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MEMBER SOCIETIES***** ********

Member Societies and their secretaries are responsible for seeing that the correct address for their society is up-to-date.Please send any change to both the Treasurer and the Editor at the addresses given at the bottom of this page. TheAnnual Return as at October 31st should include telephone numbers for contact.

Members dues for the year 1988/89 were paid by the following Members Societies:

Alberni District Historical Society, Box 284, Port Alberni, B.C. V9Y 7M7Atlin Historical Society, P0. Box 111, Atlin, B.C. VOW lAOBCHF - Gulf Island Branch, do Marian Worrall, Mayne Island, VON 2JOBCHF - Victoria Section, do Charlene Rees, 2 -224 Superior Street, Victoria, B.C. V8V 1T3Burnaby Historical Society, 5406 Manor Street, Burnaby, B.C. V5G 157Chemainus Valley Historical Society, PC. Box 172, Chemainus, B.C. VOR 1KOCowichan Historical Society, P0. Box 1014, Duncan, B.C. V9L 3Y2District 69 Historical Society, P0. Box 3014, Parksville, B.C. VOR 2S0East Kootenay Historical Association, PC. Box 74, Cranbrook, B.C. V1C 4H6Fraser Lake Historical Society, PC. Box 57, Fraser Lake, B.C. VOJ 150Galiano Historical and Cultural Society, PC. Box 10, Galiano, B.C. VON 1POGolden & District Historical Society, Box 992, Golden, B.C. VOA 1 HOLadysmith Historical Society, Box 11, Ladysmith, B.C. VOR 2EOLantzville Historical Society, do Susan Crayston, Box 76, Lantzville, B.C. VOR 2H0Mission Historical Society, 33201 2nd Avenue, Mission, B.C. V2V 1J9Nanaimo Historical Society, P0. Box 933, Station ‘A’, Nanaimo, B.C. V9R 5N2Nanooa Historical and Museum Society, R.R.1, Box 22, Marina Way, Nanoose Bay, B.C. VOR 2RONorth Shore Historical Society, 623 East 10th Street, North Vancouver, B.C. V7L 2E9North Shuswap Historical Society, P0. Box 22, Celista, B.C. VOE 1LOPrinceton & District Pioneer Museum and Archives, Box 687, Princeton, B.C. vox iWOQualicum Beach Historical & Museum Society, c/o Mrs. Cora Skipsey, P0. Box 352. Qualicum Beach. B.C. VOR 2T0Saltspring Island Historical Society, PC. Box 705, Ganges, B.C. VOS 1 E0Sidney and North Saanich Historical Society, PC. Box 2404, Sidney, B.C. V8L 3Y3Silvery Slocan Historical Society, PC. Box 301, New Denver, B.C. VOG iSOTrail Historical Society, P0. Box 405, Trail, B.C. V1R 4L7Valemont Historic Society, PC. Box 850, Valemount, B.C. VOE 2AOVancouver Historical Society, PC. Box 3071, Vancouver, B.C. V6B 3X6

Affiliated GroupsB.C. Museum of Mining, PC. Box 155, Britannia Beach, B.C. VON 1JOCity of White Rock Museum Archives Society, 1030 Martin Street, White Rock, B.C. V4B 5E3Fort Steele Heritage Park, Fort Steele, B.C. VOB 1 NOThe Hallmark Society, 207 Government Street, Victoria, B.C. V8V 2K8Nanaimo Centennial Museum Society, 100 Cameron Road, Nanaimo, B.C. V9R 2X1Lasqueti Island Historical Society, Lasqueti Island, B.C. VOR 2JO

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Financially assisted by the Government of British Columbia through the British Columbia Heritage Trust.

Back issues of the British Columbia Historical News are available from Micromedia Ltd., 158 Pearl St., Toronto,Ontario M5H 1L3 - Micromedia also publishes the Canadian Magazine Index and the Canadian Business Index,Indexed in the Canadian Periodical Index.

British Columbia Volume 22, No. 2 Cover CreditHistorical New Spring, 1989The Cartoon illustrating Port

Journal of the B.C. Historical Federation Essington School 19 14-1920 wasdrawn by Earnest Harris ofContents Vancouver. This author/artist has

FeatureS Page had works published in theTable of Contents & Editorial 1 Vancouver Sun and Province and

has provided work to be included inKing Edward High School a future issue of the Historical

by Win Shilvock 2 News. Port Essington School wasWriting Competition one of several pre-fab buildings

brought in from the Lower MainlandMining Camp School to create instant facilities in

by Christine F Dickinson 4 waterfront towns up the coast.Lost Opportunity: All Hallows School for Indianand White Girls, 1884 - 1920

by Jean Barman 6 Jjft0j’jjThe University Club of Nelson &The Provincial University Question, 1903 - 1910 The response to the appeal for ar

by Ron Welwood 10 tides on the theme “Education” wasThe Lunos Trail: From the Precipice on overwhelming. Material receivedHotnarko River to Nimpo Lake would fill 60-70 pages. Those cho

by R.C. Harris 14 sen for this issue tell of educationalactivities from Vancouver to Atlin,Education in the Cariboo Fifty Years Ago Galiano to the East Kootenay. We

by T. Don Sale 16 hope that you will enjoy the selecSome Early Schools of British Columbia tions, and can look forward to others

by Douglas Harker 18 in coming issues.The publications committee notes

Skookumchuck Soliloquy with regret that the cost of preparby Malcolm McPhee 20 ing the Historical News has risen.Gems from Archives 22 In an endeavor to avoid raising sub

scription costs we must increase theOne, Two, Three, Alary: Vancouver School Grounds number of subscribers. We challengeby Neil Sutherland 23 you, the reader, to each sign up aDiscovery Reenactment ‘92 new subscriber or local member.

by Greg Foster 25 How about giving a gift subscriptionto a family member or a friend? ItBook Shelf: Book Reviews costs only $8 per year for subserip

Distant Neighbours tions to be mailed anywhere inReview by Linda Hale 28 Canada. Mail your application to-

Workers, Capital and State in British Columbia day for a gift subscription. MakeReviewby Logan Hovis 29 cheques payable to the B.C.

Historical Federation, and send to:They Call Me Father:Memoirs of Father Nicolas Coccola Subscription Secretary

Review Ron Weiwood 30 5928 Baffin PlaceTrees of Greater Victoria Burnab B.C.

Review by Clare McAllister 30 V5H 3S8

Hastings and Main: Stories from an Inner City Neighbourhood Thank You.Review by Neil Sutherland 31 Naomi MillerNews Publishing Committee Report & News & Notes 32

Manuscripts and correspondence for the editor are to be sent to P0. Box 105, Wasa, B.C. VOB 2K0Correspondence regarding subscriptions are to be directed to the subscription secretary (see inside back cover)

B.C. Histm’icaiNe1

The mammoth brown-stonestructure that was built in 1905 atthe corner of Oak Street and 12thAvenue in Vancouver served many ofthe educational needs of the cityuntil the mid 1970’s when it came toa blazing end in the biggest fire everseen in the area.

Over the years it functionedwith five different names. Until1909 it was called the VancouverHigh School and College when itwas renamed King Edward HighSchool. In the early 1960’s it ceasedto operate as a high school andbecame affiliated as a SpecialPrograms Division with the newLangara College.

The most illustrious period forthis spacious edifice was the 53years when it was the King EdwardHigh School (KEHS). It’s not knownfor sure, but it’s estimated thatthere must have been at least 8,500students who trod the widehallways and studied in theclassrooms which could hold 40students and which occupied theground and second floors. The thirdfloor; or attic, was big enough tohandle rifle shooting for the CadetCorps and a comprehensive librarywas the envy of most other schools.

Half a century is time enoughto generate many tales, but thislittle story will cover only my stayat KEHS - 1924-27 - with emphasison the Matric, or final year.

It took three years to travelthe course through chemistry,biology, physics, Latin, English,French, botany, mathematics andhome economics. During this time anot-too-serious pecking order existedwith the students being divided intoPrelims, Juniors and Matrics. Theschool motto, ‘Ad Summum” (To thehighest), encouraged everyone totake a broad outlook and every yeara great school spirit was engenderedin the several hundred studentsoccupying 31 classes.

The Matrics were divided intofive classes headed by a “HomeTeacher” whose job it was to accountfor his/her charges at the beginningof each day and often act as

confessor for problems. The Prelimsand Juniors were divided likewise.Each teacher taught a certainsubject and once an hour loud bellssounded and students would moveto another room for instruction.

In the centre of the school wasa large auditorium, complete withstage, and it was most impressivewhen students from the “FairviewShacks” which housed theUniversity of British Columbia nextdoor, paraded in to use it forlectures. University seemed anawesome thing, a long way off; to aPrelim.. This activity ceased whenUBC opened for business in PointGrey on September 22, 1925.

Mr. G.A. Fergusson was theprincipal. On the surface heappeared to be an austere personbut he was really a softie who hadthe ability to attract a lot of goodteachers. He was a veteran of the1914-1918 war as were some of themale instructors such as JohnnyMacLeod, Percy Tees and Buck Yeo(mentor to Class 1), all of whomwere heroes to the boys.

Miss A.B. Jamieson motheredClass 2 and was, perhaps, the mostbeloved of all the teachers. She was

gentle and kind, but tough enoughnot to let anyone get away withtomfoolery Her admonition to the‘27 Matrics was, in part, “Cultivatekindly feeling and do kindly acts -

observe the laws of health and behappy - grow up into clear-thinking,able-bodied, clean minded, staunchCanadians.”

John Marr, home teacher forClass 3, was a considerate,soft-spoken man who taught Latin.He must have writhed in agony aswe shredded Caesar’s efforts todivide Gaul into three parts, and hisfeelings were reflected somewhat inhis final comments to the class, “Ican hardly say that you havedistinguished yourselves inscholarship.” He was a goodteacher; and although we neverfound out, he must have beenpleasantly surprised when all butone passed the final governmentexams.

The portly mathematicswizard who handled Class 4, A.W.Ross, was a good friend to everyone,even those who couldn’t fathom theintricacies of analytical geometryHe was always good for a laugh ashe walked around with the front of

King EdwardHigh Schoolby Win Shilvock

King Edward High School Building.circa 1906

B.C. HistoricalNe2

his dark blue suit covered in chalkdust which wafted over him as heendlessly inscribed figures on theblackboard.

Class 5 was composed of 30girls who were exposed to homeeconomics, taught by their hometeachei Miss Mabel Allen. The boysdidn’t know her but the girlsthought she was wonderful.

Little Miss Cameron taughtFrench and had twice been to Paris.She adored drawing the Garde deLion on the blackboard but was nearapoplexy when a wag drew theUnion Jack atop one of theflagpoles. We couldn’t converse wellin the subject but we could write itand were able to conquer most of theirregular verbs, pass the final exam,and go on to two more years of it atU.B.C.

The school had a system ofPrefects, headed up by MissJamieson and Mr. Marr, and wascomposed of seven girls and eightboys. Their job was to maintain asemblance of order and listen to anymoans by the students. From thisgroup came an interesting story

Six of the Prefects in 1926-27were Chuck Teeple, Percy Williams,Geoff Inkstei Aif Morfitt, BobbyGaul and Win Shilvock. Althoughthe six had varied interests, a bondof friendship evolved and theyformed a club called the Hexamis - aword comprising part of the Greekword for six and the French wordAmis. The club carried on for manyyears after KEHS days and in 1928when Percy Williams went to theOlympics, the remaining five boughthim spiked running shoes which,unfortunately, were half a size toolarge. Percy was very superstitiousand wouldn’t allow them to beexchanged. Instead, he filled theextra space by wearing woolen socksrather than the light, silk ones wornby sprinters. Thus it was that inAmsterdam he won the 100 and 200metre races wearing oversize shoesand woolen socks.

Not long after Bobby Gauldied following an injury receivedplaying Varsity rugby. The Bobby

Gaul Memorial Fund at UBC is inhis honor.

Every form of extra-curricularactivity was available at King Ed.The 101st School’s Cadet Regiment;Basketball; Grass Hockey; Tennis;Rugby; Football; Ice Hockey; Soccer;Swimming; Track and Field;Literary and Debating, and a yearlyAnnual was published.

A Parent-Teacher Association,which had been formed in 1916, wasactive and had a membership fee of25 cents. It aimed to “. . . .promoteeducational standing and never hasthis been more necessary than atthe present time when theeducational world is in more or lessa chaotic condition.” It does seemthat history repeats itself

No great attention was givento graduation after three years ofhigh school except it was the customto hold a Matric Dance to celebrate.When government exams werefinished all went their own way toanxiously await news of a pass orfailure. These results appearedafter a couple of weeks in theVancouver Province and Sunnewspapers. Individual marks weremailed later from Victoria.

Sixty-two years can exact aheavy toll on people and it’sprobable that not too many of those158 young people who matriculatedfrom King Edward High School in1927 are around today. For thosewho are, it’s hoped some may readthis little tribute to them and KingEd and recall a few memories ofthose fun days.

Winston Shilvock went from KingEdward High to LJBC, where he earned a B.A& B. Comm. degree. In 1948 he served asPresident ofthe UBCAiwnniAssociaiion - Hehas made Kelowna his home since 1949.

*****************

WritingCompetitionWinners of the 6th Annual

Competition for Writers of BritishColumbia History will be honored atthe B.C. Historical FederationConference in Victoria in May. HisHonour David Lam will present theLieutenant-Governor’s Medal forHistorical Writing in GovernmentHouse on the afternoon of Friday,May 12th. All winners will be giventheir Certificates of Merit and monetary awards at the banquet on May13th. Selection of winners was a difficult task for the judges who werefaced with more books than on previous years and a very high quality ofthe entries.

The 1989 Writing Competitionis now open for submissions. Anybook with B.C. historical content,published in 1989 is eligible.Authors or publishers are urged tosend in books as soon as possible after publication. Those submittingbooks should include name, address,telephone number, selling price ofthe book, and an address from whichthe book may be ordered if a readerhas to shop by mail.

Send entries to:

British Columbia HistoricalFederationdo Mrs. Naomi MillerBox 105Wasa, B.C.VOB 2K0

** ** * *** ** ** *** **

3B.C. Historical News

Mining Camp School

by Christine F DickinsonThe news of important gold

discoveries in the area of Atlin, B.C.first broke in August, 1898, and bythe time the mining season openedin 1899, Atlin had become acommunity of several thousand. Inthe late summer of that year, assignificant numbers of miners andbusinessmen made plans to stay inthe north for the coming winter itbecame an urgent matter to providefor the educational needs of thecamp’s children. Besides,community leaders, who weremaking ambitious plans for Atlin’sfuture, recognised the value of aschool as a symbol of thecommunity’s permanence.Consequently, in August a meetingwas held with Gold CommissionerJ.D. Graham, and three prominentbusinessmen, J. St. Clair Blackett,A.S. Cross, and J.H. Russel, wereelected as temporary SchoolTrustees.1Establishing a school, though,

was not an easy task, and the onuswas on the community rather thanthe Provincial Government todemonstrate its viability, and tomake all the necessaryarrangements. At first theGovernment in Victoria promised tosend a qualified teacher, and to paythe incidental expenses of runningthe school, if the communityassumed the responsibility forproviding a building. 2

Before long though it becameobvious that a teacher would behard to find, and that to operate aschool in the far north of theprovince would prove expensive.The cost of cordwood for heating, forexample, was extremely high. As aresult, within a short time officialsin Victoria retracted their promise,and offered instead to provide $60 amonth for the teacher’s salary,leaving the matter of hiring ateacher and all other arrangementsto the Trustees.3For two months the Trustees

looked in vain for a teacher willingto accept this meagre sum. Evenwhen they decided to augment theGovernment’s offer by another $15,still no teacher could be found. Inthe meantime 18 children had beenassembled, and the duties ofteacher were temporarily assumedby Rev. Fred Stephenson.Immediately there was a complaintfrom officials in Victoria, who werequick to point out that it was notlegal for a clergyman to hold thepost. Stephenson had been willingto work as a volunteer until ateacher could be found, but he wasso offended by the official reprimandthat he resigned.There was a widespread

sentiment in the community thatthe Provincial Government wasplacing obstacles in the way of allefforts to establish a school. Theywere quibbling about the cost ofcordwood, holding back on thepromised grant, and offering noassistance in the search for ateacher. There was bitterresentment that, despite the factthat, in less than a year at least$50,000 in government revenue hadbeen collected from Atlin mines,businesses and land sales, theschool would have to be supportedas a charity with dances andconcerts.5In November J. St. Clair Blackett,

J,H. Brownlee, and D.S. McDonaldwere elected to replace thetemporary Trustees.6 Shortlythereafter they found what theywere looking for when a 20 year old,named Hulet Wells, came into townfrom one of the mines on SpruceCreek, where he had been workingas a labourer. Wells had in hispocket $100 which he hoped wouldpay his winter food bill. Unwiselyhe allowed himself to becomeinvolved in an all-night gamblinggame, from which he emerged with50 cents. Before he had set out forthe North, young Wells had received

a Teaching Certificate, and spent ayear teaching in Agassiz, B.C.Needless to say he was more thanwilling to accept the position as thefirst teacher of the Atlin School.Enrollment increased to 35 pupils

and classes were held in anabandoned building.8 Themakeshift schoolhouse was not onlypoorly built and badly lit, but it wasquite unsuitable for winter use.There was no insulation, and as itsrough cut boards shrank, the windand snow were able to blow throughthe walls. When the school yearended in June, Wells found that hestill had gold fever, and so hewasted no time in packing up hisblanket roll and setting out on footin search of ajob on the creeks.In the fall of 1900, Miss K.C.

