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Today in Brown Bag History, we were talking about street and place names. It's a very broad topic, so we focused on names in the Columbia Park subdivision. The name Columbia Park dates back to 1898 when the Dominion government granted 7 villa lots to a local committee for park purposes. When Revelstoke was incorporated in 1899, Columbia Park was turned over to the new city. Many of the street names in the area come from early farmers in the area. Oliver Henry Allen had a brewery on the river bank where the Trans-Canada Highway bridge is now. Hugh Allen Smythe, W. Maddocks, Job Maley and Jock Malcolm were all early farmers in the area. George Laforme was a miner and packer in the Big Bend region, and also had a farm where he grew strawberries and other crops.
Cleland Road is named after James Cleland, who wife was the sister of farmer Jock Malcolm. Cleland had farmland in the area but was also a Revelstoke policeman, and later chief of police from 1916 until his death in 1920. Cleland was only 40 years old when he died of influenza. Although 1920 didn't see the number of flu deaths that occurred in 1918 and 1919, it was still considered serious enough that only 10 people were allowed to attend his funeral. This wasn't the end of tragedy for the Cleland family. In June of that same year, 1920, James Cleland's 14 year-old daughter Marjorie died in a boating accident on the Columbia River. Four young people were boating in high water and attempted to "jump" over the breakwater when their boat overturned and all of them drowned. Marjorie's body was finally recovered in August and she was buried beside her father. That same month, a serious fire on the Cleland farm almost destroyed the family home. Mrs. Cleland and her remaining children moved to South Africa, where they had other relatives. Several years ago, some of the South African relatives visited the museum and learned more about the family's time in Revelstoke.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Pioneer Families
This Saturday at the museum, we had visits from descendants of two pioneer families. Dan Leary and his niece and nephew, Susan and Brian, spent a couple of hours at the museum looking at photographs, information and artifacts relating to Dan’s grandparents, Fred and Catherine Fraser. Fred Fraser came to Revelstoke with railway construction in 1885 and his wife joined him later that year. Their first home was in a box car until they acquired land on the west bank of the Columbia River in what is now the Big Eddy subdivision. They were among Revelstoke’s first farmers, and their second daughter, Florence, born in May of 1887, was the first settler child born in Revelstoke. In 1894, which was a record flood year throughout much of B.C., the Fraser family was forced to raise their house by several feet, and to send their poultry and other stock to another farm outside of the flood zone. As well as running his farm, Fred Fraser held several government positions over the years, including mining recorder and magistrate.
To get to school, the children walked across the ½ mile long Canadian Pacific Railway bridge. There were a few areas where water barrels were stored where the children could huddle if a train was crossing the bridge while they were on it.
In August of 1892, Fred Fraser went to fetch his cows home before going to church. On the way back, he almost stepped on a half-grown cub, and shot it, then fired at another under a log. The cub began to scream, which brought an adult bear to the scene. He quickly headed for home, but came face to face with another full-grown bear. According to the newspaper account, “One of the cows turned back and came at the bear with her horns, hitting him square in the ribs with a thud that might have been heard half a mile away, and rolling him over like a log. Seeing her master’s danger she then flew at the other bear and served her in a like manner.” Both bears ran away. Fred went to church as planned and the next day took the skins from the two cubs and exhibited them in town.
Son Fred Fraser Jr. reminisced on the many chores that the children had to do, and confessed that they would make trips to the outhouse to try to get out of their chores. “The task of weeding and thinning the long rows of carrots, beets and turnips was a tedious one, and a welcome interval would be spent sitting on a toilet seat with handy reading material. When the time so spent became unconscionable, the matriarch complained to the master, who reshaped the smooth ovals into rough squares to discourage unnecessary dalliance. This, however, is said to have failed in its purpose. The human body soon adapts itself to new environment, and it was said that the family acquired the name, ‘the square-arsed Frasers’.”
Our second visit on Saturday was from Diana Johnson, a member of the Holten (originally Hultengren) family. Charles Holten was born Karl Hultengren in Sweden, and his family came to the United States when he was four years old. In 1885, he was in the Revelstoke area, and with his partners, was among the first successful miners in the Lardeau area. He settled in Revelstoke and became one of the partners in the Enterprise Brewery, which began operation in 1898. In 1897, he married Lyda Silcott (aka Edwards) and built a beautiful home at the top of the First Street hill. The home is now operating as Amble Inn Bed & Breakfast. Charles and Lyda had two sons, Charlie and Drennan, and they also raised Lyda’s niece, Mary Edwards, who married Dr. J. H. Hamilton in 1910. The Holten’s also took in Patrick, the young son of entrepreneur William Cowan, when Cowan’s wife died in 1906. The house was the scene of many benefits for the Anglican Church and the Red Cross Society, and Mrs. Holten became the matron of high society in Revelstoke.
