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My Brown Bag History topic for today is Women Climbers. I'll be talking about several women who came here to climb in the Selkirks and Rockies, including Mary Jobe Akeley, Mary Schaffer, Mary Vaux and several others. A.O. Wheeler cites several early climbs by women in his work, "The Selkirk Range." When he and Elizabeth Parker and others formed the Alpine Club of Canada in 1906, several of the initial members were women and by 1917, half of the members were women. One of those original members was Eva Hobbs, a Revelstoke schoolteacher. Eva had come to Donald with her family in the early 1890s, and at the age of 17, she became a schoolteacher and was sent to remote places such as Retallack to teach. She later taught at Hope, and sent a letter home to her mother saying, "They call this place Hope, but I call it Despair." She was obviously feeling lonely and homesick at the time. Shortly after Revelstoke's new Central School was built in 1903, she secured a teaching position in Revelstoke and moved here, where her family had relocated when the divisional point at Donald was closed down.
The principal of Central School was A.E. Miller, who was very keen on encouraging his teachers to stay physically fit and to be active in the outdoors. He was one of the early residents who discovered the joys of Mount Revelstoke and he encouraged his teachers to climb there as well. Eva Hobbs began hiking and climbing, and when the Alpine Club of Canada was formed in 1906, she was eager to join and participated in their first annual camp at Yoho. When the Revelstoke Mountaineering Club was formed in 1909, Eva Hobbs was the Vice-President. The club was responsible for building the first chalet at Balsam Lake, on Mount Revelstoke, that summer, and on a break from building, some of the members decided to go on a hike to Miller Lake, named after A.E. Miller. Once there, they decided to push on a little further, and Eva, being an experienced climber, went on ahead, being impatient with some of the other women, who needed a helping hand from the men. She was the first to see the lake that now bears her name. Eva later married local engineer Phil Parker and they raised their family in Revelstoke. Their twins, Charlie and Helen, were both very active in local sports. In the 1960s, Eva and Phil Parker were interviewed, and the original tape and the transcript are now in Revelstoke Museum and Archives.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Monkeys and Tarantulas
Ok, I left the last blog with a bit of a cliff-hanger, so I will explain. What do tarantulas and monkeys have to do with hotels in Revelstoke?
In 1905, Mrs. MacDonnell, wife of the manager of the Revelstoke CPR Hotel, was unpacking a carton of bananas from Mexico when out crawled a tarantula. Someone managed to capture it and it was kept in a jar on the front counter for the amusement of the guests.
And the monkey? Well, it was an unexpected guest in the dining room of the City Hotel, which opened in 1899 on First Street West, where Mount Begbie Brewing Company is now located. The members of a travelling circus were staying at the hotel and the troupe's monkey managed to get out of his crate and make his way to the dining room. He made a good meal out of leftovers from people's plates, and at the time that he was caught he was trying to take the stopper out of a bottle of ketchup.
The talk on Revelstoke hotels included several fires, many of which were deliberately set. In at least two of these cases, people died when they were caught in the fires. None of the arsonists were ever caught. I also talked about the Climax Hotel (yes, it was as bad as it sounds!) where a man died in the early 1900s after being hit by the hotel manager. There were several contradictory stories about what actually happened, and due to a lack of evidence, the manager was not charged with the man's death. There was also a story about the Salvation Army singing outside of the Climax Hotel. The hotel manager came out with a hose and soaked the poor missionaries. The Climax Hotel burned down in 1916.
For more information on this subject contact us at the Revelstoke Museum @ revelstokemuseum@telus.net
In 1905, Mrs. MacDonnell, wife of the manager of the Revelstoke CPR Hotel, was unpacking a carton of bananas from Mexico when out crawled a tarantula. Someone managed to capture it and it was kept in a jar on the front counter for the amusement of the guests.
And the monkey? Well, it was an unexpected guest in the dining room of the City Hotel, which opened in 1899 on First Street West, where Mount Begbie Brewing Company is now located. The members of a travelling circus were staying at the hotel and the troupe's monkey managed to get out of his crate and make his way to the dining room. He made a good meal out of leftovers from people's plates, and at the time that he was caught he was trying to take the stopper out of a bottle of ketchup.
The talk on Revelstoke hotels included several fires, many of which were deliberately set. In at least two of these cases, people died when they were caught in the fires. None of the arsonists were ever caught. I also talked about the Climax Hotel (yes, it was as bad as it sounds!) where a man died in the early 1900s after being hit by the hotel manager. There were several contradictory stories about what actually happened, and due to a lack of evidence, the manager was not charged with the man's death. There was also a story about the Salvation Army singing outside of the Climax Hotel. The hotel manager came out with a hose and soaked the poor missionaries. The Climax Hotel burned down in 1916.
