and unified streetscape, in line with the essential concept of "beauty and harmony" previously articulated by MacPherson. At the same time, the City also passed the Civic Arbor Day By- Law (No. 1290) for a day to be held annually during early spring to officially launch and celebrate the "tree-planting season."40 The City of Vancouver's late development gave its planners the advantage of learning from older cities' mistakes. In Ottawa, for example, where most street trees had been privately planted since 1869 the "results were often haphazard" with trees planted closely to one another with little symmetry. As Ottawa's street trees grew bigger and started competing with the emerging infrastructure— sidewalks, new road surfaces and paving, curbs, drains, overhead wires—a new Street Tree Planting By-Law was finally adopted in 1909.41 Over the next decades, thousands of trees had to be removed to comply with the modernizing urban society's needs. By proactively regulating street trees, Vancouver hoped to minimize the destruction or removal of street trees. The Vancouver Natural History Society's membership grew steadily and so did its passion for trees and boulevards. In his presidential address of 1921, Professor Davidson proudly asserted that the Society had slightly more than two hundred members and "had become one of the strongest and most active Natural History Societies in Canada...the strongest west of Ottawa."42 He also urged its members to arrange meetings in schools and church-halls from various districts to promote urban trees: If you "do something! it will be good for you, it will be good for our society, it will be good for Vancouver."43 Other active members were Dr. Leonard Sylvanus Klinck, president of UBC and former Dean of Agriculture; Charles E Connor, a botany teacher at King Edward High School and Methodist minister; Kate McQueen, an English teacher at this same high school; and A.H. Bain, a chartered accountant. The Society fervently argued for the dogwood to become Vancouver's civic emblem.44 This interest echoed Andrew Jackson's rmd-nmeteenth-century concept centred on indigenous trees. Their efforts had little immediate effect. The dogwood flower was chosen as a provincial symbol in 1959. As for Vancouver, it finally opted for the rose in 1967.45 In the years following the transfer of jurisdiction to the park board, managing and caring for boulevards proved difficult. Since the 1913 frontage tax of a maximum of ten cents hardly covered maintenance fees, the park board had to rely on annual special • grants from the City, starting with $228.29 in 1916, to "enable work of an urgent nature" to be completed.46 As a result, the board concentrated its "constructing" efforts on the main thoroughfares, such as Georgia Street, and relied upon property owners to deal with less urgent matters, such as pruning, on their respective boulevards. The park board had to decline countless "construction" or maintenance requests from residents, "owing to lack of funds; the City Council not having appropriated any sum for [such] work."47 Helplessly, the board granted the residents permits to take on these endeavours at their own costs. In 1921, the City Charter was further amended. Subsection 163 now stipulated that a frontage tax not exceeding 25 cents could be imposed to maintain boulevards. However, there were still no BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY - Vol. 42 No. 3 provisions made for "construction" cost.48 Yet again, the park board was to depend on special grants from the council for any new local improvements to the boulevards. Such budget restrictions for boulevards were not uncommon throughout Canada during and following World War I; for example, Winnipeg did not carry out any new construction from 1916 to 1921.49 During those challenging years, Vancouver residents and organizations took action and acquired permits to assume the planting of new boulevard trees. In 1916, for example, five residents of Stephens Street in Kitsilano, said they would be gladly plant trees themselves and even pay for the cartage.50 To its relief, over the next four years, the park board gave away more than two thousand trees from its Stanley Park nursery, which had by then grown to a critical size.51 Thus, the initiatives of residents, schools, and other organizations significantly contributed to the development of boulevards and densificafion of street trees in Vancouver. In fact, the nursery ran out of trees in the spring of 1921, at which time boulevarding slowed down until new trees were secured in the fall of 1922.52 Given that homeowners had to bear the costs associated with planting street trees between 1910 and 1920, it is not surprising that most applications originated from the wealthier west side of Vancouver.53 A close examination of the correspondence of the park board from 1912 to 1917 reveals that the vast majority of the applications came from the West End and Kitsilano.54 These neighbourhoods also happened to be settled mostly by middle class families. As historian Jean Barman argues, "by the 1920s Vancouver was divided between east and west largely by socio-economic orientation" that was reinforced by race and ethnicity.55 As the West End and Kitsilano populations originated predominantly from the United States, Britain, and elsewhere in Canada, these districts displayed some of the lowest percentages of immigrants from continental Europe and Asia.56 Thus, the park board's practice—or necessity—of depending upon residents' activism or private investments favoured tree planting in the wealthier western districts, where interests, resources, and cultural upbringing effectively reflected the values and ideals of movements such as the parks and boulevard, or City Beautiful. This essay demonstrates that the dominant white English-speaking population of Vancouver played a crucial role in the development of Vancouver's street tree programme. Influenced by the English squares of the eighteenth century and the elaborate French boulevards of the nineteenth century, American landscapers, architects and urban planners of the 1870s conceived the parks and boulevard movement. Within two decades, this movement was integrated to the much larger City Beautiful movement, which spread across North America. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Canadian professionals and cities adopted the City Beautiful movement's values and principles of landscaped architecture and civic beauty, which encompassed the beautifying of boulevards with street trees. Vancouver offered a fresh slate for its early settlers and new immigrants—predominantly from Britain, the United States, and elsewhere in Canada—to impose a rigorous street tree programme and legislation. Many contributed to such endeavour: the City Council, park board, and professional and private organizations. Even more significant was the role that residents played through associations or basic activism (such as planting!) in beautifying their boulevards and ensuring a sound sustainable legislation. The neighbourhoods that benefited the most from the residents' and organizations' "green" investments were located on the west side of Vancouver, which was also home to the middle and upper classes. The initial efforts made by the dominant white English- speaking population, from 1896 to 1925, especially on the wealthier west side of Vancouver, can still be felt today, thanks to the actions of passionate residents who have kept the initial enthuiasm alive. • BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY - Vol. 42 No. 3 The British Columbia Chamber of Mines 1898 Version By Chuck Davis Chuck Davis is a well known broadcaster, author, newpaperman and Vancouver historian whose books have included the Vancouver and Greater Vancouver books. Chuck's big project is vancouverhistory.ca, and a new history of Metropolitain Vancouver. The organization known for decades as the BC and Yukon Chamber of Mines began under another name in 1912, and today is known as the Association for Mining Exploration British Columbia. The AME BC has a web site at www. amebc.ca, and on there you'll discover that the group's focus is not on production, but, as its name indicates, exploration. These are not the people who dig the stuff out of the ground, these are the people—geologists and prospectors—who point out where the stuff is. 1912 was a good year to start the Chamber: income from mining was rising rapidly in the province. For the preceding 10 years the annual value of minerals taken out of the ground in BC had been in the range of $17 million to $26 million. In 1912 it jumped to $32 million, with indications that that level of production would continue. (Keep in mind these are 1912 dollars. To put it into context, a typical wage in those days was $2.50 for a 10-hour day.) Gold was particularly strong: the gold mined in BC in 1912 was worth nearly $6 million ... more than all the other provinces combined. Copper, too, was strong, with a value of more than $8.4 million, compared to $4.45 million for all the other provinces together. But even before that 1912 inauguration, there was an earlier Chamber of Mines in Vancouver. It began in 1898, a full 14 years earlier, but knowledge about it—beyond the names of its officials—is very scant. It was incorporated May 19, 1898, but aside from a brief reference in the B.C. Gazette, and a May 27 British Colonist story that simply repeats the Gazette's information, we could find virtually nothing about the organization. That's curious, because the paper is crammed during that period with stories about mining activity, especially in the Yukon. Doubly curious because the names of the people involved show that this was an influential group. We were able to obtain a brochure that had been issued by this early Chamber, but unfortunately it contains nothing more than rules of conduct at meetings, powers of the executive and so on, nothing about the industry itself. (Our receipt of that brochure is a small story in itself: no library we could find on this side of the water had this century-old document, but a mining museum in England did! NEIMME, the North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers, kindly emailed us a scanned copy.) But, and this was crucial, the names of the executive members are shown in the brochure. This was very useful information. A lot of the names are familiar to the mining fraternity and two or three of Vancouver, Jan. 18*—(Special)—An I attempt is being made to establish a ehamber ot mines in Y&nconver. At I tha suggestion of W* J. Waterman and others, a meeting of the council of the board ol trade was called to consider the matter* There were but eight preaent. It waa pointed out that the object of L such' ii chamber would be to promote and 1 conatder legislation affecting mining and 1 generally to £o§ter the mining indnatrlea I o( the province* particularly to give investors ft chance to protect tbemaeivea against wild cats* After the object of t boats who bad neen instrumental in calling tba meeting had been explained, a resolution to adjourn, moved by Mr. McLafcftn, was earned, the mover a taking that there had been enough tinkering with the mining legislation of the country* Daily Colonist January 19, 1898 them are familiar to most British Columbians. In fact, the names open up a whole era of BC history, and show the impact that the search for minerals had and would have in this province. Armed with that information we made a number of discoveries. The president of the 1898 Chamber was Dr. Alfred Richard Cecil Selwyn. The British-born Selwyn was 74 at the time and retired from his post as director of the Geological Survey of Canada, where he had served with real distinction for 25 years from 1869 to 1894. The Selwyn Range of the Rockies, in BC west of Jasper National Park, an area he had extensively surveyed in 1871, was named for him. His work there was part of the Geological Survey's contribution to the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway. 1871, of course, was the year British Columbia joined Confederation on the promise of that railway. (Selwyn came back to BC in 1875 to survey the proposed Peace River pass for the railway's route through the Rockies.) Selwyn was an extraordinarily distinguished find for the locals: he had been elected a fellow of the Royal Society in 1874, was awarded the Murchison Medal of the Geological Society of London two years later, and in 1886 was made a CMG, a Companion of the Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George, an honor given by the monarch (in this case Queen Victoria) for outstanding achievement. His retirement BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY - Vol. 42 No. 3 to Vancouver was a stroke of luck for this Chamber. Selwyn's vice-president was Henry Braithwaite 'Harry' Abbott, 68, and as well known in Vancouver as anyone could be. He was a CPR executive— superintendent of the Pacific Division—who, among other duties, in March of 1886 let the contract for the clearing of the townsite of Vancouver. Abbott Street is named for him. The 1898 executive committee was made up of nine more local heavyweights. (Abbott also served on this 10-man committee.) The Roster: Alfred St. George Hamersley was the city's first solicitor, a legal advisor to the city, to the CPR and to the BC Electric Co. William Pellew-Harvey, 34, was a metallurgist who set up an assay office in Vancouver in 1897 that, thanks to his reputation in the industry, would become the Dominion Assay Office for the whole of Canada. Pellew-Harvey would return to England in 1901, and spend the next 40 years as a rnining consultant in countries all over the world. Information on Frank S. Taggart is scarce, but he was known in rnining and financial circles in Vancouver and Victoria and prominent enough in 1886 to be the sole source of a Toronto Globe story about the Great Vancouver Fire. William White was a Revelstoke QC, and that's about all we could find out about him. We've identified C.C. Bennett as Secretary to the Fern Gold Mining & Milling Co. The Fern mine was on the south side of Hall Creek, just south of Nelson, and we mention that because the manager of the Hall Smelter at the time was Robert Hedley, who would become the first president of the 1912 Chamber. The two men would very likely have known each other—thus providing a link, perhaps, between the 1898 Chamber and the 1912 version. Researching the name of H. Hirschel-Cohen, another of the executive committee members and the only one who lived in Victoria, we found a Victoria Daily Colonist story from July 16,1898—the same year this Chamber was born—in which he's quoted at length on the state of the mining industry in British Columbia. Cohen was speaking to the B.C. Board of Trade, of which he was a member, at its annual meeting. One point of many he made was that the mining laws should be changed so that a man "could not, as at present, hold any numbers of claims without working them." More than 100 years later that is still a concern! Barclay Bonthrone was a partner in Bonthrone, Lennard and Co. and the managing director of the British Columbia Gold Trust Ltd. Aside from the fact that he has a wonderful name and was born in Scotland, and one-line references in the Victoria Daily Colonist of February 13 and May 3,1900 mentioning he was visiting Victoria from Vancouver, we know nothing about him. J.M. McKinnon is cited as involved in ''mining and real estate," and worked out of the McKinnon Building in Vancouver. When you have a whole building named for you, you're a somebody! The most well-known name of all was D. Bell- Irving. At least, his surname was. We haven't been able to determine which Bell-Irving this was. Solicitor to the Chamber was Osborne Plunkett. He was Harry Abbott's son-in-law, and further proof that names in the 1800s were more impressive than today's. The BC Gazette for May 1898 (Page 1106) marks the incorporation. It names the people we've just cited, and adds a description supplied by them of the Chamber and its aims. They sound remarkably similar to the aims of the 1912 Chamber: (a) to promote and protect the mining interests and industries of British Columbia (b) to consider all questions connected with the mining industry, and to promote public discussion thereon (c) to promote measures affecting such rnining industry (d) to collect and circulate statistics and other information relating to such rnining industry (e) to communicate with and exchange information upon mining matters with Chambers of Mines or Government Departments of Mines in the Dominion of Canada and other countries... and so on. One other aim is interesting: to establish, form and maintain a library and museum of models, specimens, designs, drawings and other articles of interest in connection with the mining industry, for the use of the members. We had hoped that Alfred Selwyn's Province obituary (Page 6, October 20,1902) might mention the Chamber, and give more details, but although it was a suitably long obit for this distinguished gentleman it didn't cite that episode of his life. It did, however, say this: "When he visited Vancouver seven years ago he was pleased with the push and bustle of the Terminal City, and he determined to come here to pass his last days." As for this 1898 Chamber, for aU its prominent names and the vigor of the province's mining industry, it seems to have vanished without a trace. • BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY • Vol. 42 No. 3 17 _J Rule Britannia: the I.O.D.E. and Postwar Art Education in British Columbia By Lloyd Bennett Dr. Lloyd Bennett is an art historian at Thompson Rivers University O. I.O.D.E. BC Archives photo, N/I/Im7p, 1-68909 n the afternoon of Friday, 8 May 1923 i officials of the Kamloops School Board met "to receive a set of war memorial pictures at Lloyd George School. The name of the school spoke of Britain's famous First World War Prime Minister. Indeed, the entire ceremony revealed the link to the mother country! After the supervisor of schools J. W McNab called the event a "a red letter day" for the students, Mrs. D. B. Johnston, regent of the Imperial Order Daughter of the Empire (IODE), identified the eighteen pictures ("IODE Proofs") as a gift that would, she hoped, "serve