CALL NUMBER: T0963:0001 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1965-08-05 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Allan Robertson describes his family history leading up to their arrival on Cortes Island between 1889 and 1905. He describes his education with John Manson's family; how eggs were the ;main industry; the first settlers of Cortes from 1870 to 1890; Whaletown; Mansons Landing; the growth of Cortes, including the fluctuations and flow of settlers from 1908 to 1920; the climate on the island; more on the development of Cortes; a description of John and Mike Manson; and Allan describes his early life, supporting his family and beginning to log. TRACK 2: Mr. Robertson describes his ;mother as a midwife; and the hospitals of Powell River and Vancouver and Campbell River. He then describes the conditions; clothes; steamship travel; and drinking in logging camps. He then discusses; the Columbia Coast Mission and ministers Alan Greene and John Antle.

CALL NUMBER: T0963:0002 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1968 [summer] SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Robertson talks about logging: horse logging; skid roads; steam donkey logging between 1905 and 1910; judging and preparing logs for riding skid roads; getting logs into the water; Gilchrist Jack; hand logging; the employment of oxen and horses; more on steam donkeys; log booms; the use of tow boats; the type of person a logger back then was; cork boots and typical logging clothes. ;TRACK 2: Mr. Robertson continues with more on logging: food in the logging camps; the Union Steamships; logging jargon; origin of "haywire"; different axes; more logging terms; his first job at a log;ging camp in 1911; his early years on Cortes Island and his introduction to logging; the authority of a camp foreman; wages; risks taken and compared to present; and an anecdote about drinking.

CALL NUMBER: T0963:0003 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1968 [summer] SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Robertson discusses growing up on Cortes Island; beginning his career as a logger at the age of thirteen; his experience enlisting in WWI; and his various occupations between the World Wars, including his work for the Crown Zellerbach Company. Mr. Robertson then recalls the history of the pulp and paper industry through the history of the Crown Zellerbach, including the reason for t;he odor produced by pulp mills; and he describes the process of paper making. TRACK 2: Mr. Robertson continues with more on the paper making process: the effects of waste on the environment; and reforestation. Then Mr. Robertson discusses commercial and sport salmon fishing; the origins of the name Cortes Island; more on growing up there including a description of the area; canneries on Blind Channel; his own education; and a comparison between kids yesterday and today.

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1965-10-04 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mrs. Constance G. Swartz discusses her family background. Her mother Winifred Higgs and her aunt Maybelle Higgs came to the Gulf Islands in 1896. Her father R.G. Grey came to Samuel Island in 1887. She describes social life and customs; father's attempts at agriculture; work on the family farm; parents married in 1900; more on agriculture and settler's experiences; religion and churches; nature appreciation; relation to Earl Grey; Indians; the Payne family of Saturna Island. TRACK 2: More on the Payne family; Warburton Pike who was a well-known explorer; Jack Aitkins of Moresby Isl;and; her aunt Maybelle Higgs married Martin A. Grainger in 1908; anecdotes about Grainger; the family moved to Esquimalt in 1910; Samuel Island in many hands since the Grey family sold it; comments on uncle Arthur Spalding.

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1965-10-06 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Donald New describes how his family moved to BC from England in about 1913; worked on a Mayne Island farm; his sister taught at a school on Mayne; worked for the Heck family; description; of the hotel at Miners Bay; Point Comfort Hotel; adaptation to BC life; how he worked in Victoria and was in the military in Nanaimo; did not go overseas in WWI; labour programs in Nanaimo; worked for a short time at Stave Falls; family moved to Galiano in 1915; selection of property on Galiano; agricultural possibilities described and pioneer families. TRACK 2: Three humorous anecdotes; Galiano postmasters; Mr. New as a postmaster until 1960; Englishness and "false Englishness" of early settlers; life of women and the relative lack of isolation.

RECORDED: Sidney (B.C.), 1981-08 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Born in England. Prospective husband in B.C. drank too much, so turned him down; instead, married William George Taylor, whose family had a stone quarry on Saturna Island. Sidney a shopping and supply centre for Gulf Islanders. Some Beacon Street businesses. Boat travel. Farming on Saturna. TRACK 2: Exchanged meat with neighbours. Went to dances on Mayne Island or Galiano Island, until community hall built on Saturna in 1935. Horse and wagon travel. Ran for school board. Had the only bathtub on the island.

Transcripts produced by the Hansard Office of sittings of Select Standing Committees and Special Committees of the BC Legislative Assembly, 1973. Not all committees were recorded since each committee had the choice of whether to accept Hansard's services. Of those that did, some met in camera without transcription services or "on the road" where recording was not feasible.