We always enjoy having visits from descendants of our pioneer families, and are pleased when we have a lot of information to share with them, as in these two cases.
To get to school, the children walked across the ½ mile long Canadian Pacific Railway bridge. There were a few areas where water barrels were stored where the children could huddle if a train was crossing the bridge while they were on it.
In August of 1892, Fred Fraser went to fetch his cows home before going to church. On the way back, he almost stepped on a half-grown cub, and shot it, then fired at another under a log. The cub began to scream, which brought an adult bear to the scene. He quickly headed for home, but came face to face with another full-grown bear. According to the newspaper account, “One of the cows turned back and came at the bear with her horns, hitting him square in the ribs with a thud that might have been heard half a mile away, and rolling him over like a log. Seeing her master’s danger she then flew at the other bear and served her in a like manner.” Both bears ran away. Fred went to church as planned and the next day took the skins from the two cubs and exhibited them in town.
Son Fred Fraser Jr. reminisced on the many chores that the children had to do, and confessed that they would make trips to the outhouse to try to get out of their chores. “The task of weeding and thinning the long rows of carrots, beets and turnips was a tedious one, and a welcome interval would be spent sitting on a toilet seat with handy reading material. When the time so spent became unconscionable, the matriarch complained to the master, who reshaped the smooth ovals into rough squares to discourage unnecessary dalliance. This, however, is said to have failed in its purpose. The human body soon adapts itself to new environment, and it was said that the family acquired the name, ‘the square-arsed Frasers’.”
Our second visit on Saturday was from Diana Johnson, a member of the Holten (originally Hultengren) family. Charles Holten was born Karl Hultengren in Sweden, and his family came to the United States when he was four years old. In 1885, he was in the Revelstoke area, and with his partners, was among the first successful miners in the Lardeau area. He settled in Revelstoke and became one of the partners in the Enterprise Brewery, which began operation in 1898. In 1897, he married Lyda Silcott (aka Edwards) and built a beautiful home at the top of the First Street hill. The home is now operating as Amble Inn Bed & Breakfast. Charles and Lyda had two sons, Charlie and Drennan, and they also raised Lyda’s niece, Mary Edwards, who married Dr. J. H. Hamilton in 1910. The Holten’s also took in Patrick, the young son of entrepreneur William Cowan, when Cowan’s wife died in 1906. The house was the scene of many benefits for the Anglican Church and the Red Cross Society, and Mrs. Holten became the matron of high society in Revelstoke.
We always enjoy having visits from descendants of our pioneer families, and are pleased when we have a lot of information to share with them, as in these two cases.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Chinese Legacies
In 2008, Revelstoke Railway Museum and Revelstoke Museum & Archives opened joint exhibits entitled “Chinese Legacies”. The Railway Museum’s exhibit focused on the thousands of Chinese men who worked on construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway from Yale to Craigellachie in the 1880s. This exhibit is currently travelling, having recently been on display at Exporail in Montreal. It is now in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. The exhibit here at Revelstoke Museum and Archives is still on display. It follows the story of the Chinese community that developed here after railway construction was complete. By 1901, Chinese residents made up about 1/10 of the total population.
This past week, we were pleased to host Toronto artist David Cheung and his sons Lucas and Dudley who are embarked on a project known as Rocky Railway High (Closure.) David has created several works of art that commemorate the story of the Chinese railway workers, and he is inviting the public to submit small written or artistic pieces to supplement his paintings. The paintings and the gathered submissions will be shown in an exhibit and eventually brought to China to symbolically return the spirit of the workers to their native country. For more information on Rocky Railway High or to contribute a submission, see their website: http://www.rockyrailwayhigh.com/
There were up to 15,000 Chinese people employed along the railway line from Port Moody to Craigellachie between 1880 and 1885. Exact figures are impossible to find, as the workers were hired as gangs rather than as individuals, and there was a high turnover of workers. They were engaged in clearing the road, laying ties and other construction work. The work was tedious, difficult and dangerous, and the rewards were few.
The Chinese workers were paid $1 per day throughout the years of railway construction from 1880 to 1885. Their pay was reduced to .80 cents per day if they bought their staple food and supplies outside of the company store. Goods in the company store cost twice as much as they did on the open market.