to perpetuate the memory" of those who fought in the war "in the minds of the growing youth." The implication was that the war was just, that given the heritage of English speaking citizens, Canada's involvement as a supporter of Britain was expected, and that the education of its youth ought to follow the model of Britain. School Board Chairman Paul McD. Kerr, who gave the longest speech, observed how the pictures recalled "the storied days of old" where "poor boys, in many cases,... rose to be great and famous." The heroes, Frobisher, Wellington, Gordon, and Kitchener achieved because they "loved liberty, loved truth, loved valour, loved England, and England loved them."1 Kerr was using heroic history to justify Prime Minister Robert Borden's support for Britain and the war by presenting the noble sacrifice of many for country and empire as a model for youth. The IODE had made a determined initiative to use recent history to direct education in Canadian schools towards the British tradition. "Intelligent Patriotism" In 1900, in the midst of the South African (Anglo-Boer) War, Margaret Poison Murray of Montreal founded the IODE "to promote higher ideals of patriotism amongst the men and women of this country; to secure greater unity in the Empire; [and] to assist in the mental and physical development of our people, that they may be prepared to defend their homes and their country."2 Murray had asked the Guild of Loyal Woman of South Africa to care for the graves of deceased Canadian soldiers in "the name of Empire" and the IODE raised significant funds for a granite monument at Bloemf ontein. The South African War had alerted Canada to the dangers of the modern world and the government's need to educate its citizens to their duties. To this end, the IODE worked its mission into the vision of the national government. In its first years, the Order performed good works nurtured by "intelligent 18 BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY - Vol. 42 No. 3 patriotism" and directed to such institutions as the Boy Scouts and the Cadet Corps. In this the IODE sought to organize the passions of nationalism away from a romantic impulse to one of order and discipline as evident in the culture of the Empire. The organization quickly became popular in the smaller cities and towns of Ontario such as Brantf ord, London and Picton. In New Brunswick "The Royal Standard" joined at St John in 1908 and in Nova Scotia, "The Joseph Howe" at Canso in 1912. The prairies produced numerous chapters from Winnipeg to Calgary and especially in developing cities like Moose Jaw. The press and government in generally agreed that a healthy respect for national sacrifice would be good for the developing Dominion. When the First World War broke out, the IODE was in place to become a principal promoter of Empire support and the patriotic fervour aroused by the war increased its national membership. Murray's home city of Montreal supported the cause with multiple chapters named for historic or contemporary figures such as "The Kitchener," "The Edith Cavell," "The Arthur Currie," and "The John McRae." Toronto was a hotbed for IODE interest and had some thirty chapters by the 1920s. In British Columbia, Vancouver and Victoria equalled Toronto in their support for the Order and British culture. By 1920 Vancouver could boast over a dozen chapters and Victoria, a half dozen. Chapters appeared in other British Columbia cities during and immediately after the war: Nanaimo joined in 1914; New Westminster, in 1917; Kamloops' "St. Claire Street," in 1916; Penticton, in 1919, and the Burnaby "William Telford," in 1921.3 Popularity put the IODE in a position to influence social services and education across the Dominion. On 10 September 1919 Educational Secretary Maud Smith reported that an IODE committee, working with the London Canadian War Memorials Fund advisor P. G. Konody, had identified twenty pictures and the Order would have one thousand colour copies of each reproduced by the Fine Arts Publishing Company of London, England for distribution in each province in numbers calculated by the number of schools and students.4 The pictures, the "IODE Proofs" would include an embossed seal and the inscription: Presented by the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire in memory of the men and women of the Empire who gave their lives in the Great War, 1914-1918.5 This plan to rernind young Canadians of the 'I.O.D.E. Proofs', Joseph Brant. The Mohawk Chief, 1776 by George Romney. Colour print: 68 x 55 cm., Saskatchewan Archives Board, R-D1451. sacrifices of Canadian troops won praise. The Saint John Globe, for example, extolled the "enormous enterprise" of the IODE in placing these reproductions in the schools where they would have "an educational advantage to the country" and provide an opportunity for students to benefit from their "patriotic value."6 The Montreal Herald must also have been pleased for, when the last phase of the London-based war memorials was exhibited in Montreal in 1920, it thought "it would be a thousand pities if the collection left Montreal without school children, in particular being given the opportunity to see it in their most impressionable years."7 As well as having artistic values, the reproductions would rernind future generations of the "wastage of war." This last consideration may have been an answer to those who accused the Order of war mongering. All of the chosen images fitted the IODE mission of relating Canada's link to Britain in history and contemporary events. The selection, which formed a unified, small collection, focused on images of colour and realist detail to draw attention to the war effort. No pictures dramatised the waste of war with piled up corpses nor were there avant-garde images that might detract from the message of the noble aims of BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY • Vol. 42 No. 3 19 Notes= 1 "Presented War Pictures to School", Kamloops Standard- Sentinel, & May mi. 2 National Archives of Canada, MG 28 117, Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire. Records (hereafter IODE Records), Vol. 20, Miscellaneous Correspondence 1908-1911,1 March 1909, Head Office, National Chapter of Canada, 3 IODE Records, IODE Charters. 4 Ontario, 315 sets; Quebec, 250 sets; Manitoba, 75 sets; Saskatchewan, 95 sets; Alberta, 80 sets; New Brunswick, 45 sets; Nova Scotia, 65 sets; British Columbia, 60 sets; Prince Edward Island, 10 sets; Yukon, 3 sets." 5 IODE Executive Minutes, 16 October 1918. Mrs. Smith referred to the series of pictures, the IODE Proofs, and the literature she was preparing to send to the Chapters. A design bearing the IODE name was to be stamped on every Picture. The pictures would be sold throughout Canada, but only the National Chapter IODE could secure them for Educational Work. Where the "historical" works were already printed, a cut inscription was pasted to some of these works such as the "Montcalm" in the Saskatchewan Archives Board collection. 6 "In a Thousand Schools", Saint John Globe, 9 October 1919. 7 "Why Children Should See the War Pictures", Montreal Herald, 7 October 1920. 8 Canadian War Memorials Exhibition, 1919, Exhibition catalogue, 4. 9 Canadian War Memorials Exhibition, 1920, Exhibition catalogue, 15. artist and patron. The first "historical" images were portraits of the King and Empire supporter Joseph Brant and the historic Death of Montcalm.13 The sequence illustrating the Canadian experience in the First World War began with the first ships leaving the Gaspe, Canada's Answer by Norman Wilkinson, and concluded with the victory in Germany, Canadians Arriving on the Rhine by Inglis Sherwin-Williams. The collections illustrated a successful military campaign that promoted the positive virtues of a strong emerging nation. The students at the Lloyd George School saw heroic pictures such as Kenneth Forbes' Canadian Artillery in Action where a Dominion battery showed its courage and tenacity. The picture conveys the anxiety of the situation when the Canadian Expeditionary Force suffered a heavy barrage during the July 1916 capture of Thiepval. Although suffering many casualties, the men "remained at their posts and kept the guns in action."8 Wounded fell around the big gun as it fired its massive shells while one shirtless-man held his ears in anticipation. This was realist detail and local colour that the viewer could relate to—not an open-ended abstraction but an image constructed to evoke a sympathetic response. English artist C. R. W Nevinson presented a different view of modern warfare by going into the air in a balloon and making sketches for paintings of dogfights in the great expanses of blue sky above the Somme. This aerial view gave the artist a rare chance to observe the combatants one on one and resulted in a large painting for the Canadian War Memorials Fund, War in the Air, 1918. These "knights of the air" set the scene for a new type of heroics that depended upon the skill of the pilot and the quality of his machine. Nevinson set the biplane of W A. "Billy" Bishop, the much-honoured Canadian pilot of the Royal Air Force, high on the right of the picture and diving fast on the German taube that was attempting to manoeuvre a pitch out of the sights of the Canadian's guns. The painting gave a certain "gallantry" to fighting as the ace brought down seventy-three German planes. The IODE included it as a contemporary method of modern war. Although there were Canadian war artists including Group of Seven members, A. Y. Jackson and Fred Varley, British artists tended to dominate the commissions from the Canadian War Memorials Fund and the "IODE Proofs." The England-born illustrator Inglis Sheldon-Williams who settled in Regina in 1887, however, was included in both. Williams joined the Canadian war memorials scheme in December 1917 but did not get to the front until October 1918. He is especially known for his two large canvases The BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY - Vol. 42 No. 3 British Columbia Historical Federation ** Newsletter NO. 27 September 2009 ISSN print 1710-1433 online 1710-1441 website bchistory.ca By: The Honourable Steven Point, BBS OBC Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia In September, as Chancellor of the Order of British Columbia, I am once again hosting the annual investiture ceremony at Government House. This prestigious award is now in its 20th year and is our province's highest recognition of individual excellence and achievement. The Order is presented to individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to BC and its people. Like BC, each province in Canada has established similar award systems to honour their exemplary citizens. If you know someone in our province deserving of recognition, you can nominate them for the Order of British Columbia by visiting http://www.protocol.gov.bc.ca/protocol/prgs/obc/obc.htm This month will also provide an opportunity for me to present one of our country's national awards. Acting on behalf of the Governor General, I have the honour to present the Caring Canadian Award to British Columbians who are being recognized for their exceptional efforts to better the lives of their fellow Canadians within their own community or region. This award was created to pay tribute to people who have voluntarily provided extraordinary help or care to others or have supported their com munity through service orhumanitarian causes without major acknowledgment. To nominate someone for a Caring Canadian Award, visit the Governor General's website http://www.gg.ca/honours/index e.asp As autumn approaches and we celebrate those who have done so much for our province and its people, I encourage all of you to think of those who have given selflessly but have not been recognized for their efforts - there are unsung heroes among us whom we see every day helping out in our communities. Their good works are just as appreciated and to say "thank you" is to give a little acknowledgment of what they have so generously provided. I am grateful, as we all should be, to everyone who works towards making British Columbia and its communities one of the best places in the world to call home. YOU MAY COPY AND CIRCULATE TO YOUR MEMBERS All Aboard!! 100 years of trains in White Rock The White Rock Museum and Archives is celebrating the one hundredth anniversary of the arrival of trains in White Rock. Historic photographs and archival documents take you through the story of how the seaside resort was transformed in 1909 when the first train rumbled down the track. Step into the historic train station and go back in time as you explore the vital role the railway played in shaping White Rock in the years that followed. 100 years of trains in White Rock runs until November 15th in the historic White Rock train station that houses the community's Museum and Archives at 14970 Marine drive. For more information phone 604- 541-2222 or emai whiterockprograms@telus.net. The White Rock Station is larger than most stations constructed in comparably sized communities along the rail system. This was to accommodate Customs and Immigration staff. The "lock up", complete with barred windows, was situated at the east end of the building. The rail portion, at the west end, contained a baggage room, waiting rooms, ticket office and washrooms. Services such as mail and telegraph gave these buildings both social and commercial importance. Welcome to our new members Little Prairie Heritage Society - Chetwynd Groundbirch Historical Society- Groundbirch (west of Dawson Creek) Corporate Members: Sustainability Television - Vancouver Johnson Inc. - Langley The BC Historical Federation has 153 memberships representing over 13,000 members. ■~l History of the Archdiocese of Vancouver The territory of the Archdiocese of Vancouver is a very large, running from the 49th parallel to just south of Prince George and it includes McGuckin's Folly! We now have a history of its first 100 years thanks to Dr. Jacqueline Gresko, who spoke to the Vancouver Historical Society about her new book Traditions of Faith and Service which celebrates the Archdiocese's centennial. A delightful story from Dr. Gresko's talk concerned His Excellency Archbishop Duke. He was, apparently, a stickler for the formalities. He insisted that any priest coming to see him be dressed in a Prince Albert coat - a costly formal black jacket that extended down to between the hips and the knees - a rarity in B.C.. Local priests were in a quandary but one of them came up with a solution - they shared their resources and bought one Prince Albert coat and kept it on the Archbishop's front porch. Whoever visited His Excellency, needed only to pick up the coat and slip it on as he rang the doorbell. Duke knew about the ruse, but apparently also had a sense of humor. Oh yes, "McGuckin's Folly" - we know it better as Holy Rosary Cathedral. In 1898 Father J.M. McGuckin, (Oblate Mary Immaculate) decided the growing City of Vancouver needed a larger and more permanent church. The Church of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary j opened in 1900, put the parish j deep into debt and was not fully paid off until 1953 when the ! church was consecrated by | Archbishop Duke, 37 years after the church had become a cathedral in 1916. Thanks to the Vancouver Historical Society's Newsletter and article by Chuck Davis for excerpts used for this article Traditions of Faith and Service is available at $39.00 for pickup or can be ordered by mail for an extra $10 with order and payment sent to Archdiocese of Vancouver, 150 Robson Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6B 2A7 and mention you saw it in the Newsletter. Florence Nightingale Window St. Mary's Anglican Church, Kerrisdale The window was dedicated in 1986 by Canon Whinfield Robinson, an Anglican Rector, in memory of his wife Doris Comley Robinson. Doris Comley was born 21 June 1907 in Ladysmith, B.C. and met her future husband while they were both students there. She graduated as a nurse from Ladysmith General Hospital in 1929. As this was a small school of nursing, she also attended Vancouver General Hospital for pediatrics and obstetrics affiliation. She and Whinfield were married on June 8, 1931. The reproduction of the stained glass window is the fourth in a series produced by the British Columbia History of Nursing Professional Practice Group. The History Group aims to discover, disseminate and preserve nursing history. Money raised will be used to fund a small Nursing Archives and museum for the 100th Anniversary of the BC Registered Nurses Association in 2011. The window was made by G. Maile and Son, Canterbury, England, makers of the other stained glass windows at St. Mary's Church. Creston Museum <& Archives celebrated the opening of the Founder's Hall after a major rebuilding and renovation of the 1952 building. The South Wing, as the building wasbestknown, until renovated, was in bad need of improvement. When the Museum Society began planning the renovation 2 years ago, many challenges were discovered as work progressed, nonexistent footings for the walls and roof trusses that were rotted so badly, they no longer rested on anything. As a result, only the stone front wall, fireplace and parts of the stone floor remain of the original construction. While everything else was rebuilt, it still retains the character of the old one. The curing stone construction was built between 1952 and 1967 by master stonemason Rudolph Schultz, who was well known for his unique & eccentric work. The vehicle windshields Schultz used have been retained. The masonry of the front | wall has ben painted in his trademark white and the odd I little things he stuck in the mortar are still there, even one of the railway tracks used as a roof support beam.. Ten new exhibits are ready to tell the story of Creston's earliest development in the Founder's Hall. 2 Do you remember these?? The Vancouver Pioneers' Association Participate in a research project i "Heat, Light and Work in Canadian Homes - 1900 - 1950" with the j University of Toronto historian Dr. | Ruth Sandwell. Dr. Sandwell is j interested in hearing about your ! memories of any aspect of heating, ; lighting, cooking, cleaning, washing and otherwise working in your