C.H. Dickie: Out of the Past

As I noted last week, you’re not likely to find Charles Herbert Dickie’s memoir, Out of the Past, “by an M.P.,” in a used book store—or even online.

Dedicated to the memory of carefree friends, it’s small (128 pages) and just 20,000 words in length.

But make no mistake: It’s a great read and of particular interest to students of Cowichan Valley and British Columbia mining history.

A member of the B.C. Provincial Legislature for a single term, then a Member of Parliament for Nanaimo for 14 years, his background as a sheriff in Michigan, as a fireman with the Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway, as a saloonkeeper in Duncan, as the principal owner of the Richard III copper mine on Mount Sicker, and as a fortune hunter in the Stewart River wilds of northern B.C., is a fascinating story.

Before making his way to B.C. via Victoria, Dickie found himself penniless in California and forced to take on odd jobs just to get by. This is where we resume Out of the Past in this second instalment of his rollicking life story....

* * * * *