Smith arrived to take over theposition and in its second year theAtlin School opened with a newteacher in new premises.9 This timethe pupils were to do their lessonsin the large tent which hadpreviously been occupied by theGold Commissioners Office. Onehalf of the floor was covered withrough lumber, and the other halfwith sawdust.1° Although the tentwas spacious and its white canvaswalls let in plenty of light, twostoves had to be kept burning, andsnow was banked around theperimeter in an attempt to keep outthe cold. Despite the difficultconditions the students were taughta full program of reading, writing,spelling, composition, arithmetic,grammar, geography, drawing,history, hygiene and sewing.Seated at desks they workeddiligently, doing most of their workon stone slates.Attendance for some was not

always regular. Winter conditionswere an obstacle for those who livedon the creeks and had to travel longdistances. Charlie Bruceremembered travelling with hisbrother on the stage from Discovers

B.C. Historical News4

a community on Pine Creek 6 milesaway. When the weather becametoo cold, lessons had to wait untilthe spring.’1 Often too, boysespecially would be required to workat mining or in the family business.A permanent school building was

not provided until September, 1902.After 3 years of lobbying, Trusteesand parents were finally satisfiedthat their children were beingadequately provided for. For acontract price of $1600 a one roomschoolhouse was built. Completewith a basement for recreational usein bad weather a cuppola atop, andlarge windows on two sides, theAtlin school was a source of greatcommunity pride.12Earlier that same year the Board

of Trade had successfully persuadedthe Government to increase itsgrant, so that a more highlyqualified teacher could be hired. Asa result Miss E.I. Miller a vivaciousenergetic young lady, who had hadhigh school experience, arrived totake charge.13Finally in comfortable

surroundings, and with a wellqualified and experienced teacher,the Atlin School began to develop agood academic record. With 37students it was difficult indeed tocope with eight different classes, butit was not at all an uncommonsituation in rural schools. Olderstudents helped younger ones, andenthusiastic learners were keen tofinish their work so that they couldlisten in on lessons being taught tothe class ahead.As with many other public schools

at the time, school examinationswere often held oraiiy and in public.Parents and Trustees could witnessa display of students’ competence insuch activities as reading, spelling,mental arithmetic, and recitation.The community was satisfied thatthe Atlin School was finallywell-established. In Novembei1905 every Atlin student hadwritten work exhibited at theDominion Exhibition at NewWestminster. The quality of thework produced by the Province’smost northern school was admired

by southern newspapers.Dr. Henry Esson Young, who

became Atlin’s politicalrepresentative in Victoria in 1903,took a particular interest in theschool and its students. His wife,formerly Rosalind Watson, auniversity graduate, had been ahigh school teacher in Victoria, andshe willingly involved herself withthe Atlin School. She acted assub-examiner for high schoolentrance examinations,’4 andreassured authorities in Victoriaabout the school’s solid academicfooting.’5 In 1907 Dr. Youngbecame the Minister of Education inthe McBride Government, anappointment which meant thatAtlin could no longer feel powerlessin its dealings with Victoria.As the years passed many

teachers arrived to play their partin the education of a handful ofyoung Northerners. The womenfrequently married, which effectivelyended their professional careers, butmost of the men, and some of thewomen went elsewhere to teach, allthe richer for their Atlin experience.Hulet Wells, however, never didreturn to teaching. He eventuallysettled down and became a lawyer.Similarly Atlin students pursued

a great variety of careers. Someremained to become miners ortrappers, and to raise their own

Courtesy ofAtlin Historical Society

families. Others migrated tosouthern cities to enter business, avariety of trades or the professions,and one, the young Walter Owen,became Lieutenant Governor ofBritish Columbia.The 1902 schoolhouse has been

removed from its original site, but itremains standing. Schoolenrollment remained fairly steadyand it served its original purposeuntil 1968. Today it serves as theAtlin Museum, and welcomesthousands of visitors each year.

Mrs. Dzckenson Is agraduate in HonoursHistory from Victoria University inWellington, New Zealand. She lived inAtlinfor 12years during which time she assistedwith the development oftheAtlin HistoricalSocletyArchives. She now lives In Houston,B.C. where she is on staff at HoustonScamdwy SchooL

M.J. Reid & Pupils; Atlin School - circa 1906.

1.a3.4.5.6.7.

8.9.10.

11.

12.13.14.

15.

Atlin Claim, 19th August 1889maAtlin G’obe, 28th September, 1899‘haAtm ClaIm: 28th October & 16th December, 1899Ihid.llth November; 1899Wells, H,M. BaekDor to the KklIke, P9rt 6 inThe AIara SpImnmn, September, 1960 p.35Atlin Chum, 28th october & 11th November, 1899Ibid., 1st September; 1900&itidsCotunibia, Pth&Wc.¾s Repit, 1900, inSional Papers, 1901, p.491Brum, Charles, Letter in AlSo Historhul Soetyfilm.Atlin ClaIm, 30th August, 1902‘hid., 23rd August 1902lbid.17th june, 1905

11th November, 1905

5 B.C. Historical News

Lost opportunity:All Hallows School for Indian and White Girls,

1884-1920

by Jean Barman

For a third of a century; from the1880s to the end of the first Worldwar, two groups of young girlsshared the same boarding school inBritish Columbia, but they did notmix. Indeed, they did not even talkto each other. They might havebeen a million miles apart ratherthan in close physical proximity dayafter day, year after year. Tounderstand why such separationexisted is to grasp a significantcomponent of the provinces history;for one of the groups comprisedyoung Native Indians, the otherwhite girls. The story of AllHallows’ Schools at Yale, wherethese girls lived and studied, inmany ways encapsulates thetroubled history of Native-Europeanrelations in British Columbia. It isa story of lost opportunity.All Hallows School originated in

the great missionary impulse of thelast century to convert and ‘ivilizet’indigenous peoples around theworld. Central to this obligation, so

missionaries considered, was theeducation of the younger generationinto European ways. Thus shortlyafter a new Anglican bishop arrivedon the British Columbia mainlandfrom England in 1879, he invitedout three sisters of the Anglicanorder of All Hallows in Norfolk toopen a school for Indian girls. Bythe time they arrived in the autumnof 1884, Bishop Sillitoe’s manyinitiatives had outdistanced thenew diocese’s limited financialresources, and the sisters were leftto fend for themselves in theisolated community of Yale, nestledin the Fraser Canyon.Bishop Sillitoe’s choice of Yale as

the location for his school madegood sense from the church’s pointof view. As missionaries hadspread out across the province, sothe various denominations hadmarked out spheres of influence forthe purpose of Native conversion.The Rev. John Good had been atwork along the stretch of the

Cariboo Road lying between Yaleand Lytton since 1867, giving theAnglicans claim to the areastretching northwest to Lillooet,east to the Nicola Valley and southalong the Fraser River almost as faras Chilliwack. At the beginning ofthe 1880s, when the bishop wasbecoming familiar with his diocese,the former goidrush town of Yalewas a bustling centre of activity asthe base of operations forconstruction of a major portion of thetranscontinental railroad, Howeverby the time the sisters arrived in1884, the boom was passing andthe community “graduallydecaying.” Equally disquieting tothe sisters was its setting at thebase of steep mountains, whichcontrasted sharply with the gentlelandscape surrounding their motherhouse at Ditchingham, a few milessouth of Norwich. They feltthemselves, so went a report back toEngland, “almost at the bottom ofa deep basin - so shut in on all

fit’. _

•,)

All Haflows; pupils - circa 1901. All Raflows; Indian pupils - circa 1897.

RC. Historical News6

sides, is Yale by mountains.”Yet the sisters persevered, even

taking in washing to acquire thefunds needed to school a handful oflocal Indian girls. Then the bishopproposed a solution whichdetermined All Hallows’ uniquecharactet Among projects initiatedin his original spate of enthusiasmhad been Columbian College forwhite girls in New Westminster. Ithad collapsed for lack of funds, butif the sisters would take on thisadditional responsibility they couldacquire much needed physicalfacilities by using funds promisedColumbian College by an Englishmissionary society. While the whitegirls’ schooling would then byfinanced by pupil fees, that of theirIndian counterparts would besupported both by ongoingdonations from parishioners inBritish Columbia and England andby an annual operating subsidyfrom the federal Department ofIndian Affairs. The sisters agreed,and arrangements were made topurchase “Brookside,” the spacioushome and grounds formerlyoccupied by the railroad contractorAndrew Onderdonk.Thus All Hallows became a

reality, eventually enrolling 35Indian and 45 white pupils rangingin age from six, and even younger inthe case of Indian girls, through thelate teens. Many early white pupilswere the daughters of Anglicanclergrmen from across the province,who were sent primarily because AllHallows’ religiously basedinstruction replicated what theirparents, almost all of Englishorigin, had themselves experienced.Other girls came for lack ofalternatives. For example, shortlyafter settling in the OkanaganValley, the writer Charles Mairreported, ‘There is no school here asyet which is a draw-back, but thereis a fine school at Yale, kept bylay-sisters of our church, and weshall send Mabel, and perhapsBessie, there in spring..” In timeAll Hallows became fashionable andattracted numerous daughters bothof prominent local figures, such as

railway and government officialsand medical doctors, and ofestablishment Vancouver families.Typical of such pupils were the twodaughters of J.F. Armstrong,Government Agent at Fort Steele.Motives for attendance varied.Edna Rich, whose father was aLadner businessman, may wellhave gone simply because theirneighbour T.E. Ladner, hadalready sent two daughters,making it “the thing to do.”Many of the Indian pupils who

came to All Hallows were recruitedby local Anglican clerics, althoughincreasingly parents became awareof the advantages of their offspringreceiving some schooling. As onepupil later recalled, she was sent“to learn white people’s ways.”Some were sent for lack ofalternatives, as when mothersbecame ill or died. Girls cameprimarily from the Lytton area,although some were from as faraway as Shuswap, Salmon Arm,Lillooet and Chilliwack.For Indian girls in particular, the

transition from an affectionateenvironment centred on family andband to boarding school was noteasy. Very likely knowing noEnglish, they were immediatelyforced to exchange familiar clothingfor garments provided by the school,consisting in winter of chemise anddrawers of unbleached cotton, heavyred or grey flannel petticoat, longwoolen stockings, high leatherboots, dark blue serge longsleeveddress, red pinafore, and red cloakfor out of doors. While new pupilshad their own sleeping area in order“to acquire habits of cleanliness andorder” they soon moved into adormitory of eight to 25 girls.Thereafter came an unceasingroutine whose infringement broughtsuch traditional Europeanpunishments as being ‘sent to bedearly, put in the corner,” or deprivedof “Sunday pudding..” Once inschool, Indian pupils had littlechoice as to whether or not theywanted to be “civilized..”From the surviving evidence -

including the order’s magazine

published in England, another atthe school itseIf various Anglicannews magazines, and oralinterviews - it is clear that Indianand white pupils led very differentlives at the school. The opportunityprovided by close physical proximityin conditions of geographicalisolation to learn to live togetherwas not taken, except in the school’sfirst years. Only then did a certainamount of social contact exist. Forinstance, a first-hand accountdescribed Christmas 1889 ascelebrated by “twenty of us Indiansand Half-breeds, and only twoyoung ladies,” one of whom was“going to be Father Christmas, andshe is followed by four Christmasspirits.” The visiting examiner thenext spring examined “the childrenof the school, [including] severalintelligent pupils of whiteparentage,” as a single pupil body.The impetus to Indian and white

pupils becoming physicallyseparated was a letter appearing inthe New Westminster newspaperlate in 1890 “raising the question ofmixed classes” at All Hallows.While Bishop Sillitoe pointed inrebuttal to the “mixed classes”attending the province’s publicschools, he in effect acquiesced tothe demand that white boarders betreated in a manner consistent withtheir higher station in life.Thereaftei they would not only be“lodged in a separate building fromthe Indian children,” but “have aseparate dining-hall, a separatesitting room, separateaccommodation in- the schoolroom,and a separate teacher.”The concept of separation was

consistent with assumptions heldboth by the sisters and by thefederal Department of IndianAffairs. The order of All Hallowsalso ran schools in England, andthere poor white girls were “trainedfor domestic service, were confirmed,and were employed in performingthe household chores of the mainschool,” at which girls of “proper”background were educated for theiranticipated roles as social leaders.Similarly, the Department of Indian

7 B.C. HisLorical News

Affairs considered that, whileIndians could through properschooling be assimilated into thedominant society, their “uncivilized”state made it almost inevitable thatthey would enter at society’s bottomrungs. Boys should be trained to befarmers or semi-skilled labourers,girls domestic servants. Howeverodious such notions might appear tous today, a century ago they madeperfect sense. Status at birth wasstill considered critical indetermining status in adulthood.While individual advance waspossible, it was not to be assumedbut rather depended on personalability and perseverance.Complete physical separation was

imposed. The next year the sameexaminer as in 1890 examined thetwo groups of girls separately andemphasized how the white pupilswere “clearly being educated forrefined Christian gentlewomen.”That Christmas, unlike a yearprevious, one of seven white pupilsremaining at the school alongside25 Indian pupils reportedsomewhat wistfully concerning aparty held around “the IndianChristmas tree.” “We were notallowed to go to it, only to peepthrough the open door for a littlewhile.” Bishop Sillitoe’smother-in-law visited the school in1895 and reported back to anEnglish church magazine that “inaccordance with the wishes of theEnglish parents, the white childrenand the Indians do not mix.”Eventually the only activity sharedin common was daily chapel servicebut even then, to quote a whitepupil, “the seats are on either side,and the Indian school in red capsand pinafores sit on one side andthe Canadian school in white veilson the othen”The recollections of both white and

Indian pupils confirm the entirety ofseparation. As put by an Indiangirl at the school from 1894 to1900, “we didn’t mix at all.”However, to defend the sisterswhom she clearly admired, she putthe case in favour of class-basedsegregation: “I think the sisters

were very wise in keeping usseparate because we didn ‘t begin tohave the nice things the otherchildren had because our peoplecouldn’t afford it.” White womenare much more blatant in theirassessment of the relationship.“Whites and Indians were nevertogether; that I can tell you.” “Wedidn’t think about mixing in thosedays.” To quote another, “therewas no contact at all.” And yetanother, “we weren’t allowed tospeak to them.” A fifth pupil hassummed up, “we weren’t allowed tolook at the Indian girls, were noteven supposed to look at them inchapel which was the only place weever saw them.”During much of each day Indian

and white girls were very differentlyoccupied. As part of Indian pupils’training “either for householdoccupation at home, or for domesticservice, they were responsible for AllHallows’ daily operation. As awhite pupil bluntly put it, “theywere the servants, they did thework.” Indian girls rose earlierthan did their white counterparts sothat they could do an hour of“Housework” before the joint chapelservice at 7:30. Whereas whitepupils spent the hours from 9 to 3wholly in the classroom, Indiangirls had to fit in another hour ofhousework. While white girls wentfor an afternoon walk and then ‘pto dress for dinner;” their Indiancounterparts set the table and litthe lamps. Not unexpectedly, ateach annual Prize Day Indian girlswere especially commended in suchareas as “Bread-making” and“Laundry-work.”At the same time, the sisters

insisted on seeing their Indiancharges as academically capablehuman beings who on an individuallevel could make great strides. Inthe classroom, Indian and whitegirls were treated similarly. From1893 federal authorities requiredthat Indian pupils be assessedannually, and girls at all Hallowsdid exceptionally well. In 1900came the observation “that out of1,000 Indian children in boarding

schools in the whole Dominion,eleven reached the Sixth Standard,and flue of these eleven are creditedto Yale Mission School.” Examplesof individual progress werefrequently reported in the variouschurch publications. For instance,three years after arriving without aword of English, Mary “is now inthe “Third Canadian Reader; “andin the compound rules, weights andmeasures in arithmetic; she canalso say the Church Catechismperfectly.” Talent was alsoencouraged in other areas, andRosie in particular was repeatedlycommended for her “light easyfingering” on the piano at selectionsranging from. Mendelssohn andBeethoven to “all the school songsand drill.”Then, in the first years of the new

century, the lives of Indian andwhite girls diverged further apart atAll Hallows, as the rough paritywhich had up to that time existed inthe classroom disappeared. Twofactors interacted: schooling forchildren in the dominant societybecame more sophisticated, whileopportunities for young Indianswere curtailed.At the time of Hallows’ foundation

public education had been relativelysimplistic, few children remaining inthe school more than half a dozenyears. Gradually public schools hadbecome more attractive. More andmore children continued on to highschool and studied for externalexaminations. To remaincompetitive, All Hallows had toraise its academic standards forwhite girls, which it did byappointing a Queen’s Universitygraduate as “headmistress” in1899. The results were soonapparent. In 1907 an All Hallows’pupil came first in British Columbiaand sixth in all of Canada in theentrance examination to McGillUniversity. The next year anotherpupil received the first gold medalawarded in Canada by the RoyalAcademy of Music.The gulf between the schooling ofIndian and white girls at AllHallows was further widened by the