Canadian home before 1950 ' through either a phone interview or in your own written mini-memoir. If you are interested, you can get more details from Melissa Otis at motis(S)oise.utoronto.ca or Dr. Ruth Sandwell at Ruth .sandwell@utoronto.ca or write Dr. Ruth Sandwell, Associate Professor, I Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, 252 Bloor St West, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1V6. This could be a fun walk down memory laneformanyof our"mature members" and shed some light on life in the 1930's and 1940's. We will publish an update on the number of participants from British Columbia. Richmond Museum publishes 6th local history The Richmond Museum & Heritage Services has published a booklet each year recognizing various aspects of the community's interesting history. Varying in size from 26 to 46 pages, the booklets are structured in a self-guided tour format where the reader can physically travel the route to view each site highlighted in the publication. The two centre pages are a map of Richmond showing the sites in the booklet. Slough District Brighouse District Selling at $5.00, the six issues published highlight Richmond's Agriculture Heritage Richmond's Industrial Heritage South Arm Slough District - Sea Island Steveston Cannery Row - Brighouse District (see the article "Minoru sculpture unveiling") This is a great project that might be used by other members as a method to promote a segment of their regional history. A historical society, one of the oldest in Vancouver, the VPA, unfortunately, has dissolved. The 116 year Association was organized just 7 years after the City of Vancouver was incorporated and among its early mem bers were names now found on street signs, schools and dedicated landmarks-the Oppenheimers, the Woodwards, the Bell-lrvings, the Abbots, the Bowsers. The purpose of the VPA was to gather and preserve facts, to commemorate the sixth day of April as the day of the City's incorporation and the thirteenth of June as the date of the destruction of the City by fire, both dates in 1886; and in co-operation with the Archivist of the City of Vancouver to gather historical information and records relating to the City and its pioneer citizens. Vancouver is a young city, made even younger through immigration and how many Vancouverites could tell you that the City was incorporated on ■ April 6, 1886 and destroyed by | fire June 13 the same year? The narrow focus of the Association and its requirement that new members needed to have 40 years residency in Vancouverorthe Lower Mainland and required two existing Association members to vouch for them - was a model designed for diminishing opportunities for new members. It is unfortunate that this well intentioned Pioneer's Association, whose early goals were successful in helping preserve the history of Vancouver, did not recognize a need for flexibility to encourage membership and the changing of Vancouver's exciting history to be in harmony with today's approach to the preservation and promotion of British Columbia's history. Material for this article was based on Pete McMartin's Opinion Column in the Vancouver Sun June 6, 2009. Vancouver Maritime Museum celebrates its 50th birthday Officially opened in June 1959, the Vancouver Maritime Museum was built alongside the drydock and A-frame that houses Canada's famous Royal Canadian Mounted Police Arctic Schooner St. Roch. The restored St Roch is the centerpiece of the Maritime Museum which interprets the story of Canada's great Pacific Port and its links with the Pacific Rim. The Vancouver Maritime Museum is one of the major maritime museums on the west coast of North America and is Metro Vancouver's link to maritime history, art, culture and technology, relating the past to the present and looking to the future through programs and exhibitions. bringing Maritime History to life for... «^ -r"^ / years Vancouver Maritime Museum 50th birthday cont'd Since 1959, the Museum has welcomed more than 2.5 million visitors from around the world. More than one million school children have participated in the Museum's school programs. The Maritime Museum protects the irreplaceable for future generations, preserves the thousands of artifacts entrusted to its care and strives to preserve the stories that link the artifacts to real people and their experiences. Birthday celebrations on August 8 & 9 offered a spectacular weekend of maritime festivities with entertainment and activities for everyone. Heritage Harbour was brimming with heritage vessels and marine artist John Horton presented a talk of the two Voyages of Captain Vancouver. BCHF enters relationship with Johnson Inc to offer members travel and home insurance coverage The Federation is pleased to announce its relationship with Johnson Inc. to offer members of the BCHF and its mem bersocieties MEDOC Travel Insurance and Preferred Service (PS) Home Plus Plan. MEDOC Travel Insurance is a comprehensive year-round travel policy for multiple trips up to 35 days each under the base plan with convenient monthly premium payments through bank deductions, if you wish. The PS Home Plus Plan provides members various benefits for their home insurance, such as special savings and discounts, exclusive benefits for 50+ members, and 24 hour service. Seethe Johnson Inc advertisement in this issue for further details.. Did you know that each year Johnson Inc. offers 100 scholarships of $1500 to assist students beginning post- secondary studies following the completion of high school? See pages 11 and 12 of this issue for application information. Johnson Inc. has been providing home insurance since 1880 and is one of Canada's leading insurance and benefit providers. Johnson Inc. A new website with some wonderful historic images Historian Dudley Booth has set up a website with copies of some wonderful historic photographs from 1890 - 1950 Canada, England and France. Check out this interesting and historic collection at www.historicphotos.ca and be sure to read the interesting Globe and Mail story about Mr. Booth - click the Globe and Mail link. Frederick William Thirkell 1930 - 2009 Fred Thirkell was born in Vancouver April 9, 1930. He graduated from King Edward High School and obtained his Licentiate in Theology from Anglican Theological College in 1954 and was ordained Deacon and then Priest in 1955. His first posting was Curate at St Mary's in Kerrisdale from 1954 to 1956 then moved to Nova Scotia where he was a minister for 10 years in many comm unities. Thirkell was always fascinated by history and started collecting postcards in Nova Scotia. When he moved back to B.C. he became involved with the Vancouver Postcard Club. Looking for something to do in retirement, Thirkell and friend Bob Scullion put together a calendar featuring vintage postcards. In 1996 Heritage House published their first book, Postcards from the Past which set the tone for their books, collecting rare pre-First World War images and matching them with a mini-history. In Thirkell's histories, the Edwardian Hotel Vancouver came back to life, along with the long-gone city hall on Westminster Avenue (now Main Street) and English Bay back when there were still houses on Beach Avenue, a group of kids joyously sitting atop a cannon at an armoury, a 1909 train accident in Burnaby that killed 23 people, a pack mule in the Slocan being loaded with pipe, while blindfolded. "One of the most important reasons we do it is that in anothergenerationortwofrom now, nobody will remember any of this stuff' Thirkell said in an interview in May. Fred Thirkell was a long time and active member of the Vancouver Postcard Club. H. Keith Ralston 1921 - 2009 Keith Ralston was born in Victoria, BC and received a BA with 1st class honors in history at UBC. He turned to teaching in 1956 and taught at Templeton Secondary School. In 1960, he was the first curator of the newly established Vancouver Maritime Museum and mounted its initial exhibition and assembled its early collections. After further academic study, he was appointed to the History Dept at UBC and specialized in teaching the history of the Canadian west and developed UBC's first course in British Columbia history. Keith was a long time member and supporter of the BCHF and the Vancouver ; Historical Society. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Ralston Family Fund of the Vancouver Foundation which supports Vancouver Public Schools and the Vancouver Historical Society. r~ Nelson Historical Society's Touchstones Museum Announces an exciting online exhibit Sternwheelers of Kootenay Lake featuring images and firsthand accounts of the sternwheelers that were once the lifeline of the Nelson area. Discover the history of the sternwheelers on Kootenay Lake, survey the historic landings and routes on the Lake and explore the boats through photographs and rare old movies. Mfrt This online exhibit was developed in partnership with the Virtual Museum of Canada (virtualmuseum.ca) and local museums and historical societies. Through the archives and collections of the various partner organizations and local collectors, the exhibition is full of images and information on the various aspects of the ships. Tale of a 'happy shipboard romance In 1929 Esther Tryon and her five children boarded the White Star Line ship SS Regina in Liverpool to travel to Montreal, then took the train across Canada to Vancouver, a boat to Victoria and then a train to MacBride Station (now known as Parksville). Esther, who first crossed the Atlantic years earlier, knew she would have time for doing some sewing and writing letters so her fully-fitted black morocco traveling case was labeled as being "wanted on voyage" The stu rdy, capacious writing and toiletry case is one of the artifacts in the Parksville Museum. Esther was the daughter of Sir Robert and Lady Bromley of Stoke on Trent. She first came to Vancouver Island to attend the wedding of her brother, Rear- Admiral Sir Arthur Bromley, to Laura Mary Dunsmuir. The trip home in 1904 proved to be most romantic, for one of the passengers was the very attractive Charles Robert Tryon, who became so smitten that before they landed back in Liverpool, he and Esther agreed to become engaged. They were married in England in 1905. In 1911 Charles Tryon bought a tract of land in Parksville, of which part is now Columbia Beach, and built a home which the family occupied from 1913. Charles died in October 1916. The traveling case, with its monogram "AB" (referring to Esther's mother) was just one of the many items inherited by Joan Tryon, one of the Society's members, who donated it to the Parksville Museum when down-sizing after the death of her husband, Tom, in 1987. Tom had been born in Parksville just three months before his father died. Joan came to Canada from the Netherlands as a delayed war bride in 1949 and has lived in Parksville ever since. Courtesy of the Parksville and District Historical Society Newsletter Spring 2009. The Legend and Legacy of "Rocket" Richard at the Nanaimo Museum An exciting new exhibition about the life and career of the of Canada's greatest sports heroes, Maurice "The Rocket" Richard, opened July 18th at the Nanaimo Museum. "Rocket" Richard: The Legend-The Legacy featuring the Maurice Richard Collection acquired in 2002 by the Canadian Museum of Civilization, pays tribute to the Rocket and gives visitors a sense of his life and times. The feature exhibit presents 90 remarkable objects, such as the Rocket's Number 9 sweater, hockey sticks used by Richard to score landmark goals as well as trophies, pucks, skates, sweaters, his Hall of Fame induction ring and the original copy of his retirement speech. Produced by the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the exhibition has been designed to appeal not only to hockey fans, but to anyone who either lived through the Rocket's heyday or wants to understand his significance in Canadian history. "We dreamed of having large scale exhibits but needed more space to house them," says Debbie Trueman, General Manager of the Nanaimo Museum. "As we celebrate thje one year birthday in our new larger space, we are fulfilling that dream with the arrival of the Rocket Richard exhibit from the Canadian Museum of Civilization." The special exhibition runs until October 11th. in Nanaimo, Bronze Statue of Minoru racehorse unveiled When Minoru Eida was born in the early 20th century, it's highly unlikely his father, Lord Wavertree's Japanese master gardener, would have dreamed his son would have a champion racehorse named after him and 100 years later, share the title of a Western Canadian racetrack, street, park, cultural centre and now an impressive life-size bronze statue of a horse. In 1909, a thoroughbred called Minoru, leased by Lord S Wavertree to King Edward VII, triumphed in two of England's Classic horse races, the 2,000 Guineas and then a month later the Derby, the first time a reigning monarch's colors were carried to victory in the famous race. Later in 1909, on August 21st, in recognition of Minoru's classic winning feats, a racetrack was christened Minoru Park and opened its doors in Richmond with a crowd of 7,000 watching the first race won by Mr. Hose. The track was renamed Brighouse Park in 1920, before shutting up shop during World War II in 1941. The history of the track, its surrounding are, and how it came to be named, was remem bered on August 21st, 100 years later, when a $250,000 bronze life-size statue of the racehorse Minoru was unveiled on Minoru Plaza. The project was sponsored by the Milan and Maureen Mich Foundation of Richmond with Richmond artist Sergei Transchenko commissioned to do the work. Mr. Transchenko researched old paintings of Minoru, horse stables and traveled to England to look at thoroughbred race horses and the history of Lord Wavertree's area in Chester. Following the unveiling, an Off to the Races theme garden party, complete with big hats and fine dresses, was hosted by the Minoru Seniors Society. Three ladies in their finery reflected the community spirit and fun for the afternoon get together. A wonderful example showing how history can be fun. t^O The BCHF Newsletter is published quarterly. Editor Ron Hyde newsletterfibbchistory. ca To get your own copy of the Newsletter mailed to you for 4 issues, send $5 cheque payable to BCHF and mail to: B.C.H.F Newsletter #20 - 12880 Railway Ave. - Richmond, B.C. V7E 6G2 Sustainability Television" An introduction from our new Corporate Member: Sustainability Television is citizen-powered media that promotes healthier more sustainable communities and lifestyles. We combine our own and co-produced material along with user generated content into a much more interactive and educational experience for our viewers. We're different in that we broadcast over the internet and mobile devices such as phones which allow our viewers to subm it content that empowers awareness of ourhealth, our beautiful environment and the individuality of our communities here in British Columbia and around the world. How can you get involved? Become a mem ber for free and you can write and submit articles about your past that will help younger generations learn from the wisdom of previous generations. Check out our calendar of events posting for local farmers markets and community events in your area. If you are a business that shares our values, consider becoming corporate sponsor to help us connect more people to your business and our rich cultural and historical past. Visit us at www.SustainabilityTelevision.com to find out more Member Societies are invited to submit information on special events, exhibits, etc. based on the guidelines of promoting health, community involvement and environmental awareness.. Examples: farming, organic farming, thrift, recycling, reusing materials, craftsmanship, community engineering (ideas to solve problems) mentoring and anything to do with the love of nature (such as heritage gardens, preservation of a heritage tree, etc). For further information or to email your information send to newsletter(S>.bchistorv.ca or mail to:BCHF Newsletter, PO Box 63006, Richmond, B.C V7E 6K4 A busy summer schedule of history and events Delta Museum & Archives - children explored the world of archeology unearthed in the hands-on mock archeological excavation program. Penticton Museum & Archives - opportunity to be an astronomer for a day at the White Lake Observatory. Space explorers toured the anechoic chamber, the Cannon and the Blockhouse and played cosmic hopscotch. 