Cemetery Walk

I will be leading the first cemetery walk of the season on Thursday, June 18 at 7:00 pm. Meet at the Cemetery gates (Highway 23 North across from the Frontier) or call the Museum at 250-837-3067 to arrange for a ride. The tour takes about an hour-and-a-half, and we look at about 20 sites, and talk about the history of the cemetery. The oldest gravestone that we have been able to find is that of Louise Beavo, who died in 1892. If you look at her marker, it will say 1893, but it was over a year after she died before her marker was placed, and they got the year wrong!

We also visit the graves of two murder victims. Jennie Kiobara was a Japanese prostitute who was murdered in 1905. The newspapers of the day described the crime in grisly detail, but had little sympathy for the victim, because of her occupation. Her grave marker was paid for by Wah Chung, the owner of the house in which she lived. Wah Chung was under suspicion for a while, but was never charged. Her murder was never solved, although a story is told that a man confessed to the crime on his deathbed. The other murder victim was Frank Julian, or Francesco Juliano, who came to Revelstoke from Italy via Chicago and San Francisco. He was one of Revelstoke's early Italian citizens, and had a farm near the Illecillewaet River as well as a home on Second Street East. In 1910, he was found murdered on his farm property, killed by a blow from an ax. On his forehead was a black cross, etched into his skin with acid. The murder was believed by everyone, including the police, to be a mafia slaying. His murderer was never found.

Bike to Work Week

Tomorrow, Wednesday May 13, the topic of the Brown Bag History talk will be "Biking & Hiking" to mark "Bike to Work Week." I couldn't find quite enough information just on biking, so added in the extra topic of hiking. I will talk a little bit about early mountaineering in the Selkirks, but I won't delve into that too deeply, because it warrants a talk of its own on another occasion.

I did find a few interesting bits of information on early biking in Revelstoke. As early as 1896, local entrepreneur William Cowan had built a bicycle track, for racing, in the lower section of town, and by 1897, Eddie Edwards was making a name for himself as a champion bicycle racer. A photograph of him on his bike is currently on display in the front window of the Museum, along with a wooden bicycle wheel rim. This photograph shows two young lads cycling on Front Street, around 1900.

In 1928, a champion bicycle rider, Fred St. Onge, stopped in Revelstoke as part of his North American bicycle tour. He taught bicycle safety to local children, and set up a 150 foot long, 5 inch wide plank for the children to test their bicycle agility. Ten year old Helen Parker managed a world-record total of 2,420 feet on the plank without falling, and she was awarded a gold medal from the CCM Bicycle Company. The medal is now in the collection of Revelstoke Museum & Archives. Helen was the daughter of Phil & Eva (Hobbs) Parker, and it is possible that Helen got her sense of balance from Eva, an experienced mountaineer after whom Eva Lake on Mount Revelstoke is named.

For more information on this topic, or any other aspect of local history, call or drop in to see us.

Heritage Walking Tour

On Sunday, May 3, at 1 pm, I will be leading a heritage walking tour for "Hike for Hospice." All of the proceeds go to the local Hospice Society, a very worthwhile organization that provides compassionate care to people facing the end of life.

I'll be following the "Courthouse Tour" which will leave from the Museum and head west along First Street. We'll look at the site of the old Queen Victoria Hospital, and the original site of the cenotaph. I'll talk about Government Road, which angled from Third Street to Victoria Road. The last vestige of the road is the angled street alongside The Bargain Store and Chalet Bakery. Goverment Road provided slightly more direct access from the original business section on Front Street to the C.P.R. Station. We'll talk about the origin of some of the street names that we encounter, and look at the various styles of residences along the route. I'll throw in a few stories about some of the early residents, especially my favourite family, the Holtens. There is an element of mystery, and possibly even scandal, associated with them, which makes them very interesting!

We'll look at the exterior of the Courthouse, and the various monuments and plaques that have been placed on and around it over the years. How many of you know where to find the cornerstone? We'll look at the plaque in honour of the World War I casualties from Revelstoke - over 100 names. The plaque was placed there in 1919 by the Women's Canadian Club of Revelstoke and was unveiled by the Prince of Wales.

We're hoping for fine weather, and a good turnout. If you can't make it for the walk, drop in to the museum for a copy of our Heritage Walking Tour brochure and take a self-guided tour.