B.C. HistoricalNe 8

changing policy of the Departmentof Indian Affairs, which increasinglyviewed Indians as inherentlyinferior. As put by the federalminister in charge of Indian Affairs,Clifford Sifton, the Indian “has notthe physical, mental or moralget-up to enable him to compete”with “ the white man.” Reflectinggrowing racism in the largersociety, the earlier goal ofassimilation gave way to a policy ofseparation, in effect, to tuckingIndian people out of the way onisolated reserves. Opportunitiesfor academic achievement, such asexisted at All Hallows, became ofthemselves undesirable. In thewords of the Department, “toeducate children above thepossibilities of their station, and tocreate a distaste for what is certainto be their environment in life wouldbe not only a waste of time butdoing them an injury instead ofconferring a benefit upon them.”The federal government had neveroffered Indian schools sufficientfunding to provide educationcomparable to that accorded thechildren of the dominant society,and it had only occurred in unusualcases, as at All Hallows where thefees of white families subsidizedgeneral upkeep and capital costs.Now finance was further restricted.The new policy soon rebounded on

All Hallows. Instead of the earlierconcern to prepare girlsacademically as well asoccupationally to survive in thelarger society, if they so chose, theemphases shifted to acquiring“some practical handicraft whichwill stand them in good stead whenreturning to their homes.” Nolonger did they learn to do laundryusing the appliances likely found ifgoing out into domestic service, butinstead used “such simple, homelycontrivances as they would likely tohave to use in after-life, as, forinstance, boiling their clothes incoal-tins to which wooden handleshave been attached.” On thisparticular practice, the local Indianagent commented approvingly “thatwork of that sort was the most

useful kind that girls could learn,and would be ofmore practicat valueto them in late life than advancedschool studies.” An Indian pupilsummed up the change in herdisappointment that, when theinspector if Indian schools turned upin late 1908, he “did not ask us toread,” as was previously the case,but rather inspected “the blouses, ordresses or other things (includingcedar baskets) we had made.”Indian and white pupils at AllHallows might have been living andstudying a million miles apart.During these same years the

factors leading to All Hallows’eventual collapse were becomingapparent. The demand amongestablishment families for eliteprivate education which had led toAll Hallows’s growing popularityalso resulted in more accessiblealternatives, such as Vancouver’sCrofton House School “with all cityadvantages culturally.” Public highschools were also being opened atmore and more locations around theprovince. Then came the severeeconomic recession beginning in1913, followed by the onset of war ayear later. Numbers of fee-payingwhite girls fell, which then madethe Indian school’s financestenuous. In 1910 the federalfunding policy had been officiallychanged. As a consequence theIndian component of All Hallowswould run at a deficit until sufficientmonies were secured, via charitabledonations, to construct morespacious facilities for Indian pupils.Not only did the war make suchvirtually impossible, but the sistersthemselves were becoming more andmore emotionally exhausted bytheir endless struggle againstseemingly impossible odds. Aschool for Indian boys had beenconstructed at nearby Lytton a fewyears previous, and in 1918 theIndian girls were transferred there,funds so far collected to be used toconstruct a new wing. By then thenumber of white pupils haddwindled to a handful, and twoyears later All Hallows School atYale closed, the sisters returning

home to England.Today, two thirds of a century

later, the buildings once housing AllHallows have disappeared, torndown to make room for an autocourt. Only a plaque in the localAnglican church commemorates itsexistence. Yet the school remainsalive, not only in the memories ofboth Indian and white familieswhose mothers and grandmothersattended, but for the sisters of AllHallows at their mother house inDitchingham. Still active in girls’schooling, they fondly remembertheir British Columbia adventure asa high point in a long history ofservice.All Halllows School also remains

important historically. As the onlyschool across Canada enrolling bothIndian and white girls in the samefacilities, it held the promise ofbringing together two races duringthe critical years of thelate-nineteenth century. Theopportunity was lost. All Hallowsnever fulfilled its potential, and itsfailure to do so provides usefulinsights into both the school itselfand the larger society in which itfunctioned.

JewsBarinan is a member ofthe CanadianChildhood History Project centered at theUniverssty ofBritish Columbia. She is authorof the book - “Growing UpBritish In BritishColumbia’ (U.B.C. Press 1984.)

** * ** *** **** *** * *

9B.C. Historical News

The University Club ofNelsonand

The Provincial University Question, 1903-1910

by Ron Weiwood

Nelson’s post-secondary educationroots began with Notre DameCollege 1952-1963) which later became Notre Dame University ofNelson (1963-1977), BritishColumbia’s second degree-grantinginstitution. N.D.U. was later transformed into the David ThompsonUniversity Centre (1977-1984).While the City was justifiably proudof her university which survivedmore than three decades, few peopleremember the efforts of a dedicatedgroup of Nelson citizens which waslargely responsible, at the turn-of-the-century, for the formation andlocation of the University of BritishColumbia. This group was theUniversity Club of Nelson.The realization that British

Columbia required a university wasrecognized early in the province’shistory when the University Act(1890) and its Amendment (1891)became statutory law. All graduates of any university of HerMajesty’s dominions who resided in

the province for at least two monthsprior to 31 December 1891 constituted the first Convocation, providedthey had signed the register in theProvincial Secretary’s office andpaid a fee of two dollars. One hundred and twenty-five graduates became Members of Convocation of theUniversity of British Columbia.The University’s governing body

consisted of a Chancellor Vice-Chancellor and Senate. Its firstmeeting, by 1a would have to beconvened within one month of thefirst regular election by Convocation.This meeting was to be held on 2July 1891. Unfortunately a quorum failed to assemble because ofillness, travel difficulties and a conflict with Dominion Day celebrations, so those members present resolved to adjourn the meeting until9 July 1891. However, theAttorney General ruled that sincethe meeting had lacked a quorumsuch a motion was out of order and,therefore, no meeting could be legal-

ly held! Thus the University movement came to an abrupt halt and remained in a hiatus for a little morethan a decade.In November 1903, at a meeting

of the University of Toronto AlumniAssociation for the KootenayBoundary district, it was decided toextend an invitation to all university graduates to hear an interestingacademic paper on marine biologyand discuss the possibility for a series of similar meetings during thewinter. The following month, on 3December 1903, after the reading ofthe papel the assembly of Alumniand guests moved to form aUniversity Club in Nelson. A committee was appointed to draw up aConstitution and report back on 12December. At that meeting it wasproposed that “all graduates andundergraduates of Universities ofrecognized standing shall be eligiblefor membership” in “The UniversityClub of Nelson” and that “the purpose of the Club shall be the discus-

I

r

University Site Commissioners, British Columbia.circa 1910

B.C. Historical News10

sion of matters affecting or interesting its members” (the initial statement, “...interesting the membersas university men” was amended).Apropos of the newly formedUniversity Club’s objectives, R.J.Clark’s paper “On the Prospects ofa Provincial University in B.C.” wasdelivered at this December meeting.The format of each monthly meet

ing was rather consistent throughthe years - discussion of “TheUniversity Question” and then thepresentation of a paper by one ofthe members which was often followed by spirited discussion.During these early months theUniversity Question dominated theagenda and was the subject oflengthy debate. A resolution to establish a provincial university withextensive land grants was unanimously adopted in January 1904.This motion was later expandedand on 12 March 1904, it was resolved.“That the University Club of

Nelson beg to recommend to theGovernment ofBritish Columbia:That immediate steps be taken to

provide by endowment for the establishment, equipment and maintenance in the near future of a provincial University: That suchendowment, to be ample for theneeds of such a university, shouldconsist of the revenues from not lessthan ten million acres of land;That, in the meantime, the gov

ernment should establish as soon aspossible, a thoroughly equippedSchool of Mines, and should add toit, as fast as possible, departmentsfor the teaching of all branches ofapplied science which are of specialvalue in the development of the industries of this province;We beg to point out that in the ab

sence of such institutions a hardship is inflicted upon the boys andyoung men of British columbia inasmuch as they must either leavethe province to secure such trainingas will qualify them for the leadingpositions in any profession or submit to permanent disqualificationfor such positions.”This communication was submit-

ted to The Honorable RichardMcBride, Premier of the Provinceand Minister of Education. Copiesof the resolution were also forwarded to politicians and other organizations such as the UniversityGraduates’ Society of Vancouver. Itshould be noted that the UniversityClub of Nelson was constantly lobbying politicians and influential organizations as well as issuing releases to the news media aboutvarious aspects of the UniversityQuestion; and that their cause hadbeen taken up by the Member of theLegislative Assembly from Fernie,WR. Ross, who had introduced theuniversity issue to the legislature inFebruary 1904. The governmentdid not act on the subject duringthat session.Later in the year the Club formed

its University Committee whosesole purpose was to deal with theUniversity Question and to developprocedures for presenting this topicto the populace. The Committee’sreport, tabled at the Decembermeeting, recommended that fivepercent of revenue from public landsshould be set aside by the government as a university fund and thatthis fund should be administered bya nine member board (all universitygraduates and British subjects).Two hundred copies of a petitionembodying these suggestions including the reasons for establishinga university were printed and distributed to the Premier, all university graduates in the Legislature andother interested parties.A timely paper by Rev. J.T.

Ferguson on the “Location of aUniversity” was read at the 11March 1905 meeting. He concludedthat “...the majority of recently established universities have beenplaced at or near large centres ofpopulation” (University n.p.). Thisconclusion became one of the common themes reiterated by theUniversity Club in later years.On 21 October of the same year, a

special meeting was called to meetwith the Superintendent ofEducation, Mr. Alexander Robinson.It was pointed out by the Club

members that if a provincial university were out of the question, thenassistance should be provided tostudents; and, furthermore, that if apercentage of the public domain wasset aside there would be less troubleestablishing a university. Mr.Robinson replied that it was still tooearly to start a provincial universitybut he alluded to the fact thatMcGill University would soon be establishing a site in Vancouver andthat aid to B.C. students presentlyattending eastern universities wasa possibility. In response to the endowment question, he did acknowledge that less than one-fifth of provincial revenues went to educationand that British Columbia was paying less proportionately than almost any of the other provinces.In the early months of 1906 two

Bills were introduced to theLegislature enabling McGillUniversity to establish college(s) inthe province. These Bills were thesubject of heated debate both in theLegislative Assembly and in thepress. At its meeting in May, theUniversity Club of Nelson discussedthe issue of petitioning the government to set aside endowment landsfor a provincial university. TheClub’s press release was submittedto legislators, various educators andclerical officials It was even discussed at the Methodist Conferencein Montreal. In March theVancouver University Graduates’Society had submitted its protest tothe proposed Bills by asking thePremier to revive the BritishColumbia University Acts(1890,1891) and to set aside publiclands as a University endowment.Evidently all the publicity from

various sections of the province hadsome effect on the McBride government because a UniversityEndowment Bill was introduced tothe Legislature in 1907. Upon review of the proposed legislation, theUniversity Club of Nelson informedthe government that its memberswere disturbed that the proposedland grant of two million acres didnot include revenues derived fromminerals, coal and timber thereby

11B.C. Historical News

rendering the grant inadequate forits intended purpose. The Bill, aspresented, was passed in April.Even though the members of theUniversity Club could take some consolation from the fact that they mayhave helped to influence the government, they were not satisfied with apartial victoryAt the meeting of 9 November

1907, Dr. E.C. Arthur, a foundingmember and organizer of theUniversity Club of Nelson as well asa member of its UniversityCommittee, read a lucid paper on“University Endowment andOrganization”. This paper was later printed as a fifteen page pamphlet and distributed to Members ofthe Legislative Assembly and thepress. His Memorials propheticallystated that“For three years this club has

striven for an endowment at the outset that would forever place the provincial university when established,beyond the necessity of appealingfrom time to time...to unsympatheticparty governments for additionalaid, the institutions in the meantime frequently suffering irreparableinjury. (Arthur 5-6)He then went on to list two points

connected with the organization of aprovincial university.“First: the location. The modern

tendency is to establish universitiesin or near the largest centres of population. The city of Vancouver beingby far the largest centre of population in British Columbia, I think wemust concede that the universityshould be located in or near thatcity...Second: the site... The Province

owns a large tract of land at PointGrey, near Vaiwouve which I amtold by competent authority containssome ideal sites for a university.(Arthur 8-9)”Dr. Arthur’s objective treatise ex

plained that a large endowmentwould help provide for buildings,equipment, library and salaries.“By this wearisome quotation of statistics I hope that it is clearly established that very large revenues arerequired to establish and maintain a

niodern university in a creditable degree of efficiency” (Arthur 12). Hispaper concluded with a petition tothe government to enlarge the university endowment to “. ..give theuniversity the revenues from timberand minerals on the two millionacres of land already granted...”and to appoint a Board of Governors

to choose a site and draft aUniversity Bill to be submitted tothe next session of the Legislature”(Arthur 14-15).A new British Columbia University

Act was indeed introduced andpassed in March 1908 (it repealedthe Acts of 1890, 1891). A shortwhile later, on 28 May, the Clubheld a special meeting with theMinister of Education, Hon. HE.Young. The Minister explained, indetail, the government’s objectivesconcerning the establishment andendowment of a provincial university He also related the difficultiesencountered in carrying the university bills through the Legislature and“... he expressed warm appreciationfor the steady support received fromthe University Club of Nelson, theonly organized support he had received from any part of this province” (University n.p.).Newspaper accounts of the sum

mer of 1908 implied that the government would soon appoint an independent commission to recommendthe location of the university.However, it was not until February1910 that the University SiteCommission Act was passed by theLegislature. According to the Act,the Commissioner’s were to be“...disinterested educationalists nonresident in the Province of BritishColumbia...” who were authorizedand empowered “...to select as a location for the University that city orrural district best suited in theiropinion.., for University purposes,which selection when niade shall befinal” (433-434). By the next monththe University Club of Nelson hadasked the Minister of Education ifthe University Commission had beenappointed and, if so, who were itsmembers. Additionally, the Clubparticularly wished to know whether

the Commissioners would be readyto receive suggestions and recommendations.In early March a lengthy newspa

per article on the “UniversityQuestion Down to Date”, written byFC. Wade, K.C., was printed in theVancouver Province. The article implied that the university movement,dormant between 1891 and 1904,had been revived by the UniversityGraduates’ Society of Vancouver. Infact, the Vancouver organization,which began three months after theUniversity Club of Nelson, only hadits first regular meeting on 15March 1904 and after its fourthgathering in 13 May there were nofurther meetings until February1906. Very little mention wasmade by Wade of the major roleplayed by the University Club ofNelson and its members felt thatthis omission should be brought tothe public’s attention. R.J. Clark,former Secretary to Nelson’sUniversity Committee and now aVancouver resident, was asked totake on this task. Clark’s timelyarticle, succinctly outlining the history of the Club’s activities sinceDecember 1903, was published onthe same day as the SiteCommission’s hearings inVancouver.By April, the following appoint

ments had been made to theCommission: Dr. R.C. Weldon(chairman), Dean, DalhousieUniversity; Canon G. Dauth, ViceRectoi Laval University; Dr. CecilC. Jones, Chancellor University ofNew Brunswick; Dr. Walter C.Murray, President, University ofSaskatchewan; and Dr. Oscar D.Skelton, Professor, Queen’sUniversity. Between 28 May and28 June 1910, their busy itineraryincluded visits to Victoria, Nanaimo,Vancouver North VancouverNew Westminster, Chilliwack,Kamloops, Vernon (some memberswent to Kelowna, Summerland andPenticton), Revelstoke, Nelson, andPrince Rupert.At the Commission hearings dele

gations from each community usually included local politicians, Board

B.C. HistoricalNe 12

of Trade representatives and otherindividuals interested in promotingtheir respective areas as the idealsite for the university. The majorityof these presentations stressedgrowth and development (good forlocal business) or the quality of life(climate, scenery and sports). Infact, deviations from these themeswere ra’e and the suggestion thatthe site be elsewhere than in theirregion was scarcely stated. This,howevei was not the ease of theUniversity Club of Nelson.Consistent with its many years ofcorrespondence to Victoria, the Clubremained objective and steadfast indealing with the UniversityQuestion. At its meeting on 11June 1910 two resolutions presented by the University Committeewere unanimously adopted:1. That we favor placing all facul

ties as near to one another as possible, and deprecating the scatteringof faculties over the province;2. That it is desirable that the

university be placed as near as possible to the largest centre of population. (University 57)On 17 June 1910, at the