6 Royal BC Museum - Day Camp packed with exploration and discovery. Participants enjoyed a behind the scenes look at the RBCM - explored the museum galleries and collections - lessons on mummy wrapping and other RBCM secrets Sooke Region Museum - bus and hiking guided tour to the Cheewhat Cedar, the largest red cedar in the world, with an ancient partially carved large cedar canoe resting nearby. Doukhobor Discovery Centre - The Peter's Day Celebration June 27th featured the presentation of the Psalmist Project. Started in 2008 for Heritage Week, the project was a major production that resulted in a two hour DVD outlining the | origins of Psalm singing and touching on the Doukhobor I history, particularly in Canada. The project celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Doukhobor | movement to British Columbia from Saskatchewan. The DVD and CD are available at the Doukhobor Discovery Centre or check out www.Doukhobor-Museum .org Vancouver Historical Society offered two special field trips - one - the Bowmer-Shoebotham Museum of Military Medicine (open only by appointment) - two - The Vancouver Police Museum's fascinating "S/77S of the City" walking tour. Britannia Heritage Shipyards, Richmond - celebrated their 6th Annual Maritime Festival featuring everything nautical and participation by other Steveston Heritage sites. Britannia Shipyards is a National Historic Site on an 8.5 acre park located along the Steveston channel on the south arm of the Fraser River. Originally a cannery, then converted to a shipyard, Britannia represents an important era in the h istoric development of Steveston and the fishing industry. Summer Farmers Markets were held in cities and towns throughout British Columbia and have evolved into a community event featuring produce, seafood, meat products, gourmet food j products, crafts, heritage, arts, j culture and entertainment, j Many local community J? societies participate with (rfJpit'i A busy summer contd m information, books, pamphlets, etc. and is a great way to spend a Saturday or Sunday while promoting their sites. The Okanagan Military Museum celebrated Canada's 100th anniversary of powered flight with an fascinating exhibit focusing on local and military aeronautic history and a time line of historic facts, many with Okanagan connections. The Museum is located at 1424 Ellis St. in Kelowna. Comox Archives & Museum Society launched their exciting new website preserving and hiliting the history of Comox and area. Check it at www.comoxmuseum.ca North Vancouver M useum and Archives had a costumed Molly the Mountaineer offering 30 minute tours of the area and stories of her experiences growing up and hiking in North Vancouver as well as stories of a ■ monumental climb of Mount Robson, I sacrificial ice men and dramatic rescues. WjM Nanaimo & District Museum Society has an innovative new website that has attracted hits from as far away as Dubai. Check it out at www.nanaimomuseum.ca There was something for everyone! What a wonderful summer of history and fun. How refreshing to see many of the Museums offer programs with a flair of history and lots of fun. The Royal BC Museum giving lessons on mummy wrapping- Penticton Museum offering Cosmic Hopscotch at the White Lake Observatory. The Vancouver Historical Society and Vancouver Police Museum's "Sins of the City" walking tour. Some wonderful examples of offering history that is interesting and fun with some innovative programs. Kudos to all of you for showing that British Columbia's history can be fun, exciting and interesting. Melva Dwyer presented with a Certificate of Appreciation On a sunny afternoon in June, Melva Dwyer was hosted to a lunch at Crescent Beach by Awards Committee Chair Tony Cox, Rob and Jacqueline Gresko and Ron and Maureen Hyde. During lunch, Tony presented Melva with a Certificate of Appreciation for her many hears of service to the British Columbia Historical Federation Co un cil and for preparing the index for the British Columbia History magazine. Melva's activities with the Federation include organizing the Conference workshops for several years, serving as Honorary President and is an Honorary Life Member. SFU wins World Summit Award for 2009 The Simon Fraser Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology attracted international attention for creating the world's best e-Content-the multimedia product "A Journey into Time Immemorial" won the World Summit Award with an innovative website recreating the ancient dwelling and spiritual site of Xa:ytem in 3D The United Nations contest for e-content and creativity attracted approx 20,000 products and projects from 157 countries and the winner was chosen from 545 finalists visit the website http://www.sfu.museum/time/enflash Upcoming Events BCHF Board Meeting Oct. 4 at 11 am Minoru Centre, Richmond, BC BCMA Oct. 15-17 Osoyoos, B.,C. Provincial workshop focused on the needs of small museums and galleries. Http://bcma-governance-workshop. blogspot.com or contact Lisa Codd at lisa.codd@burnaby.ca Victoria Genealogical Society Oct. 24 Victoria, B.C. Forthcoming Family History Seminar "RelativelySpeaking" with David Obee and Sherry Irvine. For details and registration www.VictoriaGS.org Arrow Lakes Historical Society - celebrating their 25th anniversary with an Open House in their Archives on September 19th from 1 to 5 pm in Nakusp. News from the BCHF Publications Committee by Brenda Smith fi im JjL The Publications Committee has been hard at work for the past year collecting data and consolidating the various Federation activities. The Committee members are Ron Hyde, Brenda Smith, Secretary, Jacqueline Gresko, Chair, Alice Marwood and missing from the photo Ken Welwood. In June, Chair Jacqueline Gresko successfully completed negotiations with Irvine K. Barber Learning Centre at UBC to digitize British Columbia History and its predecessors dating back to the Federation 's beginnings in 1923. When complete, the published materials from the past 80 years will be available, along with a search engine, for researchers and anyone interested in British Columbia history. Ron Hyde has two projects underway. Following the great success of Windows to our Past, the Federation will publish Windows to British Columbia's Past. This exciting new volume will include over 600 photos, and 300 stories and historical vignettes never before published. The Federation is looking for a financial partner to enable us to give a copy of the book to every school in British Columbia and every community library. All members are invited to submit material for the unique collection to Ron Hyde at Windows Project #20 - 12880 Railway Avenue Richmond, BC V7E 6G2 windows@bchistory.ca The Sockeye Special is another Hyde undertaking. The BCHF in partnership with the Richmond Heritage Railway Society are preparing a history of the interurban service from Vancouver to Steveston. The book will include fascinating stories, vignettes and pictures showing how the interurban became part of the history and the building of the community. The book is scheduled to be ready in time to celebrate the Vancouver2010 Conference which will hilightthe history of transportation in the area. The Publications Committee is also pleased to announce an ! exciting special issue of British \ Columbia History for Issue 43 No. 1 March 2009 celebrating the history of transportation in British Columbia. Transportation historian Barrie Sanford, has agreed to serve as Guest Editor. Manuscripts and images on the history of transportation in this province are invited by 15 October, 2009. Please forward material to BCHistory Special Issue #27- 11737-236th Street Maple Ridge, BC V4R 2E5 emmalou(S).telus.net Exciting new opportunities for Societies and members BC History subscriptions The Publications Committee and the Board of the Federation have been working togetherto formulate a plan to increase subscriptions and recognize member societies who assist in the program. Complete information and forms will be included with the Membership Renewal letterand form thatwill be mailed in the middle of September. It's a great opportunity everyone. Craigflower Manor receives $250,000 to repair fire damage Kevin Krueger, Minister Tourism, Culture and the Arts announced Craiglower Manor will receive up to $250,000 in joint federal and provincial support to cover the cost of repairing damage caused by a January fire. "Craigflower Manor is one of the oldest buildings in B.C. and is a valuable attraction among the province's diverse collection of heritage sites" said Krueger. "Matched with the $125,000 committed by the province, the federal j_ grant will provide the financial resources needed to repair fire damage to conserve this treasured heritage site." Craigflower Manor is a provincially owned heritage property and a national historic site of Canada. The two storey log farm house is one of the last remaining links to original settlement farms established by the Hudson Bay Company in the 1850s. The heritage site is managed and operated by the Land Conservancy under a 15 year provincial contract that started in 2003. 8 Barkerville building receives honour Historic Quesnel Landmark saved Canada's oldest ethnic Chinese structure is at Barkerville - the Chee Kung Tong building - and is now being honoured with a special federal heritage designation. The Chinese community played a key role in the development of Barkerville and for a number of years the Barkerville staff have worked closely with the Chinese Community to restore the original buildings and create displays that tell their story. The Chee Kung Tong building - Barkerville, B.C. The Chinese Free Masons, the builders of the Chee Kung Tong, represent a group that was dedicated to the overthrow of the Ch'ing Dynasty. A secret society in China, they flourished in the Cariboo and British Columbia, providing services to their members both in sickness and in health, as well as being community leaders and organizers for special event. Funerals and the welfare of their members. Most Chinese who came to British Columbia were members or affiliated with a member. Ninety-five percent of the Chinese in British Columbia were from a small area of Guangdong Province. The Chee Kung Tong were the largest social group for the Cariboo and integrated with business and all socio-political aspects of the Chinese. Their building represents a continuing presence well into the 20th century and the fulfillment of their initial goal of over-throwing the Ch'ing in 1911. The initial structure was built some time prior to 1877 and possibly as early as 1869. The special ceremony took place August 22nd and featured a number of Chinese activities and live performances. Guests included representatives from the Government of Canada, the Historic Sites and monuments Board of Canada, the Barkerville Heritage Trust and invited guests from Guangdong, China. Special guests included the Chinese Consulate General in Vancouver - Mr. And Mrs. Liang Shugen. Photograph by Sian James and information courtesy of the Quesnel Advisor Dick Harris, Member of Parliament for Cariboo-Prince George announced $1,759,000 to help coverthe estimated $2.16 million bill for the repair and renovation of the Fraser Bridge in Quesnel. The City is supplying $400,000 for the project. Mayor Mary Sjostrom, who accepted the cheque on behalf of the City and the Quesnel Community W f '|I and Economic ^mS&S Development™ Corporation, I described the historic I foot bridge as "a I critical piece of the | Riverfront Trail network that is a I living piece of history spanning generations in Quesnel. The Fraser Bridge, originally 15 feet wide to provide motor vehicle access to West Quesnel, was completed in 1929. The bridge was later narrowed to 12 feet in 1971 when it was converted to a pedestrian bridge after construction of the new Moffatt Bridge. In addition of providing safe pedestrian access between downtown Quesnel and West Quesnel, the bridge is also the focal point of a tourism plan. "It is a great project that will entice people to visit and learn a bit more about our history," Sjostrom said. An inspection in 2008 by Watson Engineering Ltd. Found several components that needed replacement. The project has an estimated $2.16 million budget and will create an estimated 21 jobs with work starting this fall and completion by the end of March 2010. Photograph by Percy N. Hebert and information courtesy of the Quesnel Cariboo Observer Editor's note: It is rewarding to see all levels of the government working together for the preservation of our heritage sites and buildings and the promotion of local history and its attraction to tourism.. Heritage Tourism is one of the fastest growing segments of British Columbia's tourism and offers an opportunity for all levels of government, the local communities and the local heritage sites, museums, archives, etc. to capitalize on the tourism dollars being spent in their community. WTO/vjohnsonxa/bthf of mind All year, you dream about the chance to get away. Johnson will help you get there and enjoy yourself. With MEDOC® Travel Insurance you'll worry less no matter where you go. Plus, we offer exceptional home insurance products and services. Contact us today for a prompt quote, and put your mind at ease. 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(Please circle one) YES / NO If yes, please indicate the name of the association, federation, union, or business. Signature of Applicant Date: Day/Month/Year Forwarding Address Completed applications should be forwarded to one of the following: Mail: Administrative Director Fax: 1.877.754.1026 Johnson Scholarship Fund 95 Elisabeth Avenue, E-mail: scholarshipfund@johnson.ca P.O.Box 12049 St. John's, NL,A1B1R7 Return to Mons, 1920 and Canadians Arriving on the Rhine, 1920, both of which were exhibited in the 1920 exhibition of the Canadian War Memorials in Toronto. The "Rhine" canvas was reproduced by the IODE. In many ways it is a classical work in the way the troops in their khaki uniforms are lined up forming a triangle with the distant "Dragon's crag". Here the victorious "red patches" occupy a position along the Rhine where they were described as the "unadorned" conquering heroes.9 Their demeanour was certainly one of casualness as they relax at a resting stop, one backpack-burdened soldier gazes into the distance as if he were out to see the sights of the German countryside. While a quiet picture it remains one of triumph—a record of Allied victory upon which the pupils of Lloyd George School could contemplate. The "IODE Proofs" began to appear in the schools in 1923 but the IODE apparently expected some resistance. In a history of the Order prepared for the Girl Guides, the Toronto office explained that the pictures were to show "that war is a dreadful waste of lives."10 The government of Ontario was reported to have distributed and paid for framing of its sets but not all provinces complied with the IODE's request that they pay for framing.11 In a Thousand Schools -The Reception in British Columbia While the Kamloops presentation came off without a hitch, the attempt to distribute war memorials sets in Burnaby proved more controversial. At the 17 March 1923 meeting of the Edmonds PTA., Mrs. Stuart Jamieson, later a CCF member of the Legislature, "raised a storm of protest" against hanging the pictures in the schools as they "glorified war" and "would imbue the children with a martial spirit." Only after a heated debate, described by a Vancouver Sun reporter as a "scene of fireworks," did the PTA vote to hang the pictures.12 The IODE took the precaution of introducing Vancouver to the images by displaying them in the B.C. Art Gallery on Granville Street in early March noting the inclusion of historical subjects such as The Death of Montcalm and the Joseph Brant portrait.13 Critics of the reproductions saw no benefits in the war images and angry letters arrived at the Vancouver Sun editor's desk: Ada Muir thought that the pictures would promote a "bravado" that would "inspire primitive instincts" in the children and that the works "give no instruction as to what is right and wrong and are a strong obstacle in the way of education, because they teach by inference that 'Might is the arbiter of Right.'"14 (Sun readers might have mused on the irony of that protester's residence on "Kitchener Street.") W. E Shadwell challenged the newspaper's editorial, "Losing the Ideals We Fought For" by dismissing "the insipid false platitudes of past generations" and described the war "as a hideous false god." He asked the IODE to put their energies into peaceful pursuits like the League of Nations.15 The anti war sentiment, which had been fired by British war poets like Siegfried Sassoon, had gone a long way to overturn the heroic notions of war. With their ideas of "glorious sacrifice" and respect for military duty, the IODE was headed for a confrontation. If the pictures could be justified as respectful memorials, like the town cenotaph, or as lessons of the waste of war British Columbia school boards might accept them. Victoria, where the culture was pronouncedly British, readily received the war pictures. When the "proofs" were presented to the victoria Central School, the reporter noted that the students appreciated the gift "in no uncertain manner": The large auditorium was crowded with senior boys and girls of the Central School, and the standards of the Order, under the direction of Mrs. Gordon Smith. Municipal standard- bearer, were ranged on either side of the platform, where the pictures were placed, with Union Jacks draped as a background. Centering the exhibit was a handsome picture of the H. R. H. the Prince of Wales. After the singing of "O Canada", the IODE Municipal Secretary Miss A. B. Cooke spoke of the work of the Order in funding bursaries and overseas scholarships as well as contributing libraries and "historical pictures" to local schools. Perhaps in anticipation of anti-war sentiment, Cooke explained the message behind the works: "We do not depict horrors but we wish to show the children that to fight for right in many instances means some unselfishness and suffering. Men and women cannot do brave things unless they are trained from childhood to think right, speak right, and act right."16 After the students provided an appropriate rendition of "Rule Britannia", Mrs. Curtis Sampson, Municipal Chapter regent, presented the pictures suitably framed by the Red Cross Work shop for Disabled Veterans. The regent's message again reiterated the mission of the War Memorial project to remember those "heroic" individuals who gave their lives in the war—to apply the motto of the Lady Douglas Chapter to "green the 10 IODE Records, "True Fairy Story-History of the Order Prepared for I.O.D.E Girl Guides Company", no date, Part 3, An Active Memorial, p. 1. 11 "Paintings That Thrill the Onlooker", Toronto Daily Globe, 19 October 1926. 12 "Burnaby", Vancouver Sun, 17 March 1923. Sets of the "proofs" went to the Kingsway West and Gilmore Avenue schools. The local IODE paid for framing one set and the Vancouver Red Cross for the other. 13 Lord Beaverbrook acquired the Brant portrait during the London war memorials collecting activities and passed it on to the National Gallery of Canada after the war. 14 "War Pictures in Schools Give Children Wrong Ideas", Vancouver Sun, 2 April 1923. 15 "War Pictures Perpetuate Hideous Theory of War", Vancouver Sun, 2 April 1923. 16 "IODE Presents Pictures to School", Daily Colonist, Victoria, 3 March 1923. 17 BC Archives, N/l/lm7l.1, Scrapbook 1919-1939, Lady Douglas Chapter, 19 April 1924. 18 "Finds "Pagans" in City Schools", Da;7y Colonist, Victoria, 2 March 1923. 19 "Dr. John R. Mott to Visit YMCA", Vancouver Sun, 5 March 1923. 20 IODE Records, IODE Seal, voll 22,18 March 1918. 