On the cover The continuous kiln of the Clayburn Brick Works was part of J.B. Millar’s plant expansion in 1911. Such a kiln consists of several inter-connected chambers which allow the heat produced in one section to pass through all of the others before going up the chimney. This chimney, the highest structure in Clayburn, was a landmark visible for many miles until it was pulled down in the 1930s. On its face is written “Clayburn 1911” in raised, buff coloured brick. PHOTOGRAPH courtesy Mrs. Lillian Ball Wilkinson story starts on page six. MEMBER SOCIETIES Member societies and their secretaries are responsible for keeping their addresses up-to-date. Please enclose a telephone number for an officer if possible also. Alberni District Museum & Historical Society, Box 284, Port Alberni, B.C. V9Y 7M7 Atlin Historical Society, R 0. Box 111, Atlin, B.C. VOW lAO BCHA — Gulf Islands Branch, c/o P.O. Box 35, Saturna Island, B.C. VON 2Y0 BCHA — Victoria Branch, c/o Patricia Roy, 602-139 Clarence St., Victoria, B.C. V8V 2J1 Burnaby Historical Society, c/o Kathleen A. Moore, 3755 Triumph St., Burnaby, B.C. V5C 1Y5 Campbell River & District Museums & Archives Society, 1235 Island Highway, Campbell River, B.C. V9W 2C7 Chemainus Valley Historical Association, P.O. Box 172, Chemainus, B.C. VOR 1KO Cowichan Historical Society, P.O. Box 1014, Duncan, B.C. V9L 3Y2 Creston & District Historical & Museum Society, c/o Margaret Moore, Box 253, Creston, B.C. VOB 1GO District 69 Historical Society, c/o Mildred Kurtz, RD. Box 74, Parksville, B.C. VOR 2S0 East Kootenay Historical Association, c/o H. Mayberry, 216 6th Avenue S., Cranbrook, B.C. V1C 2H6 Golden & District Historical Society, Box 992, Golden B.C. VOA 1HO Ladysmith New Horizons Historical Society, c/o Mrs. V. Cull, R.R. #2, Ladysmith, B.C. VOR 2E0 Nanaimo Historical Society, P.O. Box 933, Station “A”, Nanaimo, B.C. V9R 5N2 Nanooa Historical & Museum Society, R.R. #2, Texaco, Box 5, Nanoose Bay, B.C. VOR 2RO New Denver Historical Society, c/o Janet Amsden, Box 51, New Denver, B.C. VOG 150 Nootka Sound Historical Society, Box 748, Gold River, B.C. VOP 1GO North Shore Historical Society, c/o Doris Blott, 1671 Mountain Highway, North Vancouver, B.C. V7J 1M6 Princeton & District Pioneer Museum, Box 687, Princeton, B.C. VOX iWO Sidney & North Saanich Historical Society, c/o Mrs. Ray Joy, 10719 Bayfield Road, R.R. #3, Sidney, B.C. V8L 3P9 Silverton Historical Society, c/o P.O. Box 137, Silverton, B.C. VOG 2B0 Société Historique Franco-Colombienne, 9 avenue Broadway E., Vancouver, C.-B. V5T 1V4 Trail Historical Society, RO. Box 405, Trail, B.C. V1R 4L7 Vancouver Historical Society, RO. Box 3071, Vancouver, B.C. V6B 3X6 Windermere District Historical Society, Box 1075, Invermere, B.C. VOA 1KO BRITISH COLUMBIA HISTORICAL NEWS Vol. 16, No.1 Letters to the Editor 4 News of the Association 5 Features Bricks and Buildings: Clayburn Company and Its Village by John D. Adams 6 Discovery: 1862 by E. Blanche Norcross 14 Alexandra Bridge by R.C. Harris 17 News and Notes 22 Reports from the Branches 23 Helping You: British Columbia Heritage Trust by Roberta J. Pazdro 25 Campbell River - Home of Growing Archival Collection 27 Bookshelf Overland from Canada to British Columbia by Thomas McMicking review by Frances M. Woodward 29 John Strange’s Journal and Narrative of the Commercial Expedition from Bombay to the Northwest Coast of America review by Freeman Tovell 30 Simon Peter Cunanoot: Trapline Outlaw by David Ricardo Williams review by Margaret Whitehead 30 “Grubstakes to Grocery Store: Supplying the Klondike, 1897-1907” by Margaret Archibald, and “St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Lake Bennett, British Columbia” by Margaret Carter review by George Newell 32 W.A.C. Bennett by Rosemary Neering review by Jeff Wooley 33 Vice Regal Mansions of British Columbia by Peter Neive Cotton review by Robert A.J. McDonald 33 The Boom Years: CC. Nye’s Photographs of North Vancouver, 1905-1909 by Donald J. Bourdon. review by David Grubbe 34 Second-class mail registration number 4447. Published fall, winter, spring, and summer by the British Columbia Historical Association, P.O. Box 1738, Victoria, V8W 2Y3. Our Charitable Donations number is 0404681-52-27. Printed by Fotoprint. Victoria, B.C. Correspondence with editor is to be addressed to Box 1738, Victoria, V8W 2Y3. Subscriptions: Institutional $15.00 per year, Individual (non-members) $7.00 per year. The B.C. Historical Association gratefully acknowledges the financial assistance of the British Columbia Heritage Trust. To the Editor The Editor: We were pleased to receive another attractive issue of B.C. Historical News. We have a sugges NEXT ISSUE tion to make —that the list of member societies be expanded to include the place, date, and time of Deadline for submissions for the Spring issue of meetings for the benefit of people travelling the NEWS