The white workers were paid on a sliding scale depending upon their skills and the work performed. The wages for white workers were increased in March of 1881 in order to attract more men. The lowest paid white workers were receiving $1.50 to $2.00 per day as blacksmiths’ helpers, labourers, hewers and choppers.
In 1885, the Dominion Government conducted a Royal Commission on Chinese Immigration. Huang Sic Chen, a member of the Chinese consulate in San Francisco, presented a report on the number of Chinese in British Columbia and the work they were doing. He stated that there were 3,510 Chinese labourers involved in railway construction. An average labourer’s wage was $300 per year, and after expenses the labourer would be left with about $43. The expenses included a deduction of three months labour during the winter, $130 for provisions and clothing, $24 for room rent and other costs. For more information on this story, contact Revelstoke Museum and Archives.
This past week, we were pleased to host Toronto artist David Cheung and his sons Lucas and Dudley who are embarked on a project known as Rocky Railway High (Closure.) David has created several works of art that commemorate the story of the Chinese railway workers, and he is inviting the public to submit small written or artistic pieces to supplement his paintings. The paintings and the gathered submissions will be shown in an exhibit and eventually brought to China to symbolically return the spirit of the workers to their native country. For more information on Rocky Railway High or to contribute a submission, see their website: http://www.rockyrailwayhigh.com/
There were up to 15,000 Chinese people employed along the railway line from Port Moody to Craigellachie between 1880 and 1885. Exact figures are impossible to find, as the workers were hired as gangs rather than as individuals, and there was a high turnover of workers. They were engaged in clearing the road, laying ties and other construction work. The work was tedious, difficult and dangerous, and the rewards were few.
The Chinese workers were paid $1 per day throughout the years of railway construction from 1880 to 1885. Their pay was reduced to .80 cents per day if they bought their staple food and supplies outside of the company store. Goods in the company store cost twice as much as they did on the open market.
The white workers were paid on a sliding scale depending upon their skills and the work performed. The wages for white workers were increased in March of 1881 in order to attract more men. The lowest paid white workers were receiving $1.50 to $2.00 per day as blacksmiths’ helpers, labourers, hewers and choppers.
In 1885, the Dominion Government conducted a Royal Commission on Chinese Immigration. Huang Sic Chen, a member of the Chinese consulate in San Francisco, presented a report on the number of Chinese in British Columbia and the work they were doing. He stated that there were 3,510 Chinese labourers involved in railway construction. An average labourer’s wage was $300 per year, and after expenses the labourer would be left with about $43. The expenses included a deduction of three months labour during the winter, $130 for provisions and clothing, $24 for room rent and other costs. For more information on this story, contact Revelstoke Museum and Archives.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
William and Bertha Cowan
Among the more noticeable markers at Revelstoke’s Mountain View Cemetery are two fairly similar red granite gravestones that are just across the service road from each other. William Cowan, who lived from 1855 to 1926 is buried just behind the maintenance shed, at the edge of the main cemetery. The road next to the shed marks the boundary between the Protestant and Roman Catholic sections of the cemetery. The Catholic section opened in 1906, and one of the first to be interred there was Bertha Beatrice Cowan, the young wife of William. Bertha was born in 1880 and in 1903 married William Cowan, who was 25 years her senior. The fact that theirs was a “mixed marriage” between a Protestant and a Catholic was also unusual for that time.
Bertha and William had a son Patrick, who was born in 1904, and two years later, Bertha died in childbirth with their second child, who also died. Bertha was buried in the Catholic section, next to the service road. William had an elaborate red granite marker placed on her grave. At the time of Bertha’s death, a non-Catholic could not be buried in a Catholic cemetery, so William obviously did the next best thing, and purchased the plot directly across the road from Bertha. William died in April of 1926 in Rochester, Minnesota, where he had gone seeking treatment for an illness.
William Cowan was one of Revelstoke’s most enterprising pioneers. He came to Revelstoke in 1885, where he built the Victoria Hotel on Front Street. He was one of the partners in a steamship company that saw the building of the S.S. Dispatch and the S.S. Lytton from a small shipworks at the south end of Front Street. Cowan had the first telephone in town, with a line between his hotel and the Canadian Pacific Railway station. By 1896 he had incorporated the Revelstoke, Trout Lake and Big Bend Telephone Company Ltd. and established a telephone exchanged in a building at the corner of Third Street and Charles. He formed the Revelstoke Water, Power and Light company that constructed the first water system in 1896 and the first electric power plant on the Illecillewaet River in 1898. The company was sold to the City of Revelstoke in 1902.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Front Street in Farwell Townsite
Revelstoke tells its history through the many heritage buildings that are still in existence here. The restored heritage downtown and the many heritage homes are testament to the pioneers who built this community. However, the oldest part of town doesn’t have the built heritage to proclaim its fascinating history. It is only through sharing the stories and photographs of the Farwell townsite that this part of the community comes back to life. A Farwell walking tour scheduled for July 11th will help to keep this part of our history alive.