21 "Famous Poet Has Busy Day In City", Daily Colonist, Victoria, 17 March 1923. BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY - Vol. 42 No. 3 22 The book was a text used in a European survey course. It was published in the United States and made little or no mention of the British or Canadian contribution to the recent war effort. The head of the History Department explained that he had tried to find a suitable textbook published in Britain or Canada but had been unable to do so. He assured the public, however, that both of the young professors who taught the course had fought in the war and would be able to give the proper emphasis to the British and Canadian war effort.[ed.] 23 "Says Learning Is Basis of Empire", Daily Colonist, Victoria, 17 March 1923. 24 N/I/Imp, IODE Provincial Chapter, Executive Committee Minutes, 14 January 1926. 25 IODE Provincial Chapter, Executive Committee Minutes, 18 February 1926. 26 IODE Provincial Chapter, Executive Committee Minutes, 23 March 1926. memory of our illustrious dead."17 The report of the Victoria presentation made no attempt to analyse the war works as to their artistic merit or even to explain their historical significance. The works were to hang, perhaps in the school corridors, as in the Duncan Consolidated School, and by their very presence connect Canada as an Allied winner in the Great War. In each case the works were accepted images of recent events that essentially followed the account in history textbooks of Canada's contribution to the war and the British connection. This link to the mother country was made more urgent by political instabiHty after the war when the fear of "Bolshevism" threatened the Christian-based culture of Empire countries. Only a day before the dedication of the war pictures at the Central School, the Daily Colonist quoted Dean Cecil Quainton, rector of Christ Church Cathedral, as finding "pagans in city schools." He told a Rotary Club: "We read that Bishop Farthing says Bolshevist schools are being started in Canada to break down belief in the existence of God and destroy Christian standards.... such institutions would find a fertile field in the minds and hearts of the pagan children who are attending our schools."18 Counteracting this possibility, service clubs like the IODE and YMCA maintained the faith-based mission of their organizations as they sought to assist and educate the youth of Canada. When the spiritual aspect of the "Y" appeared to be fading, the General Secretary of the Vancouver YMCA urged members to return to its emphasis on "Christian life."19 The IODE Seal, was adorned by the Union Jack and the cross, the symbol of Christianity, recalling "the greatest sacrifice this world has ever seen."20 The IODE particularly looked to the British model for the proper path for schools. When the Canadian National Council on Education asked no less an imperialist than Sir Henry Newbolt to speak across Canada (1923) he found his audience in the halls of the Canadian Club and the IODE. When he spoke in Victoria at the Empress Hotel ballroom, the audience included the "who's who" of Victoria's government, education, church and service clubs amongst the "Daughters" in their "smart" jackets and sun hats. The interconnection of British culture was made more evident when Newbolt visited the Victoria High School where students presented him with poems of such Kiplingesque vintage they might have been written in England. One read: BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY - Vol. 42 No. 3 Thou, who hast sung the glory of the gallant sons of England, And hast wrought with wondrous beauty in thy symphony of rhyme: Who hath told the tale of Empire and the glory of our homeland, and the names of heroes written on the golden scroll of time.21 It is not surprising that the "most British" city in Canada should encourage an education that touted Empire traditions and recalled the origin of many of its citizens. As one of the guardians of things "British", the Order looked first to education, as Newbolt had lectured, as "the most effective force in bringing about unity of thought and action throughout the British Empire."23 When the educational system seemed to present what in the eyes of the IODE was not "a proper and right history of the British empire," it protested. A Vancouver Sun headline read "IODE Members Disapprove of History Books in U.B.C," and reported that the matter would be reviewed the following week at the Provincial Chapter meeting in Victoria.22 Images Legacy In addition to the libraries of British history and literature the IODE presented to British Columbia schools, it used the war images of heroic sacrifice and victory for a visual lesson of the values of Canada in the Empire. It is not clear just how many of the "one thousand sets" actually went out to Canadian schools but the expense of the war memorials project, which included scholarships, became too much for some smaller chapters. In British Columbia the local Orders were growing weary of the constant appeal for funds to meet their quota for the national War Memorial. By January 1926, $47,879 had been collected with over two thousand dollars outstanding for the fund. The Provincial Chapter, from their head office in Victoria, sold various order badges, sets of envelopes and even "prayer cards" to raise money for the various charities. The National Education Department produced an IODE calendar, which sold for twenty cents with the "proceeds to go to the War Memorial Fund."24 Still the money failed to meet the provincial share of the memorial. To boost enthusiasm, the provincial Education Secretary at the February 1926 meeting, held in Victoria, reported that the newest chapter from Ocean Falls had donated fifty dollars for the fund as "their responsibility of membership had been awakened." The message was clear in the hope of completing the project so that others may be taken on, as "one duty done is the power to fulfil another."25 The Chilliwack Municipal Chapter informed the provincial body of its exhaustion from the continuous appeals for the War Memorial: Whereas it is not in the interest of maintenance and extension of existing Chapters to be continually appealing for contributions to those Chapters who have already given their full allotment and more, be it resolved that in future appeals be sent only to those Chapters which have not forwarded their quota.27 While the Kamloops chapter raised enough to provide a set of reproductions for at least one school, it was more concerned with such issues as seeking provincial government financial assistance for patients forced into Isolation Hospitals. Interest in war memorials faded as time passed. As for the war pictures the Order reproduced, it remains difficult to judge their influence on the pupils of the day as they embarked on a world where a plethora of images would swamp the pro-Empire pictures from the Great War. The fear that the war pictures would fan the flame of "primitive instincts" appears as a needless worry. The history of art and literature has shown that the romantic impulse is a significant aspect of the makeup of an individual and that trying to stifle it goes against human nature. What difference is there if a student were to read a passage of the Great War in the 1920s textbook the History of Canada for High Schools (as used at Kamloops) and imagine what it would have been like to be at Ypres or Vimy or to see a framed image of Forbes' Canadian Artillery in Action and wonder about the outcome? The thoughts that might emit from such situations need to be experienced and understood as characteristic of human makeup. The best that education can do is to explain what is universal about human thought and feelings and not to cover up what may come naturally to the individual. PS. I asked the Kamloops schools archivist Judy Dunn what had happened to the Lloyd George School war pictures and, while promising to keep an eye out on the dusty storage spaces, she lamented that they were likely thrown out in a spring cleaning. • Previous Page: 'I.O.D.E. Proofs'of Canadian Artillery in Action, c. 1918 by Kenneth Forbes. Colour print: 75.5 x 51 cm., Saskatchewan Archives Board, R-D 1453. Opposite: 'I.O.D.E. Proofs' of Canadians Arriving on the Rhine, 1918-19 by Inglis Sheldon-Williams. Colour print: 55 x 75 cm., Saskatchewan Archives Board, R-D 1458. BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY - Vol. 42 No. 3 23 Robert Cunningham 8t Son of Skeena (Port Essington) Ron Greene is currently the president of the BC Historical Federation. By Ronald Greene Robert Cunningham was born at Tullyvalley, Tyrone, Ireland in 1837. After attending school he entered Islington College, the Church of England Missionary College in London, where he studied for 3 years. In 1862 he was sent out to British Columbia as a lay teacher. Arriving in Victoria in September that year he studied the native language and assisted the Reverend Cridge. After about six months he was sent north to assist the Reverend William Duncan at Metlakatla. Here he stayed for two years, but left and joined the Hudson's Bay Company. Cunningham married a native woman, Elizabeth Ryan about 1864, and according to one source was dismissed from the Missionary Society but all other sources say that he abandoned missionary work. Cunningham stayed with the HBCo for five years, two of which he had charge of a post on the Nass River and three years at Port Simpson. In 1869 he and another employee, Manson1 were asked to explore a route from the Stikine River to Dease Lake. At Dease they found indications of gold. Cunningham passed this information along to a number of miners which led to the first gold mining in the Cassiar district. He left the company the same year in a dispute over pay. He felt he was worthy of a raise, but was only offered a "gratuity" which to his mind was insufficient.2 In the spring of 1870, after leaving the Hudson's Bay Company he entered a partnership with Thomas Hankin, another former HBCo employee. They started shipping goods into the Omineca from a store they built at Woodcock Landing. They prospered and Hankin opened a branch at Hazelton. After a year at Woodcock Landing, Cunningham abandoned the site and pre-empted property on the Skeena River at Port Essington where he established a trading post.3 Hankin and Cunningham remained in partnership for about six years after which Hankin took the Hazelton branch on his own and Cunningham the Port Essington branch.4 Cunningham and Elizabeth Ryan had five children, but only Robert George survived to adulthood - three of the children died in infancy and John was drowned at age 17 off the Queen Charlottes (now Haida Gwaii). Elizabeth was drowned in a canoe mishap in 1888 which also took the life of the Rev. Sheldon and his wife. Some five years later Robert married a 17 year old, Florence Becknell, after knowing her only three weeks. They had three children, one of whom was born after Robert died in 1905. In 1881 Robert Cunningham established a saltery under the name of the Skeena Packing Company, and in 1882 he established a cannery, which became the largest on the Skeena. His brand, the Diamond "C" became a favourite in England and Europe. Cunningham also started a saw mill in 1883. In 1889 he became proprietor of a business at the Forks of the Skeena, i.e. Hazelton.5 Through the 1880's Robert's brother, John, worked with him, but left for Metlakatla by the end of the decade. A nephew, George, also worked at 1_==~"~~- „ l.__lvji^ Port Essington for a time in thel890's. The timing is a little unclear, but Cunningham's son, Robert George, entered into the business as a partner c. 1890, the company becoming R. Cunningham & Son. The Hotel Essington first appeared in the 1894 BC Directory although Theodore Davie, while Premier of British Columbia, had written on October 21, 1892 to Frederick S. Hussey, the Superintendent of Provincial Police, as follows: "Dear Hussey Should R. Cunningham of the Skeena River and Sam Adler come to an arrangement about running a place of business at Essington or elsewhere on Skeena River, there will be no objection to issuing a liquor license in the name of Sam Adler but don't issue it otherwise than to Adler upon the request of Cunningham -1 have written to Mr. Turner; of H, Cunningham & S©n GENERAL MERCHANTS. PORT ESSINGTON AND HAZELTON. Owners: Hotel Essington. Essington steam sawmill. River Steamer "Hazleton." Tug "Chieftain." Purs bought and Sold, j Salmon boxes a Specialty. BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY - Vol. 42 No. 3 course should he instruct you to the contrary, the license will not issue but unless he does instruct you to the contrary the license can issue, as I have indicated. Yours truly, Theodore Davie. "6 It may have been 1897 when Cunningham received a license as there was a bond paid to Frederick Hussey dated September 2,1897, signed by Robert Cunningham, John Irving and Roads Seabrook.7 The police were not impressed with the way the Cunninghams operated their hotel, witness a report submitted August 23,1898 by Constable George Freeland8 who spent three weeks there assisting Constable Kirby. "While on duty at Port Essington Const. Kirby and myself patrolled the village day and night. Court was held every day Dr. Bolton and Mr. James Codville adjudicated on all the cases and the village was ridded of undesirable persons only to go to some other Cannery and create disorder there. Fourteen or fifteen cases were heard the first week and in every instance whisky was the cause of the trouble and in the majority of cases it was directly or indirectly procured from Mr. Curmingham's hotel. In the presence of Const. Kirby I showed Mr. Cunningham Sen', the Act regulating the sale of intoxicants and two days after in Const. Kirov's presence he told me that I was not going to dictate to him how he could run his hotel ..." The report then went on to give six reasons why Curmingham's license should be withdrawn.9 The Deputy Provincial Secretary six weeks later wrote to Superintendent Hussey that the renewal of Mr. Cunningham's retail liquor license was to be refused.10 An application for a license in late January 1900 saw the hotel receive a license again.11 A fire in 1899 wiped out part of the town, the Port Essington Hotel12 and a couple of stores. The report stated that the cannery of Robert Curiningham, a warehouse and the wharf were the only structures that escaped.13 However, Cunningham rebuilt and continued his ways. A competitor wrote in April 1901 that Cunningham's hotel bar was open on Sundays contrary to the Act.14 Cunningham also applied for license for their steamboat Hazelton in April 1904.15 When B.C. Packers was formed c. 1902 Cunningham's store, hotel and hall bc Archives photo B-07423 Cunningham disposed of his interests in the cannery to that entity. Robert Cunningham was considered a heavy shipper of freight on the Skeena River. In 1900 he put the Monte Cristo in service but it was replaced the following year by the Hazelton.16 A 1904 advertisement in the Skeena District News gave the company's operations as "General Merchants, Port Essington and Hazelton, Owners: Hotel Essington. Essington steam sawmill, River Steamer Hazleton [sic Hazelton] and Tug Chieftain. Furs bought and sold, Salmon boxes a specialty."17 Robert Curiningham suffered a lengthy illness over the winter of 1904-1905 and came to Victoria for treatment about the beginning of March 1905. However, treatment was not successful and he passed away from broncho pneumonia on April 8, 1905.18 Robert Cunningham & Son, Limited was incorporated just a few days earlier, i.e. April 3, 1905.19 Robert Curmingham's shares in the Limited company passed to Alfred George Harris as trustee for his estate. By Notes 1 The sources did not give a first name, just referred to him as Mr. Manson 2 A gratuity would be a onetime payment, whereas a raise would have kept his pay higher. 3 G.P.V. Akrigg, and Helen B., 1001 British Columbia Place Names, (Vancouver: Discovery Press, 1969, p. 136, who say that Captain Vancouver applied the name, "Port Essington" to the estuary of the Skeena, not realizing it was a river mouth. He was honouring Vice-Admiral Sir William Essington. The first nations knew the settlement as "Spokeshute." Later the name was limited to the trading post established by Cunningham near the mouth of the Ecstall River. BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY - Vol. 42 No. 3 25 4 The T.N. Hibben Guide to the Province of British Columbia for 1877-8, Victoria, B.C., 1877, lists both Cunningham and Hankin, but not as partners, p. 373 5 J.B. Kerr, Biographical Dictionary of Well-known British Columbians, Vancouver, 1890. pp. 135-136 6 GR-0055, Superintendent of Provincial Police Correspondence Inward 1891 -1910, British Columbia Archives, Box 2, File 7 Davie was the Premier from July 2,1892 until March 2,1895 when he resigned to become Chief Justice of B.C. He was succeeded as Premier by John Herbert Turner. 7 GR-0055, Box 17, file 3. Captain John Irving formed the Canadian Pacific Navigation Company in 1882, which later formed the basis of the Coast Service of the C.P.R. Seabrook was a prominent Victoria businessman, involved in R.P. Rithet & Co., and Albion Iron Works. 8 GR0091, Vol. 16, Provincial Police Force, Oaths. J. George Freeland was sworn in on March 25,1898 as a Special Constable and again on May 14,1898. He was sent to Echo Cove, Naas River [now spelled Nass River] 9 GR-0055, Box 22, file F 10 GR-0055, Box 23, file 3 11 GR-0110, Provincial Police Force, Skeena District 12 This is probably the Hotel Essington. We have found no evidence that any of the other hotels in the village were established prior to 1901. 