For more information on this subject contact us at the Revelstoke Museum @ revelstokemuseum@telus.net
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Hotels
Tomorrow will be the first Brown Bag History talk for the Fall season. I will be talking about some of Revelstoke's hotels, starting with the Columbia House, the first hotel in Revelstoke. Columbia House was at the north end of Front Street, on the right hand corner closest to the river bank when you are coming across from Big Eddy on the old bridge. By the end of 1885, there were several hotels on Front Street, some of them little more than tents. The Stockholm House, that later became the Oriental, started out as a frame building with a large bar downstairs and a "ram pasture" upstairs. A ram pasture was nothing more than a large room with a bare floor and bedrolls. The men would find a spot on the floor and roll out their blankets. You wouldn't find any women or refined gentlemen staying there!
After a few years, four main hotels dominated Front Street: The Columbia House, Victoria, Central and Oriental. They were large hotels and after a while they developed their kitchens as well and served fine meals. Some guests were regular residents, especially the miners, who would spend most of the winter months living in one of the hotels. One of the main reasons to run a hotel was to acquire a liquor licence, and that was also a major aspect of hotel operations.
By the early 1890s, with the shift of the downtown to the area close to the CPR station, hotels were being built in that part of town. The first was the Union Hotel, where Home Hardware is now. One of the most well-remembered old hotels was the King Edward, which stood on Second Street behind City Hall until it burned down in 1995. The original hotel was built at that site in 1897, and it was renovated several times until 1910, when it was faced with brick and cement block, and a turret was added to it. The switchboard from the King Edward Hotel is now on display in the museum.
Join us for the talk tomorrow to hear more about Revelstoke's hotels and some of the interesting stories associated with them, including arson, murder, tarantulas and monkeys!
After a few years, four main hotels dominated Front Street: The Columbia House, Victoria, Central and Oriental. They were large hotels and after a while they developed their kitchens as well and served fine meals. Some guests were regular residents, especially the miners, who would spend most of the winter months living in one of the hotels. One of the main reasons to run a hotel was to acquire a liquor licence, and that was also a major aspect of hotel operations.
By the early 1890s, with the shift of the downtown to the area close to the CPR station, hotels were being built in that part of town. The first was the Union Hotel, where Home Hardware is now. One of the most well-remembered old hotels was the King Edward, which stood on Second Street behind City Hall until it burned down in 1995. The original hotel was built at that site in 1897, and it was renovated several times until 1910, when it was faced with brick and cement block, and a turret was added to it. The switchboard from the King Edward Hotel is now on display in the museum.
Join us for the talk tomorrow to hear more about Revelstoke's hotels and some of the interesting stories associated with them, including arson, murder, tarantulas and monkeys!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
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.
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.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Cemetery Tour for Railway Days
I was on holiday last week and we went to Victoria to see the exhibit "Treasures - The World's Cultures from the British Museum" at the Royal BC Museum. I highly recommend a visit to see it. It will be showing until the end of September. We also saw the "Vermeer, Rembrandt and the Golden Age of Dutch Art" exhibit at the Vancouver Art Gallery and I also recommend a visit to that exhibit, as well as the Emily Carr and Jack Shadbolt exhibit at the same gallery.
I'll get right back into the swing of things this week with Railway Days. Our schedule is posted in the blog just prior to this one. Please note that the Cemetery Walk on Tuesday is at 7:00 pm, not at 2:00 pm as printed in the Times Review.
This cemetery walk will deal more with railway employees and railway related accidents. One incident involved the explosion of the boiler of engine 5759 in July of 1918. CPR Fireman William Phillips died while he was servicing the engine, which exploded due to a lack of water in the boiler. The coroner's jury into Mr. Phillips death determined that the gauge on the boiler was not operating correctly and did not show that the boiler was short of water. The explosion lifted the whole upper structure of the locomotive into the air, and it turned in a complete somersault and became reversed, landing about 100 feet away in the opposite direction. The impact of the landing caused the engine to bury itself partially into the roadbed. The drive wheels of the locomotive and the tender remained on the rails. The cab of the locomotive was blown over 200 feet away and embedded itself into the side of a storage building. The body of Mr. Phillips was found about 75 feet away, wedged under the drive wheels of a locomotive on an adjacent track.
There are certainly many sad stories associated with the railway, but the early railway workers knew that the job came with many hazards. During the cemetery walk, I will tell the sad stories, but also talk about the bravery and dedication of the railway workers on the Mountain Division.
I'll get right back into the swing of things this week with Railway Days. Our schedule is posted in the blog just prior to this one. Please note that the Cemetery Walk on Tuesday is at 7:00 pm, not at 2:00 pm as printed in the Times Review.
This cemetery walk will deal more with railway employees and railway related accidents. One incident involved the explosion of the boiler of engine 5759 in July of 1918. CPR Fireman William Phillips died while he was servicing the engine, which exploded due to a lack of water in the boiler. The coroner's jury into Mr. Phillips death determined that the gauge on the boiler was not operating correctly and did not show that the boiler was short of water. The explosion lifted the whole upper structure of the locomotive into the air, and it turned in a complete somersault and became reversed, landing about 100 feet away in the opposite direction. The impact of the landing caused the engine to bury itself partially into the roadbed. The drive wheels of the locomotive and the tender remained on the rails. The cab of the locomotive was blown over 200 feet away and embedded itself into the side of a storage building. The body of Mr. Phillips was found about 75 feet away, wedged under the drive wheels of a locomotive on an adjacent track.
