THEMATIC FRAMEWORK & ENT M DRAFT IC CONTEXT STATE MAY 2010 R prepared for: prepared by: DONALD LUXTON ASSOCIATESinc. HISTO & CAMPBELL RIVER HISTORIC CONTEXT STATEMENT AND THEMATIC FRAMEWORK TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 2 1.0 HISTORIC CONTEXT STATEMENT 3 FIRST NATION OF CAMPBELL RIVER 3 RESPONSE TO A UNIQUE GEOGRAPHY 7 ENVIRONMENTALISM 8 SETTLEMENT 10 PIONEER FAMILIES 11 HUNTING AND GATHERING 13 A LOCAL COMMERCIAL CENTRE 14 THE INDUSTRIES: A RESOURCE-BASED ECONOMY 16 FORESTRY: LOGGING, FOREST PRODUCTS AND REFORESTATION 16 FISHING 20 SPORT FISHING 20 COMMERCIAL FISHING AND FISH PROCESSING 23 MINING 25 TOURISM 26 GENERATION OF HYDROELECTRIC POWER 28 CAMPBELL RIVER COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS 29 EDUCATION, HEALTH AND WELFARE 30 SPIRITUAL LIFE 32 LOCAL GOVERNANCE 32 ARTS AND CULTURE 33 THE CULTURE OF SPORT AND LEISURE 36 REFERENCES 37 2.0 THEMATIC FRAMEWORK PARKS CANADA SYSTEMS PLAN 38 CAMPBELL RIVER THEMATIC FRAMEWORK 39 Donald Luxton & Associates Inc., DRAFT May 2010 1 CAMPBELL RIVER HISTORIC CONTEXT STATEMENT AND THEMATIC FRAMEWORK Introduction Campbell River exists today as a modern community surrounded by an impressive landscape of mountains, forests, and water. The city stretches along the eastern shoreline of Vancouver Island for over 22 kilometres while the community’s namesake, the Campbell River, punctuates the city at its northern end. The story of Campbell River includes a rich and varied legacy of many activities and industries, including: First Nation settlements; logging, mining, the development of thriving sport and commercial fishing industries; ongoing settlement and economic development; and the development of a global tourism destination for sport and leisure. Though the City of Campbell River has yet to establish a heritage management program, it nonetheless boasts many historic sites that span from residential, to commercial, to cultural, to spiritual, and some that extend over many of these categories. These heritage resources provide a sense of connection between the community and the landscape, the past and lived experiences. They provide a tangible, and irreplaceable, expression of Campbell River’s identity and are a reflection of the diversity of the community experience that has unfolded over time. Globally, there has been a shift in heritage conservation towards a “values-based approach” that recognizes the importance of embedded historical and cultural values as the basis for understanding our heritage. This approach is based on the recognition of the importance of different interpretations, levels and meanings of heritage value and considers a broad-based view that goes beyond just architectural value. A values-based assessment of heritage also looks at environmental, social/cultural, economic and even intangible aspects of our shared experience. In the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada, Heritage Value is defined as “the aesthetic, historic, scientific, cultural, social, or spiritual importance for past, present or future generations.” It is important to consider that values are multivalent, and that a theme or a historic place can illustrate more than one value. This evolving view of heritage also recognizes emerging trends in urban development and the need for integration and sustainability in community planning. This approach recognizes the environmental, social/cultural and economic importance of sustainability initiatives. Heritage conservation strongly supports all three pillars of sustainability. This Historic Context Statement and Thematic Framework is an important step in the establishment of a heritage program for Campbell River. The primary goal of this project is to determine the themes that are most critical in the historic and present identity of the City of Campbell River. This process has included a City-wide Historic Context Statement developed through community-guided research and a Thematic Framework that encompasses and illustrates the City’s historical development. This will help define a sense of identity and ownership of the City’s heritage resources and direct their future values- based management. Donald Luxton & Associates Inc., DRAFT May 2010 2 CAMPBELL RIVER HISTORIC CONTEXT STATEMENT AND THEMATIC FRAMEWORK 1.0 HISTORIC CONTEXT STATEMENT Campbell River circa 1925 [BCA B-03949] “Campbell River is a kind of miniature edition of all of Canada. It contains in fairly small compass mining, logging, fishing, manufacturing, hydro-electric power, the wild frontier and a rich tourist trade”1 FIRST NATION OF CAMPBELL RIVER “The ocean and rivers gave a wealth and variety of food. In coastal settlements connected by a network of waterways, a rich cultural tradition developed”2 The area that would eventually become