13 Nelson Daily Miner, November 16, 1899, p. 4 14 GR-0055, Box 56 15 GR-0055, Box 37 16 Edward L. Affleck, A Century of Paddlewheelers in the Pacific Northwest, the Yukon and Sir. Hazelton - Below the Ca Robert Cunningham's boat, the Hazelton Ron Greene collection 1907 the Hazelton had been taken over by the HBCo and the Essington Hotel was in the hands of a hotel keeper. The company carried on until 1925 when it went into voluntary liquidation and Robert George Cunningham retired. When he died in 1949 a lengthy obituary spoke of both father and son travelling to many of the native communities along the coast and Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii) trading for goods and buying native handicrafts. Robert George built up a noted collection of argilHte carvings. The obituary stated, ''Dominated by his father's colorful character until his death in 1903 [sic 1905] Mr. Cunningham, nevertheless, was one of the best known men in Port Essington when it was the largest town on the north coast and the headquarters for travel and commerce in the upper Skeena country."20 The settlement of Port Essington had three canneries by 1890 and during the construction of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway it was a busy spot. However, the railway passed on the other side of the Skeena River and Port Essington slowly faded away. As the canneries closed one by one the site was abandoned. By the 1940's there were only a few residents left. The buildings fell victim to fires in the 1960's and today little, if anything, remains. In the absence of any banking facilities within days of travel, tokens were instituted on the Skeena River by both the Hudson's Bay Company and R. Cunningham & Son, sometime in the 1890's.21 Cunningham's tokens were crudely made in denominations of 25 cents, 50 cents and $1.00. They measure 19,23 and 29 mm in diameter respectively. They are known in varying thicknesses, in copper and in brass, evidence that they were made on site from scrap or available materials. Long after the tokens were retired one visitor reported being allowed to take a handful of tokens from the barrels in which they were stored.22 The report said that there were three barrels, but having only two hands he took some 50 cent pieces and some $1.00 pieces. Today, the 25 cent pieces are scarcest. The tokens were later said to have been dumped in the bay. The tokens used at the Hazelton branch were counterstamped with an "H." A rather humorous reference to the Cunningham tokens is given by K. Mack Campbell,23 writing about the Ewen and MacMillan Families, "So they decided to investigate and in the spring of 1898, John Macmillan and John and Peter Wallace arrived at Port Essington, on the S.S. Tees, skippered by Captain Joe Gosse. They took over the cold storage shed at the Cunningham plant and began buying salmon and making mild cure. The fish were bought for 25 cents each, and the smallest sides were 10 pounds each. They were put up in 800-pound tierces. Ewen BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY - Vol. 42 No. 3 Macmillan tells an amusing story, 'The Wallaces had provided him with sufficient money to buy the fish, and in their wisdom it was all in gold coins. He started to try to buy the fish but the Indian fishermen would have nothing to do with gold. The only money they would take were 'Cunningham dollars' which, of course, were stamped out of brass or bronze. So he had the problem of exchanging his gold coins for Currningham brass dollars which must have caused him some anxiety!'" Alaska, Alexander Nicolls Press, Vancouver, 2000, p. p. 56 and p. 53. The Monte Cristo was built in 1891 in Washington state. She was 90 feet long, x 24 feet wide and drew 3 feet. The Monte Cristo was brought to the Stikine River in 1898. She was rebuilt and enlarged, 108 x 20 x 3.9 feet, in 1899 and then was worked by R. Cunningham from 1900. Subsequently chartered by the Dominion Government for service on the Stikine laying the Yukon Telegraph Line and then abandoned in 1903. The Hazelton was built in 1901 in Victoria for Cunningham. She measured 134 x 24 x 4.4 feet. She was laid up after a couple of seasons under an agreement with the rival Hudson's Bay Company. The HBCo operated her after the loss of the Mount Royal in 1907. She was dismantled in 1912. 17 Skeena District News, Port Essington, January 9,1904, p. 4 18 GR2951 British Columbia Division of Vital Events, Death Registration 05-09-018521, microfilm B13080 19 GR1438, Attorney-General, Registrar-General, QE1280, B04422 20 The Daily News, Prince Rupert, Mar 28, 1949, p. 1 21 Robert Cunningham & Son didn't exist before 1890, and the tokens were reported in 1898 [see K. Mack Campbell] 22 I was told this story secondhand. Unfortunately it cannot be verified. 23 K. Mack Campbell, Cannery Village: Company Town, Trafford, Victoria, 2004, p. 201 BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY • Vol. 42 No. 3 27 Archives ft Archivists Edited by Sylvia Stopforth, Librarian and Archivist, Norma Marian Alloway Library, Trinity Western University Northern BC Archives Launches Digital Photographs Project: "Northern Explorations & Development" By Erica Hernandez & Ramona Rose The Northern BC Archives & Special Collections at UNBC has recently completed the digitization of over 1700 historical images featuring various exploration and development activities in Northern British Columbia in the early 20th century. These images, comprising 8 distinct archival collections, provide visual documentation of a diversity of subjects mduding: early town site development of Fort Fraser, Hazelton, Fort George and Prince Rupert; construction of the Grand Trunk Pacific and the P.G.E. railways; wildlife habitats; big game hunting expeditions in the Peace River region; natural history and surveying expeditions; and mining development activities within several Northern BC communities, C.1900-C.1939. These images are now available for viewing and research on the Archives on-line searchable database. A webpage featuring a sample of these images and information on the collections from which they originated is also available on the NBCA website, via the "News" page under "Northern Explorations & Development" (see http://library.unbc. ca/UNBCArchives/web/news.asp). This tremendous visual resource will significantly enhance the research capabilities of faculty & students at UNBC as well as assist public audiences in their own pursuit of research and enjoyment. Funding assistance for this digital initiative was provided by the BC History Digitization Program, an initiative of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre at the University of British Columbia. The Northern BC Archives & Special Collections, UNBC would like to extend a warm thank- you to the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre at the University of British Columbia for their generous support. For further information about this project or our holdings please visit us at http://library.unbc.ca/UNBCArchives/web/ default.asp 28 BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY - Vol. 42 No. 3 Group photo with car outside of building Fort Fraser Photograph Collection Accession No. 2004.5.1.30 I Citroen vehicle on a hillside I Phipps-Mackenzie fonds Accession No. 9 2004.1.2.4.54 Church of Our Lord Archives set to open The Church of Our Lord, Victoria BC, is proud to announce the completion of its BC150 Archives Project and the official opening of its Archives on Saturday, May 2nd. The Church Of Our Lord is one of the oldest church congregations in Victoria, having been established and serving the community since 1874. The Church building was completed in 1876 and was declared a Federal Heritage Building in 1998. As a national historic site, it attracts many visitors and tourists. The COOL Archives maintains records of the Church of Our Lord from 1874 to present, including complete sets of minute books and marriage registers and full documentation of architectural restoration projects. The Archives also holds the records of the Reformed Episcopal Church in Canada. COOL gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Province of British Columbia through BC150, a Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts initiative and the Heritage Legacy Fund of British Columbia. For information on the Church of Our Lord and its history, please visit www.churchofourlord.org/history.htm Margery Hadley Project Archivist New Web Presence The Anglican archives of the Diocese of New Westminster and Provincial Synod of BC & Yukon are excited to announce the launch of the new archives website. Currently the site is small with only basic information, links, and downloads, with the hopes of expansion and online exhibits in the future. Please visit us at: www.anglicanarchivesvancouver.com Melanie Wallace, Archivist Anglican Diocese of New Westminster Provincial Synod of BC & Yukon West Vancouver Archives launches new website The West Vancouver Archives is pleased to announce the launch of a new website feature available at: www. westvancouver.ca / archives This site provides valuable resources for learning about West Vancouver's past. With a searchable database of descriptions of archival holdings, and more than 1,000 scanned historic photographs and documents, the site will continue to be developed with the growth of our Archives. As part of the municipality's ongoing efforts to preserve and provide meariingful access to our history and heritage, the website contributes to the awareness and appreciation of our community memory. Funding for this project was provided in part by Service Canada's Job Creation Partnerships Program. ShaunnaMoore Archivist District of West Vancouver City of Vancouver Archives puts 150 videos online 150 videos from the 1920s to 2006 are now available from City Archives online to download, view and use. The varied selection of City and home-produced movies, documentaries and newsreels includes World War 1 flying ace Albert Earl Godfrey taking off in a plane from Jericho in 1928, milk being delivered by horse-drawn cart in Shaughnessy in 1940, Bing Crosby's visit to Vancouver in 1948, Eric Hamber on his yacht, the building of the Granville Street Bridge in 1954, the tower demolition of the Woodward's building in 2006, and more. All videos available online are low- resolution. High-resolution versions may be viewed in person at the City Archives in Vanier Park. In keeping with the City's move toward open data, open source and open formats (http: / / Vancouver, ca / ctyclerk / cclerk/20090521 /documents/csb5.pdf ), the videos are also downloadable as ogg theora files. Video highlights can be viewed at: http: / / Vancouver, ca / cty clerk/ archives / webpubhtml/qbes/Movinglmages/ MovingImageHighHghts.htm Videos may be searched here: http: / / Vancouver, ca / cty clerk / archives / webpubhtml / qbes / movies.htm Other videos are available on our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube. com / user / Vancouver Archives Sue Bigelow Digital Conservator City of Vancouver Archives BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY - Vol. 42 No. 3 Book Reviews VaVml acLtAN® ACK LONDON'S SEA WOLF PON M3tGiLLI¥R0 Captain Alex MacLean; Jack London's Sea Wolf Don MacGillivray. Vancouver, B. C., University of British Columbia Press, 2008. 359p., illus. $29.95paperback. This is an impressively-researched book, with well-composed text, graphics that support and enhance the text, and an imposing (100 page) collection of notes, bibliography, and index. It takes a while to find your bearings in the book—its subject is not immediately obvious. The author insists that it is a biography of Alex MacLean, one of the most successful captains in west coast maritime history. The title implies that we'll discover how writers create memorable fictional characters from real-life models. The pages of the book, however, are filled with an historical account of the Pacific sealing industry. The book could have been more accurately titled: Pacific sealing, as exemplified by the life of Alex MacLean, Jack London's Sea Wolf. Nevertheless, I heartily recommend this book to anyone interested in stories about the west coast waterfront. It provides an exhaustive study of the sealing industry as it was practiced by Canadian, American, Japanese, and Russian merchants, hunters, 30 BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY - Vol. 42 No. 3 Books for review and book reviews should be sent to: Frances Gundry, Book Review Editor, BC History, P.O. Box 5254, Station B., Victoria, BC V8R 6N4 and governments. The reader will find a great deal of background material that ihuminates current news stories about the Atlantic seal hunt. Alex MacLean was the grandson of Scottish immigrants who settled on Cape Breton Island. Born in the mid-nineteenth century, he left school at the age of 12 to work in the east coast fishery. He and his older brother Dan later moved on to work in the New England fishery and on deep- water vessels out of various east coast ports during the 1870s. He then sailed around Cape Horn, and made a career in the Pacific maritime industry for the next 35 years as a "master mariner, sealer, poacher, adventurer, storyteller, drinking companion, husband, and father." (1). On the west coast, MacLean worked on fish boats, cable-laying vessels, grain carriers, and Fraser River sternwheelers. He and his brother started sealing in the 1880s, just as it was becoming a major industry on the Pacific coast. In the 1850s, coastal traders procured sealskins from aboriginal hunters, and by the 1860s, a few schooners experimented with short sealing trips. As the skins increased in value, west coast merchants financed more boats and longer trips. Victoria-based sealers started following the large seal herds that migrated along the coasts of California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia to rookeries in the north Pacific. "These increased activities, and the fur seals' complete disregard for political and geographic frontiers, ensured political, financial, and diplomatic difficulties for decades...Alex and Dan MacLean...sailed right into the maelstrom." (21) MacGillivray uses an impressive variety of sources to follow MacLean's adventure-filled and fearless life and career. The reader learns of MacLean's arrest by Russian patrol boats and his brief incarceration in Vladivostok. The account of his trip to the South Pacific in search of mineral deposits in 1897-98, after falling in with con man Niels Peter Sorenson, is riveting. MacLean's entire crew was either killed or disabled by malaria, scurvy, and yellow fever. Although MacLean also fell ill, for two weeks he managed to sail his large schooner single-handedly to reach the nearest port. The next year he decided to try his luck in the Klondike, originally searching for gold, but soon captaining steamboats on the Yukon River and adding many stories to gold rush lore. The book concludes with a chapter about how individuals are transformed into folk heroes. It's an abrupt change from the previous historical and biographical content, but is an interesting and valuable discussion about how society crafts its legends and heroes. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys maritime stories, the politics of hunting, biography, and exceptionally fine academic history. Susan Stacey is a Richmond, B.C. writer. it nf.. ■Spi I ^'^■f&sjE Policing the Fringe Charles Scheideman. Madeira Park, B.C., Harbour Publishing Co., 2009. 318 p., illus. $24.95 paperback. Between 1960 and 1990 British Columbia's population grew rapidly, aided by improved highways and expanded telephone and computer networks. The resulting heavy demands for policing, public health services and social work were mitigated by the ability to respond to people in distress more efficiently, especially in rural communities. Beyond the Fringe describes Charles Scheideman's experiences as he matures from a Royal Canadian Mounted Police rookie in Nelson to an experienced sharpshooter in Golden during those "growing pain" years. We learn that policing the remote towns in the central interior and the Kootenay regions was less structured than it is now. Officers had more latitude in how they handled a difficult case, and even though the guns they carried were not of the best quality they did not use taser intervention. Like fellow officers in remote Arctic postings, they relied on common sense and a patriarchal but sympathetic attitude when investigating serious Native incidents such as the deaths of a young nurse from hypothermia, two young children during a house fire, or a Williams Lake "trooper" after an alcoholic binge. The low population of rural communities allowed law enforcement officers and health service workers to get to know residents and to develop preventive strategies. But if a town was located beside a major highway there was a huge unknown factor passing through twenty-four hours a day. Some of the most unusual and challenging cases happened while Scheideman was stationed at Golden, Lytton and Nelson. He patrolled the Trans- Canada highway into Glacier National Park under severe winter conditions, coped with transport truck wrecks on Jackass Mountain in the Fraser Canyon, and amateur hunters in the Kootenays shooting horses instead of moose near the travelled road. Scheideman is brutally frank when describing a death scene or his attitude towards some aspects of law enforcement- -he feels police are too restricted in what they can accomplish today, and he does not like lawyers: "ninety-nine per cent of them give the rest a bad name". Nevertheless, he is probably speaking for a good number of officers who have kept the peace, and worked hard to earn their retirement. Up until now most of the literature about law and order in British Columbia has concerned the B.C. Provincial Police who were superseded by the RCMP in 1950. This book makes a welcome addition to our knowledge regarding law enforcement in British Columbia in the last quarter of the twentieth century—an historic time when young RCMP officers took on challenging cases while the province matured just as dramatically. Marie Elliott's latest book, Fort St. James and New Caledonia, Where British Columbia Began, (Harbour Publishing 2009) examines conflict and cooperation during the fur trade era in British Columbia. River of Gold: A Novel Susan Dobbie. Vancouver, B.C., Ronsdale Press, 2009.197 p. $19.95 softcover. River of Gold is an entertaining and instructive historical novel, revealing the many perils miners faced chasing gold along the Fraser River in the 1860s. It abounds with historical detail. The author's background as a docent at the Langley Centennial Museum has served her well as she continues her hero's story in this sequel to 'When Eagles Call.' Kimo Kanui and his friend Moku, Hawaiian immigrants (or 'Kanakas' as the aboriginal islanders are called), quit work at the Hudson's Bay Company in Fort Langley to join the thousands of men searching for gold in the Cariboo region. They are accompanied by Zeke, a former American slave and Morning Bird, a Sto:lo woman. Kimo