Welcome to the Vancouver Island History Blog!
I delve into the continually unexpected history of Vancouver Island’s peoples and places. Join me as I interview remarkable islanders and comb through source material to feed my passion for story telling.
Book Review: Wilson Duff, Coming Back, a Life
To appreciate Wilson Duff’s biography, you need not know who he was—Wilson Duff Coming Back, a Life is about more than just one man.
The Highway Jet
The owner of the Antique Barn is always on the lookout for interesting artifacts. His most recent purchase? A military jet.
Island History Notable: Dalys Barney
Dave Flawse In a previous interview with Island History Notable Christine Meutzner, she had suggested I check out Dalys Barney’s blog because it was similar to my own. I’d already found it months earlier, though. Before launching the Vancouver Island History Blog, I took some notes from Dalys’s Van Isle History Explorer blog. What I […]
Book Review: A Journey Back to Nature, A History of Strathcona Provincial Park
If you’ve ever wondered how Strathcona Provincial Park’s largest lake could ever be allowed to be flooded, Catherine Marie Gilbert’s A Journey Back to Nature A History of Strathcona Provincial Park has the answers.
The Flying Dutchman Series: The Chief Constable’s Search
In January 1913, Chief Constable David Stephenson heaves on a pair of wooden oars. He rows towards Kahklutter, the luck stone—a partly submerged chunk of yellow rock.
Island History Notable: Christine Meutzner
In February 2022, I peered into the glass doors of the Nanaimo archives and met Archives Manager, Christine Meutzner to talk about her 25 years cataloguing Nanaimo’s history.
Book Review: Possessing Meares Island
a meditative, essay-style narrative, Barry Gough’s Possessing Meares Island guides the reader from the island’s murky origins to a court case of David and Goliath proportions.
Revitalizing Traditions: Wade Charlie Gathers Knowledge to Feed the Future
On the northern tip of Vancouver Island, a low-lying fog obscures the treetops. The Island’s knotty, mountainous spine, and the brooding faces of the Coast Mountains across Queen Charlotte Strait sit fat with snow to sea level. It’s mid-January 2022, and the exceptionally chilly winter has lingered for almost a month.
Island History Notable: Lia Tarle
On one of those cold, foggy days we had near the end of January 2022, I pushed through the glass doors at the Cumberland Museum and Archives and sat down with Curator and Collections Manager Lia Tarle to chat about the museum and her interests.