CALL NUMBER: T1855:0001 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Aird Flavelle : half a century in the British Columbia forest industry PERIOD COVERED: 1907-1957 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1957 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Aird Flavelle tells the story of how he, Roland Craig and H.R. MacMillan spent the summer of 1907 staking timber licenses on the coast of B.C. for a group of Ontario investors. TRACK 2: Continuation of the story of the summer of 1907. Flavelle comes to B.C. in 1911 and goes into business with R.J. Thurston. Getting into the milling industry in Port Moody. Flavelle stays in the Port Moody mill until 1955. Differences between the type of lumber and siding cut in 1915 and 1955.

CALL NUMBER: T1855:0002 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Aird Flavelle : the Port Moody mill and business anecdotes PERIOD COVERED: 1912-1957 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1957 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Details about the operation of Flavelle's Port Moody cedar mill. Mill operating costs. Anecdotes about timber sales. The problems of overseas export of lumber. The success of H.R. MacMillan as an exporter. Anecdotes about J.S. Emerson. Sources of supply for the Port Moody mill. TRACK 2: The demise of the cedar sash and door business. Business cycles affecting the operation of sawmills. Depression conditions in 1913. Story about a Chinese worker hanging himself. More on economic conditions. Price and wage comparisons over the years. (End of interview)

CALL NUMBER: T0772:0001 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-03-17 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Drinkwater recounts his parents' arrival in Langley Prairie, and later Surrey, in the 1890s. He describes schooling; early life; childhood experiences; incident with a bear; New Westminster fire of [1898]; potlatches at Semiahmoo; Indian encampments; family life; farm chores; fishing. TRACK 2: Mr. Drinkwater continues with a discussion about fishing; winter; logging in Surrey; sawmills; Ross McLaren Mill; Yale Road; traveling store, Kidds and Isaac; sounds common at the turn of the century; a cougar incident; railways.

CALL NUMBER: T0772:0002 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-03-17 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Drinkwater continues with his discussion about logging; logging methods; equipment; working horses; teamsters; oxen teams; selection of timber; loggers; the scaler; skid roads; transportation of logs. TRACK 2: Mr. Drinkwater continues with his discussion about logging; life in the logging camps; skid roads and donkey engines. He talks about Surrey Centre; early residents; Reverend; Bell.

CALL NUMBER: T0772:0003 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-03-17 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Drinkwater continues with his recollections of early residents of Tynehead; the Bell family; Halls Prairie settlers; the MacKenzie family; the Robertson family; incidents; the Brown family; Johnny Wise and the Clarendon Hotel; riverboats. TRACK 2: Mr. Drinkwater talks about the Yale Road; dredging and dyking, methods, procedures and equipment; Sumas Prairie dyking; constructing the; route for BC Electric; logging.

SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Logging camp characters PERIOD COVERED: 1932-1940 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1976 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Anecdotes about some characters in the logging camps of British Columbia: "Caraway Seed Bill", "Bullshit Bill", "Johnny-On-The-Spot", and "Roughhouse Pete". [TRACK 2: blank.];

CALL NUMBER: T1858:0001 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Allen H. De Wolf : logger and engineer (part 1) PERIOD COVERED: 1887-1935 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1958-01-08 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Born in 1887 in Minnesota. Started timber cruising with his father about 1900. Old cruising methods. Becomes B.C. Land Surveyor in 1913. Worked as logging superintendent near Yahk, 1918-19. Building flumes. Became mill superintendent at Merritt. Building and operating a logging railroad in Nicola area. TRACK 2: More anecdotes about logging railroads. Saw demonstration of early crawler tractors, 1920. Economic conditions in the sawmill business. Business slump of 1920s. Economic problems of the town of Merritt.; CALL NUMBER: T1858:0002 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Allen H. De Wolf : logger and engineer (part 2) PERIOD COVERED: 1900-1958 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1958-01-08 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Financial problems of the forest industry and the town of Merritt, 1930s. Comments on the costs of transporting logs by various methods. De Wolf becomes an engineering contractor. Anecdote about raising money during the Depression. De Wolf's involvement in the eastern forest industry. More on business and finance. Worked for A.S. Nicholson. De Wolf's early experiences in the woods in Minnesota after 1900. Woods working conditions. Logging camp conditions. TRACK 2: Anecdotes about the forest industry in the East Kootenays, ca. 1910. Union activities, especially IWW in the East Kootenays, 1920s. Mills in the East Kootenays, 1910.

