Catalog of British Columbiana and Pacific Northwest Americana

'Voices from the Islands' is must reading for anyone who has ever secretly or openly expressed a desire to live on a small island accessible only by boat or plane. In this potpourri of island stories, articles and interviews with old-timers as well as new-comers, you will meet such diverse individuals as Little Wolf, the Stuart Island Indian who was ‘raised with the wolves’; and a cartoonist who moved to an island to retire, but is presently syndicating his own cartoons nationally. You’ll meet an old-time individualist named Roger Purdue, who refused to let Orcas Island’s volunteer Fire Fighters on the roof of his house when the chimney burst into flames, because he didn’t want them walking around on his roof. There is also an interview with a former Hollywood script writer who gave up his lucrative assignments and moved to an island to live closer to nature. On the lighter side, there is an account of some Islanders who dumped an entire shipment of Seattle Post Intelligencers into the bay because of an article calling their town ‘the armpit of the San Juans.’ And, you’ll enjoy reading about the residents of a small island community who got their dander up when a 42-foot, state-owned cabin cruiser went aground and was left with no one aboard. Outraged at what seemed sheer negligence by the state, several islanders towed the vessel to the Olga dock, intending to hold it for salvage. “How to Win a Political Campaign with the Help of Your Opponent” is a humorous incident from Henry Jackson’s early days as an aspiring senator. Besides the thirty-three articles and interviews - illustrated by more than fifty photographs—-the author tells why he moved to the San Juans and why it took him and his family seven years, after they had purchased their Orcas Island home, before they could move into it. Whether you read Voices from the Islands for an intimate look at island life, or just to while away a few pleasant hours, you will find your time well spent.

xvii, 278 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

88 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

The Fair Land: Saanich by Betty Bell is a 1982 memoir and historical account capturing the author's fond childhood memories of growing up on the Saanich Peninsula of Vancouver Island during the Edwardian era. The book offers an evocative glimpse into a prosperous rural farming community, detailing everyday life, local families, and early transportation like the Victoria & Sydney Railway. Through a mix of charming personal anecdotes and archival photographs, Bell preserves the history of a slower, simpler time before modern development transformed the region.

132 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, map, portraits ; 23 cm

272 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

From 1905 to 1969, people along the British Columbia coast knew and loved the ships and men of the Columbia Coast Mission. The fiery John Antle started the service, primarily to provide isolated logging camps, Indians and settlers with much-needed medical facilities; in addition, there were religious services and social occasions - weddings, picnics, visits, libraries and the famous Christmas parties. This is the story of those sturdy little ships, their warm-hearted, practical skipper-chaplains and doctors, and their important role in the history of the coast

205 pages, 40 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, map, portraits ; 23 cm

207 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 29 cm

48 pages : illustrations, map, portraits ; 23 cm

[128] pages : illustrations ; 19 x 22 cm

Annotated catalogue to accompany an exhibition of early northwest coast Indian artifacts from the collections of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University and art and maps from various museums and private collections depicting the fur trade, along the northwest coast of America

xi, 301 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cm

Dorothy Barker, Norma Hlina, and Derek Arnold’s The Apple of His Eye: The Sorrento Centre Story documents the agricultural foundation, community evolution, and institutional reinvention of the South Shuswap lakeshore. The chronicle outlines how pioneer promoter T.G. King acquired lakefront benches in 1910, naming the settlement after the Italian resort town and subdividing the terrain into commercial apple orchards that attracted English gentry families. The authors detail how early orchardists established cooperative packing houses, water flumes, and transport connections through the Notch Hill railway station, while building close civic ties with neighboring settlements in Blind Bay, Balmoral, and Eagle Bay. The narrative traces the eventual collapse of the commercial fruit industry during the Great Depression and the subsequent mid-century conversion of the historic King estate into an enduring ecumenical conference, cultural, and educational centre.

112 pages : illustrations, portraits ; 22 cm

Compiled by the Golden and District Historical Society, Golden Memories: Golden City 1882 stands as the primary regional encyclopedia documenting the settlement history of the upper Columbia River and lower Kicking Horse river valleys. The volume details how nineteenth-century railway construction camps, timber operations, and homestead parcels were superimposed upon the traditional hunting and travel lands of the Ktunaxa and Secwépemc nations. The chronicle explores the bitter rivalry between Golden City and the downstream railway division terminal at Donald, tracing how Golden eventually consolidated regional dominance through the operations of the Columbia River Lumber Company and Upper Columbia steamboat navigation. Detailed family and property histories document rural settlement across the river benches and tributary valleys of Blaeberry, Nicholson, Harrogate, Parson, Castledale, and Forde.