Included here are the Select Standing Committees on Agriculture, on Forestry and Fisheries, Public Accounts and Printing, Municipal Matters, Social Welfare and Education; and to Special Committees on Coastal Oil Spills and Television Broadcasting.

SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): The Ruckles of Beaver Point RECORDED: Saltspring Island (B.C.), 1977-06-17 SUMMARY: Lotus Ruckle was born Lotus Fraser in 1911. She arrived with her parents in 1921 and settled at Solimar, Bridgemont Rd., a 640 acre property which included Reginald Hill. She attended Beaver Point School, where her children also went. In 1925 she went to high school in Ganges. A.P. Robertson was her teacher. She married Henry Gordon Ruckle on July 30, 1930. The Ruckle family bought 1200 acres of Beaver Point, in stages. Buying supplies in Saanich. Her mother-in-law, Mrs. Ruckle, was frightened of Indians, especially the Haida, and had four children: Agnes, Ella, Henry and Norman. Mr. Ruckle was an artist and left Canada for New York. The operation of Ruckle Farm: rowing produce to Victoria, raising fruit trees, sheep, pigs. The Ruckles were famous for their potatoes. When the farm was sold to the government for a park, the cattle were removed because they posed a hazard to park visitors. Wool was bought by local weavers and Cowichan Indians. Learning spinning from her daughter Gwen, who in 1977 was knitting 25 sweaters a year. Her son taught in Victoria. Making butter. Famous bean suppers, made with Florida beans, started in 1953 using 20 lbs of beans, later increased to 100 lbs. Suppers comprised of beans, coleslaw and pie.

CALL NUMBER: T0799:0001 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1965-10-07 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mrs. Margaret Cunningham and Mr. Willy Palmer recall incidents from their early years on Salt Spring Island. Mrs. Cunningham discusses her family background; her father, Raffles Purdy; his sister and brother-in-law, Samuel and Emily Beddis, who came to Salt Spring Island in 1884. Raffles Purdy taught school for twelve years in the central community; the Beddis family settled in the Beddis Road area. Margaret Cunningham discusses early settlers including Black families; Akerman family; Bittancourt family; settlements at Vesuvius; Fernwood and Central; St Mark's Church; the Mouat family; Collins family; Norton family; Stevens family; lack of medical services; history of Mrs. Cunningham's house, formerly the Stevens boarding house; fruit farming on the island; mixed farming; transportation of produce to the market; and Mr. Henry Wright Bullock. TRACK 2: Mr. Willy Palmer continues this tape with his family history. He and his mother came to Victoria in 1904 and to Salt Spring in 1906. His mother was the housekeeper for Mr. Bullock from 1906 to 1918; Mr. Palmer later took charge of Mr. Bullock's farm, eventually renting a portion of the Bullock property. He shipped fruit produce until 1946 when it became unprofitable to continue fruit farming. Mr. Palmer discusses the Salt Spring Island Creamery. He describes the Bullock house and property; the employees who were ;former residents of the Protestant orphans home in Victoria; the eccentricities of Mr. Bullock; his gifts; lavish dinner parties; treatment of his employees; old-fashioned attitudes; clothing he provided; picnics; his generosity. Mr. Palmer recalls the Mouat family and the start of the business; transportation into Ganges; the coastal boats; Reverend Wilson; the Central settlement; Starks family; Black settlers; Mr. Jones, an early school teacher; Mr. Bittancourt.

CALL NUMBER: T0799:0002 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1965-10-07 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mrs. Cunningham recounts some anecdotes about Mr. Bullock; some early businesses on Salt Spring; the Mouats; Seymour's jam factory; the tie-mills; agricultural shows; Mann Hall; Stevens boarding house; Beddis family; the early "English" society; the stone quarry at Vesuvius; Black settlers; Indians; and Reverend Wilson's paintings and diaries. Mr. Palmer concludes the interview with reminiscences about life on Salt Spring. [TRACK 2: blank.];

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1965-10-05 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mrs. Margaret Smith discusses early agriculture and settlement on Pender Island, 1885 to 1925. Her father, Alexander Hamilton, purchased land on Browning Harbour in 1885; he was a stone mason and had a business in New Westminster. The family moved permanently to Pender in 1898. Mrs. Smith discusses various aspects of island life: agriculture; sheep farming; her childhood on the island; dredging the Pender Island canal; domestic chores; fruit farming; land clearing; shipping cream; chickens; herding sheep; sheep thieves; smuggling and "Old Burke"; the Brackett family; schools; social and political life; Mr. Pollard; rum running; subdivisions; recollections of other Gulf Islands. [TRACK 2: blank.]

