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It looks as though one of my resolutions for 2011 should be to update the Museum blog more frequently! Sometimes the hardest part is trying to decide what to write about. I did have some requests last year to tell stories of some of our pioneer families, so I'll start there.
Seeing that we are very close to New Year's Eve, it's not hard to make a connection with the history of beer breweries in Revelstoke. For many years, Revelstoke was associated with brewing, and in fact when we purchased the latest version of the Encyclopedia Britannica in the early 1980s, the listing for Revelstoke focused on the presence of breweries. That was interesting, because at the time, there were no breweries in Revelstoke. The longest-running brewery, Enterprise Brewery, had shut down in the 1950s. The gap has now been nicely filled with the award-winning Mount Begbie Brewing Company.
The history of brewing in Revelstoke goes back to 1890, when Oliver Henry Allen came to Revelstoke. Allen came from Toronto, where his father was a brewer. Oliver Henry Allen became a lieutenant in the Canadian militia and was sent to the Riel Rebellion in 1885. In Regina, he met Mary McLean, originally from Kirkfield, Ontario, who was working at the Regina Star newspaper as the editorial writer. Oliver and Mary were eventually married, and in 1889 they came to Revelstoke. O.H. Allen erected a brewery at the base of Mount Revelstoke in the summer of 1890, in partnership with Thomas Righton. They used the water from nearby Brewery Creek to make their beer. In 1891, O.H. Allen left the partnership and built a new brewery approximately where the east abutment of the present Trans Canada Highway bridge is now. The Kootenay Mail newspaper of December 1, 1894 described the brewery as "...the largest of its kind in the Kootenay country. The buildings now present the appearance of a small village. There have recently been added to the lager beer brewery, a new ice house, with the capacity of 150 tons. The cellar is built entirely of stone, as are all the foundations of other buildings...the lager beer output is rapidly increasing and eastern and western brewers pronounce it as good as can be obtained anywhere."
The Allen brewery ceased operations in 1900, but Allen again went into business in 1903, in partnership with William Johnson, when they opened the Revelstoke Brewery, at the corner of Campbell Avenue and Fourth Street.
Oliver Henry Allen and his wife Mary had six children: Emma, Thomas, Marie, Dalton, Marjory and Jack. O.H. Allen died in Revelstoke in 1928, and Mary died in 1944. They are both buried in Revelstoke's Mountain View Cemetery.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
November 7th and November 11th - What's the connection?
Sunday, November 7 was the 125th Anniversary of the Driving of the Last Spike to complete the Canadian Pacific Railway. I was privileged to ride the train to Craigellachie for the commemorative ceremony. As we arrived at the Railway Museum to board the train we were met by two members of Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) Regiment in dress uniform.
Donald Smith, who drove the last spike to complete the transcontinental railway, was soon after given the title of Lord Strathcona and Mount Royal. In January of 1900, he offered to raise and equip a mounted regiment at his own expense to serve in the Boer War in South Africa. The reigiment was under the command of Sam Steele, the well-known early superintendent of the North-West Mounted Police. A sergeant in Lord Strathcona's Horse serving in South Africa was the first Canadian to receive the Victoria Cross. In 1909, the Regiment was reformed and named Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) and is still an active Regiment.
The significance of the presence of Lord Strathcona’s Horse at the ceremony yesterday made me think about the connection between the driving of the last spike, and Canada’s involvement in the Boer War, and World Wars I and II. It was the transcontinental railway that made it possible to move troops across Canada for active service overseas. The railway transported the thousands of parcels to the men overseas, including literally hundreds of pairs of socks knitted by the women of Revelstoke. Numerous photographs show troops coming and going from the station at Revelstoke, often with large crowds of residents and schoolchildren cheering them on their way.
One of Revelstoke’s casualties during World War I was Thomas Lewis, a long-time resident of Revelstoke. He came to Revelstoke in the late 1880s with his parents and siblings. He worked as a dairy farmer and teamster and in 1900 enlisted with Lord Strathcona’s Horse and served in South Africa. During World War I, he again enlisted for overseas service at the age of 43, making the difficult decision to leave his aging parents to serve his country. He was popular among the younger men, who saw him as a father figure. In a letter home to his parents, he wrote, “I know you would be glad that I am doing my duty, which as yet I have not failed in…Life or deathis not in our hands, but the manner of living or dying is.” Tom Lewis was killed in action on August 21, 1917, and at the age of 45, was Revelstoke’s ol
dest casualty.
As we approach Remembrance Day, we remember the 107 men from Revelstoke and district who died during World War I, and the 32 men who died during World War II.
One of Revelstoke’s casualties during World War I was Thomas Lewis, a long-time resident of Revelstoke. He came to Revelstoke in the late 1880s with his parents and siblings. He worked as a dairy farmer and teamster and in 1900 enlisted with Lord Strathcona’s Horse and served in South Africa. During World War I, he again enlisted for overseas service at the age of 43, making the difficult decision to leave his aging parents to serve his country. He was popular among the younger men, who saw him as a father figure. In a letter home to his parents, he wrote, “I know you would be glad that I am doing my duty, which as yet I have not failed in…Life or deathis not in our hands, but the manner of living or dying is.” Tom Lewis was killed in action on August 21, 1917, and at the age of 45, was Revelstoke’s ol
dest casualty.As we approach Remembrance Day, we remember the 107 men from Revelstoke and district who died during World War I, and the 32 men who died during World War II.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
The Farwell Police War
Brown Bag History is back for the fall at Revelstoke Museum and Archives. The series kicked off yesterday with a talk on the Farwell Police War, an interesting story going back 125 years to the beginnings of our community. Surveyor Arthur Stanhope Farwell applied for a provincial grant here and established a townsite, with the main business street on Front Street, next to the Columbia River. The town grew quickly, with Canadian Pacific Railway workers, entrepreneurs and miners flooding into the area. By the summer of 1885, it was estimated that there were over 6,000 people in the new townsite.
Several businessmen were opening hotels and saloons in the new community, and were eager to acquire liquor licenses. The provincial government, represented locally by Magistrate Gilbert Malcolm Sproat and Provincial Police Constable Jack Kirkup, was issuing licences and allowing for the sale of alcohol at licensed establishments. The problem arose because there was a prohibition on liquor sales in the railway construction belt, and this law was being enforced by the North-West Mounted Police, with their barracks at the top of Douglas Street hill. The legendary Colonel Sam Steele was in charge at the Farwell barracks, but in the spring of 1885 he was called away to the Riel Rebellion, leaving behind a less-experienced man, George Hope Johnston, and a staff of untrained special constables.
