Editorially speaking…
Last week, I wrote that “one of the occupational hazards of being a writer of history is that some people come to believe that I actually know what I’m writing/talking about and they seek me out for answers to questions or for more information...
Most recently, Duncan librarian Marina emailed to ask about one Oliver Pike at the behest of a VIPL user.
Caleb who? I asked.
Yes, I wrote Caleb. Don’t ask me how I jumped the rails to Caleb from Oliver, I’ll just plead momentary insanity as an occupational hazard.
Marina wasn’t able to give me much to go on beyond describing Pike as “a character in your books...who it sounds like may have been a real person”. But the requester couldn’t remember in which of my 34 books he’d read about Oliver. He and Marina thought it likely that I’d done so in Capital Characters: A Celebration of Victorian Eccentrics.”
A likely surmise.
But I couldn’t remember Oliver Pike and a scan of Capital Characters came up empty. For Pike to rate a hard-copy file folder in my archives, or a digital folder on my computer, I’d have had to write about him at some length, not simply mentioned him in passing.
The bottom line: I couldn’t help Marina or the person who made the request, sorry to say.
But Priscilla Lowe, former curator of the Cowichan Valley Museum, picked up on it right away:
“Tom, was that a typo in the library query? It should be Oliver Pipe not Pike, and he was well known and has family around today. Ian MacInnes did a small book on three [Cowichan Valley] characters and he was one of them...
“Oliver had a sad life. Lived on Gibbins Rd with his family but his wife died early and that seemed to really impact the rest of his life. He wrote a book of poetry, we have a copy or two in [Cowichan Valley Museum] archives I am pretty sure.”
So, somewhat belatedly, there you are, Marina. When in doubt, ask an expert. I’ll be pleased to pass you on to Priscilla Lowe.
As for Caleb Pike, it turns out, there really is—was—such a character. Avid cyclist/adventurer and subscriber Bill Irvine, who really knows the Greater Victoria area, immediately connected the name to Caleb Pike Heritage Park. Its website informs us that it’s “a three-acre park located 20 km from downtown Victoria in the District of Highlands.
—historicplaces.ca
“Situated on a rocky outcrop that is surrounded by second growth Douglas-fir forest, the aesthetic beauty of this park is valued by the community and beyond. The grounds have been developed to create a welcoming and practical outdoor setting and the indoor venues represent some of the district’s most significant heritage structures.”
Thank you, Bill Irvine.
PS: There are no fewer than five Caleb Pike Heritage Parks. Three of them are in California: Sacramento, San Jose and Bakersfield. And there’s another in Utah.
* * * * *
Another query, this one from Morris:
“Hello T.W. I received your book on Mt. Sicker/Lenora and enjoyed it thoroughly. It gave me a lot of detail of which I was not aware previously.
You can still find the site of Henry Croft’s Lenora Hotel but there’s nothing to see any more. The Lenora town site’s school house was immediately nearby. But a post office? —Author’s Collection
I don’t recall if I told you previously but I am the editor of the BC Postal History Newsletter. The history of post offices and mail that derived from those offices is the general focus of our group. My own interest centers on mail concerning the development of the C.P.R. in BC and mail to and from the various mining operations along the BC coast.
I have several envelopes with Mt. Sicker cancels and I have some letterhead from Mt. Sicker and Brenton Mines. I have a listing of the postmasters at this location from 1900 to 1908 but what I have not come across is an indication of where the post office was located. I am working on an article for our newsletter regarding Mt. Sicker-related mail.
I realize that you wrote the book some time ago but I wonder if you recall any information indicating where the post office was located? I will greatly appreciate any information that you can provide. Best regards, Morris.”
To which I replied: “Hi, Morris: As you've read in my book, there were two Mt. Sicker town sites: Lenora and Tyee.
For all my research I've never been able to pinpoint the location of the Mt. Brenton Hotel in the Tyee town site and never really thought about a post office. The late Jack Fleetwood told me he had a Mt. Sicker cancellation, and antiques collector Jamie Netley once had the franking stamp (or whatever you call it) from Mt. Sicker. I would instinctively guess Lenora because it had a schoolhouse.
Both towns competed with each other and thus duplicated much of their infrastructure but whether this applied to their both having post offices I can't say.
Brenton Mines were immediately across the Chemainus River in Copper Canyon and were for a time connected by a bridge. It's unlikely they'd have had their own PO. when they could just post it in Lenora. That's my surmise, anyway.”
I haven't collected stamps since I was a kid but it's a fascinating subject— one more form of history—and can understand your fascination for them. I hope this is of some help to you. Cheers, TW.”