is December 1,1982. Please type double around the province who might like to look in on spaced if possible. Mail to the Editor, BC. a meeting of a fellow society. Historical News, P.O. Box 1738, Victoria, B.C. V8W 2 Y3. Miss Dorothy Shields Vancouver Historical Society Nominations Sought for (Editor’s Note: here are two member societies we know information for.) Awards Vancouver: The Regional History Committee of the Cana 4th Wed. of every month 8 p.m. dian Historical Association wishes to announce Auditorium of the Vancouver Museum that it is soliciting nominations for its ‘Certificate of 1100 Chestnut Street, Vancouver Merit’ awards. These annual awards are given for No meetings in December or from June to meritorious publications or for exceptional August. contributions by individuals or organizations to regional or local history. Nominations should be Burnaby: sent to Professor Robin Fisher, Department of 2nd Wed. except July & August History, Stephen Leacock Building, McGill Uni Studio 2, James Cowan Centre versity, 855 Sherbrooke Street W., Montreal, P.Q. Burnaby, B.C. H3A 217. Subscribe! Yes, I wish to subscribe to B. C. Historical News. I enclose a cheque or money order payable to the B.C. Historical Association, P.O. Box 1738, Victoria, B.C. V8W 2Y3. Individual Four issues for $700 I Institutional Four issues for $1500 I NAME: ADDRESS I Street I City Postal Code Page 4 British Columbia Historical News J. Rhys Richardson (Editor’s Note: Rhys is in his second term as treasurer of the British Columbia Historical Association) The third son of teacher parents I was born in Wanganui, New Zealand, in 1910. Having com pleted secondary school I began teacher training in 1928 and then went ‘Home’ to England with my parents in 1929. There, I earned my B.Sc(Econ) degree at the London School of Economics and completed teacher training at the Institute of Education, University of London. I taught in Welwyn Garden City, Herts. until December, 1937. I left England on January 1, 1938, for Singapore as Principal of a Government Aided, English Presbyterian Mission School, teaching in English. There, I met my wife, Kathleen who was born in ‘old’ Alberni, Vancouver Island. We were away from Singapore on furlough in New Zealand, when World War II began in the Pacific. In New Zealand, I taught school in Dunedin; served as an Education Officer, R.N.Z.A.F. under the Empire Air Training Scheme; taught in Auckland; and had a year’s study at Knox Theological College, Dunedin. I returned to Singapore in February, 1946 (Kathleen and our children joined me in July) to resume my school duties there. Our second furlough fell due near the end of 1949 and we came to Canada to visit Kathleen’s family. The imposition of the sterling-dollar exchange control persuaded us to The Bibliography of British Columbia remain in Canada and I was accepted as a teacher by the 3 volumes Vancouver School Board as from january, 1950. I Strathern, Gloria: taught a variety of subjects at Carleton, John NAVIGATIONS, TRAFFIQUES & DISCOVERIES, Oliver, Magee, and Lord Byng Schools, but Social 1774-1848 Studies, especially Geography, was my main $12.00 interest. Iowther, Barbara: Of our five children two were born in Singa LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS, 1849-1889 pore, two in Dunedin, and one in Vancouver. The $12.00 eldest, who has two children, lives in Wellington, N.Z.; the Edwards, next, with two children, is in Greater Margaret & Lort, John: Vancouver; YEARS OF GROWTH, 1900-1950 our one boy with two children lives $20.00 just north of Nanaimo, and the fourth and fifth live in Victoria. available from the I achieved retirement University of Victoria in 1975, joined the Bookstore Vancouver Historical Box 2200 Society, and somehow, Victoria, B.C. unexpectedly, found myself nominated as Asso ciation Treasurer V8W 3H6 721-8311 in 1981. As a teacher of the old school I believe that any organization should be carried on “decently and in good order” with business affairs run accurately and kept up-to date. I am trying to carry out that belief. Fall 1982 Page 5 John D. Adams Bricks and Buildings Clayburn Company and Its Village Two noteworthy aspects of British Columbia’s from a domestic fire brick industry, John Charles industrial and architectural history are connected “Charlie” Maclure devoted time in the early years in the early years of the Clayburn Company and of the twentieth century to searching specifically the initial development and later evolution of for fireclay in the vicinity of his boyhood home, Clayburn village. The Clayburn Company, or the Hazelbrae, overlooking Matsqui Prairie, between Vancouver Fireclay Company as it was known Abbotsford and the Fraser River.2 His diligence initially from 1905 to 1909, was in the business of paid off when he tested a seam of clay on Sumas manufacturing bricks and other heavy clay Mountain in 1905.