Commission’s public sessions in theNelson Court House Mayor HaroldSelous proposed Nelson as the sitefor the university. He suggestedthree reasons for this proposal: alarge tract of available land, accessibility to both rail and water transportation, and a healthy climate.WB. Farris, the representative fromthe Nelson Board of Trade, reiterated the advantages of suitable siteand climate, then added winter andsummer sports to the list. Being amember of the University Club, healso pointed out that a resolutionfavoring location of the universitynear a large centre of populationwas passed at a meeting he did notattend. Farris stated “...that hedissented, and he wished to saythat in this case, the mayor andhimself represented ninety-nine percent of the people of Nelson” (City’s4).Dr. E.C. Arthur President of the

University Club, in his introductoryremarks stated that although the

Club, according to Farris, might represent but one percent of the city’spopulation ... yet it could claim alarge measure of credit for the university about to be established. TheUniversity Club ofNelson was organized in 1903, and at its secondmeeting it took up the matter of theestablishment of a provincial university, and urged it in season and outof season, during the ensuing years.(City’s 4).He further stated that he heartily

agreed with all of the advantages ofNelson mentioned by the previousspeakers and that should Nelson beselected as the university site, nonewould be more pleased than theClub’s members. Dr. J.T Fergusonand Dr. Arthur then presentedlengthy and detailed argumentssupporting the two resolutionspassed by the Club earlier thatmonth (Dr. Ferguson spoke on location and Dr. Arthur on placing university departments in close proximity to each other). Their lucidpresentation was perhaps the bestbrief presented to theCommissioners (Harris 124).In response to the University

Club’s presentations, Mayor Selousfeared that Dr. Ferguson’s “veryclever document” would greatly influence the Commissioners and thatit was an injustice to the citywhich he felt had been stabbed in

the back, he would ask Dn Arthurto state the membership of theUniversity Club, and the numberwho voted for the resolutions submitted” (City’s 8).At this sitting the Commissioners

invited further comments about theclimate. Some interesting but exaggerated and humorous statementswere made.Rev. J.1? Westman... From the cli

mate point of view, there was nodoubt whatever that the Kootenaywas better for the students than thecoasts and four hours work here accomplished as much as seven hourswork there...J. 0. Patenaude, jewelei said that

he could do three times as muchwork as a watchmaker in Nelson ashe could in Montreal. During his

business career in Nelson he hademployed 15 watchmakers, all ofwhom were physical wrecks whenthey came to him and all of whomwent away well men. Of six mechanics he had now, several hadworked at the coast and claimedthey could do far more work here...A.M. Johnson... For two years he

was in Victoria, and could not work,forgetting in the morning what hehad toiled to memorize the night before. He came to Nelson, workedmore hours a day and passed with‘remarks’. (City’s 5,8)The commissioners, after careful

examination, reported to theLieutenant-Governor in Council on28 June 1910 that they “...have selected as the location for theUniversity the vicinity of the City ofVancouver”. In a supplementary report, they stated that “TheUniversity Site Commissioners arestrongly of the opinion that theUniversity should not be placed on asite which may in time be completely surrounded by a city...” and theywere “. . .of the opinion that the mostsuitable site is at Point Grey” (B.C.Sessional M13).At long last the University Club of

Nelson’s dream of an establishedprovincial university was close athand. At the 8 October 1910 meeting ... an academic discussion issued upon whether the club shoulddisband, having witnessed the accomplishment of the object for whichit has worked incessantly since itsorganization in December 1903...The Concensus of opinion amongthose present was that the accomplishment of this mission properlymarked a stage in the history of theclub, at which profound satisfactioncould properly be felt; but there stillremained a wide field for usefulnessfor the Club, in fostering universityideals and in contributing to thecommunity life as in the past.(University 8 1,83)The University Club of Nelson con

tinued discussing educational issues for another five years until itslast meeting on 2 January 1915.There is no indication in the minutebooks why it ceased at this time,

13KC. Historical Ne

but one can speculate that many ofits patriotic members became involved in the Great European War.For seven years the members of

the University Club had constantlysubmitted to the provincial government, politicians and other civic officials letters, telegrams, petitionsand communiques concerning theestablishment of a provincial university. They fully assumed and expected that their intercessionswould be considered by the politicians who would listen to men andwomen of reason and vision. It never occurred to them that their viewsmight be cavalierly dismissed. Trueto the society in which they lived,the members were treated with civility by the government of the dayand their petitions were consideredwith due deliberation. This was anidealistic era, an appropriate climate for provincial university protagonists such as the UniversityClub of Nelson. Thanks to its mem

hers, and the cooperation of nonpartisan government officials, theUniversity of British Columbia became a reality

Ron li@lwood is a Public Service Librarianat Selkirk College as well as a Kootenaian.aaffieionado He 38 a long standingmember ofNelson HeritageAdviso,y Committee.

1. Arthuc EC. MemoiialsofUniversityClubofNeJiwithAddshi Endowment andOrnimtisn of Psusinc5ai University.Nelson, B.C.: WH. Jones, 1907.

2. B.B. Laws, Statutes. etc. AnA&Res,tlngMcGill Unfvemit eh28. Victoria: Kings’sPrinteil 1906.

3. AnAct to hicorpe*-ate the Rqt’al hsstitution few theAdvaswmnent ofLeamingdBritish Colunibia, cli.38 Victoria, King’s Printer, 1906.

4. British Columbia University Act, 1890, ch. 48Victoria: Queen’s Printer, 1890.

British Columbia University Act, l908 cli. 513.Victoria: King’s Printer, 1908.

6. British Columbia Univrssity Amendment Act,1891, cli. 441. Victoria: Queen’s Printec 1891.

7. British Columbia University Site Act, lOll, ek5Victoria: King’s Printei 1911.

8. University Endowment Act, 1907 ch.45. Victoria:King’s Printer,1907.

9. University Site Commission Act, 1910, oh. 51.Victoria: Kings Printer 1910.

10. B.C. Sessional Papers. University SiteCeununisslon Reixurt. Victoria: King’s Printel1911.

11. “City’s Claims Placed Before UniversityCommission - University Club Presents ItsViews.” NelsonflailyNewsl8June 1910:1,4-5,8.

12. Clark, R.J. “Correspondence: University Site.”VaswouvProvincv2 June 1910:7.

13. Harris, K. Cole. “Locating the University ofBritish Columbia.” B.C. Studirs 32 Winter 1976.77): 106-125.

14. “Provincial University - Club of Nelson GraduatesSend Memorial to Premier.” Nelson Daily News14 February 1905: 1.

15 The University Club of Nelson. Minutrs. Book 13 December 1903-13 November 1909, Book 211December 1909-11 October 1913t

16. Wsde F.C. “University Question Down to Date,”VaisswiPnwinew2 March 1910:10,16.

I am greatly indebted to my wife, Frances, who re.searched and took notes fram many newspaper articlesrelating to the University Question.

The Coastal and Interior Indiansrecognized the Bella Coola Valley asa route between the sea and theInterior plateau of British Columbia,They led Alexander Mackenzie thisway in July 1793 on his explorationto the western ocean. In all, theIndians developed four or five waysup from the deep river valley to theplateau. The southernmost of theseroutes, a 20 mile bypass, was eventually named after Jake Lunos.Jacob Johnson Lunaas arrived as

one of the large group of Norwegianswho settled in the valley, and founded Hagensborg, near Bella Coola, in1895. It seems that some of theless familiar Norwegian names werenot easy to transcribe, and Lunaasappeared in documents, voters’ lists

and directories as Sumaas, Sumas,Lumaas, Lunas, Lunes, Lunos,Luno’s, and more recently as Loomis.The simplest phonetic spelling,Lunos, became general.After a few years, Jake and his

brother-in-law Tom Engelbretson,moved up on to the plateau and preempted land in the broad valley ofDean River (locally Salmon River, or“Islako” to the Indians). Their preemptions were on the main ChilcotinTrail to Tatla Lake and points east,and lay between Towdystan Lakeand Cariboo Flats. Jake Lunos kepthis part of the Bella Coola Trail openat the time when the country was being mapped, and surveyed intoDistrict Lots; naturally, his name became attached to the trail. By 1922,

‘TNELUNO5TkJL ‘s° ,HOTNARKO RIVERTO IMPO LAKE

j(:j/(oo)

‘ . ‘Z: Csb %.nMrI .

/ E” 000,g??at_cn..F--”, .ç4ie.a severs a

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Conbeo Nit

however the trail was shown on aWater Rights Branch map as “(OldLunos Trail (now in disuse)”.Happily, it was recleared by thePublic Works Department in the1930’s, and the west half wascleared again in the 1970’s by a local ranchei acting for the ForestService.The first detailed mapping of the

main route from Bella Coola to the

The Lunos Trailfrom thePiecipke on Holnarko River to Nimpo Lake

by R.C. Harris

B.C. Historical News14

Cariboo Gold Fields was by Lt. H.S.Palmei; RE. His report, includinglithographs of two of the four mapsdrawn, was printed at the RoyalEngineers Press, New WestminsterNovember 1862.Leaving Hotnarko River at the

mouth of Kappan Creek, belowPalmer’s “Precipice”, the Lunostrail climbed gradually along theeast bank of Kappan Creek as faras the second north fork, where aseries of switchbacks took it up onto the plateau, east of TableMountain.Palmer’s “Plan No. 3” Shows that

he did not follow the first threemiles of the Lunos Trail, which henames “Southern Route to Sutleth”.The northern route continued, a little north of east, to Nacoontloon,(now Anahim Lake), before turningsouth up the Dean River valley towards Sutleth. In general, the latter was the route adopted by theDominion Telegraph between 150Mile House and Bella Coola in1912.Palmer climbed up the talus and

rimrock (his ‘Precipice’) to the noseof Table Mountain, presumably toexamine the lie of the land, thenheaded east along the rim of theplateau and rejoined the regulartrail. His viewpoint later became atopographic survey station, and isshown on the current 1:50,000 map93 C/5, in feet, as “3926”.The Lunos Trail continued east

over the flat and swampy plateau,keeping along the glacial ridgesnorth of a string of small lakes,then crossed the divide to theSalmon River basin (shown on provincial maps as part of the “Summitof the Cascade Mountains, as defined for administrative purposes”).Turning a little south, and alwaysreaching for the good ground, thetrail crossed the headwaters ofPelican Creek, and passed by thenorth shore of Wawa Lake. A legalplan of the country beyond this lakeshows “Lunos Cabin” in Lot 577.This would be about a day’s travelfor Jake from Towdystan.Until the 1930’s, Nimpo Lake was

mapped as two separate lakes,

Nimkop and Nimpoh, due to theends of the two north arms beingseveral miles apart, see accompanying map. After passing the firstnorth end of Nimpo Lake, the trailheaded due east to join the mainChilcotin Trail where it crosses theSalmon River at the Fishtrap (inGovernment Reserve L1637), a relicof the days when the fishery wasmanaged by the Indians.Immediately east of the Fishtrap

is an historic marker in front of asmall hill where packer AlickMcDonald and party dug a protective earthwork and took refuge inthe Chilcotin War of 1865. Theirwork can still be seen as a depression in the hilltop; it is peacefulthere now on a warm summer afternoon looking out over the meadows,swamps, rushes and glacialmounds, watered by the slowlymoving Dean River.Sutleth or Sitleece was an Indian

camp on the Chilcotin Trail aboutwhere the Nimpo Lake post officeand general store now stands.Continuing south to Towdystan,Hunlene’s cabin was passed (1922map) in Indian Reserve No. 3 (eastof L999). This may have been theIndian hunter for whom the magnificent Falls below Turner Lake werenamed.“J. Lunos House” is shown in the

southwest corner of the LegalSurvey plan of Lot 549A,Towdystan. Here, the ChilankoTrail branched east from theChilcotin Trail. The Distric Lotsmentioned in the text will be foundon current topographic map 93 C!6.Jake Lunos’ trips between

Towdystan and Bella Coola are reported from time to time in the‘Bella Coola Courier’, a four pageweekly newspaper which publishedbetween 1912 and 1917; for example:1915 June 19th:“Tom Engeibretson and family,

John H Schafer and Jacob J. Lunoscame down with their pack trains aweek ago yesterday, from Tudistan,back of Anaham Lake.” (Note theold spelling, and present pronunciation, of Anahim).

About 1910, the Pacific andHudson Bay Railway considered alocation up the Hotnarko, whichwould have intersected the LunosTrail, The railway company advertised weekly in the Bella CoolaCourier with a reduced map of theirproposal, and prepared a set of topographic maps of the country to becrossed. A right of way through theIndian Reserve at Bella Coola waspurchased. A cut location line, laidout with curves and tangents, canstill be seen on air photographs,crossing the plateau and headingtowards the Kappan and the lowerHotnarko, but the Lunos Trail wasnever disturbed by any construction.In 1922, the Lunos Trail was

used during surveys for highway locations to Bella Coola. Neither ofthe proposed locations was usedwhen Highway 20 was finally connected as a through route, viaHeckman pass, in 1955.The Lunos Trail remained undis

turbed, scarcely known outside afew local residents for many moreyears, but John Spittle, Chairmanof the B.C. Historical Federation’s‘Historic Trails and MarkersCommittee’, reports that it was converted to a mining exploration roadabout 10 years ago.

R. C. Hams is a Profrssional Engineer whohas lived and worked in B.C. since 1960. Hehas been Construction Manager fin- 70 bridges including the Port Mann and LaingBridges. His hobby is researching historictrails. He has shared his findings on trailsinprevious issues oftheB.C Historical Newsand haspromised more articles for the for

** ** ****** ** *** **

1. B.C. Dfre&or Williams, 1895,1899 Henderson,1910

2. Voters’ Listi 18983. B.C. Ses1ona1 Papers Minister of Lands Report,

1925. p. D55: ‘...the old Lunos Trail, used betweenTowdestan and Bella Coola.

Maps wfth LunusTrsiF Nansa14. C. 1913. “Pacific and Hudson Bay Railway?

Topographical Map? Sheet No. 1 / Scale 2 miles = 1inch.” Contour interval 100 ft. Bells Cools toAlexis Creek.

5. 1922. “Map of Dean River (watershed)? (showingportions of the Bells Coola River, and Adjacent watersheds) ? To accompany report on Coast Project#94 ? Water Power Investigations 1922 / Scale 2miles = 1 inch / Field Engineer D.W Hodseon.’

6. 1926. “Totla-Bella Coola Area? Coast District? 1inch to 4 miles”. V. Dolmage. GSCPublieatkxi No.2103.

15B.C. Historical News

Education in the Can boo Fifty Years Ago

At the start of the great depression of the early thirties a considerable number of young people whohad recently completed their highschool education found themselveswith no hope of finding gainful employment within the foreseeable future. Few if any had the necessarymoney to gain a university education. It was soon realized that inspite of the current economic depression there were still a large numberof children in British Columbia andthat these children needed an education. In order for them to receivean adequate education teacherswere needed. Here was a slimchance of employment if the properqualifications could be obtained.

There were in existence at thattime two Provincial Normal Schools(one in Vancouver and the other inVictoria) where future teachers couldenroll. The year at Normal Schoolpassed all too quickly where‘Master’ teachers in each subject imparted their accumulated knowledge to their students. At the endof June 1934 with certificate inhand the massive hunt for emloyment as a teacher somewhere inBritish Columbia took place.Provincial Inspectors were visited,trustees were contacted and dozensof letters were written to all possiblelocations in British Columbia wherea teacher might be needed to fill avacancy. “Teacher WantedAdvertisements” were answered assoon as they appeared in the newspapers.

In my case Mr. A.R. Lord, whowas the Inspector of Schools for theCariboo, appointed me teacher of100 Mile House School at the salaryof $780 per annum. The late LordMartin Cecil (later Bishop MartinCecil and still later Marquis ofExeter) was the Official Trustee forthe newly created school district.

Many young enthusiastic teachers had the beginning of their teaching careers in the numerous oneroom schools located throughout thevast Cariboo-Chilcotin District during the pre running water, pre electricity, and pre telephone era. TheSchool Law of the 1930’s called for aminimun of ten pupils in order tostart a school with an averagemonthly attendance of six to bemaintained in order to keep theschool open. In order to complywith these regulation sometimes local boundaries were changed andpupils were imported to keep aschool functioning.

As the first one room school at100 Mile House had not yet beenbuilt the old bar room in the partially vacant old 100 Mile House RoadTavern was pressed into service andcleaned up to serve as a schoolroom.It was necessary to improvise andat the same time to try to concentrate on the basic 3R’s (Reading,Writing and Arithmetic). At thesame time a young teacher from thecity had to get to know his pupilswho were well versed in country life.Both pupils and teacher were receiving an education. History wasavailable at first hand and the atmosphere of the old building madethis subject readily conducive tolearning.