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1965-10-07 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mrs. Mary Backlund recalls her family background; her great-grandfather, Henry "Scotty" Georgeson, arrived in BC during the gold rush and eventually became a light keeper at Georgina Point on Mayne Island. Her father; Albert Hawthorne, came to BC in 1912. She discusses life on Mayne and Galiano Islands; and the barter of produce between the residents, the Robson family and Mr. Deacon. She relates the story of John Cook, who was kidnapped when young by the Haida Indians, and later returned to settle in Cook's Bay. Recollections of the Burrill brothers, Joe and Fred; social life on th;e islands; music; means of transportation. TRACK 2: Mrs. Backlund recalls events surrounding the hotel on Mayne Island; stories about Active Pass. She relates her memories of John Shaw [Voss?], his work on the "Tillicum" ["Tilikum"?] and his later life on the islands; the fig tree on Valdes; the salteries; Mount Sutill; the Bell-Irvings and Irving Sinclair.

RECORDED: Ganges (B.C.), 1983-03-02 SUMMARY: TRACK 1 & 2: Mary Inglin discusses her father, Raffles Purdy, who was born in 1861 and emigrated from England to his sister's home in Nebraska in 1880. Move to Victoria via San Francisco. Purchase of a sloop. Blown ashore in San Juan Islands. Sailed again from Sidney. Camped for the summer at Beddis Beach, and helped build Beddis family's log house. Became teacher at Vesuvius School. Pre-empted 12;3 acres on Beddis Road. Built barn with Mr. Bullock's ox team. Planted 900 fruit trees. Married in 1911 in England. Problems of home-making. No electric power until 1948. Made and sold butter. Made own soap. Shipped apples to Victoria and the Yukon. Sheep shearing. Mrs. Inglin attended the Divide School, then Ganges School and the "Chicken House School". Dealing with fleas. Doing homework by candlelight. Social life: picnics, boat trips, beach parties, corn roasts and family dances. Cutting wood. Petition to keep cars off of Saltspring. Learning to drive a Model T Ford pick-up at age 16. Horses scared of cars. Difficulty of training horses to pass on right side of road in 1922. Becoming teacher at Divide School. First radio set. First piped water, 1942. Farm work. Summer work in Vancouver ;cannery. Running cafe on Robson Street. War work at Boeing. Return to Saltspring. Mr. Bullock coming to tea. His training of Dr. Barnardo's boys. Dressing up for his parties. Visiting Miss Pedder on Blackburn Road, with her room full of stuffed animals. Mr. Henry, Postmaster at Central.

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1965-10-04 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Neptune "Nep" Grimmer recalls his life on Pender Island. His father, Washington Grimmer, was born in London, England, grew up in Australia, and came to BC in 1877. He then worked in the Cariboo with sheep before settling on Pender in 1882 and marrying Elizabeth Auchterlonie in 1885. Neptune Grimmer describes some of the early island settlers, including David Hope, Mr. Buckley, the Hope family, the Auchterlonie family, and the Davison family. He describes the type of small boats used for transportation; fishing and farming on the island; and his parents operation of a guest house; from 1910 to 1920. Neptune Grimmer was born in a boat while crossing Navy Channel; his older sister was the first white child born on Pender. He recalls childhood activities; schooling and the family; farm. In 1908 he attended the Agricultural College at Guelph; the family exhibited at the local agricultural fairs and supplied cream to the Salt Spring Creamery. He describes the evolution of farming on the island from sheep to dairy and later beef cattle. There is discussion of the early fruit farming and land settlement on the island. [TRACK 2: blank.]

The series consists predominantly of fruit and vegetable crop reports and figures for District I, Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands, for the years 1926-1955. Other records included in this series relate to crop production and climate on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Also included in this series is a partial run of the annual Department of Agriculture publication “The Climate of British Columbia” (1924-1945). Some records also document the involvement of the Chinese community in the operation of greenhouses and market gardens.

Some of these records were created by Alan Littler, who served as District Horticulturalist for Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands (District I) between 1952-1971 (from 1971-1981 he served as Supervising Horticulturalist for the Coast). However, the majority of the files were created by Littler’s predecessor, E.H. White, who also served as District Horticulturalist for District I. The District Horticulturalist for Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands was responsible for monitoring and reporting on fruit and vegetable production, primarily on southern Vancouver Island.

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1965-10-03 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Victor Menzies recalls early years on Pender Island. His father who had traveled from Manitoba took a job on the Grimmer ranch in 1893; he later rented the Hope Farm and raised Jersey cattle and sent the cream to Salt Spring Island. Victor Menzies discusses some early settlers: the Grimmer family; Rutherford Hope; Auch. [TRACK 2: blank.]