There are certainly many sad stories associated with the railway, but the early railway workers knew that the job came with many hazards. During the cemetery walk, I will tell the sad stories, but also talk about the bravery and dedication of the railway workers on the Mountain Division.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Railway Days
The Annual Railway Days Community Festival is coming up soon, and Revelstoke Museum and Archives will be participating with a few events:
Monday, August 17th at 2:00 pm, there will be a downtown walking tour, beginning at the museum. Find out about the history of the downtown and some of the beautiful heritage buildings. The tour will take about an hour and a half and costs $5 per person.
Tuesday, August 18 at 7:00 pm, there will be a Cemetery Tour at 7:00 pm. Meet at the Cemetery Gates or call the museum at 250-837-3067 for a ride. The cost is $5 per person. This special cemetery tour will focus on railway employees and railway related accidents, and takes about one and a half hours.
Thursday, August 20, from 2:00 to 3:30 pm, our weekly Heritage Explorers Children's Program will have a look at railway history with crafts, games and activities. This program is suitable for ages 5 to 12. Pre-registration is required.
Our annual Beer and Wings event will be held on Friday, August 21st from 5:00 to 8:00 pm. Chef Ron Kwong will serve up his famous wings, paired with beer from Mt. Begbie Brewing Company. This event is $25 per person.
We'll see you during Railway Days!
Monday, August 17th at 2:00 pm, there will be a downtown walking tour, beginning at the museum. Find out about the history of the downtown and some of the beautiful heritage buildings. The tour will take about an hour and a half and costs $5 per person.
Tuesday, August 18 at 7:00 pm, there will be a Cemetery Tour at 7:00 pm. Meet at the Cemetery Gates or call the museum at 250-837-3067 for a ride. The cost is $5 per person. This special cemetery tour will focus on railway employees and railway related accidents, and takes about one and a half hours.
Thursday, August 20, from 2:00 to 3:30 pm, our weekly Heritage Explorers Children's Program will have a look at railway history with crafts, games and activities. This program is suitable for ages 5 to 12. Pre-registration is required.
Our annual Beer and Wings event will be held on Friday, August 21st from 5:00 to 8:00 pm. Chef Ron Kwong will serve up his famous wings, paired with beer from Mt. Begbie Brewing Company. This event is $25 per person.
We'll see you during Railway Days!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Interesting Tidbits
While reading 1923 newspapers yesterday, I came across a couple of interesting items. The first was a small personal item in the June 19, 1923 issue of the Revelstoke Review:
"NOTICE: Should my wife, Beatrice, be in Revelstoke, I again ask her to return. I have rented a nice, furnished apartment at the Waldorf. Private bath; Simmonds mattress - just what was wanted. - Jack"
I wasn't sure whether it was really a personal ad, or just a clever advertisement from the owner of the Waldorf apartment block which was located on Second Street East, where Beruschi Park is now.
The other interesting item I found was about the trial of Elsie Simmons (alias Alice Langford), Dong Wing and Harry Greenwood (alias "Sticks") for attempted murder. The previous year, the home of local "madam" Connie Smith had been dynamited. It appeared that Miss Dolly West, a prostitute at Elsie Simmon's "House of Illl-Repute" had moved to Connie's house, and in retaliation, Elsie had arranged for Dong Wing and Harry Greenwood to dynamite Connie's. There was still an active Red Light District in Revelstoke at that time, and this was just one incident relating to their activities. Around the same time as the dynamite incident, the local mayor had resigned his post and moved to New Westminster. He had started a campaign to close down the brothels, but conceded defeat when his children were threatened and an explosion was set off in the basement of his home.
After the trial in 1923, Alice Simmons, Harry Greenwood and Dong Wing were all sentenced to five years in the penitentiary.
"NOTICE: Should my wife, Beatrice, be in Revelstoke, I again ask her to return. I have rented a nice, furnished apartment at the Waldorf. Private bath; Simmonds mattress - just what was wanted. - Jack"
I wasn't sure whether it was really a personal ad, or just a clever advertisement from the owner of the Waldorf apartment block which was located on Second Street East, where Beruschi Park is now.
The other interesting item I found was about the trial of Elsie Simmons (alias Alice Langford), Dong Wing and Harry Greenwood (alias "Sticks") for attempted murder. The previous year, the home of local "madam" Connie Smith had been dynamited. It appeared that Miss Dolly West, a prostitute at Elsie Simmon's "House of Illl-Repute" had moved to Connie's house, and in retaliation, Elsie had arranged for Dong Wing and Harry Greenwood to dynamite Connie's. There was still an active Red Light District in Revelstoke at that time, and this was just one incident relating to their activities. Around the same time as the dynamite incident, the local mayor had resigned his post and moved to New Westminster. He had started a campaign to close down the brothels, but conceded defeat when his children were threatened and an explosion was set off in the basement of his home.
After the trial in 1923, Alice Simmons, Harry Greenwood and Dong Wing were all sentenced to five years in the penitentiary.
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