400 pages : illustrations, maps, portraits ; 29 cm

Constable John Kirkup was called to a 'gambling and whiskey drive' in Yale, B.C. He wound up arresting the nude hostess. Kirkup, the local newspaper editor, and the pastor fought for abstinence while the unruly workers fought and laid railway tracks. Further up the canyon, the great railwayman Andrew Onderdonk was daring the little steamship Kuzzy through the impenetrable Hell's Gate. Don Waite also recounts the adventures of the gold rush, the fur brigade trails, and Cariboo wagon road.

96 p. : ill., ports. ; 22 cm.

160 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 28 cm

A rare collection of the early history of the Stehekin valley, head of Lake Chelan, in Washington’s North Cascades. Lively narratives describe adventures of early explorers with pack trains, and accounts of riding the first steam boats on Lake Chelan. Writing styles of the 1900’s paint vivid and enticing pictures of exciting journeys to the upper mining holds in Horseshoe Basin, the presence of Native Americans, and the influence of the railroad bringing visitors clear across the country to relax and recreate in glorious mountain surroundings. Republished by Stehekin Heritage, Carol Stone’s collection of stories are gathered from early local newspaper articles and explorer’s journals. For those that know and love Stehekin, or wish to know how settlement began in this remote community, Glimpses of the Past is a worthy compilation and reference of accurate history of the Chelan area.

xi, 248 pages : illustrations, map, portrait ; 22 cm

ix, 324 pages, 56 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm

223 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 21 cm

xiii, 126 pages : illustrations, maps ; 23 cm.

Here you will recapture the Shaniko of pioneer days through the eyes of old-timers who have shared with the author their memories, records and photographs. There are interviews with more than fifty long-time residents, with colorful, firsthand accounts of living at the close of the pioneer period. It is written with folksy insights into the daily lives of the people whose town, for a few years, became a wool empire in the wilderness. Nearly one hundred fifty previously unpublished photos; map and chart locating homes and buildings; comprehensive index. 256 pages.

ix, 245 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

You name it, we've got it! Really a miniature encyclopedia, this book yields a wealth of historical and practical information about the names of places in Latah County, Idaho. Who were some of the prominent early settlers, businessmen, teachers? What happened to the almost ninety towns that have disappeared from the face of our maps? How many millions of dollars worth of gold have been mined here? Moscow wasn't really named by Russians, was it? Where are some good parks and campgrounds I can visit? And how could a place like "Yellow Dog" get a name like that? From A to Z in Latah County contains over 600 place names with twelve classified index lists including all towns, creeks, historic sites, mines, post offices, recreational sites, and schools. From "Abe" to "Zion" - it's all here! Lalia Boone is a retired professor of English from the University of Idaho. Her Idaho Place Name Project began in 1966 as a personal hobby when she moved to Moscow from a professorship at the University of Florida. Dr. Boone wanted to know where the place names that sounded so strange to her southern ears came from, what they meant, when and why they were chosen, and who chose them.

117, [3] pages ; 23 cm

xxv, 305, [2] pages : illustrations ; 28 cm

volumes : illustrations, map, portraits ; 24 cm

146 pages : illustrations ; 26 cm

Discusses the role of the Hudson's Bay Company and its fur traders in the exploration of northern B.C., the western NWT, the Yukon and eastern Alaska

xxii, 330 pages : illustrations, maps ; 23 cm

128 pages : color illustrations ; 35 cm

Transcribed and contextualized by Ruth Stoller, Mrs. Butler's 1853 Diary of Columbia County, Oregon provides an early firsthand pioneer record of settler arrival and homestead survival along the sloughs of the lower Columbia. Ann Butler’s daily entries chronicle her family’s donation land claim located on the fertile alluvial bottomlands of Scappoose Plains, detailing how immigrant cabins and livestock pastures were superimposed onto lands long stewarded by the Multnomah people. The narrative captures the arduous logistics of clearing thick timber, hand-rowing skiffs across Scappoose Bay to reach river steamers at Saint Helens, and establishing basic family networks with neighboring settlers at Warren, Chapman Landing, and South Scappoose. Stoller’s accompanying historical notes provide vital cadastral and spatial context documenting the pioneer transition of the region.

52 pages : illustrations, map ; 22 cm