Johnston's federal constables were confiscating liquor from provincially licensed sellers without warrants, and as a result, one of the constables, Mr. Roddick, was brought before Provincial Magistrate Sproat on a charge of larceny. Roddick flouted the authority of Sproat and left the court without bail and without permission. Sproat then sent two constables to pick up Roddick, but they were assaulted by Johnston and his men. One of the constables escaped, and the other was thrown into the NWMP barracks jail. Sproat sent another provincial constable, John Miles, to re-arrest Roddick, but he was also assaulted and thrown into jail.
By this time, Sproat had had enough. He sent a large group of men to arrest Johnston and his staff. Once Johnston appeared before Sproat, he saw that he had no choice but to let the provincial constables out of the barracks jail. Johnston was charged with assault of a police officer and let out of jail. In the meantime, the rest of Johnston's special constables fled local jurisdiction, some of them even going to the states. The Daily Colonist newspaper at Victoria as good as accused the 'special constables' of stealing the liquor from the licensed establishments and selling it themselves.
The situation was finally resolved at the end of September 1885 when Johnston appeared before Magistrate Sproat and Colonel McLeod (of Fort McLeod fame). Johnston was convinced to plead guilty and make submission, after which Sproat could charge him with a lesser charge of common assault and let him off with a fine, as opposed to up to 6 months of hard labour. Johnston's actions were put down to lack of experience and bad legal advice. The North-West Mounted Police barracks remained active in Farwell until early in 1866, but there seemed to be an agreement that the federal police would only go after unlicensed liquor sellers, of which there were many.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Commemorating the 1910 Rogers Pass Snowslide
On March 4, 1910, a crew was working to clear the Canadian Pacific Railway mainline at Rogers Pass after a slide came off of Cheops Mountain, burying the line and stopping a passenger train east of the summit. Just before midnight, John Anderson, the roadmaster in charge of the clearing operations, went to the nearest phone to call Revelstoke to say that the line would soon be cleared. When he returned, he was met with an eerie silence. The crew had been buried under a second avalanche that came down from Avalanche Mountain. 58 men died, including John's younger brother Charles. Included in the crew were 32 Japanese laborers, all contract workers with the Canadian Nippon Supply Company, and men from Canada, Great Britain, Sweden, Denmark and Ukraine.
One hundred years later, this event is being commemorated in a number of ways. On the exact 100th anniversary, a community commemoration service was held in Grizzly Plaza in downtown Revelstoke. Buddhist and Christian services were held, along with reflections from relatives of John and Charles Anderson, and the Yamaji family of Japan, who had two ancestors lost in the slide. The plaza was decorated with over 10,000 origami cranes, folded by people from Revelstoke and beyond to carry the wish that should a tragedy would never happen again. The commemoration continued this past week with a ceremony at Mountain View Cemetery in Vancouver where all 32 Japanese men and two Caucasian men are buried. Back in Revelstoke, the Revelstoke Railway Museum opened an exhibit on the snowslide itself and on the railway's response to that slide and others over the years. On August 14th, Revelstoke Museum and Archives opened an exhibit on the slide entitled, "Overwhelmed" which looks at the lives of the men who died and on the families and community who were left to mourn.
One hundred years later, this event is being commemorated in a number of ways. On the exact 100th anniversary, a community commemoration service was held in Grizzly Plaza in downtown Revelstoke. Buddhist and Christian services were held, along with reflections from relatives of John and Charles Anderson, and the Yamaji family of Japan, who had two ancestors lost in the slide. The plaza was decorated with over 10,000 origami cranes, folded by people from Revelstoke and beyond to carry the wish that should a tragedy would never happen again. The commemoration continued this past week with a ceremony at Mountain View Cemetery in Vancouver where all 32 Japanese men and two Caucasian men are buried. Back in Revelstoke, the Revelstoke Railway Museum opened an exhibit on the snowslide itself and on the railway's response to that slide and others over the years. On August 14th, Revelstoke Museum and Archives opened an exhibit on the slide entitled, "Overwhelmed" which looks at the lives of the men who died and on the families and community who were left to mourn.
The commemorative events culminated in Rogers Pass National Historic Site on August 15, which is a significant day of remembrance of the dead in Japan. Coincidentally, it was also the day, 125 years ago, that the rails reached Rogers Pass during the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Parks Canada unveiled a beautiful memory garden, designed by the brilliant Rob Buchanan, honouring many aspects of the history of the Pass, including the victims of the 1910 snowslide and other tragic events. At the ceremony, we again remembered the dead, and again relatives of John and Charles Anderson were present, along with relatives of four of the Japanese victims. Many of the families had not known the fate of their relatives or their final resting places until Tomoaki Fujimura of Revelstoke was able to locate them in Japan and provide them with this information. It was thanks to Tomo's efforts that the families were able to come to Canada to pay their respects to their ancestors and to honour their memories.
A poignant feature of the services in March and August was the performance of the song, "The Ballad of William LaChance" by singer and songwriter Saskia Overbeek, accompanied by Darrel Delaronde. The haunting refrain, "and the headlines read, 58 dead," brought home the impact of the slide and helped all those present to remember them.
The day's events ended back in Revelstoke in the evening, when 58 small "spirit boats" were released into the Columbia River, each one bearing the name of one of the victims. A haunting melody, played by a flautist on the river bank, helped us to meditate on the events of 100 years ago, and how they continue to resonate now. Through my research on the snowslide and the people involved, I feel as though I have come to know them, and I truly felt that we were setting their spirits free and honouring them as they deserved.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Reflections - The Photographs of Earle and Estelle Dickey
Revelstoke Museum and Archives is currently working on a book featuring the photographs of Earle and Estelle Dickey. For over 40 years, Earle and Estelle recorded a great deal of the history of Revelstoke and the surrounding district through their photographs. Earle was born in Revelstoke in 1893 and worked as an electrical superintendent for the city. Estelle came to Revelstoke in 1916 as a clerk for the C.B. Hume Department Store and married Earle in 1920. Earle was active as the publicity chairman for the Board of Trade and many of his photographs were used to promote the city. Prior to his death in 1954, Earle took all of the photographs and Estelle developed them in her home darkroom. Estelle also learned the art of hand-colouring Earle's black and white photographs and they sold many of their coloured works. After Earle's death, Estelle took over as a photographer. As well as capturing many of the people, places and events of Revelstoke and district, she also worked as a commercial photographer. Estelle passed away in 1980.Earle and Estelle's family donated the bulk of their collection of images to Revelstoke Museum and Archives, and each image has been catalogued and scanned. The entire collection of negatives, 1-inch slides, 2-inch slides and prints comprises over 1,500 images. Our "Book Committee" has spent hours going through the collection and selecting about 100 to be included in the book. We are now completing the text and captions and hope to get the book to the printer next week. We are anticapting that the book will be ready for sale for October and we are planning a book launch, with details to be announced in the future. We are very pleased to have received funding for this project from the Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance. We are excited about the upcoming launch of the book.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Why I Love My Job
My long to-do list didn't get dealt with today, but a lot of lovely things happened that made it a great day. To start with, we had a visit from a couple who donated some artifacts from the 1950s, including a child's tea set in perfect condition. It was donated by the woman who owned it as a child, and it was in its original box. The china tea set was made in Occupied Japan, which makes it even more interesting. She also donated a few other things, including Better Homes and Gardens magazines from 1944 and 1956.