In late spring on a Friday afterschool hours the Anglican Sunday

School Van bearing the wording‘Diocese of Cariboo’ made a regularcall enroute north, Miss Gill wasthe driver and Miss Vaughan wasthe teacher.

In September 1935 both teacherand pupils became ensconced in anew one room school building located in a meadow two miles north ofExeter Station as this was the mostcentral for the three families thenattending school. As much of thesurrounding land was owned andcontrolled by Bridge Lake Estatesan official trustee replaced the normally elected three trustee landholders. Lord Martin Cecil continued in that capacity.

Perhaps the most importantevent of the year was the annualChristmas Concert in which eachand every pupil participated withtheir parents as audience. Formuch of December all subjects werecorrelated to making this socialevent a success in spite of manyhandicaps. Parents are appreciative and do enjoy seeing their children on centre stage.

In the winter the windows of theschool were iced over while hoarfrostcaked any exposed nails. At onetime the temperature had to dip to35 ° below zero (F.) before theschool could be closed due to coldweather. Pupils travelled in pairsusually on foot or on horseback andwatched each other for possible

by 7 Don Sale

J.

r- - .

100 Mile house - circa 1868.The part of the building with the open door was the

location of the author’s first school —1934-35.

RC. Historical News16

signs of frostbite on the cheeks. Thesnow at the low temperatures madea crunching noise with each steptaken.

When the main 100 Mile HouseLodge closed for the winter season Ioccupied a small room upstairs inthe old historic original 100 MileHouse building. Meals (breakfastand dinner) were enjoyed in compafly with the winter staff. A boxlunch was eaten at school with thepupils. The evening’s preparationof homework was done with thehelp of a coal oil lamp.

Frequently in the long winterevening a rubber or two of bridgewould be played in the end roomwhere Charlie the store keeper hadhis living quarters. To complete thefoursome we were joined by Georgethe carpenter and Ben the handyman.

Fishing was an enjoyable recreational pastime. Both Canim Lakeand Lac La Hache proved quite lucrative with Kokanee and Rainbowtrout being enjoyed frequently. Inwinter ice fishing was quite an attraction with skaters carryinglamps to scare the fish to holes cutin the ice where they were skillfullyspeared.

In January 1937 I was transferred to Springhouse School whichwas located 17 miles southwest ofWilliams Lake on Dog Creek Road.Springhouse received its name fromSt. Peters Spring where the goldseekers could stock up with freshwater enroute to Barkerville. Thearea of Springhouse is wide openprairie and subject to snow driftsduring the winter.

Springhouse School was a oneroomed log schoolhouse originallybuilt in 1917 from logs felled,limbed, trimmed, and ‘snaked’ outof the nearby bush by two of the district’s pioneers - Charlie Harris andIngvard Johnson. Between thecracks a mixture of moss and mudmade the building air tight andsnug. The school was heated by ahuge oil drum stove which rapidlydevoured cordwood lengths of 24 to30 inches during the winter. Damp

outdoor clothes of the pupils werehung on pegs near the stove to dryRogers syrup pails containing soup,milk, or cocoa were placed on thestove top at recess or just after in order to heat up for lunch. It was necessary to check to see that the lidswere loosened or there would be aloud pop and the lid would fly upwards towards the ceiling.

All grades from one to nine inclusive were taught at SpringhouseSchool after which pupils had totake correspondence or board inWilliams Lake or elsewhere if theywished to continue their education.At the time of my teaching tenurethere were three trustees - Mr. E.C.Harris, Mrs. Edith Stafford, andMiss Marie Sorensen.

In those years the roads werenot paved, so frequently following arain or spring thaw they were covered with a thick layer of mud(gumbo) which condition added tothe problem of pupils’ footwear.

A sturdy truck driven by G.Place carried freight and mail fromDog Creek, Alkali Lake, andSpringhouse to Williams Lake everyTuesday and made the return journey every Wednesday.

The pioneers of the CaribooHighway were saddened by the destruction of the historic 100 MileHouse buildings by fire in April1937.

When artificial light was required in the school a coal oil and agas lamp were used. A single linetelephone, battery operated, usedthe Morse code to call the personwanted. A “howler” was conveniently placed above each phoneset.

Passenger transportation on theCariboo Highway between Ashcroftand Quesnel was arranged by thegenial and popular ClarenceStephenson and his employees ofthe Interior Transportation StageLine. Teachers looked forward totravelling this route at each breakin the school year.

In addition to boarding withMrs. Stafford and family I maderegular visits to the homes of all

parents and trustees and alwaysfelt the warmth of welcome.Incomes in those days were scantbut what delicious homemadebread, headcheese, home producedmeat and many more delectable locally garnered items were servedduring these memorable visits! Notto be forgotten were the feeds of venison, wild ducks, geese, grouse andon one occasion porcupine whichtasted somewhat like chicken.

Each one roomed school celebrated the closing of school forChristmas in its own way.Springhouse was no exception.Here again in the form of a traditional Christmas Concert each andevery pupil had a prominent part inthe various songs, drills, plays andtableaux. Following the concert thedesks which were on runners weremoved out of the schoolroom. Theparents and friends in attendanceenjoyed an old time social anddance. Music was provided by twoprominent local fiddlers - JimmyIsnardy and Antoine Boitanio whowas Springhouse’s postmaster andafter whom the shopping mall inWilliams Lake is named.

My tenure as teacher atSpringhouse was brought to a sudden end in 1939 with the outbreakof World War Two. The five yearsspent in the Cariboo had provided agood beginning to my forty yearteaching career. There was a certain magic about a one room school -

a togetherness, an eagerness tolearn, a thorough knowledge of eachindividual pupil, common local interests and a common concern beingonly a partial list.

As a result of the CameronReport Springhouse School was finally phased out in 1952. Thebuilding was moved log by log abouttwo miles down the road and reassembled with a view to making asatellite museum to Williams Lake.At present it serves as living quarters to one of the employees ofSpringhouse Trails and now atsome seventy years of age boastselectricity.

The demise of the one roomschool has invoked a note of sad

B.C. Historical News17

ness. An era has gone forever yet itwill long remain in the memory ofmany teachers who laboured as pioneer educators in the CaribooChilcotin half a century ago.

UPDATE: 1989.Today, as a result of the

Cameron Report, the CaribooChilcotin is referred to as SchoolDistrict No. 27. It is served by alarge fleet of modern school buses asit extends from 70 Mile House in thesouth to McLeese Lake in the north,and from Anahim in the west toHorsefly in the east.

The author is retired and living inNanaimo where he is very active in manycommunity activiiies, including theNanaimoCentennial Museum Society. He is currentlythe Corresponding Secretary for the B.C.Historical FideraEon.

*****************

When this writer came to live inB.C. in 1933, there was a plethoraof small private schools in andaround Vancouver and Victoria.Their premises were usually an oldfamily residence crudely adapted toprovide classrooms, gymnasiumand playing field. Money to buyequipment was often donated by awell-to -do parent. These schoolswere not recognized by the Board ofEducation, had no funds exceptwhat came from inadequate tuitionfees, and were not inspected by government-appointed inspectors (unless the school principal was able tomake a private arrangement.)Teachers were often unqualified orpossessing a qualification unacceptable to the Provincial Board.

On the ‘plus” side was anabundance of dedication. The menand women who started suchschools, and their staff members,were not concerned with hours ofwork. They willingly toiled sevendays a week for salaries which wereabysmally low even by depression-day standards. They are still remembered with respect and affection. They proved that devotedteachers are a more important factor in education than buildings orequipment.

Of the interdenominationalVancouver private schools operatingat that time only Crofton House, St.George’s and York House have survived. Captain Danby Hunter camefrom England in 1931 and foundedSt. George’s School that same year.He picked as good a site as could befound in the city of Vancouver. TheMather House at 3954 West 29thAvenue was still a country residenceon a tree lined avenue with tensquare miles of thickly wooded, Un-

developed land adjoining when purchased for St. George’s.

Hunter returned to England after two years. His interest wasbought by John Harker and hisbrother Douglas. The school hadabout fifty pupils and a mass ofdebts. The Harker bothers, alsoEnglish immigrants, paid littlemore than $1000 each for the privilege of ownership.

John Harker becameHeadmaster and held this positionfor thirty years. He was a man ofsound judgment, engaging personality and vast humour. Under hiswise direction the school flourished.There was never a year in its entirehistory when the enrolment wasless than in the previous year. Theschool has steadfastly resisted theadvance of co-education. Once, during the Second World War, someevacuated students were billeted atSt. George’s but when they werefound to be girls, other arrangements were made for them.

The Harkers had some rare luckin the acquisition of playing fields.A substantial acreage of the nearbyUniversity Endowment Lands wasowned by the Jesuits of UpperCanada. They had been granted 37acres to build a seminary in thatarea but plans changed and it wasbuilt elsewhere. In 1935 the JesuitFathers, pleased to see their landused for educational purposesagreed to a long term lease first oftwo, later five, acres, for a rental of$300 a month, and eventually totheir sale. Parents and friendshelped clear the land at minimalcost.

Today St. George’s numberssome 650 students. The JuniorSchool and boarders are now housedin the former Convent of the SacredHeart, a Roman Catholic School for

Some Early Schools ofBritish Columbia

by Douglas Harker

- -

B.C. Historical News18

Girls established in that same tree-lined avenue some ten years beforethe opening of St. George’s. A splendid Senior School with every possibleamenity has replaced the oldMather homestead.

One of the most distinguished ofthe schools that did not survive wasAthione School, opened in 1940 byViolet Dryvynsyde. This remarkable lady emigrated from Australia,was widowed in 1940 and left witha daughter aged eleven and a sonaged five. She refused an offer toteach at St. George’s where her husband had been a brilliant teacher ofEnglish and French. Instead shestarted her own school with threepupils in the Kerrisdale district ofVancouver. Two of the three weregirls, though she intended Athioneto be a boy’s school. She lived to seeit flourish with an enrolment of 250boys, an enviable reputation for academic excellence and sound discipline, and waiting list. Like herhusband she died in harness andher school closed in 1972.

Another fine school that diedwith its founder was North ShoreCollege in North Vancouver. In1947, PT. Dale, its only headmastei lost a long struggle with illness.The school could not continue forlack of funds. At this writing (1989)some of the Old Boys still hold anannual reunion dinner, a notabletribute to the school spirit engendered by North Shore College.

Vernon Preparatory School wasestablished in 1913 by the brothersMackie who found a perfect site for itin the beautiful Okanagan Valley.The elder the Reverend A.C. Mackiecame from England, built andopened the school in the village ofVernon in 1913. He was joined byhis brother Hugh three years later.They worked together for thirtyyears. Two of Hugh’s sons werekilled in the Second World War. Inone term four students died of polio.In spite of such cruel blows of fate,the Mackies brought to Vernon“Prep” an immaculate reputation.

In the 1880s, when Vancouverwas still an unincorporated villagenamed Granville, a girls school (or

more accurately a private seminaryfor young ladies) was started inYale, a rough, tough little town inhabited mostly by miners preparingfor their assault on the goldfields.All Hallows School, as it was called,started as a school for Indian girlsand came about in this way; BishopSillitoe, first Bishop of NewWestminster horrified at the lack ofteachers for local Indian girls, sentout an appeal for help to friends inBritain. The year was 1883. It wasanswered by the All Hallows community of High Anglican nuns in theNorfolk village of Ditchingham.Three of them, well educated, cultivated ladies, came to Yale at theirown expense and started AllHallows in the West, first in the vacant parsonage adjoining St. John’sChurch, then in an abandoned CPRhospital, and finally, in 1888, in thepalatial home of CPR contractorAndrew Onderdonk. The house setin many acres, contained a magnificent mahogany curved bannister,down which the more adventurousgirls used to slide. The Onderdonkstable was converted to a chapel.’

So successful were the nuns intheir educational methods that well-to-do families in New Westminsterbegan to seek admission for theirown daughters, and in 1890 a newwing was built for white girls. Theypaid $30 a month for board and education. Tennis courts, basketballcourt, hockey and croquet fields werenow added. In this unlikely setting,in a village where taverns outnumbered any other type of business,with the mighty Fraser rushing bytheir door and towering mountainshemming them in, the girls dressedin white frocks and violet sashes(Mrs. Sillitoe’s name was “Violet”)greeted the Duke and Duchess ofYork, later King George V andQueen Mary, who had their trainstopped for an hour at Yale so thatthey might visit the famous AllHallows School.

In 1916, when the school couldno longer keep pace with the demands of modern education, it wasclosed.

Lorne Collegiate School, also

opened in 1883 by that same tireless prelate Bishop Sillitoe, and socalled to mark a visit to NewWestminster from Canada’sGovernor-General, the Marquis ofLorne, was built on the grounds ofthe Bishop’s residence at Sapperton.The bishop had migrated from hischaplaincy at the British Legationat Darmstadt where he moved incourt circles and had as his closefriend the Grand Duchess of Hesse,to New Westminster at that time acity of less than 2000 souls, It hadbeen described in a letter to theLondon Times as:

no place for European gentlemen. It has a dense forest full ofpanthers (!) wolves, deer andgrouse. But beside the shooting ofthese, there is nothing else to do.The life of a miner is nothing but around of swearing, striking andgambling. The most bare-faced immorality goes on publicly andknows no shame...” 2

The good Bishop, howeverfound New Westminster “a verylovely place” and made many contributions to its educational and religious development. Fees at LorneCollegiate were $4 per week forroom and board and “use of furniture”, a further $1 for tuition andan annual $2 for fuel. For thesesums, meager even by the standards of the day, ‘areful instruction was given in Reading, Writing,Spelling, English Grammar,Analysis and Composition,Bookkeeping, Philosophy,Geometry, Commercial andAdvanced Arithmetic, Algebra,Mensuration, Latin, Greek, Bible,History Liturgy, and EcclesiasticalHistory.” German and Music wereextras.

From the Archdeaconry whichBishop Sillitoe re-named St. Mary’sMount, the Bishop kept a close eyeon Lorne Collegiate, operating nightclasses himself and encouraging theplaying of team sports. A letterfrom the school’s Football Club expressed “thanks to the RightReverend Bishop of NewWestminster for the most generousand acceptable gift of a football.”

B.C. Historical News19

The Bishop responded: “The sooneryou wear it out with kicking, thebetter I shall be pleased.” We today perhaps have something tolearn from the manners of LorneCollegiate students and from thescope of their curriculum. Theschool closed after four years, unable to meet expenses. Despite itsshort life at least two of its studentsrose to great heights in the government, Richard McBride, premier ofBritish Columbia from 1903 to 1915and Ernest Millei member of theBritish Columbia cabinet and president of the Council. The high standard maintained by LorneCollegiate School was in no smallmeasure due to its principal, Mr. H.Fiennes-Clinton M.A., brother of thefamous Father Clinton, who rebuiltSt. James Church after the GreatFire.

A type of education very different from that offered by any of theinstitutions of far described in thisarticle was imposed on nativeIndians in early Indian residentialschools. Celia Haig-Brown in a re

cently published book gives a graphic account of life in the KamloopsIndian Residential School, opened in1893 by the Oblates of MaryImmaculate. Until the coming ofthe white man, education amongthe Shuswap had been a family responsibility. Children remained athome until puberty and the idea ofbeing removed from parents andfamily was unfamiliar and repugnant. Missionaries of that era however seemed to regard Indians asbarbarous heathens to be sternlymoulded into civilized behavior. TheMissionaries’ aim, albeit well-intentioned, was the complete destruction of the Indian traditionalway of life.

It is not surprising mostIndians regarded the regime intheir residential schools as harshand cruel. Children underwent severe punishment for the least infraction of the regulations, were forbidden to speak their native languageand made to feel ashamed of beingIndian. They rose at 6:00 a.m. attended Mass said in Latin and last-

ing one hour. Their food.. describedin Resistance and Renewal asburnt, lumpy porridge, salty fishand blue milk.. ,was atrocious andminimal. The children received onlytwo hours each day of academicwork. The rest of the day wasspent on chores. The reader is reminded of Nicholas Nickleby andMr. Squeers. In British schools, too,it was an era of strict discipline.Doubtless the missionaries believedthey were whipping away the devil.Kamloops Residential IndianSchool closed in 1960. Over the ensuing years Indian control of Indianeducation has steadily increased.

Doulas Harker is a resident ofPenderIsland. He retired in 1971 from headmaster-ship ofSt. Georges School

** *** *** ***** ** **

1. Historic Yale -Vancouver Section B.C. HistoricalAssociation.

2. Pmt& Pilgrims Grove8. ChurchmansGazette 1888.4. Realsiance and Rrnewal Celia Haig.Brown, TillacumLibra,

Shookumehuk Soliloquy

by Malcolm McPhee

In the late twenties and earlythirties for one to become a teacherrequired a real desire, money, or theability to supplement one’s incomeby various means, or a great faith inthe future. So when I stepped forthfrom Normal School (young peopletoday ask: “Normal School? What’sthat?”) with my diploma in hand, Iconfidently expected that the combination of a least two of these ingredients would automatically assureme a position as a teacher. But after writing forty four applicationsand attending twenty two interviews, my hopes were dashed,Nothing was available at the time.