The Farwell townsite, centered on Front Street, was established with the coming of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1885. By that summer, the population was over 5,000, with railway workers and those who would profit by their presence here making the town a lively place. Surveyor A.S. Farwell planned to sell his land to the C.P.R. and sell lots to those who wanted to settle in this new railway town. Unfortunately for Farwell, his plans turned to dust when the C.P.R. wouldn’t negotiate with him, and the dispute meant that clear title could not be issued for the lots he was trying to sell. He was forced to charge trespassers with “disturbing the earth” when people refused to pay for lots that they couldn’t get deeds for.
The bustling townsite of Farwell boasted a plethora of hotels and bars, several brothels, general stores, Chinese laundries and other necessities for a largely male population. What it lacked in the very first years were churches, schools, a hospital and a fire department. These eventually came into being as the town grew, many of the new facilities moving to the upper part of town closer to the railway station and the burgeoning “Revelstoke Station” townsite.
By the 1920s, many of the original buildings in the Farwell townsite had been moved or dismantled. The area was sparsely settled until the 1950s when a new wave of construction began. Front Street, once the main business street, is now purely residential.
The Farwell townsite, centered on Front Street, was established with the coming of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1885. By that summer, the population was over 5,000, with railway workers and those who would profit by their presence here making the town a lively place. Surveyor A.S. Farwell planned to sell his land to the C.P.R. and sell lots to those who wanted to settle in this new railway town. Unfortunately for Farwell, his plans turned to dust when the C.P.R. wouldn’t negotiate with him, and the dispute meant that clear title could not be issued for the lots he was trying to sell. He was forced to charge trespassers with “disturbing the earth” when people refused to pay for lots that they couldn’t get deeds for.
The bustling townsite of Farwell boasted a plethora of hotels and bars, several brothels, general stores, Chinese laundries and other necessities for a largely male population. What it lacked in the very first years were churches, schools, a hospital and a fire department. These eventually came into being as the town grew, many of the new facilities moving to the upper part of town closer to the railway station and the burgeoning “Revelstoke Station” townsite.
By the 1920s, many of the original buildings in the Farwell townsite had been moved or dismantled. The area was sparsely settled until the 1950s when a new wave of construction began. Front Street, once the main business street, is now purely residential.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Glacier National Park
This year marks the 125th Anniversary of Glacier National Park, less than an hour’s drive east of Revelstoke. During construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway in the 1880s the beauties of the Selkirk Mountains were discovered. Politicians and CPR officials advocated the setting aside of public lands in the Selkirks and this was made official on October 10, 1886 with an Order-in-Council signed by Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald.
Administration of the park lands was minimal until the early 1900s, although there was significant public use of the park lands, with thousands of people travelling by rail to Glacier House, near the summit of Rogers Pass. Glacier House was constructed and owned by the CPR to accommodate the public who wished to stay in the fabulous mountain setting at the foot of the Illecillewaet Glacier. The original square building was opened in January of 1887 with Mr. Perley as manager. It had a large dining room, reception area and six bedrooms. In the first year of operation, 708 guests signed the register. The hotel was enlarged over the years with additional wings until by the early 1900s, there was a total of 90 rooms. The hotel complex was torn down in 1920s, leaving only the foundations and lingering memories of past glories.
In the 1880s, the glacier was only a 20 minute hike from Glacier House. In 125 years, the glacier has eroded considerably and is now just at the crest of the mountain. Climbing around Rogers Pass was facilitated through Glacier House, which became a base for climbers. Reverend William Spotsford Green of the British Alpine Club was one of the earliest climbers in 1888. Publication of his book “Among the Selkirk Glaciers” made people aware of the climbing opportunities in the Selkirks. According to A.O. Wheeler, by the end of 1903, nearly 40 major mountains or crests had been climbed for the first time.
The discovery of Nakimu Caves in 1904 by miner Charles Deutschman resulted in the first active development of the park by the Government. Deutschman discoved the system of caves in the Cougar Valley in Rogers Pass. Original estimates showed about 1 and ½ miles of caves, with four entrances. The caves were described as being “studded with millions of sparkling, beatifully shaped crystals.” Deutschman filed for mineral claims encompassing the caves, but when Superintendent Howard Douglas of Rocky Mountain National Park toured the caves in 1905, he arranged for Deutschman to be paid $5,000 for the claims, putting the area back into Dominion Government control. There was some question as to why Deutschman had been allowed to file mining claims in protected park lands in the first place, but nevertheless, he was compensated for the claims.