Then the mail arrived, and with it, a package from Eugenia Howson Brown of California, who was born in Revelstoke in the 1920s to Len and Irene Howson. Len was one of the first children born in Revelstoke, in 1890. Len's home and his parents' home (now Minto Manor) are two of the very fine heritage homes on Mackenzie Avenue in Revelstoke. Eugenia sent her mother's and her grandmother's visiting purses - small sterling silver purses in which they put their visiting cards. When they went to visit a friend, they would present one of their cards. Also included was a Visiting Book, in which Mrs. Irene Howson recorded the days on which each of her friends received guests. These are great artifacts representing the social history of the community.
Later this afternoon, we were holding a birthday party for a seven-year-old girl and her friends. I was just beginning a tour for the children when I was asked to help a visitor. I turned the tour over to our capable summer student, Andrew, and went to assist the visitor. She was visiting from California and was looking for information on her great-uncle, who lived in Revelstoke until his death in 1948. After checking on the internet, we discovered that her great-uncle's wife died in Revelstoke in 1988, and when we found the obituary in the newspaper, I recognized the name of the daughter. The daughter and her husband still live in town, so I gave them a call, and discovered that they were having their 55th Wedding Anniversary party at that very moment! They were delighted to hear from their new relative, and immediately invited her to the party. The visitor from California was absolutely thrilled, and quickly went off to visit her new-found family!
Then the mail arrived, and with it, a package from Eugenia Howson Brown of California, who was born in Revelstoke in the 1920s to Len and Irene Howson. Len was one of the first children born in Revelstoke, in 1890. Len's home and his parents' home (now Minto Manor) are two of the very fine heritage homes on Mackenzie Avenue in Revelstoke. Eugenia sent her mother's and her grandmother's visiting purses - small sterling silver purses in which they put their visiting cards. When they went to visit a friend, they would present one of their cards. Also included was a Visiting Book, in which Mrs. Irene Howson recorded the days on which each of her friends received guests. These are great artifacts representing the social history of the community.
Later this afternoon, we were holding a birthday party for a seven-year-old girl and her friends. I was just beginning a tour for the children when I was asked to help a visitor. I turned the tour over to our capable summer student, Andrew, and went to assist the visitor. She was visiting from California and was looking for information on her great-uncle, who lived in Revelstoke until his death in 1948. After checking on the internet, we discovered that her great-uncle's wife died in Revelstoke in 1988, and when we found the obituary in the newspaper, I recognized the name of the daughter. The daughter and her husband still live in town, so I gave them a call, and discovered that they were having their 55th Wedding Anniversary party at that very moment! They were delighted to hear from their new relative, and immediately invited her to the party. The visitor from California was absolutely thrilled, and quickly went off to visit her new-found family!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Multicultural Heritage Picnic - Event Schedule
Multicultural Heritage Picnic in the Park
Sunday 27 June 2010, 11 am to 3 pm
EVENT SCHEDULE
11 am
Bike decorating contest judging
Music from Steve Smith
Craft making and kids' activities (all day)
11.30am
Mayor David Raven opens event
Winner of bike decorating contest announced
11.45am
Jannica's Drum Song Welcome &
Métis Jigging performance
12.45pm
Egg & spoon, sack and three-legged races (for kids aged 5 - 12 yrs)
1.00pm
Music from Steve Smith
2.00pm
Best dressed heritage costume winners announced
2.00pm
Storytelling for kids:
Moosham George
Stories from the early days of the railway Traditional First Nations' stories
Cathy English
Once upon a time in Farwell...
3.00 pm
Tour of Farwell with Cathy English
Summer Heritage Tours
Here is the schedule for our Heritage Tours for this summer.
Tuesday, June 29: Cemetery Tour: 7 PM Meet at the Cemetery Gates
Thursday, July 8: Farwell Tour: 7 PM Meet at Farwell Park
Thursday, July 22: Cemetery Tour: 7 PM Meet at the Cemetery Gates
Tuesday, July 27: Downtown Tour: 2 PM Meet at the Museum
Wed, August 4: Farwell Tour: 7 PM Meet at Farwell Park
Monday, August 16: Farwell Tour: 7 PM Meet at Farwell Park
Tuesday, August 17: Cemetery Tour: 7 PM Meet at the Cemetery Gates
Cost per person for each tour is $5.00. We can also do tours for groups on request. Get together a group of 6 or more people and give me a call to arrange for a tour of your choice. For more information, contact the museum at 250-837-3067 or email us at revelstokemuseum@telus.net
Tuesday, June 29: Cemetery Tour: 7 PM Meet at the Cemetery Gates
Thursday, July 8: Farwell Tour: 7 PM Meet at Farwell Park
Thursday, July 22: Cemetery Tour: 7 PM Meet at the Cemetery Gates
Tuesday, July 27: Downtown Tour: 2 PM Meet at the Museum
Wed, August 4: Farwell Tour: 7 PM Meet at Farwell Park
Monday, August 16: Farwell Tour: 7 PM Meet at Farwell Park
Tuesday, August 17: Cemetery Tour: 7 PM Meet at the Cemetery Gates
Cost per person for each tour is $5.00. We can also do tours for groups on request. Get together a group of 6 or more people and give me a call to arrange for a tour of your choice. For more information, contact the museum at 250-837-3067 or email us at revelstokemuseum@telus.net
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Farwell Townsite - 125 Years of History
Join us in Farwell Park on Sunday, June 27th from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm as we celebrate Canadian Multiculturalism Day and the 125th Anniversary of the Farwell Townsite. We will have a variety of entertainment, food, and fun, including a bike decorating contest, and a contest for the best heritage costume (whatever your heritage may be!) We'll post the schedule here soon.
The establishment of the Farwell townsite in 1885 marks the beginning of our community's history.
In 1885, surveyor A.S. Farwell filed the map of his Farwell townsite, with Front Street as the main commercial area. The quickly growing frontier construction town was nestled along the riverbank next to where the first railway bridge was constructed. Farwell had applied for a provincial land grant in this area knowing that the Canadian Pacific Railway company would construct their line through Rogers Pass. He planned to sell his land to the company for their station and yards. The CPR disputed Farwell’s claim and refused to deal with him. They located their local operations to the east of Farwell’s land and began selling lots in what was known as Revelstoke Station, named after Lord Revelstoke, a British financier who had bought sufficient shares in the struggling railway company to allow them to complete the line.