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1977-11-22 SUMMARY: Interview with Patrick John "Blackie" Taylor, described as "a union man who has worked in many of British Columbia's major industries" and who "has spent a good deal of his life in northwestern British Columbia".

CALL NUMBER: T1853:0001 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Dewey Anderson : B.C. coast logger (part 1) PERIOD COVERED: 1895-1939 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1957 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Born, 1895 in Bellingham, Washington. To Yukon in 1898. Father's work. Returned in 1902 or 1903. Father to B.C. in 1908. Dewey began logging in B.C. in 1909. Logging techniques, 1910. Early camps described. Meals. Wages. Costs. Timber logged by the Andersons. Anderson in American Army, 1917-19. TRACK 2: More on Anderson's army experiences. Split with his father in 1921. Grassy Bay Lumber Co. at Loughborough Inlet. Discussion of logging methods especially logging railroads. Dewey and Clay Anderson formed Green Point Logging Co., 1926. More on logging methods. Relocated to Harrison Lake, 1930. Depression conditions while logging at Harrison Lake. Problems selling in the depressed log market of the 1930s. CALL NUMBER: T1853:0002 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Dewey Anderson : B.C. coast logger (part 2) PERIOD COVERED: 1930-1939 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1957 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Selling logs on a depressed market, 1930s. Tensions between loggers and mill operators. Brother Clay started Granite Bay Timber Co. Family financial dealings. Financial strains in the Depression. Fond memories of camp at Harrison Lake. Always supported by his wife. Regrets not buying more timber on Harrison Lake. Finished logging at Harrison Lake, 1936. Anderson decides to move to Salmon River with new partner, Jim Robson. (End of interview)

Documentary. Shows how the early forest pioneers used strength, courage and ingenuity to harvest giant trees, as compared to modern tree harvesting methods.

CALL NUMBER: T1861:0001 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Charles O. Marston : the early B.C. forest branch, 1913-1916 PERIOD COVERED: 1891-1919 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1958-12-23 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Family background in New England from 1638. Marston born 1891. The Biltmore School of Forestry, North Carolina. Details about the Biltmore school. Dr. Carl A. Schenck as the head of the school. Marston moves to Oregon, 1912. Began work for CPR Lands Department in East Kootenays. Joined B.C. Forest Branch in 1913. Timber cruising. TRACK 2: Traveling by B.C. Forest Service boat on the coast. Victoria office of the Forest Branch. Field work for the Forest Branch, 1914. Clo-oose land speculation. Forest Branch work, 1913-16. Anti-American sentiment causes Marston to leave Forest Branch. Worked for CPR in East Kootenays, 1916-17. Worked for H.R. MacMillan. Worked on aeronautical spruce supply in later years of World War I. CALL NUMBER: T1861:0002 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Charles O. Marston : a forester in B.C., 1913-1925 PERIOD COVERED: 1913-1925 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1958-12-23 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Aeroplane spruce supply during World War I. Worked for Canadian Puget Sound Lumber and Timber Co. after World War I, 1919-25. Was an officer of the One Big Union, 1919. Was a logger at Alice Arm. Logging accidents and deaths. OBU organization on northern Vancouver Island. Improvements in working conditions. Traveling the coast on the Union Steamship Co. Mrs. Marston: Worked as an assistant to her husband during WW I; description of native peoples' way of life on west coast of Vancouver Island. TRACK 2: Potlatches briefly described. Crabs and what meat consumed. (End of interview)

CALL NUMBER: T1881:0001 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Charles H. Grant : logging and milling in the Cumberland area, 1889-1902 PERIOD COVERED: 1889-1902 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1961 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Grant born in 1889 [actually 1881]. Father a Conservative associate of Robert Dunsmuir and Richard McBride. Father started a mill for Union Colleries. The story of the beginning of Union Mines (Cumberland). Father built mining camp at site of Union Mines. Operation of handloggers described. The introduction of saws as a tool for falling. Old-time falling methods. Building skid roads described. Logging and milling for his father. Methods of hauling with horses and oxen on skid roads. TRACK 2: More on hauling methods. Horses and oxen compared for hauling logs. Old bull punchers described. Humane and inhumane treatment of oxen and horses in the woods. More on skid road hauling methods. Sawmilling methods. A special order for long timber from England. CALL NUMBER: T1881:0002 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Charles H. Grant : the Courtenay area, 1900-1943 PERIOD COVERED: 1900-1943 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1961 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Continuation of the story of the special long timber order. Logging camp conditions. Food in the camp. Early Comox settlers. Speculation as to the origin of Garry Oak. Story of the Riverside Hotel, Courtenay. Grant ran the hotel for a year, ca. 1902. Worked on coastal boats for a time. Was a government agent and tax collector for provincial government. Anecdotes about tax collecting. (End of interview)