A job as a dishwasher-flunkie atNew Lake Logging Camp was myonly alternative. The salary of$40.00 per month plus board keptmy body and soul together.

Later in the fall, the teacher atSkookumchuk, a little village in thesouthern part of the East Kootenay,not far from the present day location of the Pulp Mill, accepted atransfer to a teaching position inFernie. The news travelled quicklyto New Lake. Armed with a glowingrecommendation from Mr. TM.Roberts, the Mayor of Cranbrook,and with the offer of hasty transportation by car from Rev, RalphHardy, our minister, I presented

myself at Skookumchuk, and“Hallelujah!”, I had my first teachingjob.

The little school where I spentmy first two years as a teacher wasbuilt in a clearing, quite remote, butconvenient for a scattered community. It stood alone, very much a partof the natural country-side. One realized this fully when a student,who happened to sit near a window,spotted a party of about five wolvesdrifting through the school yard.Fortunately for us all, it wasn’t recess, or a new door would have beenopened in the school. Three localhunters combed the area for theseanimals, but without success.

B.C. Historical News 20

The periodic visits of the doctorto country schools was an interesting if somewhat “anxiety producing” event. Even in those days inoculations were not at the top of thelist of “fun” things to do. Dr.Green, Sr. was occasionally accompanied by Mrs. Green, who filled inas a nurse. On one visit, I noticed alook of consternation on her faceduring a student’s check-up. I washorrified to see a nose with a“healthy” trail of mucous streamingdown the child’s face. Constantsniffing reminded one morbidly ofthe ebb and flow of ocean tides. Myclean handkerchief and a hastyblow relieved the situation.

Christmas concerts, as everycountry school teacher will recall,were the highlight of the school yearfor students and adults alike. Thesmall school was transformed. Astage was constructed with donatedlumber, curtains were provided toadd drama to the scene, and theChristmas tree was elaborately decorated by an appointed committee.Hours of rehearsing went into theconcert production.

The children, of course, werethe stars of the evening. Parentssat proudly as their offspring performed the little number or two assigned to them, sometimes laboriously, with much prompting.Unanticipated occurences added abit of hilarity to the occasion. Oneboy had the misfortune of steppingbetween the planks and had to behelped up, unscathed, to continuehis performance.

The most important and anticipated part of the evening was theappearance of Santa Claus and theopening of gifts. The children themselves had previously selected theircost-limited gifts from a catalogueand, if ordered early enough, theycame already gift-wrapped andready for Santa’s personal presentation.

An occasion such as this was awelcome opportunity for socializing,so food and a dance would invariably follow the concert. Countrydances were lively, non-alcoholic affairs. Everyone participated in a

variety of terpsichore: schottisches,square dances, and more modernsteps. During one schottische, Iwas pressed into participating by avery energetic farm lady. She literally took command and in the spinsmy feet never touched the floor. Thedance ended and I bowed out, dizzily, with a new respect for all wornankind.

After the Christmas holidaysmany of the children wore theirChristmas clothing gifts to school.One little girl had the misfortune ofdropping her new mitten down thehole in the out-door privy This required a bit of consideration. Theselection of a long stick with aforked end, and a bit of dexterity,brought the needed result. Thetreasured article was returned, atwhich point my responsibility ended.

I was fortunate to find a home“away from home” with theCamerons. I was made very comfortable, and settled into my newabode quite painlessly. TheCamerons had a large log homewhich could accommodate a smallcommunity gathering with ease.Their daughter, Bertha Moore, wassecretary-treasurer of the schoolboard, so it was quite natural thatthe family home would be open tovarious events. On one occasionthere was a party at the Camerons.People came, children, babies, andall. My room and bed were selectedto settle six sleepy children of varying sizes while the party was inprogress. When the evening endedand people had departed, I mademy way to bed. This was in thedays before pampers, and I found tomy chagrin that I had a very sodden and uninviting bed. Mrs.Cameron came to my rescue andplaced me into another room for thenight.

As a young school teacher in arural school setting, I was confronted with a variety of “first-time” experiences. One that stands out vividly in my mind revolves around mycapacity as a taxi driver fromSkookumchuk to Cranbrook or viceversa. Elizabeth, my little 1919

Buick roadstei was pressed intoservice more than once. On a returntrip to Skookumchuk fromCranbrook, my passengers and Iwere facing a long trip home on icywinter roads. One of the passengers, Mrs. West, was just out of hospital, returning home because thebaby she was expecting had decidedto wait a little longer; in otherwords, a false alarm. The otherpassenger, Miss Helen McClure,was the teacher from Ta Ta CreekSchool. On Eager Hill, north ofCranbrook, the car skidded, slippedtoward the ditch, and overturned. Iwas partially stunned by the impact of hitting my head on thesteering wheel. When the fuzzinessstarted to clear I found the car stillrunning, with wheels spinning ontop and gasoline dripping inside.Visions of an emergency baby delivery passed through my mindamong other equally unthinkablethings. I switched off the ignitionand rolled out of the car to check theother passengers. To my great relief they had already climbed up tothe highway to find help. The tow-truck driver who arrived on thescene gave Elizabeth a couple ofshoves and she landed on all fourwheels. Mrs. West, with the help ofan obliging motorist, was returnedsafely home, in time to attend herbrother’s birthday party, somethingshe was determined not to miss.The baby was born about two weekslater - a little girl, Marguerite.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth rallied tothe occasion sufficiently to transportMiss McClure and me to our respective places of residence. Later,Elizabeth was patched up for$12.50

After two years as teacher atSkookumchuk I returned toCranbrook, my home town, to jointhe all-female staff , nineteen innumbei at Central School. I heldthis position until 1942 When I enlisted in the Air Force to train as apilot.

The fact that I was a teacherled me into instructing classes in airgunnery and bombing. I joined aspecial duty squadron as air gunner

21B.C. Histodeal News

overseas, flying from the east coastof England.

After the war ended, I attendedU.B.C. to obtain a Bachelor of Artsdegree. I later resumed my teaching career in Cranbrook, first atMount Baker High School and thenas principal at Tenth AvenueElementary, Laurie Junior High,and finally, until retirement, atT.M. Roberts Elementary - thewhole teaching experience encompassing a span of over forty years.

Malcolm McPhee taught from 1933 to1974 in the Cranbrook area. He is a formerpresident of the East Kootenay Historical

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Gems FromArchives

The letter on this page is thefirst of a series — Gems fromAnhiv. You see a photograph(reduced) of an actual handwritten letter complete with inkblots. This is an application tothe Cranbrook schoolboard written in 1910.Perhaps you have a souvenir of

long ago that virtually tells itsown story It could be a picture,a dance program, a poster a listfor a music recital, a menu, anewspaper clipping or ??? For anews clipping please name thepaper and date (or approximatedate) of the source. Make a goodquality photocopy of your archival treasure and send this copywith whatever relevant detailsyou have to:

The Editor - B.C H. NewsBox 105Wasa, B.C.VOB 2K0

B.C. HistoricalNe 22

‘One, Two, Three, Alary;’Vancouver School Grounds

Between the 192O and the 196Os

by Neil SutherlandTo many children, the most im

portant events of the school daytook place on the school playgroundbefore school and during recess,lunch hour and after school. In interviews conducted for the CanadianChildhood History Project, we haveasked many people who grew up inVancouver to describe their childhood, including their play time, forus. One large group of our interviewees spent their childhood inCedar Cottage and another largegroup in Kerrisdale. Despite theclass differences between theseneighborhoods, children in both apparently employed their schoolyards in very similar ways.

Vancouver generally providedsubstantial concrete and brickschools for its pupils. Well maintained, many stood out as the mostimpressive buildings in their neighborhoods. The front of each schoolpresented its best side to the community; the building was set backbehind low fences which protectedlawns and shrubs. At about eighto’clock each morning a janitor or apupil monitor raised the flag infront of the school. Since most hadabove-ground basements, those using the main entrance of the school -

forbidden to pupils - climbed a set ofwide granite steps and entered onone side of a double door. Mostschools also had a boys’ entranceand a girls’ entrance, generally atground level. Behind the school laythe main playing field. Since intensive use made grass impossible,this part of the playground wasusually covered with packed earthand gravel, which meant that thosewho fell on the playing field oftentore their skin or pitted their knees.

Although the children in bothneighborhoods appeared sociallymore or less integrated in theirplay, even on the playground theydisplayed characteristics that

showed some of the sharp differences between them. To eyes accustomed to the present rich range ofchildren’s clothes, shoes, hairstyles,and so on, all pupils in this earlierera would appear very drab indeed.Even in the middling levels of society, children bathed less frequentlythan they do today. More childrenthen than now did not bathe at all.Children had fewer clothes andchanged them less frequently.Some boys wore heavy boots, oftenwith metal plates around the toesand with “blakeys” on toes andheels. Despite the admonitions ofteachers and nurses, some woreonly cheap “runners” in the summerand when it was dry, and ‘qumboots” when it was wet or snowy Afew wore runners whatever theweather. Some were unkempt andeven dirty, while others wore cleanbut threadbare clothes. One of thelatter recalls always having “hand-me-down clothes” and boots that atfirst were too big, for a time justright, and then, “for another interininable while, they were toosmall.” Unlike the children of theemployed working class or middleclasses, such children “had nothingnew . . . after Woodward ‘s 95-centday.” Nor did they weai to cite butone fad of the 1930’s “Lindbergh”helmets, with their plastic gogglesand straps that did up under thechin.

As the time for the first bell approached, each school yard in thecity became a noisy scene that couldbe heard for a couple of blocks in alldirections. In the Fall, for example,most boys in the upper grades assembled on the field. Some boysraced continually after the soccerball, trying, as they said, to get a“kick” in. Sometimes a group of theolder boys tried to keep the ball tothemselves, passing it within a fairly tight circle. A single mistake put

it back into play for all. Other boyslounged in clumps. If the ball camearching down their way, theseclumps dissolved as the boys racedfor the ball. The lucky victor bootedit as hard as he could across thefield and another clump dissolvedafter it. On the girls’ playground,many youngsters bounced lacrosseballs, and one could hear amongstother chants, “One, two, three,alary”. On the smaller playgrounds younger children playedtag, hide and seek and othergames.

Seen from afai all the movement that characterized the playground appeared kaleidoscopic butin fact much of what went on washighly structured. Although mostchildren arrived at school well beforethe bell, on all but the worst days,they played outside. Only thoseprivileged (and sometimes jealouslydespised) pupils who had minorhousekeeping or administrativetasks to perform were admitted tothe corridors of classrooms beforethe bell. On very wet or very colddays the children might gather orbe compelled to gathei in the basement play areas of those schoolswhich had such facilities. Sincebasements were usually dark, noisyand unventilated, children tended toavoid them if they could.

Whether they played inside, oroutside, however, the rigid structures of the “culture” of childhooddictated who used which part of thefield or basement, and what wenton there. In large schools, each level - primary (grades one to three),intermediate (grades four to six)and senior (grades seven and eight)- had a core group who dominatedthe activity that the season dictated. They also controlled the best bitof the playground that custom assigned to children in that grade orlevel. Most other children played

23B.C. HistoricalNc

the same game close by.Both boys and girls played

many of the traditional games ofchildhood. Both sexes played tag,tag ball, dodge ball, and andy-andy-eye over. On wet days intheir separate basements theyplayed a version of tag sometimescalled ‘British Bulldog”. Both boysand girls also employed traditionalstarting rhymes and chants: “Onyour marks”; “Liar, liar”; “Crybaby”; “You’re getting warm”;“Stick and stones’ “Nyah, nyah,nyah!”

Both boys and girls also hadtheir separate games. Girls playedsinging games. They skipped separately or in a variety of games -

“Dutch’ “Double Dutch” and so on- of increasing complexity. Theybounced balls - “there were lots ofgames with lacross balls” - on thesidewalk or against the wall of theschool. They played with jacks andballs together. (“I loved jacks”.)They played hopscotch “with favourite things sewn together”.They played “house” and “initials “.

Boys played “conkers” with horsechestnuts “to see who was the Kingof the chestnut bashers”. Theyplayed with marbles or “alleys”(such as “steelies” and “cobs”) insuch games as “round pot’ ‘dd oreven”, ‘poison”, “stink”, or withmarble boards. They played withmilk bottles tops, using their “stickers” to increase their supply. Theychased and shot at each other withfinger-guns, while making appropriate noises in their throats. Theyplayed handball, murderball, “twofinger whacking. tagball, and pie”.In the school basement particularly,they played a game called, variously, “ship ahoy ‘ ‘ships and sailorscoming in”, or ‘piling on”.

More boys than girls played adaptations of adult games. Thus theschool taught children to play soccer, softball and basketball. Ontheir own, boys played soccer without any of the inhibiting rules ofadults; there were, for example, no“off sides” in their play. (Soccerwas our ganie!” Both boys and

girls played, separately if therewere enough of each sex, otherwisetogether, a transformed softballgame called “scrub”, which mayalso have been an adult game butone which children learned fromeach other. (“I loved baseball andenjoyed it best if boys and girlsplayed it together”.) Both boys andgirls played “single basket”.

Around the edge of the playgrounds, some children stood inpairs, some girls holding hands, orin small groups. (“We spent a lot oftime observing . . . and talkingabout people”.) Except for the boldest of the grade sevens and eights,these pairs and small groups werecomposed of children of one sex only,and most children of each sex wereseparated either by rule or by custom on the schoolgrounds. Somegroups talked loudly, argued,laughed and the boys particularlybut also some of the girls, hit,pushed and shoved each other playfully and sometimes not so playfully, and wrestled in ‘play” fights.Others talked quietly, gossiping,sharing the secret knowledge ofchildhood, telling jokes and sometimes “dirty” stories. (“Why didthe little moron... ? “; X “Do youwant to hear a dirty story?” Y:“Yes”. X: ‘A white horse fell into amud puddle”.) Occasionally thesepairs or groups of children wouldpromenade the whole schoolyard, sothat they would know what was going on everywhere, or to spot a particular member of the opposite sex.

A few children, also at the edgeof the playground, stood alone looking on. If there was a “special”class of some sort in the school, itspupils were generally ignored bythe “regular” pupils. (“They didn’ttalk clearly or walk right; theydidn’t socialize with us’ “One boywith c.p. talked funny and otherkids did not want to talk withhim”.) The duty teacher circulatedfrom field to field, sometimes carrying a brass bell by its clapper. Ifshe taught one of the primarygrades she might also try to joinsome of the “loners” to this or another group.

At about five to nine, thoseschools equipped with bell towers orelectric bells sounded a warningring. In other schools a senior pupilor the duty teacher circulatedthrough the corridors and on thegrounds ringing the brass hand bell.At the bell, monitors collected thesports equipment. The childrenmoved rapidly to the inside or outside assembly point for their classes. There they lined up in pairs;girls in front, boys behind. Theyounger children held hands withtheir partners. Many of the girlsmoved to an already-reserved placein the line. Since the front was amuch-coveted position, those whowanted it reserved it by placingcoats, lunch bags or other possessions there, or even lined up wellahead of the bell to ensure their positions. At the bell, the boys racedup and tussled either for first position behind the girls or for the verylast position in the lines. (In someupper-grade classes, the “toughest”boys claimed this latter position asa matter of right.) The principal,vice-principal, or duty teacher appeared and stared - or even roared -

the children into silence. He or shethen signalled the classes one byone to march into their classrooms.As the children progressed inward,many were already planning howthey would spend their recess, onlyan hour and a half away!

Note: Some material in thispaper appeared in my “TheTriumph of Formalism”:Elementary Schooling in Vancouverfrom the 1920’s to the 1960’s,”B.C. Studies. 69-70 (Spring-Summer1986), 175-210 and in “Everyoneseemed happy in those days’ theculture of childhood in Vancouver between the 1920’s and the 1960’s“History of Education Review 151986), 3 7-51. 1 am indebted to bothmy many interviewees and theSocial Sciences and HumanitiesResearch Council of Canada for theirgenerous help.

Neil Sutherland works at the Universityof Briti8h Columbia on the CanadianChilhood History Projoct.

B.C. Historical News 24

Note: The commemorative maiden voyagedescribed in the following article was made inhonour of Dt W Kaye Lamb, notedCanadian historian, editor of The Vo’vage ofGeoree Vancouver 1 791-1795 (The HakluytSociety, London, 1984), and advisor toDiscoveiy Reenactment ‘92. The missionwas accomplished in a spirit of respect andappreciation for his long, scholarly labours onthe Vancouver expedition.