Revelstoke quickly overshadowed Farwell as more and more businesses relocated close to the station. By the 1920s, the general stores and the large hotels were gone. A sawmill and shingle mill dominated the street in the 1940s and 1950s, but before long the street became wholly residential, with very few of the original buildings remaining. Join with us as we celebrate this important part of our heritage.
In 1885, surveyor A.S. Farwell filed the map of his Farwell townsite, with Front Street as the main commercial area. The quickly growing frontier construction town was nestled along the riverbank next to where the first railway bridge was constructed. Farwell had applied for a provincial land grant in this area knowing that the Canadian Pacific Railway company would construct their line through Rogers Pass. He planned to sell his land to the company for their station and yards. The CPR disputed Farwell’s claim and refused to deal with him. They located their local operations to the east of Farwell’s land and began selling lots in what was known as Revelstoke Station, named after Lord Revelstoke, a British financier who had bought sufficient shares in the struggling railway company to allow them to complete the line.
Revelstoke quickly overshadowed Farwell as more and more businesses relocated close to the station. By the 1920s, the general stores and the large hotels were gone. A sawmill and shingle mill dominated the street in the 1940s and 1950s, but before long the street became wholly residential, with very few of the original buildings remaining. Join with us as we celebrate this important part of our heritage.
Friday, May 21, 2010
The Queen's Birthday
Make sure to do something special on May 24th to celebrate the birthday of Queen Victoria, who reigned from 1837 to 1901. The early residents of Revelstoke always made the Queen's Birthday a reason for a fun community celebration.
The Kootenay Star of May 30, 1891 reported on a picnic held by the Independent Order of Grand Templars to celebrate the 72nd Birthday of Queen Victoria. They held the picnic on the banks of the Illecillewaet River, and arranged for horse-drawn buses to transport those who attended. The paper reported that "Queen’s Weather’ prevailed, the day being bright and warm, with probably an accent on warm.” Swings were set up in the trees, and baseball and other games were held. Ten women participated in the ladies' race, with Mrs. Coursier coming in first. Mrs. Coursier daughter, Isabel, later became the world champion women's ski jumper.
One of the highlights of the picnic was a tug of war between the men and the women. As the newspaper reported, “It remained, however, for the ladies to humble them in the dust, and this they did with the grace of polished dissemblers. Seven of the stronger sex thought they had a soft thing to outpull fourteen of the ladies. The pull began and thirteen ladies looked anxiously toward their Captain at the end of the line. She was equal to the occasion and puckered her lips to whistle. That was all that was necessary, and the twenty-eight fair hands let go as one, and seven men rolled over in the dust amid the derisive cheers of the assembled crowd.”
The crowd then enjoyed their picnic supper, "...after which the picnicers wended their way homeward, evidently pretty tired but serenely satisfied with the days outing.”
However you celebrate the Queen's Birthday, I hope that you have a lovely day. The museum will be open this Saturday, May 22nd but closed on the 23rd and 24th.
The Kootenay Star of May 30, 1891 reported on a picnic held by the Independent Order of Grand Templars to celebrate the 72nd Birthday of Queen Victoria. They held the picnic on the banks of the Illecillewaet River, and arranged for horse-drawn buses to transport those who attended. The paper reported that "Queen’s Weather’ prevailed, the day being bright and warm, with probably an accent on warm.” Swings were set up in the trees, and baseball and other games were held. Ten women participated in the ladies' race, with Mrs. Coursier coming in first. Mrs. Coursier daughter, Isabel, later became the world champion women's ski jumper.
One of the highlights of the picnic was a tug of war between the men and the women. As the newspaper reported, “It remained, however, for the ladies to humble them in the dust, and this they did with the grace of polished dissemblers. Seven of the stronger sex thought they had a soft thing to outpull fourteen of the ladies. The pull began and thirteen ladies looked anxiously toward their Captain at the end of the line. She was equal to the occasion and puckered her lips to whistle. That was all that was necessary, and the twenty-eight fair hands let go as one, and seven men rolled over in the dust amid the derisive cheers of the assembled crowd.”
The crowd then enjoyed their picnic supper, "...after which the picnicers wended their way homeward, evidently pretty tired but serenely satisfied with the days outing.”
However you celebrate the Queen's Birthday, I hope that you have a lovely day. The museum will be open this Saturday, May 22nd but closed on the 23rd and 24th.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
JD Sibbald
We have had some recent requests from family members of Revelstoke pioneers to do profiles of them on our blog and Facebook page. In the first of these, I will give a brief history of John Drinkwater Sibbald, a Revelstoke pioneer who arrived here in 1893, coming originally from the Lake Simcoe area of Ontario, where he was born in 1846. He settled for a short time in California, then moved to Yuma, Arizona, where he became involved in mining interests. In 1882, he returned to Canada, settling in Regina, where he was manager of the Western Milling Company. J.D. Sibbald moved to Revelstoke in 1893, starting in the flour and feed business, but soon gave this up to pursue mining interests, and to open an insurance and real estate office. He organized and was the first president of the Revelstoke Board of Trade in 1895. This organization still exists, under the current name of Revelstoke Chamber of Commerce.
In December of 1897, Sibbald was appointed as Gold Commissioner and Government Agent for the Revelstoke district. This was a political appointment, and when the provincial government changed in January of 1899, he was asked to resign. This created outrage among his supporters in Revelstoke, although the two local newspapers took opposing sides. The Revelstoke Herald supported Sibbald, and in their issue of January 14, 1899, they led with this headline: “The Sibbald Outrage – The Dismissal of J.D. Sibbald Characterized as Un-British, Unjust and Cruel – The Reason That the Position Was Wanted by a Friend of the Government is an Aggravation of the Wrong.” The opposing newspaper, The Kootenay Mail, published statements that caused J.D. Sibbald to sue them for libel, but the case was dismissed.
J.D. Sibbald met with a serious accident in 1904, when he was inspecting mining property at McCullough Creek, north of Revelstoke. A large rock came loose from the hillside above where Sibbald was standing, and it struck him in the back of the head, fracturing his skull and rendering him unconscious. A mining packer made the 75 mile trip to Revelstoke in a very fast 10 and ½ hours and early the next morning, Doctor Graham and Mrs. Sibbald set out on the S.S. Revelstoke, reaching the scene of the accident that afternoon. The next morning, they were able to bring Mr. Sibbald into Revelstoke where he was admitted to the hospital. The return trip took over 14 hours. Mr. Sibbald remained in the hospital for over two weeks.
Mrs. Amelia Sibbald was also very active in the community and was the first president of the Women’s Canadian Club of Revelstoke when it formed in 1913. This organization was very active in supporting the troops during World War I. The Sibbalds had two children: J.D. Sibbald, Jr., and Mrs. Kathleen Lloyd.