The collection consists of oral history interviews on the development of British Columbia's forest industry, covering the period from the late 1880s to the late 1950s through the first-person reminiscences of 44 individuals. The interviewess were lumbermen, loggers, and government officials associated with forestry. The recordings were made between 1955 and 1963 by Dr. C.D. Orchard, who served as British Columbia's Chief Forester from 1941 to 1958.

The original recordings were made on discs on an Edison Voicewriter dictation machine. The Voicewriter discs were copied to audio tape by the BC Archives in the 1970s.

The interviews are preserved in the form of audio tape copies and corresponding transcripts. Tape recordings exist for all of the interviews except the one with Thomas Roeser (T1888). Transcripts are available for all of the interviews except those with Eustace Smith (T1860) and Frank Kappel (T1889).

The collection also includes a 1958 CJVI Radio recording of Dr. Orchard speaking to the Victoria Men's Canadian Club about the British Commonwealth Forestry Conference.

CALL NUMBER: T1867:0001 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Charles S. Cowan : the B.C. Forest Branch and its Chief Forester, 1914-1937 PERIOD COVERED: 1914-1937 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1959-12-05 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Joined B.C. Forest Branch, 1914. Was Forest Assistant in Vancouver District. Anecdote about trespassers. George McKay, first District Forester in Vancouver District. W.J. Van Dusen, the next District Forester in Vancouver. Anecdote about meeting H.R. MacMillan by coincidence in London. Had worked for Canadian Commission of Conservation prior to 1914. Early impressions of H.R. MacMillan. Reconnaissance surveys of timbered land for the Commission of Conservation and the Forest Branch. Anecdotes about woods work. Anecdotes about Martin A. Grainger. TRACK 2: More anecdotes about Grainger as Chief Forester, 1916-20. Administration in the early Forest Branch. Setting the stumpage and royalty levels. More comments on Grainger. Grainger quits Forest Branch to represent timber owners. Peter Z. Caverhill, Chief Forester, 1920-37. CALL NUMBER: T1867:0002 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Charles S. Cowan : the B.C. Forest Branch, CFP (Nimpkish) and Weyerhauser, 1920s PERIOD COVERED: 1920-1930 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1959-12-05 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Peter Z. Caverhill, Chief Forester from 1920 to 1937 [1935]. Cowan was District Forester in Vancouver until 1926. Problems of fire control and slash control. Fire prevention. Development of fire fighting equipment. TRACK 2: More on fire fighting equipment. Left Forest Branch in 1926 and went to work for Canadian Forest Products at Beaver Cove. Problems with establishing pulp and saw mills at Beaver Cove. How the directors of International Harvester became the owners of the Nimpkish Valley timber. Cowan plans a logging development for Cyrus McCormack in the Nimpkish Valley. Went to Washington to work for Weyerhauser in 1927. Forest fire protection in Washington State. New fire fighting equipment. CALL NUMBER: T1867:0003 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Charles S. Cowan : forest fire protection PERIOD COVERED: 1927-1940 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1959-12-05 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Cowan talks about the development of new fire fighting equipment in Washington State. Changes in loggers attitudes towards fire. Developing fire protection practices. Orchard comments that B.C. generally follows developments in the U.S.A. More on fire fighting. TRACK 2: Anecdotes about the Canadian Armed forces. Stories about M.A. Grainger. Logging practices and changes. Logging and loading system. Application of tractors and early moving equipment to logging. Early logging trucks. CALL NUMBER: T1867:0004 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Charles S. Cowan : logging methods PERIOD COVERED: 1880-1930 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1959-12-05 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Evolution of logging methods, equipment and technology. (End of interview)

Item consists of one photograph in a card mat of five men in an old growth forest. "C.T. Dunbar's Timber Limits on the Mamquam River, Howe Sound 40 miles from Vancouver, B.C. About 35 square miles. Edwards Bros. Photos." has been captioned on the bottom left of the photograph.