is the central figure, but his three companions are equally compelling. Given the fact British rule and American gold seekers dominate, the author delivers a remarkable and unique perspective by portraying these 'others' in an often hostile 'white' land. Kimo is grieving the loss of his wife to a bear attack as the journey begins. He leaves his child behind at the Fort, hoping to bring back gold to provide for his daughter' s future. He also dreams of returning one day to the warmth and comfort of Hawaii. "The immense trees cast black shadows forward as the mules and oxen pass, and the heavy scent of wet cedar and pine permeates the air we breathe," Kimo observes, in one of many poetic passages describing the journey through me northern landscape. And when winter sets in, the Cariboo turns brutal: "Blowing snow creeps in our mouth and eyes, and since we've not shaved every day, ice particles start to form in our beards." Along the trail northward, Kimo encounters all sorts of stories, including the tale about John "Cariboo" Cameron, who brought along his wife, Sophie, from eastern Canada. When she lay dying of typhoid, Cameron vowed to bring her body back to Ontario. His travels home with her corpse were full of intrigue. (This actual incident is the subject of another gold rush novel, The Promise, by Bill Gallagher.) Kimo also witnesses accidents of men and mules. If the treacherous mountainside roads didn't cause rniners to fall to their death, then the Whitewater rapids of the river could drown them. Men attacked men—for gold, for supplies and for niining claims. A few actual characters of the times appear in the story too, including Judge BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY - Vol. 42 No. 3 31 Begbie whose fairness and tough reputation is well-described. Passing through China Bluff, Kimo offers a sympathetic perspective of his Asian fellow travelers: "Chinamen are digging for gold here. They are strange and secretive, these yellow people, crawling like busy ants on the banks below. White miners have panned here already and moved on, but the Chinamen are searching for whaf s left along the riverbank. Some have come up from California. Others came as cheap labour first there and now here. Life's hard for them. I hope the yellow men find some gold. Every colour of man deserves a chance to fulfill his dream." Once Kimo and his friends arrive to stake their claim, they still face troubles, making enemies with two neighboring Spaniards. Kimo is shot and has a bullet removed by a Chinese 'medic' With Morning Bird's assistance, the group makes a tenuous peace with hostile First Nations warriors. By the story's end Kimo has come out of his own grief for his departed wife. He also gets the gold and finds love. The reader's reward is greater insight into the diverse and dramatic roots of early British Columbia. Janet Nicol of Vancouver is Secretary of the British Columbia Historical Federation. Shoot! George Bowering. Vancouver, B.C., New Star Books, 2008. 272 p. $19.00 paperback. Originally published in 1994 by Key Porter Books, this 2008 New Star Books Edition has a new cover and an insightful six and one-half page end-of-book essay, "Stories that Never End: Listening to Shoot," by UBC's Professor Sherill Grace. The story itself, however, remains as vibrant and exciting as ever and is still deserving of praise for the uniqueness of its telling as a piece of creative fiction built around a foundation of historical facts. The facts that support Bowering's story are outlined in Professor Grace's essay with its abbreviated bibliography of sources she has drawn upon for her theme positing Shoot! as a unique answer for all Canadians to the Gitskan Elder's question, "If this is your land, where are your stories?" in Edward Chamberlin's book of the same name. Although it is a story not as well known as that of the popularizing of Billy Miner's and omitted from two official histories of BC, the McLeans' saga is equally deserving of a prorninent place in western Canadian folklore, especially in the canon of literary fiction in the stories of lmriinaries such as Fred Stenson and Guy Vanderhaeghe. Set in and around Kamloops in the late 1800s, the story centres on the escapades, sober and drunk, of four young half-breed men, three McLean brothers, Allan, Archie and Charlie, and a tagalong friend Alex Hare, enamoured of a McLean sister, Annie. In a drunken rage over slights real and imagined they kill two men, raid neighbouring ranchers and farmers for their firearms "for a good cause," threaten additional murders and engage in a prolonged standoff with successive posses intent on restoring the area to its former status of white man's rule. Between the episodes of mayhem, Bowering adeptly layers in other stories of icons like "hanging judge" Matthew Begbie and the family background for the McLean family with patriarch Donald McLean, a Hudson's Bay Company Chief Trader and avowed Indian hater and killer, his two wives and extended family of eleven children, some wild, others not, and even a grandson who "would one day become the greatest warrior ever born in British Columbia." There are stories too of Alex Hare's love for Annie and his jealous rages when she is seduced as a child by Kamloops businessman J.A. Mara who claimed Kamloopsians "didn't need any outlaw racial degenerates riding around destabilizing the territory" and upon whom Hare repeatedly vowed vengeance. There are the stories of the development of the region with the coming of the railroad, the influx of settlers into territories Indian bands regarded as their own, and the McLeans' attempts to foment an uprising. And there are the stories of racism and intolerance and of the treatment of the boys when they are captured, trussed up and trundled to New Westminster, tried twice, and jailed to await their ultimate fate on the gallows. And all of the stories blend beautifully into a complete novel of artistic integrity and frontier justice worthy of repeated reading for the humanity and credibility of its characters, guilty and innocent, and the believability of the hopes, thoughts and dreams with which Bowering - Canada's first Poet Laureate - has imbued them. BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY - Vol. 42 No. 3 Shoot! as professor Grace surmises and a reading of it substantiates is truly a definitive story "about belonging here." M. Wayne Cunningham reviews from Kamloops, B.C. Spirit of the Nikkei Fleet; BC's Japanese Canadian Fishermen. Masako Fukawa with Stanley Fukawa and the Nikkei Fishermen's History Book Committee. Madeira Park, B.C., Harbour Publishing, 2009. 256 p. Photos, notes, index, bibliog. $39.95 hardcover. This book completes an important project. Two years ago, Nikkei Fishermen on the BC Coast; their Biographies and Photographs listed the names of 3680 Japanese Canadian fishermen. Biographical outlines and photographs accompanied the names, providing the bare bones for a story. The second book puts flesh on the bones, chronicling the enduring spirit of a people and a community, from Manzo Nagano, who jumped ship in New Westminster in 1877 and became the first officially recognised Japanese immigrant, to Troy Takasaki and Justin Taylor, born a century after Nagano's arrival and now the last two Nikkei commercial fishermen in British Columbia. Nagano and those who followed him came to the coast for the same reasons which brought young men from Europe and the older North American colonies; poor economic prospects at home and a willingness to take risks and make opportunities for themselves and their families. New arrivals could find work and flourish. The federal government controlled immigration; Great Britain negotiated treaties and trade agreements with Japan, as with other nations; and the US-Canada border was fluid. But the Japanese found themselves, with the Chinese who came earlier, and the Native residents who had always been here, targeted by increasingly discriminatory immigration, employment and civil rights laws. Fukawa makes it clear that racism drove public policy in Canada, especially in British Columbia, from the beginning, and that Pearl Harbor was less a cause than a long-awaited excuse. The forced relocation of Japanese Canadians from the west coast and the postwar Redress Movement overshadow the book; no author could avoid that. But, as her father and grandfather accepted "Shikata ga nai" ("it can't be helped"), and endured, so she suppresses the anger she felt when, as a student, she learned what they had experienced and had never told her - and gets on with the story. Her chapter "Gear Types and Methods" is one of the clearest explications I have seen of the various ways of fishing and processing, and the network of vessels, salteries, canneries, and exporters. We have to consult the earlier volume for maps of the fishing areas. Unfortunately, neither book includes a map of the relocation sites, and not all readers will know where the Slocan is or Cardston, or Brantford, or the distances involved. The fishermen settled and fished from the Fraser River to the Skeena. They also innovated. Sam Matsumoto and other boatbuilders achieved levels of expertise equal to any in the world - expertise tossed aside in the wartime madness, when boatbuilding, like seafood production and translation skills, was needed most. Through fishermen's associations, co-operatives, and unions, they advanced their industry, protected their Uvelihood and resisted the disaiminatory limitations and regulations which eroded their fragile rights. The fight for equality has faced an institutionalized racism, often complicated by policies designed to placate Native fishermen. From the Duff Commission in 1922 to the Mifflin Plan in 1996, Canadian governments have presided over, even instigated, conflicts among ethnic fisheries groups, to the disadvantage of all concerned, especially the salmon. In 2007 the Japanese Canadian Fishermen's Association asked the Supreme Court: "Is government- imposed racial segregation of the workplace permissible under Canada's constitution?" The Court refused to answer the question. A major hero of the book is T. Buck Suzuki (1915-77), fisherman, civil rights activist, World War II veteran, union leader, early environmental activist and founding member of the Society Promoting Environmental Co-Operation. In 1987 the UFAWU [United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union] formed the T. Buck Suzuki Foundation, to promote education and research about the value of the wild fisheries resources. An early project of the Foundation sent a group to Norway to investigate fish farming. They concluded that "without tough regulations to control salmon fanning, our wild salmon stocks may one day be annihilated." Twenty-one years later environmentalists have repeated the journey and the conclusion, and still wait for appropriate government response. The Foundation also advocated restoration of habitat, and that too waits. The Nikkei fleet's story is also the story of the BC fishing industry as a whole. The Nikkei as individuals and citizens have triumphed over adversity. Fish and fisheries are in greater peril than ever. A further question persists: to what extent are public policies still driven by racism? Fukawa's narrative does not ring out like a call for action. It doesn't need to. The compelling and uncomfortable facts speak for themselves. Phyllis Reeve reviews from Gabriola Island BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY - Vol. 42 No. 3 33 The Life and Art of David Marshall Monika Ullmann, introduction by Brooks Joyner. The Unheralded Artists of BC series. Salt Spring Island, B. C., Mother Tongue Publishing, 2008. xiii,. 160 p. $34.95 softcover. This volume is intended to acquaint a wide range of readers with an interest in the past and present art world of British Columbia with the work of a sculptor who had remained for the most part relatively unknown throughout his life outside of a small circle of, primarily, other BC sculptors. Success, as measured by public recognition, in the art world depends upon many complex factors. Some artists have an instinctive sense of what is saleable whereas most artists prefer to pursue their creative activities free from such constraints. Unfortunately, artists must find some way to support themselves financially. David Marshall was fortunate to have married a very resourceful woman who enabled him to march to his own drummer for most of his life. He did have an appointment late in his career from 1973 to 1990 at Capilano College in North Vancouver where he established a very successful sculpture program. Marshall gave a great deal of time and effort to the promotion of sculpture shows in Vancouver through his active involvement in various artistic groups. His works were shown in many juried shows but they rarely sold. David Marshall was born near Isley in northern Alberta in 1928 and lived there with his grandmother and uncle until 1940 when he was sent to Toronto to live with his mother. Always short of money he survived on odd jobs and managed to attend the Art College of Ontario from 1947 to 1949. He then moved to Vancouver where he attended the Vancouver School of Art during 1950- 51. He was, like most sculptors, essentially self taught and lived in Vancouver for the remainder of his life except when he spent time with various established sculptors and traveled. He died on January 1, 2006 of leukemia. David Marshall approached sculpture in the same philosophical way as Henry Moore. Anyone who has been in contact with a Moore sculpture knows how tactile they are inviting the viewer to run their fingers over the work. Most viewers are unaccustomed to such an intimate approach to sculpture but children love to touch and play on sculpture if it has this tactile invitation. Marshall chose to create sculptures using a wide variety of media but each has its own invitation to mtimacy He believed that a sculptural experience should be visceral and that communication started at a profound pre-verbal level prior to any intellectualization. Marshall incorporated additional unique elements to his sculptural designs. He was strongly influenced by the harmonic symmetry of the Pythagorian Mean (now called the Golden Mean) that has influenced Western artists for over 2500 years and later extended this mathematical concept by using Fibonacci numbers in his designs. David Marshall entered many sculpture competitions but was rarely successful. Fortunately, in his later fife, he was adopted by George Drake, an American, who lived in Bellingham, Washington. Drake attempted to generate an audience for Marshall's work by creating a sculpture garden where Marshall's works were featured. He worked diligently to market Marshall's art and the sad consequence is that the Big Rock Sculpture Garden in Bellingham has four of his works whereas the Vancouver and Burnaby Art Galleries each have only one and there is one in the Van Dusen Gardens. Sculpture gardens are unknown in Canada but are found in many European cities. David Marshal never became accepted by the establishment of the Vancouver art world and so, like many other talented artists, he is forgotten today. The author has provided a very useful discussion and insightful analysis of what has happened in the Vancouver art world during the past fifty plus years with emphasis on public sculpture. She is knowledgeable on this subject since her husband, another "outsider" sculpture artist, was involved in many of Marshall's public sculpture projects. The publisher is to be commended for publishing this fine, well illustrated book about David Marshall. Hopefully some public benefactor will be inspired by this book to ensure that David Marshall's extensive archival collections and sculpture are preserved for the public to view and enjoy. Harvey A. Buckmaster of Victoria is a retired scientist with a lifelong fascination in the art world. 34 BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY - Vol. 42 No. 3 The Semiahmoo Trail: Myths Makers Memories Ron Dowle. Surrey, B.C., Surrey Historical Society, 2009. 68p., maps, illus. $17.00softcover. Ron Dowle has done a fine job of documenting the history of the Semiahmoo wagon road. He divides his book into three sections - in the first he discusses myths concerning the trail, in the second he describes the men who built the road, and in the third he summarizes memories of the wagon road. The various myths surrounding the trail explain why the book was needed. Some said that the trail was originally an aboriginal trail, some a telegraph trail and others a trail built by the Royal Engineers in 1861. After detailed research in the archives, museums and libraries of the Lower Mainland and Blaine, Dowle proves that none of these myths are true. The trail (actually a wagon road) was built across Surrey to the US border from a point opposite New Westminster to Semiahmoo (Blaine) in 1873-74. It was meant to connect steamer service from Port Townsend and Blaine with New Westminster. It was also used by pioneers interested in selling their produce in New Westminster. Stagecoaches used the route to transport passengers and mail until 1891, when a railroad provided a faster, more comfortable and efficient service. The railroad and the automobile soon caused the wagon road to fall into disuse, and much of the route was incorporated into new road systems or into existing properties. It is only relatively recently that a few people have championed the preservation of sections of the trail. Dowle's detailed research tells us much about road construction in the later 19th century. He thoroughly documents the construction of the wagon road using early maps, road construction contracts, newspaper accounts, and reminiscences of the people who built the road. (At the end of the book he includes an appendix containing early maps and contracts, each accompanied by his detailed and helpful analysis.) The route through Surrey was damp and swampy and several bridges had to be crossed. Much of the route required the laying of corduroy. The one remaining reminiscence by someone who used the route mentions an amusing (to us) story of having to navigate a difficult section where the corduroy was floating. It is disappointing that the Semiahmoo Trail was not documented and preserved at a much earlier date so that residents who are starved for local recreation would have more miles of trail to enjoy. Unfortunately the same can be said for many of the native and normative trails that crisscross our province. Charles Hou is a retired Burnaby high school teacher who for many years gave his students a first hand experience of BC history by leading them on a hike over the gold rush trail from Port Douglas to 29 Mile House. Tidal Passages: A History of the Discovery Islands Jeanette Taylor. Madeira Park, B.C., Harbour Publishing Co. Ltd., 2008. 