Mr. and Mrs. Sibbald returned to the family home in Ontario in 1919, where J.D. Sibbald died on September 19, 1923. The museum has more information on the family and would be pleased to provide this to anyone who is interested.
In December of 1897, Sibbald was appointed as Gold Commissioner and Government Agent for the Revelstoke district. This was a political appointment, and when the provincial government changed in January of 1899, he was asked to resign. This created outrage among his supporters in Revelstoke, although the two local newspapers took opposing sides. The Revelstoke Herald supported Sibbald, and in their issue of January 14, 1899, they led with this headline: “The Sibbald Outrage – The Dismissal of J.D. Sibbald Characterized as Un-British, Unjust and Cruel – The Reason That the Position Was Wanted by a Friend of the Government is an Aggravation of the Wrong.” The opposing newspaper, The Kootenay Mail, published statements that caused J.D. Sibbald to sue them for libel, but the case was dismissed.
J.D. Sibbald met with a serious accident in 1904, when he was inspecting mining property at McCullough Creek, north of Revelstoke. A large rock came loose from the hillside above where Sibbald was standing, and it struck him in the back of the head, fracturing his skull and rendering him unconscious. A mining packer made the 75 mile trip to Revelstoke in a very fast 10 and ½ hours and early the next morning, Doctor Graham and Mrs. Sibbald set out on the S.S. Revelstoke, reaching the scene of the accident that afternoon. The next morning, they were able to bring Mr. Sibbald into Revelstoke where he was admitted to the hospital. The return trip took over 14 hours. Mr. Sibbald remained in the hospital for over two weeks.
Mrs. Amelia Sibbald was also very active in the community and was the first president of the Women’s Canadian Club of Revelstoke when it formed in 1913. This organization was very active in supporting the troops during World War I. The Sibbalds had two children: J.D. Sibbald, Jr., and Mrs. Kathleen Lloyd.
Mr. and Mrs. Sibbald returned to the family home in Ontario in 1919, where J.D. Sibbald died on September 19, 1923. The museum has more information on the family and would be pleased to provide this to anyone who is interested.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
The Art of Embroidery
This Saturday, we will be holding a "Learn to Embroider" class at Revelstoke Museum as the first in our Pioneer Living Series. This new series is a part of our celebration of the125th Anniversary of the Farwell townsite.
As well as the opportunity to learn embroidery, we will be showing some examples of the craft. We will have some very beautiful embroidery work on display, including a few pieces done by Fred Maunder.
Fred Maunder was born in Ontario in 1876. He attended college, where he became a schoolteacher. He later became a Canadian Pacific Railway locomotive engineer. In 1907, he married Mable Cora Perrin, and she joined Fred in Field, B.C. In 1913, Fred became superintendent of Yoho and Glacier National Parks, and in 1914, when Mount Revelstoke National Park was created, he became the first superintendent of the new park.
In 1916, Fred Maunder signed up for overseas service, at the age of 40. He saw active service, and suffered shell shock and the effects of gassing. He was sent to recuperate in Oxford, England, and it was there that he learned to embroider, taught as a form of occupational therapy. He was soon creating beautiful embroidered pieces, and some of his work was displayed in the Hudson’s Bay store in Vancouver.
Upon his return to Canada, Fred Maunder resumed his work as Parks Superintendent until 1926, when he moved his family to Banff. Fred died there in 1929, after a bug bite in his eye became infected.
Fred Maunder’s daughter Marjorie married Alf Olsson in 1939, and Fred, John, Gordon and Larry Olsson are all grandsons of Fred Maunder. We thank the family for loaning Fred’s work for display.
Anyone interested in the embroidery workshop can call the museum at 250-837-3067.
As well as the opportunity to learn embroidery, we will be showing some examples of the craft. We will have some very beautiful embroidery work on display, including a few pieces done by Fred Maunder.
Fred Maunder was born in Ontario in 1876. He attended college, where he became a schoolteacher. He later became a Canadian Pacific Railway locomotive engineer. In 1907, he married Mable Cora Perrin, and she joined Fred in Field, B.C. In 1913, Fred became superintendent of Yoho and Glacier National Parks, and in 1914, when Mount Revelstoke National Park was created, he became the first superintendent of the new park.
In 1916, Fred Maunder signed up for overseas service, at the age of 40. He saw active service, and suffered shell shock and the effects of gassing. He was sent to recuperate in Oxford, England, and it was there that he learned to embroider, taught as a form of occupational therapy. He was soon creating beautiful embroidered pieces, and some of his work was displayed in the Hudson’s Bay store in Vancouver.
Upon his return to Canada, Fred Maunder resumed his work as Parks Superintendent until 1926, when he moved his family to Banff. Fred died there in 1929, after a bug bite in his eye became infected.
Fred Maunder’s daughter Marjorie married Alf Olsson in 1939, and Fred, John, Gordon and Larry Olsson are all grandsons of Fred Maunder. We thank the family for loaning Fred’s work for display.
Anyone interested in the embroidery workshop can call the museum at 250-837-3067.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Hall's Landing/Sidmouth
This week, we had a "Memories of Sidmouth" evening at the museum. We invited people who grew up in the Hall's Landing and Sidmouth areas, south of Revelstoke, to share their stories. One local resident had several stories written by former residents of the area. One of them was a story written in the 1970s by Walter M. Girling. He told of his family's move to Hall's Landing in 1912, when his father secured the job of teacher at the one-room school. The family had previously been living at Nakusp. Walter Girling tells of their coming to Hall's Landing:
"I remember my father saying that the advertisement for a teacher at Hall’s Landing asked for a man with several children of school age who were needed to bring the enrollment up sufficiently high to prevent the government from closing the school. There were 4 of us of school age at the time. My 2 older brothers Moray and Charlie and my older sister, Louise and myself, age 8. My father went ahead of us to be on hand for the opening of the school term. We did not follow him until about the end of October where Noah and Dove Hall and Noah’s wife came down to Nakusp to get us in a small steam wood-burning paddle boat called the “Beaver” which was operated under government sponsorship for the Hall’s Landing people from Arrowhead on the other side of the Columbia River. I was very surprised and impressed to see Mrs. Hall acting as “captain” and steering the boat part of the way. The night we arrived, it snowed. The first snowfall of the season, but we did not see the ground again until the end of March or early April.
"Mrs. Noah Hall put us up the first night and I remember looking out the first morning and seeing a number of cows pulling hay out of a haystack as their pastures were covered with snow. Later we moved into a 2-story log house about 1/2 mile north of the Ferry Landing.