The caves were surveyed in November of 1905 by W.S. Ayres, a mining and consulting engineer from Banff, and he prepared a map based on his survey. In three days, he surveyed 3,225 feet and had not completed his work at that time. Over the years, further channels were discovered. As a result of public interest in the caves, trails were built, and a headquarter cabin was built near the main entrance. Charles Deutschman was quite appropriately given the job as caretaker of the caves, and he guided many tourists through them. He is recognized as the first Parks interpreter in Canada. Visitors to the caves fell over during the First World War, and again after the demolition of Glacier House, and for many years the caves were closed to the public. Access to the caves is now restricted and has to be arranged through Mount Revelstoke and Glacier National Parks office in Revelstoke.
Contact Revelstoke Museum & Archives for more information on Glacier National Park and visit the park website for services and anniversary celebrations. http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/bc/glacier/index.aspx
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
International Women's Day
Today, March 8, 2011, is the 100th Anniversary of International Women’s Day. It is interesting to note that in March of 1911, the Revelstoke newspaper, The Mail-Herald announced that the suffragette movement in B.C. had sent letters to several Revelstoke women, asking for their support of the Vancouver Political Equality League. The president of the movement was Mrs. Lashley Hall. The newspaper commented on the letter: “Whether this appeal will get any cordial response from the Revelstoke ladies is doubtful as the women here do not take any working interest in either municipal, provincial or federal politics.”
I’m not sure how the newspaper writer reached this conclusion, especially after reading an account just two months previously, where it was noted that although very few citizens turned out to hear the annual municipal financial statement, “A few ladies graced the boxes and the gallery and added an air of respectability to the meeting.” I took this to mean that the men present felt that they were unable to swear and cuss. It also indicated to me that although they were disenfranchised, they still had an interest in local affairs.
Women in 1911 certainly didn’t have the opportunities that we do 100 years later. Women who were trained in a profession such as nursing or teaching had to give up their jobs once they got married, as it was expected that running a house and raising children was the greatest job to which a woman could aspire. Women’s obituaries often left out the given name of the woman and instead referred to her as “Mrs. John Smith,” for example. Quite often, the accomplishments of the husband would be listed, with little or no mention of what the woman herself had done during her lifetime.
World War I shifted the role of women in a significant way, with more women entering the work force, and carrying on the community war effort. In Revelstoke, the Red Cross Society and the Women’s Canadian Club were instrumental in supporting the soldiers through preparing and sending care packages, and fundraising for the war effort. B.C. women gained the vote in 1917, while women won the right to vote in federal elections in 1918. Locally, Mrs. Isabel Coursier became the first woman to be enter politics, becoming the first woman on the Revelstoke School Board in 1919. A few years later, her daughter, also named Isabel, was making a name for herself as the women’s ski-jumping champion. This photograph shows Miss Isabel Coursier around 1922.
I’m not sure how the newspaper writer reached this conclusion, especially after reading an account just two months previously, where it was noted that although very few citizens turned out to hear the annual municipal financial statement, “A few ladies graced the boxes and the gallery and added an air of respectability to the meeting.” I took this to mean that the men present felt that they were unable to swear and cuss. It also indicated to me that although they were disenfranchised, they still had an interest in local affairs.
Women in 1911 certainly didn’t have the opportunities that we do 100 years later. Women who were trained in a profession such as nursing or teaching had to give up their jobs once they got married, as it was expected that running a house and raising children was the greatest job to which a woman could aspire. Women’s obituaries often left out the given name of the woman and instead referred to her as “Mrs. John Smith,” for example. Quite often, the accomplishments of the husband would be listed, with little or no mention of what the woman herself had done during her lifetime.
World War I shifted the role of women in a significant way, with more women entering the work force, and carrying on the community war effort. In Revelstoke, the Red Cross Society and the Women’s Canadian Club were instrumental in supporting the soldiers through preparing and sending care packages, and fundraising for the war effort. B.C. women gained the vote in 1917, while women won the right to vote in federal elections in 1918. Locally, Mrs. Isabel Coursier became the first woman to be enter politics, becoming the first woman on the Revelstoke School Board in 1919. A few years later, her daughter, also named Isabel, was making a name for herself as the women’s ski-jumping champion. This photograph shows Miss Isabel Coursier around 1922.
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