Discovery Reenactment ‘92Captain Vancouvers YawlReturns to

British Colunthia Coast

by Greg Foster

Yachtsmen making the passageup British Columbia’s famed JervisInlet in mid-August 1988 were taken back two hundred years at thesight of a 25-foot (7.6 m) pinnaceplying its way under oar and sailamong the distant reaches. It is acredit to the historical consciousnessof Northwest mariners that fewfailed to recognize this graceful 8-oared 3-masted vessel (actually aships’ yawl), or to appreciate herpresence in these waters. TheUnion Jack fluttering from the mizzen may have helped.This strirring expedition was the

maiden voyage for the “ElizabethBonaventure” - a reconstruction ofthe yawl-pinnace from “Discovery” -

the first of the British Columbiaboats being built to reenact the original charting of our Northwest inshore coastline as a bicentenarycommemoration in 1992. And aproper shakedown it was.Constructed to carefully re

searched lines and specificationsfrom the late 1700s’ the yawl seeksto replicate the craft reserved forCaptain George Vancouver’s ownpersonal use during the monumental survey begun in 1792.Discovery’s yawl, in company withher launch, were the first Europeanvessels to penetrate Jervis Inlet inthe search for a Northwest Passage.That original expedition in the

ship’s boats - the ninth of thirty-onethat were sent out from Discovery &Chatham in the first season’s work -

began south of the present international boundary and progressednorthward charting the lower“Guiph of Georgia “(sic), “Bit rrard ‘sCanal”, “Howe’s Sound”, and“Jarvis”s Canal” before returning tothe ships anchored in Birch Bay.

Lieut. Peter Puget estimated theyhad surveyed 315 miles in 11 days.Numerous incidents of lasting in

terest and scenes of enduring grandeur were described by the explorersduring this very full 11-day cruise,which included their surprise meeting with the Spanish captainsGaliano and Valdes off Point Grey.We latter-day explorers recordedequally memorable events as wesought to test the feasibility of using such boats under similar conditions in the same waters. For us itwas a crucial reconnaissance expedition, exploring the conditions to beexpected during DiscoveryReenactment ‘92, in which hundredsand perhaps thousands of personsof all ages will have the opportunityto participate in a hands-on-oarsmemorial exploration of our coastline from the bottom of Puget Soundto north of Vancouver Island. The4-month commemoration will be divided into sections or ‘passages”varying from one to ten days - muchas the original - and the Jervis tripgave us a taste of one of the longerstints.Our itinerary was somewhat dif

ferent. Starting from GalianoIsland where the yawl waslaunched in mid-July, we proceedednorth to Nanaimo, crossed theStrait and mostly rowed the 50-milelength of Jervis to Chatterbox Fallsat the head of Princess Louisa Inlet.The return voyage took us downthe Sunshine Coast to Vancouverwhere we were received with warmhospitality aboard HMCS Discoveryin Stanley Park. Then skirting thebanks to Tsawwassen, we recrossedthe Strait, sailing with fair winds tothe 11th Annual Victoria ClassicBoat Festival where the “Elizabeth

Bonaventure” hosted over 1,000 enthusiastic persons ‘pulling an oarwith Capt. Vancouver” in harbourexcursions during the 3-day event.a live exhibit co-sponsored by theDiscovery Reenactment Society andthe Maritime Museum of BritishColumbia, with the Victoria RealEstate Board as Festival host.Needless to say, the return of the

original boat crews to the shipboardcommunity of 100 men on theDiscovery, was probably less shattering than our arrival at the crowded, horn-tooting, steam-blowing, colourful wharves of the Inner Harbour

from the remote, silent (andwet) arms of Jervis Inlet where theawesome mist-shrouded heightsplunge to unfathomed depths.Vancouver called its aspect “equallydreary” to Howe Sound, characterized by a “natural gloominess’finding that “the cataracts hererushed from the rugged snowymountains in greater numbei andwith more impetuosity . . .“ Pugetwaxed somewhat more poetic andenthusiastic, describing the Inlet“trending to the Northward in awinding Direction & running up between two Inaccessible Ridges &high Snowy Mountains down whichimmense Water Falls rushed fromthe very Summits whose Fury,largeness and RomanticAppearance is beyond any descriptive Powers I possess. We pulled asclose as possible to one of the largest. The Sea was in a perfect Foam& to look up . . . was absolutelyawful and I may add terrific.”The “Elizabeth Bonaventure” re

turned to Galiano Island havingcovered 364 nautical miles in 12days underway, filled with magnificent sights, memories, and respect

KC. Historical News25

for a 200-year old type of vessel inwhich Capt. Vancouver before usrepeatedly escaped from danger -

she always brought me safelyhome.” Even greater is our respectfor our distinguished explorers -

most of them still boys in our reckoning - from both the British andSpanish expeditions who were working here in 1792.In truth, the journals of the origi

nal expedition reveal a drama of heroic dimensions lying at the roots ofour regional heritage. Half a worldaway from home, engaged in thelongest voyage of record, under orders to chart a coast of unsupectedcomplexity, carrying weighty diplomatic and scientific responsibilities,with time pressing and working onshort rations, unable to maneuvertheir large vessels in such intricatetidal passages . . . they took totheir boats.Under oar and sail, mapping their

way northward in all weathers,they left us a legacy of reliablecharts, scientific classification ofplant and animal life, educationalencounters with the native people ofthe coast, peaceful cooperation be-

tween nations, and an enduring example of fortitude and diligence. Incommemoration, two hundred yearslater we will follow respectfully intheir wake, exploring a coast that isnow our home as we consider ourown responsibility to it. It is an edifying history to reenact, and onewhich touches us closely. We willcome to appreciate this more as wetake part in a real life opportunityto learn - and earn - our Northwestheritage firsthand.The captain’s seat on the

“Elizabeth Bonaventure” was vacant, out of respect for the captainwho held his great expedition together. . . and as a timely reminderlest we become too big for ourbreeches. After all is said and done,we - with our charts, tide & currenttables, modern food & clothing, anddependence on nearby civilization -

cannot begin to duplicate his accomplishment. Perhaps it will beenough if the Reenactment promotes respect and interest in four“ships” that can never be outmodedin this part of the world: scholarship, craftsmanship, traditionalseamanship, and stewardship of

our magnificent resources.Dr. W Kaye Lamb, distinguished

Canadian historian and editor ofthe 4-volume The Voyage of GeorgeVancouver 1791-1795 (The HakluytSociety, London, 1984), exemplifiesthe mature historical scholarshipwhich is the shipmate and light-keeper of great deeds. AllCanadians are beneficiaries of hislong career in research and authorship, and those engaged in planning for 1992 commemoration -

whether academic-, museum-, orreenactment-oriented - are greatlyin debt to his past work and to hiscontinuing help and advice. If Dr.Lamb had not been “confined to barracks”, he would have been in thecaptain’s seat as the “ElizabethBonaventure” returned to JervisInlet this August. He would havekept our minds off our blisters andwet clothes by regaling us withanecdotes from the expedition journals, from his own experiences onthe coast, and from his adventuresin historical research. As it was,our mission was in honour of Dr.Lamb’s scholarly labours on theVancouver expedition. There ismore than one way to pull an oar.The summer’s shakedown went

even further toward demonstratingthe practicability and popularity ofthe Reenactment plan than we wereprepared for. Nearly a dozengroups helped crew the yawl on progressive legs of the Jervis trip.Volunteers of both sexes ranging inage from seven to seventy - with orwithout previous experience - seizedthe chance for themselves and theirchildren to step into the shoes of ourearly explorers . . . and a very successful job they made of it, too.Days of rain in the Inlet may have

dampened some clothes and sleeping gear, but not the spirits of ourintrepid crew, as we speculated overdiscrepancies in the original journals or the prospects of a NorthwestPassage, all the while drinking inthe majesty of this world-wonder-class place. Neither did days ofsteady pulling with the blazing sunmirrored in the waters of an uncharacteristically glassy Strait daunt

—... ..

Discovery’s yawl under full sail in Welcome Passage,returning from Jervis Inlet in August 1988.

B.C. Historical News26

the enthusiasm of even very youngmidshipmen alternately helping atthe oars and learning to lay astraight course athwart the tide.Vancouver’s boat crews generally

got underway at 4 a.m. and continued their charting work until 10 or11 p.m., often experiencing difficultylocating suitable camping spots.We did well to breakfast by 9 a.m.,were usually finished for the day by7 or 8 p.m., and with the aid ofcharts had no difficulty finding desirable havens to pitch our tentsand set up our camp stove. It mustbe admitted that, regardless ofterrain, pulling boat crews sleepwell!The yawl is clearly a thorough

bred, as is the reconstruction ofDiscovery’s launch presently operating in Puget Sound.. . and the cutters, longboats, launches and jollyboats either on the building stocksor on the drawing board. All arebased on outstanding British andSpanish examples of these typesfrom the late 18th century carefullyreconstructed from the source analysis of Research Director J.E. “Ted”Roberts and the author’s experiencebuilding historical watercraft overthe last twenty years. In contrastto the naval whalers familiar tomost B.C. mariners, the ships’ boatsfor the Reenactment are taken fromolder, safer, more wholesomely -

modelled craft representing thezenith of the boatbuilder’s art. Allare pulled double-banked, which allows shorter oars and nearly twicethe number of rowers as in single-banked boats. In addition, the designs are of moderate proportions,sea-worthy and safe, with adequatebeam for good stability in all conditions. Under sail or oars - even ingale force winds and rough seas -

these ‘sniall ships” are an eloquenttestimony to the reliability of time-proven designs developed in the context of a long and rigorous seafaringtradition.The new year will see a number of

boats added to the Reenactmentfleet here in British Columbia aswell as in Washington State andOregon. Many of them will be built

“on exhibit” at museums. For instance, one of the large cutters willbe planked this winter at theWashington State Historical SocietyMuseum in Tacoma, and a jolly boatand cutter are the object of a demonstration workshop at the OregonHistorical Society Museum inPortland. In addition to the surveyboats being built by the DiscoveryReenactment Society at Whaler Bayon Galiano Island (a Spanishlaunch is on the stocks), the Societyis cooperating with interested communities, schools, and organizations throughout coastal BritishColumbia to reproduce boats for participation in the ‘92 commemorationand on-going historical/recreationalprograms.Primary purpose of the

Reenactment is to provide an activeeducational program for theBicentennial focusing on our earlymaritime history traditional seamanship, and appreciation of ourrich coastal heritage, including ourlong-established native culture.Curriculum development is underway, and pilot projects throughoutthe Northwest region are workingout the practical aspects as theboats become available.The Discovery Reenactment

Society was organized in 1987 byexperienced open boat mariners,outdoor education specialists andmarine historians, to provide an avenue for widespread internationalparticipation in this distinctive early chapter from our maritime heritage. The venture is characterizedby cooperation between many organizations and communities inCanada and the U.S., and seeks tocomplement the excellent programscurrently offered by our maritimemuseums. Response from all quarters has been even more enthusiastic than anticipated. Given propercoordination, it is apparent that theReenactment in 1992 will be a major commemoration in the history ofour province, whose influence will befelt for many years to come. The directors are seeking contact with keypersons representing organizationswhich would benefit from this pro-

gram throughout British Columbia,particularly those in waterfrontcommunities with historical!recreational/outdoor education objectives.The Society is incorporated under

the Society Act of British Columbia,and is authorized to receipt tax-deductible contributions as a registered charity under the provisions ofthe Income Tax Act. All support todate has come from private individuals wishing to assist this noteworthy project. Copies of the DiscoveryReenactment prospectus are available to persons or organizations interested in furthering the Society’sgoals of heritage education.

Write To

Discovery Reenactment SocietyP0. Box 43, Whaler Bay,Galiano Island, B.C.VON 1PO.

Article contributed by Greg Fostepracticing shipwright & historian since1970, in charge of the “Pacific Swift”tallship project at Expo “86. Mr Fosteris one of the organizers of the DiscoveryReenactment Society, and currentlyserves as its Executive Director He andhis wife Shay were crew membersaboard the yawl “ElizabethBonaventure” during her maiden voyageto Jervis Inlet.

****** ********* **

27 B.C. Historical News

BookshelfBooks for review and book reviews should be sent directly to the book review editor,

Anne Yandle, 3450 West 20th Ave., Vancouver, B. C. V6S 1E4.”

Distant Neighbours: aComparative History ofSeattle andVancouvenNorbert MacDonald; Lincoln andLondon: University of NebraskaPress, 1987. $25.95

For much of the past thirtyyears Norbert MacDonald has beenintrigued by numerous aspects ofthe development of Vancouver andSeattle. His articles published inthe Pacific Northwest Quarterly, thePacific Historical Review, theCanadian Historical Review andB.C. Studies informed readers of hisfinding and conclusions, particularlyon topics of an economic or demographic nature concerning one orboth of the two cities. In DistantNeighbours MacDonald greatly expanded the scope of his inquiriesand tackled the difficult task of writing a comparative history ofVancouver and Seattle.

Working within a chronologicalframework, MacDonald set out onseveral different avenues of inquiryto explore the central unstated question, “Why did two communitieswith such marked similarities of setting and resources develop so differently? The opening chapters pursuea search for early indications of differences. The motivations of the earliest pioneers and the settlementpatterns and the land ownershippolicies in the two communities wereexamined. Excellent maps enablethe reader to gain a clear understanding of the overall layout of the“frontier villages” which ultimatelybecame Vancouver and Seattle.These findings, viewed in relation tothe respective roles of private, semipublic and public agencies and majorfinancial players including the twotranscontinental railways, leadB.C. Historical News

MacDonald to conclude that fundamental differences of approach laidthe groundwork for very different cities.

The economic focus evident inthe early chapters remained keyedthroughout the book, although itsrelative prominence varied. Thechapter “Critical Growth Cycle” forexample, outlined the rapid expansion of both cities from 1900 to 1910principally through an analysis ofstandard economic indicators.Statistics on population growth, urban and interurban railway line expansion, residential and commercialbuilding construction and real estatetransactions were assembled to describe the two cities. The implications of this economic expansion forcity government and urban planningwere also briefly examined.Similarly, the chapters on the twowars and the depression were presented primarily from an economicstandpoint. MacDonald stressedthe different economic impacts ofwar related industries to account forpart of the difference in the development of the two cities. In the chapter on the 1930’s MacDonald contrasted the different levels ofinvolvement in the local economiesundertaken by the respective federalgovernments. Taken as a whole,the reader gains an overall althoughsomewhat episodic sense of thecourse of economic development inthe two cities. Intriguing subjectssuch as the role of the business eliteunfortunately were not pursuedthroughout the book, but rather wereanalyzed only for the three decadesprior to 1915. This is particularlyregrettable as MacDonald offers atop down view of the two urban economies concentrating primarily on themajor corporations and most suc

cessful businessmen. The professions and their respective roles werelargely outside the scope of the inquiry Consistent with the author’sperspective, Distant Neighbours offers little indication of what it waslike to be a member of the labourforce in either city.

While economic matters were ofcentral importance to MacDonald, hedid not concentrate on them to theexclusion of all other matters.Woven through the text were tantalizing segments dealing with the political and social life of the two cities.A collection of 48 carefully chosenphotographs in the centre of thebook provide glimpses of everydaylife as well as a brief visual record ofthe changing skylines of the two cities. Municipal politics in both citiescame under close scrutiny in thechapter “Thirty Years of MunicipalPolitics” which covered the postWorld War II period. Of particularinterest to residents of Vancouver isMacDonald’s account of the influenceof the 1929 Bartholomew report onVancouver’s urban planners for decades afterward. Similarly,Seattlites will be able to recognizethe influence of John Olmstead ontheir city.

Unlike the “popular” historiesMacDonald referred to in his introduction, this volume is carefully researched and painstakingly documented. The task of writing acomparative history of two cities inone volume means that the author’sstroke must be broad and areas inevitably will be excluded. For example, the role of women in creatingthese cities is largely ignored. Thecareers of prominent women such asHelena Gutteridge, Helen GregoryMacGill and Ella Johnson pass unnoticed. Race relations are touched

28

only lightly and only in terms of conflict. The power of the press in forming each city is tacitly acknowledgedbut not fully explored. Labour history buffs will find little for their mill.Nevertheless, Distant Neighboursenhances our growing understanding of the two cities. MacDonald’sbook will be avidly sought by persons interested in the process of urban development in North America,in cross-border studies, in the settlement of the far West and in either ofthe subject cities.

LindaHale

Linda L. Hale, member of theVancouver Historical Society is currently writing a book with MarjoryLand entitled The Other Side oftheStoiy: Canadian Women Journalists1890-1945.

Workers, Capital, and the State inBritish Colwnbia, Selected Papersedited by Rennie Warburton andDavid Coburn. Vancouver:University of British Columbia,press 1988. Pp. 288.

The general reader and the novice in British Columbia labour history are advised to approach this collection of essays with caution.While many of the individual selections contain valuable informationand reflect the wide spectrum of positions on the left, the overall workis presented to advance the value ofclass theory and class conflict in interpreting the history of the province. Using the widest possible definition of the working class - “allthose who work for wages and whodo not control or profit from. theircontrol over the means of production” (p. vii) - the editors argue thatthe basic nature of the province “hasbeen contained and moulded by theneeds of capital and the demands oflabour” (p. viii). By extension, thisposition presupposes that theories

stressing conflict based on ethnic divisions or gender, while important,should not be given a greater explanatory value than class conflict.