Shortly after that we moved to a house on the opposite side of Cranberry Creek from the school. This house had been owed by an English family who had wearied of pioneering in Canada and returned to England. This was a very badly built house. The walls were full of cracks. The winter was very cold-- often down to 20° below zero-- and we had to rely on stoves for heat. These burned out during the night and we awake every morning to find the water frozen to ice on the wash basin and water pails. Milk was also frozen and the bread glistened with frost. There was no wood supply and my father and 2 brothers spent all their spare time after school and on the weekends, cutting firewood in the foothills and dragging it home on a sleigh. Fortunately green birch wood burns fairly well.
"My brother had located an abandoned preemption consisting of about 100 acres on the bank of the Columbia River almost opposite Arrowhead, with a small building on it ("The shack," we called it). My father filed a claim on this property and as soon as the snow was melted sufficiently, he laid out a site for a small house and excavated by hand with a shovel, a hole for the “cellar.” As soon as things were ready, the neighbors organized a “bee” and erected the frame of the house. A man named “Nichol” an eager proud axe man, squared up some cedar logs for the joist. This I believe is probably a lost art in this mechanical age. We lived in this house till December 1914, where we left to join my father at another school where he was teaching at Balfour, B.C.
"Some incidents which occurred during our residence at Hall’s Landing may be of interest. My parents were always devoted church members and one Sunday evening during January or February when we were living in the Wymess house, they and my older brother, Moray, set out to attend evening service at the church in Arrowhead. They were re-crossing the river in a rowboat when the broke an oar lock and they found themselves stranded helplessly on the middle of the river. The boat was caught in an ice floe and they were carried down to the head of the lake where they managed to land on Cottonwood Island. There they “hallooed” until they attracted the attention of someone on the shore at Arrowhead. And a very harsh voice shouted “Go into the bush and make a fire and get yourselves warm.” Help came and they spent the night in Arrowhead, returning home next morning. We younger children went to bed and slept unconcerned, but my brother Charlie and sister Louise spent a very worried night.
"The first school I attended at Hall’s Landing was in a little log cabin, so tiny that my desk was so close to the teacher’s desk that I could reach out and touch it. Slate pencils squeaking on slates were the bane of the teacher in those days. Our family owned the Hall’s Landing property up to about 6 years ago (mid 1960s) when it was sold to the Provincial Government because it was going to be flooded.
"During the 2nd World War, birch trees growing on the property were bought by the Dept of National Defense to use in airplane manufacturing but most of the revenue from this was taken by the government to pay arrears of taxes, Some of the people I went to school with were; Byron Bessie and Grace Frusster, Alee and Jean Shannon, Oscar and Evertt Petersen, Nelson Nichol and Lawrence Vigue."
We would be very happy to hear of any other stories from families who settled in this region.
"I remember my father saying that the advertisement for a teacher at Hall’s Landing asked for a man with several children of school age who were needed to bring the enrollment up sufficiently high to prevent the government from closing the school. There were 4 of us of school age at the time. My 2 older brothers Moray and Charlie and my older sister, Louise and myself, age 8. My father went ahead of us to be on hand for the opening of the school term. We did not follow him until about the end of October where Noah and Dove Hall and Noah’s wife came down to Nakusp to get us in a small steam wood-burning paddle boat called the “Beaver” which was operated under government sponsorship for the Hall’s Landing people from Arrowhead on the other side of the Columbia River. I was very surprised and impressed to see Mrs. Hall acting as “captain” and steering the boat part of the way. The night we arrived, it snowed. The first snowfall of the season, but we did not see the ground again until the end of March or early April.
"Mrs. Noah Hall put us up the first night and I remember looking out the first morning and seeing a number of cows pulling hay out of a haystack as their pastures were covered with snow. Later we moved into a 2-story log house about 1/2 mile north of the Ferry Landing.
Shortly after that we moved to a house on the opposite side of Cranberry Creek from the school. This house had been owed by an English family who had wearied of pioneering in Canada and returned to England. This was a very badly built house. The walls were full of cracks. The winter was very cold-- often down to 20° below zero-- and we had to rely on stoves for heat. These burned out during the night and we awake every morning to find the water frozen to ice on the wash basin and water pails. Milk was also frozen and the bread glistened with frost. There was no wood supply and my father and 2 brothers spent all their spare time after school and on the weekends, cutting firewood in the foothills and dragging it home on a sleigh. Fortunately green birch wood burns fairly well.
"My brother had located an abandoned preemption consisting of about 100 acres on the bank of the Columbia River almost opposite Arrowhead, with a small building on it ("The shack," we called it). My father filed a claim on this property and as soon as the snow was melted sufficiently, he laid out a site for a small house and excavated by hand with a shovel, a hole for the “cellar.” As soon as things were ready, the neighbors organized a “bee” and erected the frame of the house. A man named “Nichol” an eager proud axe man, squared up some cedar logs for the joist. This I believe is probably a lost art in this mechanical age. We lived in this house till December 1914, where we left to join my father at another school where he was teaching at Balfour, B.C.
"Some incidents which occurred during our residence at Hall’s Landing may be of interest. My parents were always devoted church members and one Sunday evening during January or February when we were living in the Wymess house, they and my older brother, Moray, set out to attend evening service at the church in Arrowhead. They were re-crossing the river in a rowboat when the broke an oar lock and they found themselves stranded helplessly on the middle of the river. The boat was caught in an ice floe and they were carried down to the head of the lake where they managed to land on Cottonwood Island. There they “hallooed” until they attracted the attention of someone on the shore at Arrowhead. And a very harsh voice shouted “Go into the bush and make a fire and get yourselves warm.” Help came and they spent the night in Arrowhead, returning home next morning. We younger children went to bed and slept unconcerned, but my brother Charlie and sister Louise spent a very worried night.
"The first school I attended at Hall’s Landing was in a little log cabin, so tiny that my desk was so close to the teacher’s desk that I could reach out and touch it. Slate pencils squeaking on slates were the bane of the teacher in those days. Our family owned the Hall’s Landing property up to about 6 years ago (mid 1960s) when it was sold to the Provincial Government because it was going to be flooded.
"During the 2nd World War, birch trees growing on the property were bought by the Dept of National Defense to use in airplane manufacturing but most of the revenue from this was taken by the government to pay arrears of taxes, Some of the people I went to school with were; Byron Bessie and Grace Frusster, Alee and Jean Shannon, Oscar and Evertt Petersen, Nelson Nichol and Lawrence Vigue."
We would be very happy to hear of any other stories from families who settled in this region.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Tournament of Champions
We've been doing so many things at the Museum lately that it was hard to decide what to blog about. I'll go back to last week's Brown Bag History topic: Tournament of Champions. This was the name given by the Revelstoke Ski Club to the international ski-jumping tournaments that they held on Mount Revelstoke from 1950 to 1974. Ski-jumping had been an important winter sport in Revelstoke since 1915, with several Canadian and World Records established on the local jump. In 1948 the hill was rebuilt to meet FIS (International Ski Federation) specifications. The hill was classified as an 80 meter jump which was the largest that the FIS recognized for world competition at the time.