Documentary. The "glory days" of logging in B.C. are evoked through dramatized sequences, archival footage and photographs, oral history interviews with old-time loggers, and historical re-creations filmed at the Cowichan Valley Forest Museum. The latter scenes feature vintage equipment, including a steam locomotive and steam donkey. The nature of the pioneer logger's life, and the impact of technological change upon that way of life, are also discussed. In one sequence, an old-time high-rigger climbs and tops a spar tree.

SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): hand logging in B.C. PERIOD COVERED: 1850-1920 RECORDED: Nanaimo (B.C.), 1969 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: In a talk to the Nanaimo Historical Society, Mr. Schon discusses in detail the subject of hand logging; its history and development on the BC coast; outlines the life of the hand logger; and describes the hand logger's tools. TRACK 2: The Land Act of 1888 and its effect on the hand logging industry; Chief Forester Martin Allerdale Granger and his involvement in the early forest industry in BC.

SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Don King : sawmill operator PERIOD COVERED: 1900-1956 RECORDED: [location unknown], [195-] SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Don King's family to the East Kootenays in 1900. Into lumber business in 1901. The King Lumber Company. Moved to coast about 1910. King-Farris Lumber Company. Mill and timber at Great Central Lake. Green Timbers. Business interests of the King family. Depression conditions. Founding M.B. King Lumber Company in 1932. Characters in the lumber business. Don King's early jobs around mills starting in 1916. Description of the Cranbrook mill. The lumber cut at Green Timbers. Labour conditions. TRACK 2: Working conditions. Hours of work. More on the M.B. King Lumber Company in North Vancouver. Sawmill waste. King family sold out to Fullerton Lumber Co., 1950. Don King formed Savona Timber Company. Farms and gardens near Green Timbers mill, Surrey. More on the Green Timbers mill. Stories about attempts to organize unions in 1930s. Management comments on union matters.

SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Don McPhee : Sinclair Spruce Mills PERIOD COVERED: 1922-1945 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1955 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: McPhee to the Prince George area in 1925. History of Sinclair Spruce Mills from 1922. Early logging methods. Wages and working conditions. Economic conditions, 1920s-1940s. Sawmills at Giscome and Willow River. Costs of logging in the 1920s. (End of interview);

SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Douglas B. Taylor : early life, 1895-1914 PERIOD COVERED: 1895-1914 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1956 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Personal background. Arrived in Vancouver, 1902. Born in Refrew, Ontario, 1895. Family from Scotland. Description of boat trip to Alaska, 1902. Trip from Skagway to Atlin. Taylor became a surveyor. Memories of Victoria from 1904: the causeway, James Bay, Fairfield. Mills in Victoria. Kelowna in 1910. Conditions in survey camps. Working as a surveyor for Green Brothers. Description of trip from Victoria to Hazelton. Town site surveys of South Hazelton, Smithers, Fort George. Comments on the construction of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. TRACK 2: Surveying and cruising Timber Licenses, 1913-14. Frank Green, A.H. Green and Fred Burden, surveyors. Surveying methods. World War I broke out while Taylor surveying in the Interior. Taylor joined armed forces in fall of 1914. Had been enrolled in forestry at the University of Washington. Taylor's reasons for entering forestry. (End of interview)

Stock shots. Shows a group of school children touring the Cowichan Valley Forest Museum. Includes classroom scenes, the museum's railroad, and shots of old logging machinery.

Unedited footage. Probably material shot for the historical documentary A PROUD PAST.

