Two features reveal Vancouver’s early history
I researched and wrote two historical articles for The Greater Vancouver Book edited by Chuck Davis and published in 1997:
Early Coastal Explorers to Vancouver and the Pacific Northwest
Similar Posts
Catch my literary readings Aug. 12, 13 at Arts & Words in Davis Bay, BC
I’m delighted to present new literary material, inspired by a painting by Gibsons artist Paula O’Brien, at the inaugural Arts & Words event in Davis Bay on Aug. 12 and 13. My Aug. 12 reading, in the 10:30 to noon time slot, is generously sponsored by Canada Council through the Writers’ Union of Canada. The…
Oral history study documents pre-park life in northern Ontario
After graduating in History at the University of British Columbia, I worked as an oral historian in northern Ontario for the Ministry of Natural Resources.My job was to document the human history of Wakami Lake Provincial Park. It was wonderful to meet rugged men and women who had forged livelihoods in the challenging bush of…
Mechanics restore “Fishbowl” diesel bus to original 1964 condition
Mechanics at Coast Mountain BusLink (previously BC Transit) lovingly restored a 1964 GMC diesel bus. Because of its rounded windshield, it was known as the “fishbowl” bus. Although the vehicle’s interior was in mint condition, the mechanics scrounged parts such as window latches from buses headed to the scrapyard. As editor of BC Transit’s Transit Exchange…
Three-generation UBC law families: women and Aboriginals share their legacies
Kwawkgewlth Chief Bill Wilson (UBC Law ’73) helped draft the first and only amendment to Canada’s Constitution and has fought for Aboriginal rights for decades. But he’s probably better known on the University of B.C.’s campus as co-founder of the law students’ annual tricycle race in the early 1970s. Since then, he’s inspired two daughters…
Jessica Silvey weaves the legacy of ancestors in cedar
It was a delight to profile Jessica Silvey, who’s shíshálh and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) with the ancestral name Kwahama Kwatleematt, and has been weaving cedar baskets, hats, and décor for more than 30 years. I profiled her, the owner of Red Cedar Woman studio, as the cover story for the winter 2021 issue of…
Watters’ culturally modified grad cap in permanent NYC museum display
It was a delight to interview shíshálh cedar weaver Shyanne (“Shy”) Watters for Sunshine Coast Life magazine. Shy’s unique cedar hats range from a sasquatch version with long black hair to a red-dress-themed one honouring Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women. Shy is perhaps best known for her culturally modified graduation cap whose pattern reflects ocean…