Cover story page 4. MEMBER ************SOCIETIES Member societies and their secretaries are responsible for seeing that the correct addresses for their society and for its member subscribers are up-to-date. Please send changes to both the treasurer and the editor whose addresses are at the bottom of the next page. The Annual Report as at October 31 should show a telephone number for contact. Member dues for the year 1984-85 (Volume 18) were paid by the following member societies: Alberni District Historical Society, Box 284, Port Alberni, B.C. V9Y 7M7 Atlin Historical Society, P.O. Box 111, Atlin, B.C. VOW lAO — BCHF Gulf Island Branch, c/o Mrs. Ann Johnston, RR 1 Mayne Island VON 2J0 — BCHF Victoria Branch, c/o Zane Lewis, 1535 Westall Avenue, Victoria, B.C. V8T 2G6 Burnaby Historical Society, c/o 6349 Canada Way, Burnaby, B.C. V5E 3P3 Chemainus Valley Historical Society, P.O. Box 172, Chemainus, B.C. VOR 1KO Cowichan Historical Society, P.O. Box 1014, Duncan, B.C. V9L 3Y2 District 69 Historical Society, P.O. Box 3014, Parksville, B.C. VOR 2S0 East Kootenay Historical Association, P.O. Box 74, Cranbrook, B.C. V1C 4H6 Galiano Historical and Cultural Society, P.O. Box 10, Galiano, B.C. VON 1PO Golden & District Historical Society, Box 992, Golden, B.C. VOA 1HO Ladysmith New Horizons Historical Society, do Mrs. V. Cull, R.R. #2, Ladysmith, B.C. VOR 2E0 Lantzville Historical Society, c/o Susan Crayston, Box 76, Lantzville, B.C. VOR 2H0 Nanaimo Historical Society, P.O. Box 933, Station ‘A Nanaimo, B.C. V9R 5N2 Nanooa Historical & Museum Society, RR 1, Box 5, Kinghorn Rd., Nanoose Bay, B.C. VOR 2R0 North Shore Historical Society, c/o Mrs. Elizabeth L. Grubbe, 623 East 10th Street, North Vancouver, B.C. V7L 2E9 Princeton & District Pioneer Museum and Archives, Box 687, Princeton, B.C. VOX iWO Qualicum Beach Historical & Museum Society, c/o Mrs. Cora Skipsey, P.O. Box 352, Qualicum Beach, B.C. VOR 2TO Saltspring Island Historical Society, P.O. Box 1487, Ganges, B.C. VOS lEO Sidney and North Saanich Historical Society, c/o B. Peirson, 9781 Third Street, Sidney, B.C. V8L 3A5 Silvery Slocal Historical Society, P.O. Box 301, New Denver, B.C. VOG 150 Trail Historical Society, P.O. Box 405, Trail, B.C. V1R 417 Valemount Historical Society, P.O. Box 850, Valemount, B.C. VOE 2A0 Vancouver Historical Society, P.O. Box 3071, Vancouver, B.C. V6B 3X6 West Vancouver Museum & Historical Society, P.O. Box 91785, West Vancouver, B.C. V7V 4S1 Affiliated Groups B.C. Museum of Mining, P.O. Box 155, Britannia Beach, B.C. VON 1JO City of White Rock Museum Archives Society, 1030 Martin St., White Rock, B.C. V4B 5E3 Fort Steele Heritage Park, Fort Steele, B.C. VOB 1NO The Hallmark Society, 207 Government Street, Victoria, B.C. V8V 2K8 Nanaimo Centennial Museum Society, 100 Cameron Road, Nanaimo, B.C. V9R 2X1 BRITISH COLUMBIA Volume 19 No. 3 1986 HISTORICAL NEWS Features What Manner of Man was Captain Vancouver by W. Kaye Lamb 5 “The Landing of Captain Vancouver” by Leonard C. McCann 7 Writing Competition 9 Our Town Compiled by Esther Birney 10 Vancouver from the Lower Valley—A Personal View by Morag Maclachian 13 Early Squamish Indian Settlement in the Vancouver Area by Helen Akrigg 14 “Aristocratic” Gran ville Street by Robert A.J. McDonald 15 The Ship That Saved Vancouver by David Wynne Griffiths 17 B.C. Studies Conference 19 Elek lmredy—Vancouver Sculptor by Esther Birney 20 Mildred Fahrn i—The Making of a Pacifist by Irene Howard 21 Frank Hart, His Opera House, and Other Frontier Ventures By Doug McCallum 24 News and Notes History and the Japanese Canadian Citizen 30 Fort Langley National Historic Park 30 Sooke Story on Screen 30 Bookshelf Vancouver in Print 31 Vancouver Short Stories, ed. Carole Carson; review by Brenda McGillveray 32 Samuel Maclure, Architect, by Janet Bingham; review by Susan Pookey 32 New Entries in the 1985 B.C. Historical Writing Competition 33 Vancouver Centennial Bibliography 34 Second-class mail registration number 4447. Published fall, winter, spring, and summer by the British Columbia Historical Federation P 0 Box 35326 S Vancouver, B.C. V6M 4G5. Our Charitable Donations number is 0404681-52-27. Printed by Dynaprint, Victoria, Manuscripts and correspondence for the editor are to be addressed to 1745 Taylor St., Victoria B.C. V8R3E8. Send all other correspondence, including changes of address, to the Vancouver address given above. Subscriptions: Institutional $16.00 per year; Individual (non-members) $8.00 per year. The B.C. Historical Federation gratefully acknowledges the financial assistance of the British Columbia Heritage Trust. Cover Story Editorial Our cover portrays a relaxed Major J.S. Matthews with How does one write a first