316p., illus.$24.95 paperback. It must have been an ordeal for author Jeanette Taylor to pare down her 30 years of research on the Discovery Islands to fit into her latest book, the 316-page Tidal Passages: A History of the Discovery Islands. No doubt, over the years of research, many of the people she writes about must have become as famfliar as family. Only she will know what or who had to be left out, but she hints at the difficulties of doing so, writing in the introduction that her publisher, on first seeing her hefty manuscript, found it hard to believe she'd "exercised restraint." "But I did," she says. The task of editing the book down to its current form was likely eased somewhat by a decision to remove the history of Quadra Island from the manuscript. Harbour Publishing plans to release it later as a companion book. Taylor's book is divided into six chapters, covering six different clusters of islands and mainland inlets that fall roughly between Desolation Sound on the southeast, and Port Neville on the northwest, a distance of roughly 100 kilometres. The terrain and BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY • Vol. 42 No. 3 climate in this area can differ significantly from one region or island to the next. Sunny Cortes was better suited to agriculture, while the islands to the northwest ~ steep- sided, rocky and surrounded by narrow tidal rapids ~ attracted loggers and rniners, and later their families, who often lived in floating camps. There is one map of the area at the front of the book, and each chapter includes pages of black-and-white photos. Taylor gives some attention to the First Nations people in each of the areas she covers - the three Mainland Comox groups - the Klahoose, the Xwemalhkwu (Homalco) and the Sliammon - and also the Lekwiltok (mainly in the last chapter, which covers the northern part of the region). The bulk of the book, though, is about the settlers, starting in the 1880s and 1890s with those who came to the region for its magnificent timber. Usefully, for those who want to just read about one area, each chapter can stand alone, as Taylor gives overviews of significant events that affected the region as a whole in each section, such as the 1782 smallpox epidemic that killed thousands of Aboriginals and the surveys of the area by British and Spanish ships a decade later. Taylor provides much detail, a strength in a book like this, although at times overwhelming on a first read. Still, the details are often compelling, giving a clearer picture of life at that time, whether it's a catalogue of Cortes resident Alice Robertson's huge garden in 1907 (31 rows of potatoes, 100 tomato plants, just to start with), or the voice of Klahoose Chief Julian giving testimony to a Royal Commission in 1915 ("If we do not kill deer out of season we have nothing to eat ... We would like to be allowed to kill deer out of season."). For those interested in the region, or taking a cruise or kayak through it, this book will be a worthy companion to refer to again and again. Connie Kretz is a freelance writer based in Campbell River. Traditions of Faith and Service: Archdiocese of Vancouver 1908-2008. Jacqueline Gresko. Vancouver,B.C, Archdiocese of Vancouver, 2008. 285 p., illus., appendices, bibliography, index. $39.00 paperback. The centennial year of the establishment of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver was celebrated in November 2008 by events mcluding a mass attended by over 12,000 in GM Place and the publication of its history. Traditions of Faith and Service is a richly illustrated, meticulously researched, large format book which documents more than 100 years of the church and the people who have made that history. The Archdiocese of Vancouver actually dates from 1863 when, because of the gold rush on the Fraser River and a huge increase in the population on the British Columbian mainland, the Vicariate Apostolic of British Columbia was established in New Westminster, a separate entity from the Diocese of Victoria which had been established in 1846. It was raised to the Diocese of New Westminster in 1890 and eighteen years later, in 1908, to an Archdiocese and transferred to Vancouver. Prior to 1863, the pioneers and Aboriginal people living on the mainland had been served by the French Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Author, Jacqueline Gresko, is a graduate of St Ann's Academy, New Westminster, with a PhD in history from the University of British Columbia. She was a professor at Douglas College in New Westminster and upon retirement became a sessional instructor at Corpus Christi College. Her research for Traditions of Faith and Service was based on the archival collections of the Archdiocese, consisting of 400 linear feet of textual records, photographs, maps, artifacts, books and architectural drawings stored in an environmentally controlled vault. The Archives, established in 1980 by Archbishop James Carney, is the official repository for documents of any form made or received by the Archdiocese of Vancouver in pursuit of its religious and legal obligations. The oldest archival document is the Papal bull, from Pope Pius IX in 1863, estabhshing the Vicariate Apostolic of British Columbia. The Archives is also entrusted with the care of artifacts from the Archdiocese and previous Archbishops, some of which are beautifully illustrated in colour in the book. Gresko was guided through her research in the archives by Anthea Seles, the archivist since 2004. The use of images of the archival material, as well as photos of archbishops, priests, parishioners, events, and buildings, makes accessible some of the precious records not normally available without special permission. Photographs on every page provide readers with the evidence and context for the chronological story line, with chapters marking the administration of each archbishop. Those from the albums of Archbishop Duke, who made annual trips around the province from 1929 to 1958, are particularly interesting for their quality and candidness. Additionally, the histories of 79 parishes in the Archdiocese are profiled in chronological order of their establishment. Not only does this book document the role of the church in the history of the province, but it provides the reader with an understanding of the relationship between the Archdiocese and the Aboriginal people since the mid- 1800s, and with other cultural groups, 36 BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY - Vol. 42 No. 3 particularly in the 20th century. Appendices provide further details about the parishes and the religious orders that ministered in the parishes (men and women). Notes for each chapter provide references for readers who are interested in further research and the bibliography includes many books on the general and religious history of British Columbia. Traditions of Faith and Service is a testament to the acknowledgement of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver to its past and its commitment to making that past available to future generations. Deidre Simmons is a retired archivist/writer. She was archives consultant for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver from 2003 to 2007. UNDERGROUND JUNE HUTTOlM Underground JuneHutton. Toronto, Ont., Cormorant Books, 2009. 246 p. $21.00 paperback. June Hutton's debut novel, Underground, uses short, intense episodes to focus on the life of a British Columbian during the early years of the twentieth century. Weaving together various motifs, including burial and self-discovery, with historical facts and incidents, Hutton creates a cinematic and moving portrayal of the life of her protagonist, Albert Fraser. Hutton also highUghts the little known participation of the 1,700 Canadians who fought in the Spanish Civil War. Albert Fraser first went "into the ground" at the age of 14 when he worked in the cramped tunnels of Nanaimo's coalmines. Two years later, with a lump of coal for good luck, Fraser left the Newcastle Seam for soldiering in the Great War. At the battle of the Somme, an explosion buried him in a trench. After digging his way out, Fraser suffered shell shock and the physical pain of embedded shrapnel. Plagued by nightmares and bits of metal breaking through his skin, Fraser travelled from place-to-place through the decades struggling to find his place in the world. From the "soup green corridor of an English hospital" to the troopship with "the cheese stench of wounds gone sour," Fraser returned home to the family cabin in Hedley with its "heavy scent of sun-cooked pine needles and buisting buds of poplar." After moving to Vancouver, he found work painting mansions on the "Crescent" in Shaughnessy. Money and success were his, and he took to dancing at the pavilion at the end of the pier in English Bay. With the Great Depression, however, "Shaughnessy Heights became known as Poverty Hill" and Fraser found himself in a hobo camp. There, he was then rounded up by police officers on horses and sent to work building the Hope- Princeton Highway. Tired of the food, living conditions, and enforced "busy work," the men deserted the relief camps and walked to Vancouver where thousands marched in a "Snake Parade," the rhythmic movement effectively blocking the roadways. After a confrontation with a policeman, Fraser found himself in the "disorienting maze of hallways and hidden rooms" under Pender Street. Several days later, he moved to Whitehorse where he took on a new identity. After hearing about the slaughter at Guernica, Fraser enlisted in the Spanish Civil War. While fighting in Spain, he gained new insights and, eventually, came to peace with himself. Hutton does not fully develop Fraser's character or motivations. Instead, she documents the events and circumstances he experiences over his lifetime. Hutton's poetic prose, and careful attention to visual, sensual, and historical detail, provides the reader with fresh perspectives on the hardships and happenstances of an earlier generation. Sheryl Salloum is a free lance writer living in Vancouver. BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY - Vol. 42 No. 3 A Chance to Complete Your Collection Back Issues of BC History on Sale British Columbia Historical Ne HISTORY fad QjUk* history •**F HISTORY « 1 Vol. 37 No. 4 Vol. 38 No. 1 Vol. 38 No. 2 Vol. 38 No. 3 OtmJ^Odu^dui HISTORY HISTORY HISTORY r *mvw^ HISTORY .• Vol. 38 No. 4 Vol. 39 No. 1 Vol. 39 No. 2 Vol. 39 No. 3 HISTORY Vol. 39 No. 4 HISTORY nNrW Vol. 40 No. 1 HISTORY ^afi jBfeHP Vol. 40 No. 2 Vol. 40 No. 3 38 BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY - Vol. 42 No. 3 HISTORY HISTORY HISTORY HISTORY Vol. 40 No. 4 HISTORY Vol. 42 No. 1 Vol. 41 No. 2 Vol. 41 No. 3 Vol. 41 No. 4 Windows to Our Past: A pictorial history of British Columbia Special edition celebrating BCs150th birthday ISBN 978-0-9692119-1-4 Contains 117 different unpublished photographs, postcards and images from around British Columbia. A unique collection of rarely seen buildings and subjects - many from private collections. A limited edition. Please ship BC History x $ = $ Windows to our Past x $ = $ Total $ Enclosed is my cheque for $ as per the price list. Please ship to: Name Address City Email [if you would like confirmation of shipping date] Mail your order and your cheque to: Alice Marwood, Subscription Secretary, #211 - 14981 - 101A Avenue, Surrey, BC V3R 0T1 For enquiries and availability of other volumes Prov. Postal Code. List your issues here BC History issues (includes shipping) Canada $5.00 U.S.A. $8.00 International $10.00 BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY - Vol. 42 No. 3 39 Miscellany Virtual Boats The Sternwheelers of Kootenay Lake Virtual Exhibit launched on Saturday August 15, at Touchstones during the Columbia Basin Cultural Tour. Nicole Tremblay of Touchstones was on hand all day to show everyone who came in the site and to answer questions and listen to their stories. The site is now available for viewing by everyone at http: / / virtualmuseum.ca/ Exhibitions/Kootenay. Money The BC Historical Federation recently received a cheque from Harbour Publishing for $5031 in regard to royalties for Trails of 1858 by Forsythe and Dickson. Edgar Dewdney Makes the National News Edgar Dewdney has proved to be popular with the media. Canwestnewspapers picked up the story of his interesting past published in issue 42.2 and interviewed author CJ Clooney. The subsequent article appeared in newspapers across the country. And CBC Radio broadcast the story on their national and local newscasts. BCHF Essay Winners First or second year essay, $750.00: Timothy Noddings, Camosun College; "Douglas, the Pragmatist" Third or fourth year essay, $1,0000: Marie-Eve Daunais, UBC; "Vancouver's Street Trees: A Public Affair" / Pout. ctA, tf&f&a^p%%£$u BC Historical Federation Annual Conference Co-hosted with the Vancouver Historical Society It's All About Transportation • Workshops • The Book Fair! • Lectures and presentations, including the inside story on the award-winning City Reflections, Vancouver in 1907 DVD. • Tours include: - a recreation of a 1907 streetcar route - "behind the scenes" at local museums and archives - Train Stations on Transit - Streetcars Created Neighbourhoods - Mountain View Cemetery BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORY - Vol. 42 No. 3 British Columbia Historical Federation Awards and Scholarship Information W. KAYE LAMB Essay Scholarships Deadline: 15 May 2010 The British Columbia Historical Federation awards two scholarships annually for essays written by students at BC colleges or universities, on a topic relating to British Columbia history. One scholarship ($750) is for an essay written by a student in a first or second year course; the other ($1000) is for an essay written by a student in a third or fourth year course. To apply for the scholarship all candidates must submit (1) a letter of application and (2) a letter of recommendation from the professor for whom the essay was written. First and second year course essays should be 1,500-3,000 words; third and fourth year,1,500 to 5,000 words. By entering the scholarship competition the student gives the editor of BC History the right to edit and publish the essay if it is deemed appropriate for the magazine. Applications should be submitted to: Marie Elliott, Chair BC Historical Federation Scholarship Committee, PO Box 5254, Station B, Victoria, BC V8R 6N4 essays® bchistory.ca BC History Web Site Prize The British Columbia Historical Federation and David Mattison are jointly sponsoring a yearly cash award of $250 to recognize Web sites that contribute to the understanding and appreciation of British Columbia's past. The award honours individual initiative in writing and presentation. Nominations for the BC History Web Site Prize must be made to the British Columbia Historical Federation, Web Site Prize Committee, prior to the 31st of December each year. Web site creators and authors may nominate their own sites. Prize rules and the on-line nomination form can be found on BCHF's web site: bchistory.ca/awards/ website/index, html Historical Writing Competition The British Columbia Historical Federation invites submissions for their Annual Historical Writing Competition for authors of British Columbia History. Eligibility • To be eligible for this competition, books must be published in 2009. • Non-fiction books representing any aspect of B.C. History are eligible. • Reprints or revisions of books are not eligible. • Books may be submitted by authors or publishers. • Deadline for submission is December 31,2009. Judging Criteria Judges are looking for quality presentations and fresh material. Submissions will be evaluated in the following areas: - Scholarship: quality of research and documentation, comprehensiveness, objectivity and accuracy - Presentation: organization, clarity, illustrations and graphics - Accessibility: readability and audience appeal Lieutenant-Governor's Medal and Other Prizes The BC Lieutenant-Governor's Medal for Historical Writing will be awarded together with $600 to the author whose book makes the most significant contribution to the history of British Columbia. The 2nd and 3rd place winners will receive $400 and $200 respectively. Anne & Philip Yandle Best Article Award A Certificate of Merit and $250 will be awarded annually to the author of the article, published in BC History, that best enhances knowledge ot British Columbia's history and provides reading enjoyment. Judging will be based on subject development, writing skill, freshness of material, and appeal to a general readership interested in all aspects of BC history. Certificates of Honorable Mention may be awarded to other books as recommended by the judges. Publicity All winners will receive publicity and an invitation to the BCHF Awards Banquet at the Federation's annual conference in May, 2010. Submission Requirements Authors/Publishers are required to send three copies to the Chair of the Writing Competition Committee. Barb Hynek 2477 140th Street, Surrey, B.C. V4P 2C5 Email: writing@bchistory.ca 604-535-9090 Books are to be accompanied by a letter containing the following: - Title of the book submitted - Author's name and contact information - Publisher's name and contact information - Selling price Submission Deadline: December 31, 2009 By submitting books for this competition, the authors agree that the British Columbia Historical Federation may use their name(s) in press releases and in its publications. Books entered become the property of the BCHF. Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to Circulation Department. 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