A second theme underlying theeditors’ selection of materials for thevolume is that sociological theoryand historical research need to beused together. Theory without recourse to historical evidence is problematical; or “a sociology withouthistory is suspect” (p. 7). The essays are collectively present asworks in historical sociologr (or sociological history since several of thecontributors are trained as historians) with historical evidence used toillustrate the validity of theoreticalconstructs. To a lesser degree, original research is used to refine and detail theory. The primacy of theory isstressed: “history which is not sociological is basically deficient” (p. 7).

The individual essays in the collection do not uniformly support thebroader assumptions put forward bythe editors. While this problem isreadily admitted, the suggestion isoffered in the preface that the widerange of approaches will demonstrate the overall strength and usefulness of “a single, broad, theoretical perspective” (p. vii). Articles onthe role of the state in creating a legalistic native identity and overviews of the mining industry prior to1920 are presented alongaide studies of specific strikes and argumentsfor the inclusion of managers, clerical workers and school teacherswithin the bounds of the workingclass. Broadly speaking, the articles fall into two major groups: thosewhich address the major themes ofthe collection and those which serveto maintain a general sense ofchronological development withoutnecessarily contributing to a considered class analysis.

Consequently, the success of thecollection must be measured againsttwo different standards: the statedand the demonstrated. As an overview of recent writing on class relations and labour history in BritishColumbia, the book is informative interms of broader trends and specificstudies. Logging, mining, fishing,

farm labour and the expansion of thewhite collar workforce are discussedin one or more selections. Given theemphasis on class, it is unfortunatethat there is no discussion of ranching and the “landed aristocracy”that emerged in the interior of theprovince around the turn of the century. Granted, the editors did notcommission pieces for the book; butthe topic should have been at leastalluded to in the article on the structure of the 19th century state. Asan argument for a general, ratherthan a class approach, the book isless than satisfying. The attitudestowards class as an analytical tooldiffer widely from author to author.The positions range from closelyargued academic discussions to thesimple unspoken and uncritical acceptance of class conflict so commonly embodied in strike chronicles.

The degree of historical grounding also varies widely from one selection to another. Several of thepieces do little more than reorganizeprevious work according to the needsof a theoretical position. While a review of the literature is useful, a total reliance on secondary sourcesdoes not qualify as good history.Other contributions, particularlyJames Comley’s work on the salmonfishers are based on extensive primary evidence and demonstrate thepotential value inherent in the merger of history and sociology advanced by the editors. PatriciaMarchak’s discussion of recentchanges in the forest industry canalso be highly recommended.

Indeed, the strengths of the booklies in the individual articles. Thecomplexity of the working class andthe myriad divisions that exist within it are frequently well presented.Fragmentation resulting from ethnicity and differing methods of employment - wage work, piecework,contracts, or independent production- is examined in the context of antagonisms within the working classas well as in conflict between classes. Unfortunately, some of the explanations for conflicts based on raceor gender are less than convincing.Some are not even solidly based oneconomic analysis let alone class.

B.C. Historical News29

For example, one author describesthe blatant racism of early BritishColumbia labour organizations as

• . a product of developing, but notyet mature, working-class consciousness . . “ (p. 80). Such an explanation derives more form a Whiggishview of progress than any objectiveclass based or economic analysis. Toparaphrase Kurt Vonnegut: I’ll bebetter in the morning, really.

Given the diversity of the constituent parts to this book, the conclusion is necessarily in the form of agloss. The “single, broad, theoretical perspective” is so all encompassing in its definition of class as to benearly meaningless. Indeed, intheir final summation, the editorsretreat from their strong initial positions and advance public educationas the collection’s primary contribution. In this regard, the final sentence of the conclusion bears quoting: “The dissemination ofknowledge about the episodes inthis volume is intended to be a smallcontribution to the education of thoseinvolved” (p. 285). This is an admirable goal in and of itsell but not thefulfillment of the promises made tothe reader.

Logan Hovis

Logan Hovis is an industrial historian, based in Vancouve,

They Call Me Father: Memoirs ofFather Nicolas Coccola, edited byMargaret Whitehead. Recollectionsof the Pioneers of British Columbia,Volume 7. Vancouver: University ofBritish Columbia Press, 1988. Pp.xi, 203; illus.; bibliography; index.$29.95

They Call Me Father is the seventhvolume is a series of editions of documents important to colonial and early provincial history. TheseMemoirs of a Roman Catholic missionary priest were written “underobedience” to his bishop. The editorMargaret Whitehead, whose previous publications include Now You

AreMyBrother(1981) and CaribooMission: a History of the Oblates(1982), may now add this latest volume to her list of well-researched ecclesiastical histories.

Whitehead’s lengthyIntroduction (73 pp.) provides thereader with an insight into thepolitics and culture, contact and conflict prevalent during Coccola’s missionary years. Twenty-three wellselected photographs separate theIntroduction from his Memoirs. Bothof these sections have detailed end-notes and the book is completed by acomprehensive bibliography and anextensive index.

Only two editing flaws were noticed by this reviewer: a slight mixup in the endnote reference numbersto the Preface; and an individualwho was cropped from a group photograph of Kutenai Indians (but remains listed in the photo caption).However these are only minor.

Father Nicolas Coccola was bornin Corsica, 12 December 1854. As ayouth he desired to serve in the foreign missions and dreamed of martyrdom. At the age of nineteen heentered the seminary and after fouryears joined the Oblates of MaryImmaculate. In 1880, political unrest in France precipitated his departure to St. Mary’s Mission in theFraser River Valley of BritishColumbia. It was here that Coccolalearned to speak English from theIndian boys, “especially when theyquarrelled”. He was ordained apriest in 1881 and under the vow ofobedience he soon departed forKamloops. This was his first posting in a missionary career thatspanned 63 years.

Although stationed inKamloops, the itinerant missionarycovered a vast area of the CaribooInterior region of the province byhorseback or by other means.During the early years of his priesthood he visited many CanadianPacific Railway construction camps.His self-taught medical skills enabled him to serve both the physicalas well as the spiritual needs of hisIndian and white flock.

By 1887 Coccola was transferred

to St. Eugene near Cranbrook. Herehe was responsible for the KutenaiIndian missions and was instrumental in settling several disputes between Indians and whites. HisMemoirs relate the often told storywhere he chided his natives: “Yousee White people taking the mineralof your country under youreyes...Why don’t you locate somemines as the Whites do, then wewill build” (a church). The ore deposit discovered by Indian Pierre in1893, led to the claiming of the famous St. Eugene Mine at Moyie.The revenue from its sale enabledCoccola to build a beautiful Gothicchurch at the mission as well as provide Pierre with a new house, cattle,farm implements and $5.00 permonth for life.

After eighteen years among theKutenais, Coccola was transferrednorth to New Caledonia in 1905. Hecontinued to work as an advocate forhis beloved Indians whose life stylewas being threatened by the development of the railroad, a precursorto white settlement. The firststrong stand taken by Coccola onbehalf of Indian cultural rightsoccurred when he went to Ottawaand interceded on their behalfagainst the cannery operators of theSkeena River who blamed thenatives’ fishing weirs for the depletion of salmon stocks. He continuedhis missionary work until 1934, hiseightieth yeai when he was placedin semi-retirement and directed towrite his memoirs. Coccola thenserved as chaplain to the patientsand nursing sisters at the SmithersHospital until his death at the ageof 88, 1 May 1943.

This book is recommended toanyone interested in the history ofthe Roman Catholic church’smissionary activities in BritishColumbia or in the cultural changesexperienced by the native peoplearound the turn of the century

Ron Welwood

Ron Welwood is AssistantLibrarian at Selkirk College, in

Castlegan

B.C. Historical News30

Trees of Greater Victoria; aHeritage. A field guide to thearboreal riches of Greater Victoria.by G.H. Chaster, D.W. Ross andWH. Warren. Victoria, HeritageTree Book Society, 1988. 92 p.$14.95.

This slender volume has 34pages of full colour illustrations.Five pages each show one species,and three pages each show threespecies. Some show the tree inspring bloom, and also in fall colour.

There are excellent diagrams ofspecial areas, such as Beacon HillPark, Eastern Saanich and OakBay. Street location of varieties,whether on private or public property is made clear. Botanical andcommon names are thoroughly indexed.

A hundred different species oftrees are identified, references including Government House, RoyalRoads, a variety of small parks,and, of course, Butchart Gardens.

Residents and tourists alike willenjoy this carefully produced, andinformative volume.

CkuMcAllister

Clare McAllister is a long timemember of the B.C. HistoricalFederation, Gulf Islands andVictoria Branches.

RS. In an accompanying letteiMrs. McAllister states informally ‘1feel so fortunate - having this superb book production - I was fearfulof over praise or too much enthusiasm - so perhaps i’ve diluted or reduced my praise too much.” BookReview Editot

Hastings andMain Stories from anInner City Neighbourhood.Vancouver New Star Books, 1987,160 p. $9.95 papel $17.95 cloth.

Good oral histories serve twoaudiences. Readers with a generalinterest in the topic receive

unparalleled insights into what others are generous enough to tell usabout their lives. Historians acquireevidence of a sort that rarely appears in the documents they study.Both audiences will enjoy readingHastings and Main. CarnegieCommunity Centre’s Oral HistoryProject collected over fifty life storiesof short-term or long-term residentsof Vancouver’s Downtown Eastsidebetween 1980 and 1985. A few ofthe twenty whose stories are included in this collection spent much oftheir lives in and around the neighbourhood (‘We moved from CordovaStreet to just behind the Mar Hotelon Alexander Street. Mother ran arooming house there . •‘9. Otherstell of mostly harsh lives led in sawmill towns, logging camps, fishingvillages, and Indian reserves elsewhere in the province. (“When Iwas real small, about four or five,every time my brother went fishingwith my father i’d go along in thebig dug-out canoe”). Still other recount events from their lives in prison or internment camps, as servicemen in Europe or Asia, or as veterans of the great political events ofour times. (In Regina in July,1935, “the riot police came out onthe double, three lines deep. Andthey came out swinging. Withoutwarning. They charged and startedbeating people. ‘9 Although the settings for these life stories rangearound the world the people who recount them have much in common.They are neither sentimental abouttheir pasts nor do they apologize orgive excuses for any part of theirlives. (“i’m still alive and my healthis just as good as before I startedthat alcohol, so i thank the federalprisons for what they have done forme.”) Each narrator tells his or herstory with a lively sense of self.(“i’ve been a bit of a hustle,; youknow. Not a bad hustle,; but i never went on welfare during theDepression.’9 Indeed, whenKatherine Kosta explains that she“survived on my own guts and myown mentality” we know that she isspeaking for them all. And we areglad we made their acquaintance.

Neil SutherlandUniversity ofBritish Columbia

Neil Sutherland is a formerPresident of the VancouverHistorical Society

GiftSubscriptionsYour B.C. Historical News

staff aims to present you, thereader, with a good variety ofarticles from many parts of theprovince. The Summer ‘89 issuewill feature Texada Island,Phyllis Munday, the SpiralTunnels, Burgoyne Church anda B.C. born inventor. The FallIssue looks at the 1930’sthrough the eyes of a ParkWarden, bank clerk, beginningteacher, loggers and sawmillworkers, and others. Spring1990 will be an OkanaganSpecial.So — with a promise of good

reading each quarter — why notgive a gift subscription to afriend or family member? Only$8.00 per year to anywhere inCanada, $11.00 out of the country. Make cheques payable tothe B.C. Historical Federationand mail to:

Subscription Secretary5928 Baffin PlaceBurnaby, B.C. V5H 3S8

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31B.C. Historical News

News&

NotesThe Beaver Valley and Pend

d’Orielle Historical Society is restoring a 1912 log schoolhouse on a siteone mile east of the Champion Laketurnoff on Highway 3B. The curatorwishes to know if there are any logschoolhouses older than this one.And he is seeking a few old desks torecreate the realism of the school.Answers or offers of help should besent to:

JackBellBox 696Fruitvale, B.C. VOG 1LO

** **** ****** **** **

HOT OFF THE PRESS,A Researcher’s Guide to BritishColumbia: Nineteenth CenturyDirectories, a Bibliography andIndex. 162 p. $14.95. This wasprepared by the:

Public History GroupUniversity of VictoriaP0. Box 1700Victoria, B.C. V8W 2Y2

Orders may be sent to GeorgeYoung at the above address.

This new cataloguing of resources for researchers lists the directories up to 1900. It lists material referring to long vanishedcommunities, and cross referencestowns that have had name changes.Most of the source material is heldin local universities, archives or libraries though some out-of-provinceinstitutions are mentioned.Historians can discover at a glancethe dates of directories which areavailable for the community or district being researched.

***** *** **** *** **

NewsPublishing Committee

ReportAt a recent meeting of the Committee, Nancy Peter; ourefficient new Subscription Secretary, reported on theexcellent cooperation which she has received from Branchtreasurers. This is a tremendous help.We are concerned about our rising production

expenditure. It costs $6.40 to mail four issues of theNEWS to each of our 1100 subscribers. As Federationmembers only pay a $5 subscription, the source of ourproblem is easily identified. Rather than raisingsubscription rates, however, we are launching asubscription drive. The more magazines that we publish,the lower the unit cost. We hope that each of our readerscan help by persuading a friend to subscribe.Finally, the Committee is looking for new members,

including a new chairperson. Ifyou have some backgroundin publishing and / or an interest in helping to maintainthe standards of this magazine, PLEASE VOLUNTEERTODAY!

Ann W. Johnston

Jean Barman sends a message of thanks to those readers who responded to her appeal in the Winter 1988

NEWS for information on teachers in British Columbiaprior to the inception ofNormal School in 1901. She is,howeve, still gathering material and wishes to borrow

photographs ofteachers of that era.

Her address:Jean Barman, Dept. S & E Studies, University of B.C.2125 Main Mall, Vancouver; B.C. V6T 1Z5

NoteWe distribute about 1100 copies of the Historical News each quartei900 to members, 120 to non-members and 85 to Institutions. Ofthese 32 copies go to other provinces, 26 copies to U.S.A., and oneor more to England, Scotland, West Germany, Japan andAustralia.

B.C. Historical News32

THE BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORICAL FEDERATION

Honorary Patron: His Honour, the Honourable David C. Lam, CM, LL.D., Lieutenant-Governorof British Columbia

Honorary President: Dr. W. Kaye Lamb

Officers

President John D. Spittle, 1241 Mount Crown Road, North Vancouver, B.C. V7R 1R9988-4565

1st Vice President Myrtle Haslam, PD. Box 10, Cowichan Bay, B.C. VOR 1NO748-8397

2nd Vice President Dorothy Crosby, 33662 Northcote Crescent, Mission, B.C. V2V 5V2826-8808

Secretary T Don Sale, 262 Juniper Street, Nanaimo, B.C. V9S 1X4753-2067

Recording Secretary Shirley Cuthbertson, 306 - 225 Belleville Street, Victoria, B.C. V8V 4T9387-2486 (business), 382-0288 (residence)

Treasurer Francis Sleigh, Box 29, Deroche, B.C. VOM 1GO826-0451

Members-at-Large Margaret Stoneberg, P0. Box 687, Princeton, B.C. VOX iWO295-3362

Alice Glanville, RD. Box 746, Grand Forks, B.C. VOH 1HO442-3865

Past President Naomi Miller

Editor Naomi Miller, Box 105, Wasa, B.C. VOB 2K0422-3594

Chairmen of CommitteesPublications Assistance Helen Akrigg, 8-2575 Tolmie Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6R 4M1Committee 228-8606(not involved with Loans are available for publications, Please contactB.C. Historical News) Helen Akrigg prior to submitting manuscript.

Historic Trailsand Markers John D. Spittle

B.C. Historical News Ann W. Johnston, R.R. 1, Mayne Island, B.C. VON 2J0Publishing Committee 539-2888

Subscription Secretary Nancy Peter, 5928 Baffin Place, Burnaby, B.C. V5H 3S8 437-6115

Book Review Editor Anne Yandle, 3450 West 20th Avenue, Vancouver V6S 1 E4228-4879 (business) 733-6484 (residence)

Heritage Cemeteries John D. Adams, 628 Battery Street, Victoria, B.C.V8V 1 E5 342-2895

Lieutenant- Governor’sAward Committee Naomi Miller

The British Columbia Historical News Second Class MailP0. Box 35326 Stn. E. Registration No. 4447Vancouver, B.C.V6M 4G5

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JOINWhy not join the British Columbia HistoricalFederation and receive the British ColumbiaHistorical News regularly?

The BCHF is composed of member societies in allparts of the province. By joining your local societyyou receive not only a subscription to BritishColumbia Historical News, but the opportunity toparticipate in a program of talks and field trips,and to meet others interested in British Columbia’shistory and the BCHF’s annual convention.

For information, contact your local society (addresson the inside front cover)... No local society in yourarea? Perhaps you might think of forming one. Forinformation contact the secretary of the BCHF (address inside back cover.)