ever editorial? I suppose by his beloved chinchilla cat jack. It was taken on March recalling editorials enjoyed in the past and emulating 18, 1950, the day of Jack’s 20th birthday. The Major them. I have liked best those in which the editor (1878-1970) was 72 at this time. spoke drectIy to the reader, communicating his Vancouver owes a gread debt to this redoubtable hopes and fears for the work he has sent on its way. man who, with stubborn energy and despite little After flailing around like a peculiarly ill-adapted encouragement, overcame the obstacles he encoun sheep in a ;nowstorm, I realised that my ambition was tered in his drive to save the physical evidences of way ahead of my experience and that my task was not Vancouver’s past. In so doing he laid the foundations to outshine Braudel in bringing a timeless opus to of Vancouver’s excellent public archives. fruition, bLt to assemble a few articles relevant to His memory and the gratitude his accomplishment Vancouver at this time. Now my efforts are in your evokes remains ever fresh in the minds of those who, hands. Braudel rests unchallenged and I humbly in any way, are involved with the Vancouver City express the hope that what has been assembled will Archives. be of interest. Finally, I have learned to appreciate all editors who undertook to motivate others; theirs is a formidable task. To those who responded my grateful thanks; to you, the reader, forgive the errors and omissions. I did my best. NEXT ISSUE Deadline for the next issue of the B.C. Historical News is June 1, 1986. Please submit articles and reports to: Esther Birney The Fditor, do Box 35326, Station E Vancouver, B.C. V6M 4G5 Subscribe! to the I wish to subscribe to B.C. Historical News. I enclose a cheque or money order payable B.C. Historical Federation, P.O. Box 35326, Station E, Vancouver, B.C. V6M 4G5. I for $8.00 Individual Four issues Institutional Four issues for $16.00 NAME: ADDRESS Street City Postal Code I Page 4 British Columbia Historical News journal: “The English commandant was no less humane toward the Indians than the Spanish had W. Kaye Lamb been. Both left an example of goodness among them. ‘Cococoa [like] Quadra,’ they say, ‘Cococoa Vancouver,’ when they want to praise the good treatment of any of the captains who command the other ships.” What Manner of Away from Nootka, Vancouver was much less inclined to trust the Indians, and with good reason. He Man was Captain was much disturbed by the fact that almost everywhere they had secured guns from trading ships, and they offered a constant threat to the ships’ boats Vancouver? (the largest of which was no more than twenty-four feet in length) which did most of the detailed examination of the innumerable inlets along the coast. Indeed, Vancouver was convinced that his Very few of the half million words comprising Captain survey was being carried out just in time — even one Vancouver’s published journal are devoted to year later he thought the dangers might have become anything of a personal nature, but in spite of this it tells too great. Even as it was, he was often worried about us a good deal about the man himself. To begin with, the safety of boats. It so happened that those that both the journal and his letters show a literary carried out the last survey were much overdue in competence that is remarkable in a man who went to returning to the ships, and as the days slipped by sea at the age of fourteen and had no opportunity for Vancouver’s anxiety for their safety became acute. He any formal education thereafter. The journal is much feared that he “had at length hazarded our little boats, more than the “plain unvarnished relation” that with the small force they were able to take for their Vancouver warned his readers to expect; it is a highly defence, once too often.” competent narrative, as detailed and conscientious as This would tend to contradict the charges that the survey it chronicles. Vancouver was brutal, tyrranical, bad tempered and Now and then quirks and fancies appear briefly. In given to violent language. There is some evidence to his tastes for scenery Vancouver was a man of his time; support the charges, but it is only fair to remember he preferred his landscapes trim and tidy. Thus when two circumstances. First, his health was failing; his he climbed to the top of Protection Island he was irritability can be ascribed to the myxoedema from delighted to find a landscape “almost as enchantingly which he was suffering to an ever increasing degree, beautiful as the most elegantly finished pleasure and which would cause his death only two and a half grounds of Europe.” But the rugged sceneryalong the years after he returned to England.