CALL NUMBER: T0271:0004 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Early lumbering in B.C. PERIOD COVERED: 1865-1907 RECORDED: Victoria (B.C.), 1974-04-20 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: In an interview with Derek Reimer, Mr. DeBeck discusses: DeBeck family from New Brunswick; early lumbering on Burrard Inlet; timber cruising on North of Vancouver Island and around Knight Inlet; ownership of timber rights; early figures in the lumber industry on north Vancouver Island; Nimpkish Valley; Beaver Cove; anecdote concerning the "Finnish commune" at Sointula, B.C., 1900-1901; the rush for timber licenses in Nimpkish area, 1905-1907. [TRACK 2: blank.] CALL NUMBER: T0271:0005 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Early lumbering in B.C. and timber holdings in the Nimpkish Valley PERIOD COVERED: 1867-1970 RECORDED: Victoria (B.C.), 1974-06-28 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: In an interview with Derek Reimer, Mr. DeBeck talks about early lumbering in B.C. Anecdotes about Eustace Smith and his family. Changing timber cruising techniques, 1880-1970. Physical description of Eustace Smith. Anecdotes about the trapper, Otto Schoen. TRACK 2: Eustace Smith (continued from track 1). Anecdotes about timber cruiser, Bill Shannon. Characteristics of a good timber cruiser. Eustace Smith. Early hand logging techniques in B.C., 1867-1896. Description of early experiences in logging camps as a child and young man. Ox logging techniques and skid roads, 1870-1900. CALL NUMBER: T0271:0006 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Early B.C. lumber industry RECORDED: Victoria (B.C.), 1974-06-28 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: In an interview with Derek Reimer, Mr. DeBeck talks about early lumbering in B.C. Ox logging, including care of the animals and types of equipment used. Life in the early logging camps, 1870-1900. Duties of the men in an ox logging camp. Anecdote about Tommy Roberts, "the logger's friend". Anecdote about Andrew Haslam. Advantages of steel cable over chains in logging, 1891-1892. Anecdotes about families living in the Nimpkish River Area, 1900-1910 TRACK 2: Questions concerning families in the Nimpkish Valley. Anecdote about the Hunt family. (End of interview)

SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Eric Strimbold : northern Interior forest industry PERIOD COVERED: 1911-1950 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1955 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Strimbold to Prince George in 1911. Mills in Prince George. Family moved to Willow River. TRACK 2: Mills in the region around Prince George before 1920. Tie cutting. Comments on the problems of transporting chips. (End of interview)

CALL NUMBER: T3944:0016 - 0022 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1976-11-29 SUMMARY: Interview with Ernie Dalskog, who discusses logging in British Columbia, 1931-1948.;

CALL NUMBER: T3944:0023 track 1 item 01 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1976-11-29 SUMMARY: Conclusion of Ernie Dalskog interview. (ca. 10 minutes);

SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Eustace Smith : timber cruiser PERIOD COVERED: 1887-1958 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1958-12-02 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Smith was born in 1876 and came to B.C. in 1887. Homesteading near Comox. Smith discusses his career as a timber cruiser on the coast of British Columbia.;

SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Frank Kappel : the forest industry in the Shuswap area, 1911-1945 PERIOD COVERED: 1908-1945 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1963-11-14 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Kappel's background in Europe prior to coming to Canada in 1911. Spent three years overseas during WW I. Began working for Rolf Bruhn in Shuswap area, ca. 1921. (Portion unintelligible) Description of Rolf Bruhn. Sawmills in the Thompson area. The Adams River Lumber Company and the Arrow Lakes Lumber Company. The origin of Kamloops Lumber Company, ca. 1920. Harry Turner. Other people in the forest industry in the Shuswap area. The R.W. Bruhn Lumber Company. The manufacture of poles and ties by the Bruhn Company. More on the mills in the Shuswap area. TRACK 2: Description of Rolf Bruhn. Kappel appointed ranger in 1913 for Shuswap area. Kappel's experiences with forest fires. Wages for loggers. Wages before 1940. (End of interview)

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1977-09-15 SUMMARY: Interview with George Heyman, a resident of Terrace, about working in logging camps.;

SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Life of George L. McInnis (part 1) RECORDED: Vancouver (B.C.), 1975-07-02 SUMMARY: Logger and poet George L. McInnis discusses his background: born P.E.I.; went to Maine where he first worked in woods; in 1894 he headed west to Prairies to harvest crops; then moved on to Washington and Oregon; Aberdeen. Describes logging methods and horse team loggers; steam power. Coming to Vancouver 1904, worked as hook-tender. Accidents in the woods. Famous logging characters: "Eight-Day Wilson", "Rough House Pete". Spar tree logging methods. Hand fallers and first power saws. Last job as bull-bucker. Retired 1948. Home in Vancouver. Family life. Vancouver growing. Peter Trower, the "logger poet", was also present at the interview.

CALL NUMBER: T1885:0001 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): George R. Copley : a Vancouver Island logger (part 1) PERIOD COVERED: 1901-1960 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1961 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Copley born in Nanaimo in 1881. Began logging at Chemainus in 1901 for Victoria Lumber and Manufacturing Company. Matt Hemmingson as Superintendent. Logging and loading equipment, ca. 1901. Supervising Chinese workers. Logging camp conditions. Meals. Hauling methods. TRACK 2: Logging railway methods. Details on hauling equipment. Anecdote about explosives. Quit logging in 1907. River driving on the Cowichan River. Work in a small 'haywire' outfit. Problems with fleas and bedbugs. Anecdote about bear hunting. Identification of various photographs.