Campbell River has a long and rich history, stretching back more than 8,000 years. Evidence of First Nation villages and sites for food gathering occurred along the shoreline of Discovery Passage and at numerous places in the Campbell River estuary. Campbell River is located in the territory of the Kwakwaka’wakw First Nation language group and several different First Nation groups occupied various regions in the Campbell River area, resulting in a complicated territorial relationship. The indigenous people of the area lived off the abundant natural resources available year round and had intimate knowledge of, and respect for, the natural systems of the region. Tree bark was used to create rainproof clothing, giant cedars were used to build houses and canoes, and the surrounding waters were fished for salmon and trout. As a result, “in this abundant environment the spiritual and cultural life of the First Nations people was dramatically expressed in 1 Victoria Daily Colonist, 1953 in Silkens, T. (1997). “Campbell River: a modern history of a coastal community”. Museum Notes series No. 7. Museum at Campbell River. 2 Silkens, T. (1997). “Campbell River: a modern history of a coastal community”. Museum Notes series No. 7. Museum at Campbell River. Donald Luxton & Associates Inc., DRAFT May 2010 3 CAMPBELL RIVER HISTORIC CONTEXT STATEMENT AND THEMATIC FRAMEWORK ritual and art”3. Mythology, art, and ritual were ways of reinforcing the inter-connection between the people, the rich surrounding natural environment, and the spiritual world4. Many of the First Nation people of Campbell River area are part of the language group Kwakwaka’wakw ("Kwak'wala speaking people"), which is made up of more than twenty separate nations. The Kwakwaka'wakw people “occupy northeast Vancouver Island and the mainland opposite it. This includes the land from Campbell River to Cape Scott on the east coast of the island and from Cape Cook north on the island's west coast. On the mainland, the land opposite Campbell River north to Smith's Inlet is traditional Kwakwaka'wakw territory. Around the time of contact with Europeans (the 1790s) there were approximately thirty independent Kwakwaka'wakw local groups, each with its own settlements and resource base”5. This is not inclusive however, as some First Nation people of the area do not consider themselves to be Kwakwaka’wakw due to the fact that they do not speak Kwak’wala but another language known as Liq’wala. Following the arrival of the Europeans in the mid-nineteenth century, the First Nation people actively participated in the economic development of the area. They worked as guides for the sport fishing industry that began to develop in the late 1800s, worked in the local logging industry, and also contributed to the workforce at the Quathiaski Cannery on Quadra Island, processing and canning salmon. In fact, it was well-known that: The early fishing expertise was held by the Native people, who were the first boatmen and guides for visiting anglers. After a cannery was established at Quathiaski Cove on Quadra Island, the Natives increasingly preferred to fish commercially6. First Nation man guiding a fishing boat [MCR 10215] The Campbell River area continues to have a significant First Nation population. Current sites such as the Kwanwat’si Big House, Thunderbird Hall, the Laichwiltach cemetery on the Tyee spit, the Tyee Spit itself, and the existing fish weir remnants all remain as legacy of the ongoing presence of the First Nation 3 Taylor, J. (1999). “River City: A History of Campbell River and the Discovery Islands”. Madeira Park: Harbour Publishing. 4 Isenor, D.E., Stephens, E.G., and D.E. Watson. (1989). “Edge of Discovery: A History of the Campbell River District”. Campbell River: Ptarmigan Press Ltd, page 4 5 Donald, L., Mooney, K., Sanders, D., and Naneen Stuckey. (1999). “What the People Said: Kwakwaka’wakw, Nuu- Chah-Nulth, and Tsimshian Testimonies Before the Royal Commission on Indian Affairs for the Province of British Columbia (1913-1916). The Canadian Journal of Native Studies XIX(2): 213-248. 6 Silkens, T. (1997). “Campbell River: a modern history of a coastal community”. Museum Notes series No. 7. Museum at Campbell River. Donald Luxton & Associates Inc., DRAFT May 2010 4 CAMPBELL RIVER HISTORIC CONTEXT STATEMENT AND THEMATIC FRAMEWORK people in the Campbell River area. In addition, the city boasts many First Nation carvings that can be seen in different areas of the community, including in front of the Campbell River Museum and at the First Nation cemetery at the Tyee Spit, many of these carvings were done by Sam Henderson or members of the Sam Henderson family. Sam Henderson was “a noted carver and protector of ancient Kwakiutl customs”7 as well as a “high ranking traditional chief who