This issue of the Buzz is archived at https://tinyurl.com/3j6nbw2p

Spring issue of British Columbia History looks at Doukhobors

Coming soon to mailboxes and the Zinio virtual newsstand, the spring issue of British Columbia History is dedicated to Doukhobor history. It is guest edited by Jonathan J. Kalmakoff of the Doukhobor Heritage site at doukhobor.org. Among the stories: “Preserving and Celebrating Doukhobor Culture in Art,” by Vera Polonicoff; “The Doukhobor Jam Factory at Grand Forks,” by Jonathan J. Kalmakoff; and “Living Language at Twin Rivers School,” by Addison Oberg. Plus Dalys Barney debuts as our new books editor.

Bringing History Home on May 4

BCHF will gather in Chilliwack on May 4 for the one-day annual conference. Tickets are still available for the awards dinner. The AGM and keynote presentations with Dr. Keith Thor Carlson and Dr. Si:yémia Albert (Sonny) Mchalsie (pictured) are free to attend in person or online. The guided cultural road tour is sold out but those still hoping for a spot can join a waitlist.

Front Words with Mark Forsythe

Elasmosaur at Courtenay and District Museum and Palaeontology Centre.

In this excerpt from British Columbia History, Mark Forsythe looks at our new provincial symbol, a new book by the Langley Field Naturalists, a new film about a Chinese Canadian soldier who fought in the First World War, a makeover at the Shawnigan Lake Museum, the pithouses of Keatley Creek, and the new British Columbia Review YouTube channel. 

Are you organized? Join us!

Would you like to support the work of the BCHF in a small way without attending meetings? We are looking for a volunteer to do some basic banking and administrative tasks on a regular basis, consistently and reliably. The role requires approximately 10 hours of work a month. You do not need to become a signing authority or board member, but you would be a welcome addition to the amazing BCHF team. This is ideal for a person who prefers to get involved in small ways with an organization before taking on a larger role. Want to learn more? Contact rosa@bchistory.ca

MEMBER NEWS

Heritage Gems of Rupert-Renfrew Heights

In this presentation to the Vancouver Historical Society, heritage activist and community historian Laura Saimoto discusses the Rupert-Renfrew neighbourhood of East Vancouver, from the lost streams that feed into the Still Creek and Burnaby Lake watershed to the Renfrew Heights returned-servicemen’s housing development of the 1940s.

Miners’ Union Hospitals in BC

Donna Sacuta of the BC Labour Heritage Centre has written an overview of the six Miners’ Union hospitals that operated in the Kootenays, calling them “a radical response to the critical need for inclusive health care in BC’s mining communities more than 100 years ago.”

Are you a member society with news to share in The Buzz? Send it to greg@bchistory.ca

HISTORICAL NOTES

Hope railway station moved

(Barry Stewart photo)

On Feb. 16, the old Hope railway station was moved to a new home on Water Avenue, where it will become the new info centre and museum. The building, which dates to 1916 and was previously an arts centre, narrowly avoided demolition three years ago.

The Francophone Ranchers of the BC Interior Plateau 1860s-1870s

This month will see the official launch, in English, of the digital exhibition The Francophone Ranchers of the BC Interior Plateau, 1860s-1870s. It will take place with Société historique francophone de la C.-B. executive director Maurice Guibord at the Museum of Vancouver (Joyce Whaley room), 1100 Chestnut St., Vanier Park, on Friday, March 29 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Admission is free. 

Selwyn Blaylock appears in Dictionary of Canadian Biography

Selwyn Blaylock meets in 1942 with representatives of the Workmen’s Cooperative. (Trail Historical Society)

BCHF board member Ron Verzuh has contributed an entry on industrialist Selwyn Blaylock to the Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Blaylock was a longtime executive with the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Co. As Verzuh explains, he was a friend to many in Trail, but a stern opponent of trade unions.

The legendary Jack Lloyd lure

Michael Cone looks at the history of an effective but controversial fishing lure with a Kootenay Lake connection.

The Nelson-Fredericton connection

Silver King mining camp on Toad Mountain, circa 1890s. (Image I-55005 courtesy of the Royal BC Museum and Archives)

Frances Welwood enumerates the intriguing links between Nelson and New Brunswick, involving some of its most prominent early settlers.

Input sought on Gulf of George Cannery management plan

Parks Canada invites BC Historical Federation members to participate in the development of the next management plan for the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site. The plan guides management decisions and actions to protect, present and operate the site for the next 10 years and serves as a key accountability document to the public.

ADVERTISING

The BCHF offers a number of advertising opportunities in our e-newsletter, which is distributed to our entire membership monthly. Advertisements are jpeg images sized to 600 px wide for electronic distribution. To submit an ad, contact Greg Nesteroff: greg@bchistory.ca

Members enjoy discounted advertising rates. Choose 12 months for the best deal:

1-3 months = $100 each ($100-$300 annually)
4 months = $90 each ($360 annually)
6 months = $80 each ($480 annually)
8 months = $70 each ($560 annually)
12 months = $50 each ($600 annually)

Rates for non-members are as follows:

1-3 months = $150 each ($150-$450 annually)
4 months = $140 each ($560 annually)
6 months = $130 each ($780 annually)
8 months = $120 each ($960 annually)
12 months = $100 each ($1,200 annually)

British Columbia Historical Federation

Box 448, Fort Langley, BC, V1M 247 • info@bchistory.ca

The BCHF Secretariat is located on the unceded traditional territory of the Coast Salish speaking Peoples. The BCHF is on Facebook. Join the conversation.