Family Ties

In the last couple of weeks, I have had several encounters with descendants of pioneer families. This is my favourite part of the job. I get to hear people's stories of their families, and sometimes I can fill in gaps for them, as well. A couple of weeks ago, there was a Westerberg family reunion in town, and I had the chance to meet several of the grandchildren and great grandchildren of Andrew"Ole the Bear" Westerberg. Ole the Bear was the mail carrier to the Big Bend region north of Revelstoke for about 35 years, and he made his winter runs on skis and snowshoes. He had many encounters with bears and other animals, and maintained a fairly lucrative trapline along his route. His nickname came about due to some of his more dramatic encounters with a bear, including a story in which he reputedly killed a bear with an axe. He was also famous for fashioning a pair of snowshoes for a horse, so that he could save it from being snowed in about 50 miles north of town. The Westerberg family settled on a homestead south of town, on what is now Westerberg road.

I also had a visit from the granddaughter of Frank Bourne. Frank's daughter, Eleanor, had lived in California for most of her adult life, and she and her husband made several trips to Revelstoke over the years to see her old home. I got to know Eleanor quite well and we carried on a correspondence in between her trips. Her daughter Linda came to Revelstoke to let people know that Eleanor passed away last fall at the age of 94. It was very moving to be able to meet Linda and hear more stories about her mother and family. Linda appreciated the chance to see people and places that had meant so much to her mother.

Yesterday, I had a visit from two of my favourite people. Tom and Margaret Taylor have been visiting Revelstoke for over 20 years. Tom's grandparents were Thompson Edgar Leon Taylor and Adriana Taylor, early residents of Revelstoke. T.E.L. was an entrepreneur, officer in charge of the local regiment of Rocky Mountain Rangers, postmaster, and was very involved in community life, so even prior to Tom and Margaret's first visit, I was well aware of T.E.L. Taylor and had seen several photographs of him. When Tom and Margaret first visited the museum in 1988, I recognized Tom based on his resemblance to his grandfather, and they were so impressed, that they have been coming to visit every year since! Tom has provided the museum with a lot of valuable material on his grandparents, and I have been able to find information for him as well.

These are just three of many stories about families that have come to the museum. To me, this is what my job is all about: helping people connect with their own history.