In 1949, plans were underway for the Tournament of Champions, and excitement grew when it was confirmed that several jumpers from the Norwegian Jumping Team would compete at the Revelstoke Tournament. The date was set for January 29th, 1950, just a few days before the team was scheduled to compete at Lake Placid, New York. The local club was hard at work, and had about 40 volunteers lined up for the various jobs involved in hosting the event. One week before the event was scheduled to take place, the local organizers got word that the Norwegian team would not be able to come for January 29th. They suggested an alternate date of February 11th and 12th. The Revelstoke Ski Club moved ahead with the new plan and quickly got everything in place for the big event. The event was a huge success, and the Norwegians were certainly popular in town. On the first evening, a dance was scheduled for 9:30, and the Norwegian team showed up right on time, only to discover that no-one in Revelstoke would ever show up for a dance that early. They amused themselves playing the orchestra's instruments, until the rest of the population showed up. One of the jumpers, Arnfinn Bergmann, married a Revelstoke woman, and came back to Revelstoke in 1951 where he helped to train the younger jumpers. Bergmann was acclaimed as a jumper with flawless style, who could make jumps of up to 266 feet.
In 1951, the Canadian Olympic Trials were held in Revelstoke, along with an International meet called the Diamond Jubilee Ski Jumping Tournament, celebrating 60 years of skiing in Revelstoke. For 1952, the name reverted back to Tournament of Champions. In the 1950s and 1960s, there was still a lot of enthusiasm for ski-jumping, and competitors were coming from Norway, Sweden, Japan, Italy and Germany. In 1959, a young Japanese jumper, Yasuhi Sugiyama was a hit at the concert held as part of the event, when he sang, "Love Me Tender" in perfect English.
By 1974, ski-jumping was waning in popularity, and the local club was finding that they were putting more effort into grooming the hill than into developing new skiiers. The last large tournament held in Revelstoke was the Western Canadian Ski Jumping Tournament held in February of 1974.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Mattie Gunterman
This past Wednesday, I spoke about Mattie Gunterman at Brown Bag History. Mattie was a truly remarkable woman who lived in Beaton, south of Revelstoke from the late 1890s until her death in 1945. She grew up in Wisconsin, then travelled to Seattle, Washingon at the age of 17. She married William Gunterman in 1891 and their son Henry was born in 1892. Mattie wanted to leave the damp climate of Seattle to ease her worsening lung condition, so the family decided to visit Mattie's cousin in the small mining community of Thomson's Landing, later known as Beaton. William and Mattie, along with 6-year-old Henry and their dog Nero, walked a total of 600 miles, with Will looking for work in sawmills along the way. They arrived in Beaton in June of 1898 and decided to settle there.
Mattie had learned photography from an uncle back in Wisconsin, then received further lessons from Will's brother-in-law, including the art of developing of her own photographs from her glass slide negatives. She began chronicling the life of her family through her photographs, and continued to develop her photographic skills when the family settled in Beaton. Will found work in area logging camps, and Mattie and Henry often went along, with Mattie and Will soon becoming popular camp cooks. Mattie's photographs portray her love of the outdoors, and her connection to her chosen community on the Upper Arrow Lake. Mattie loved to appear in her own photographs, and developed a method for doing this. She used a long piece of rubber tubing attached to her camera’s pneumatic shutter at one end with a rubber bulb at the other. By squeezing with the hand or stepping on the bulb, the shutter would be released and an exposure made at any distance within the tube’s length of the camera.
Will's original occupation in Seattle had been as a candymaker, and he practiced his art in Beaton, providing candy for all of the local children at Christmas time. He shared his skills with Horace Manning of Revelstoke, and provided Manning with the recipe for the famous Manning's Broadway chocolates. Will had not originally been too pleased to be relocating to the isolated community of Beaton, but he did so knowing that Mattie was delighted with the semi-wilderness of the area, and that her health improved greatly in the new environment.
Henry Gunterman stayed in Beaton for most of his life, and raised his family there as well. In 1961, he was visited by Ron D'Altroy of the Historic Photographs divsion of the Vancouver Public Library. Henry helped Ron look for his mother's glass negatives in an old woodshed, and they found them in a box covered with packrat droppings. Henry donated the photographs to the Vancouver Public Library, where they were carefully cleaned and catalogued. The collection is still available at the VPL and many of the photographs were reproduced in the book "Flapjacks and Photographs" by Henri Robideau. You can view the photographs on the Vancouver Public Library website: http://www3.vpl.vancouver.bc.ca/spe/histphotos/
Mattie had learned photography from an uncle back in Wisconsin, then received further lessons from Will's brother-in-law, including the art of developing of her own photographs from her glass slide negatives. She began chronicling the life of her family through her photographs, and continued to develop her photographic skills when the family settled in Beaton. Will found work in area logging camps, and Mattie and Henry often went along, with Mattie and Will soon becoming popular camp cooks. Mattie's photographs portray her love of the outdoors, and her connection to her chosen community on the Upper Arrow Lake. Mattie loved to appear in her own photographs, and developed a method for doing this. She used a long piece of rubber tubing attached to her camera’s pneumatic shutter at one end with a rubber bulb at the other. By squeezing with the hand or stepping on the bulb, the shutter would be released and an exposure made at any distance within the tube’s length of the camera.
Will's original occupation in Seattle had been as a candymaker, and he practiced his art in Beaton, providing candy for all of the local children at Christmas time. He shared his skills with Horace Manning of Revelstoke, and provided Manning with the recipe for the famous Manning's Broadway chocolates. Will had not originally been too pleased to be relocating to the isolated community of Beaton, but he did so knowing that Mattie was delighted with the semi-wilderness of the area, and that her health improved greatly in the new environment.
Henry Gunterman stayed in Beaton for most of his life, and raised his family there as well. In 1961, he was visited by Ron D'Altroy of the Historic Photographs divsion of the Vancouver Public Library. Henry helped Ron look for his mother's glass negatives in an old woodshed, and they found them in a box covered with packrat droppings. Henry donated the photographs to the Vancouver Public Library, where they were carefully cleaned and catalogued. The collection is still available at the VPL and many of the photographs were reproduced in the book "Flapjacks and Photographs" by Henri Robideau. You can view the photographs on the Vancouver Public Library website: http://www3.vpl.vancouver.bc.ca/spe/histphotos/
Thursday, January 14, 2010
SS Minto
The Brown Bag History talk yesterday was on the S.S. Minto, a paddlewheel steamer that was part of the Canadian Pacific Railway's Inland fleet. The S.S. Minto operated on the Arrow Lakes between Arrowhead and West Robson from 1898 to 1954 and there are still plenty of people around who fondly remember travelling on her.
