Editorially speaking…
I’m pleased to be able to report that local history is alive and well, as I observed firsthand at the annual craft shows, Christmas Chaos, Providence Farm and at the Shawnigan Recreation Centre.
These shows are an opportunity for me to meet some of my readers; some of longstanding, some new. I usually gain as much from our conversations as I hope they do in return.
A real, and unexpected, surprise was handed to me by Jim Ward who, for years, has specialized in land title research for historical purposes. It’s a list of every owner who’s ever held title to my present-day property of the last three decades.
We’re next door neighbours but not, alas, related. (I mean the property, not the cow.) —Author’s Collection
As I’ve noted before, almost all of my historical research has been applied to seeking out other people’s life stories. Other than an exploratory conversation with my maternal grandmother about our family tree, and that many years ago, I’ve just never gotten around to actively researching my own roots.
You know, the cobbler’s kids need shoes...
From conversations with the late Valley historian Jack Fleetwood and Mrs. Cavin of Cobble Hill, years ago, I knew that my property had once been owned by a Mrs. McLay, of the pioneering McLay family. Thanks to the previous owner I knew the names of four recent owners, myself included, and from my own observations downstairs I knew my house has been twice extended.
Imagine my surprise when I read Jim Ward’s list which begins way back in 1872. I am the 16th owner of this corner property with its two creeks and mature trees which shield me from the heavy commercial truck traffic. Several of the previous owners were of very short duration, only two-three years. Now in my 30th year here, I am by far the longest title holder.
The name that really caught my eye is that of Elizabeth B. Norcross. Talk about history repeating itself!
Ms. Norcross is the author of The Warm Land: The Story of a Valley and the People Who Live in It (1959); Frontier Days of Vancouver Island (co-authored with Doris Farmer Tonkin (1969); The Warm Land: A History of Cowichan (1975); Pioneers Every One: Canadian Women of Achievement (1979).
She also edited: Nanaimo Retrospective: the First Century (1979); Chronicle of Ladysmith and District, compiled by Viola Johnson-Cull (1980); The Company on the Coast (1983).
Elizabeth Norcross owned my old house for just three years, 1959-60, but it’s quite a coincidence that two of the Cowichan Valley’s handful of chroniclers over the past century-plus have held title to it.
A last comment: Because my property is designated Agricultural Land Reserve despite it’s being just under an acre (the minimum ALR requirement, as I understand it, is five acres or two hectares), I’ve always taken it for granted that it slipped between the cracks when the property was subdivided from the historic Keating Estate, next door.
Not so, according to Jim Ward. I’m disappointed.
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Speaking of chroniclers of Valley history, there’s a new kid on the block.
Dayna Obbema has written From Farm to Museum: the History of the Somenos Lake Farm Property which is part of today’s BC Forest Discovery Centre.
She covers the creation of what originally was the BC Forest Museum by Gerry Wellburn but her book is mostly about Cdr. Guy and Noel Windeyer who, for years, operated a successful dairy and produce farm beside Somenos Lake.
Many will remember with fondness the Windeyers’ roadside stand from which they sold fresh farm produce and jams, jellies, etc. Mrs. Windeyer’s specialty was her home-baked bread for which people literally lined up to buy.
From Farm to Museum is a small book, just 56 pages, but it’s another valuable addition to Cowichan Valley lore.
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Elder College’s association with Vancouver Island University is in limbo because of a budgetary shortfall but two courses that would have fit their teaching format are listed in the CVRD’s current Winter & Spring Recreation Guide.
Presenter Patricia Skidmore will speak on British Child Emigration to Canada, a subject of interest to Valley history buffs because of the Prince of Wales Fairbridge Farm at Cowichan Station in the 1935-1950.
Chris Comars is offering Part 4 of a series of talks on Fighting the Great War 1917: The Crisis. Learning more about the so-called ‘Great’ War helps us to understand and to appreciate how all those names came to be listed on the Duncan Cenotaph.
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Finally, a thank you to the gentleman who didn’t give his name at the Shawnigan Lake Craft Show. He remarked how I seemed to like Canadian naval history (true!) and handed me a book.
The Fighting Captain: The Story of Frederic Walker, RN, CB, DSO*** and the Battle of the Atlantic is one that I don’t have and is a welcome addition to my library.
The LMS Railway was almost one of a kind with its steep and winding grades. —Courtesy of Elwood White
Thanks, too, to Mike Stuart of Hope, B.C., who inherited a collection of B.C. history books. Among them was the classic Shays On the Switchback: A History of the Narrow Gauge Lenora, Mt. Sicker Railway, which Mike thought I should have.
Bless you, Mike, and the gentleman at Shawnigan.