Otto Estabrooks, captain of the S.S. Minto in 1947 told some of his adventures to E.L. Affleck, author of "Sternwheelers, Sandbars, and Switchbacks" As Estabrooks remembered, “My own major brush with an eddy occurred many years later on the MINTO, in the narrows between the two lakes. With the stern caught in an eddy and the bow in a fast running current, both pressing hard in opposite directions the boat turned with breathless speed to crash against the sharp rocks of a granite bluff opposite. Here destiny had provided a big log caught on the rocks against which the boat made a spectatular crash landing without doing any damage to the hull. Had the log not been there, I cannot say what would have happened, but one thing is certain, the boiler was too close to the contact point for comfort. That one never took liberties with steam boilers was a maxim.” Estabrooks had many other stories of his time as a steamboat captain in the interior of British Columbia.
The Canadian Pacific Railway finally made the decision to retire the S.S. Minto in 1954, after the boat had logged over 2,500,000 miles in its 56 years of operation. The last run of the Minto took place on April 23, 1954, and all of the staterooms were fully booked. One of the passengers was Mrs. Olive Maitland of Winnipeg, who had ridden on the maiden voyage of the Minto back in 1898. Residents all along the Upper and Lower Arrow Lakes came out to bid farewell to the Minto.
The Minto was sold to the city of Nakusp for $1, but they could not maintain it, and it was finally acquired by John Nelson of Galena Bay. He brought the Minto up to his property, but never had the money needed to get the sternwheeler navigational again. After John Nelson's death, the boat was towed into the middle of the lake and burned in August of 1968.
Otto Estabrooks, captain of the S.S. Minto in 1947 told some of his adventures to E.L. Affleck, author of "Sternwheelers, Sandbars, and Switchbacks" As Estabrooks remembered, “My own major brush with an eddy occurred many years later on the MINTO, in the narrows between the two lakes. With the stern caught in an eddy and the bow in a fast running current, both pressing hard in opposite directions the boat turned with breathless speed to crash against the sharp rocks of a granite bluff opposite. Here destiny had provided a big log caught on the rocks against which the boat made a spectatular crash landing without doing any damage to the hull. Had the log not been there, I cannot say what would have happened, but one thing is certain, the boiler was too close to the contact point for comfort. That one never took liberties with steam boilers was a maxim.” Estabrooks had many other stories of his time as a steamboat captain in the interior of British Columbia.
The Canadian Pacific Railway finally made the decision to retire the S.S. Minto in 1954, after the boat had logged over 2,500,000 miles in its 56 years of operation. The last run of the Minto took place on April 23, 1954, and all of the staterooms were fully booked. One of the passengers was Mrs. Olive Maitland of Winnipeg, who had ridden on the maiden voyage of the Minto back in 1898. Residents all along the Upper and Lower Arrow Lakes came out to bid farewell to the Minto.
The Minto was sold to the city of Nakusp for $1, but they could not maintain it, and it was finally acquired by John Nelson of Galena Bay. He brought the Minto up to his property, but never had the money needed to get the sternwheeler navigational again. After John Nelson's death, the boat was towed into the middle of the lake and burned in August of 1968.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Plans for 2010
We have lots of events and programs coming up for this year. To begin with, we are collecting stories on behalf of the Revelstoke Olympic Committee for the Revelstoke Torch Relay Story Contest. Submit a story of 1000 words or less on Winter Fun in Revelstoke, Past, Present or Future, and be eligible for cash prizes. Stories must be submitted to the museum at revelstokemuseum@telus.net by 5 pm, Monday, January 18th.
There are a few significant annivesaries in 2010. This year marks the 125th anniversary of the Farwell townsite, and the 125th anniversary of the Driving of the Last Spike. We will be holding a Farwell Tea on March 6th to begin our celebration of these events.
The Brown Bag History series commences on January 13th with a talk on the SS Minto, and we are adding a new program beginning January 20th. The "Memories" evenings will give everyone a chance to share their stories of the history of this region. The series will kick off on January 20th at 7 pm with "Memories of Arrowhead," led by former Arrowhead resident Sherrian Van Goor. Whether you lived there and have stories to share, or whether you just want to come to hear everyone else's stories, you are welcome.
100 years ago on March 4, 1910, Canada's largest avalanche disaster occurred at Rogers Pass when 58 men were killed. There will be a series of events this year marking this tragic event. Here is the schedule of events planned by the committee:
January 21, 2010: Avalanche safety awareness film night—Lessons from 1910, Revelstoke United Church at 7:30 pm.
March 4, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. 1910 Avalanche Memorial Service at Grizzly Plaza.
March 4, 2010 at Noon: Opening ceremony for a special exhibit on the history of avalanche safety in Canada at the Canadian Avalanche Centre.
August 13 – 22, 2010: Railway Days History Field Trips to Rogers Pass National Historic Site.
August 13, 2010: Opening ceremony for a special exhibit at the Revelstoke Railway Museum.
August 14, 2010: Opening ceremony for a special exhibit at the Revelstoke Museum & Archives.
August 15, 2010: Memorial Service at the site of the 1910 slide in Rogers Pass National Historic Site.
Call us at the museum at 250-837-3067 for any information on these events or to find out how you can get involved.
There are a few significant annivesaries in 2010. This year marks the 125th anniversary of the Farwell townsite, and the 125th anniversary of the Driving of the Last Spike. We will be holding a Farwell Tea on March 6th to begin our celebration of these events.
The Brown Bag History series commences on January 13th with a talk on the SS Minto, and we are adding a new program beginning January 20th. The "Memories" evenings will give everyone a chance to share their stories of the history of this region. The series will kick off on January 20th at 7 pm with "Memories of Arrowhead," led by former Arrowhead resident Sherrian Van Goor. Whether you lived there and have stories to share, or whether you just want to come to hear everyone else's stories, you are welcome.
100 years ago on March 4, 1910, Canada's largest avalanche disaster occurred at Rogers Pass when 58 men were killed. There will be a series of events this year marking this tragic event. Here is the schedule of events planned by the committee:
January 21, 2010: Avalanche safety awareness film night—Lessons from 1910, Revelstoke United Church at 7:30 pm.
March 4, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. 1910 Avalanche Memorial Service at Grizzly Plaza.
March 4, 2010 at Noon: Opening ceremony for a special exhibit on the history of avalanche safety in Canada at the Canadian Avalanche Centre.
August 13 – 22, 2010: Railway Days History Field Trips to Rogers Pass National Historic Site.
August 13, 2010: Opening ceremony for a special exhibit at the Revelstoke Railway Museum.
August 14, 2010: Opening ceremony for a special exhibit at the Revelstoke Museum & Archives.
August 15, 2010: Memorial Service at the site of the 1910 slide in Rogers Pass National Historic Site.
Call us at the museum at 250-837-3067 for any information on these events or to find out how you can get involved.
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