CALL NUMBER: T1885:0002 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): George R. Copley : a Vancouver Island logger (part 2) PERIOD COVERED: 1901-1960 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1961 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Continuation of the identification of photographs. The importance of the blacksmith in a logging camp. The mill at Chemainus, ca. 1902. Hand falling described. Copley describes his farm wood lot. (End of interview)

Interview. An interview with retired logger Gerry Wellburn.

CALL NUMBER: T2719:0001 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Gordon and Jack Gibson : the Gibson family (part 1) PERIOD COVERED: 1886-1939 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1977 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mother's and father's personal background. Mother to Vancouver in 1886, father in 1896. Family's economic situation. Father (William F. Gibson) involved in Bridge River gold rush. Family in Yukon, 1903-05. G. Gibson born in Yukon, 1904. Family to Vancouver in 1906. Father's work history. Father a timber staker and cruiser. TRACK 2: Comments on the Vancouver real estate boom, 1912. Father; joined Forestry Corps, 1914. Odd jobs for young brothers. Father rejected for overseas service, 1915. G. Gibson goes logging with his father, 1917. Logging aircraft spruce during WW I. Building their first mill after WW I. Gibson family moves to Ahousat in early 1920s. The Gibson's on the West Coast of Vancouver Island: boats, the pilchard industry, 1925-32. Ahousat during the Depression.; CALL NUMBER: T2719:0002 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Gordon and Jack Gibson : the Gibson family (part 2) PERIOD COVERED: 1932-1952 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1977 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Description of Ahousat and the Native people. The purchase of the SS "Malahat". Anecdotes about the "Malahat". Hauling logs on the Queen Charlottes. TRACK 2: More anecdotes about the "Malahat". The end of the "Malahat". Logging airplane spruce during WW II. Dividing the work between the four brothers. Built sawmill at Tahsis after WW II. Building Tahsis. The Gibsons amalgamate with the East Asiatic Co. The Gibsons in the whaling business at Coal Harbour. CALL NUMBER: T2719:0003 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Gordon and Jack Gibson : the Sommers case (part 1) PERIOD COVERED: 1945-1960 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1977 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Continuation of the story of the Gibsons' involvement in the whaling industry. Gibsons sell out completely to the East Asiatic Company, 1952. Relations between the Gibsons and East Asiatic, 1948-52. Jack Gibson's political career: Gibson's predecessor A.W. Neill; 1945 nominating convention; Gibson MP, 1945-53; Gibson sat as an independent; comments on his communist seat-mate Fred Rose. How Gordon Gibson came to run in 1953 provincial election. G. Gibson's position before the Sloan Commission. Anecdotes about the 1953 election campaign. TRACK 2: Improper granting of FMLs under the Coalition government, 1947-52. The role of campaign funds. Discussion of the Sommers case. Gibson's resignation over the Sommers case. Gibson's defeat in 1955 by-election. Gibson feels Social Credit party involved in FML scandal. Discussion of the "money talks" speech, 1955. Sammy Craig and BCFP incident. Story of G. Gibson's address to UBC forestry class. CALL NUMBER: T2719:0004 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Gordon and Jack Gibson : the Sommers case (part 2) PERIOD COVERED: 1948-1958 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1977 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Comments on the Sloan Commission hearings. Bob Filberg of Canadian Western Forest Industries was the campaign funds "collector" for the Coalition from the forest industries. Circumstances surrounding the granting of FML #2. Why the Gibson brothers did not apply for an FML. Comments on R. Sommers' gambling. Gambling with people in the forest industry. Gordon Gibson recalls discussing FMLs with W.A.C. Bennett. H.R. MacMillan opposed to FMLs at one time. Anecdote about Gordon Gibson being ejected from the B.C. Legislature, 1955. The Lord Commission, 1955, discussed. The people involved in the hearings: Arthur Lord, Alfred Bull, T.W. Brown. TRACK 2: Ron Howard, Gibson's lawyer. G. Gibson's reaction to the findings of the Lord Commission. Comments on Bonner's role. Positive assessment; of Judge Arthur Lord. The Lillooet by-election, 1955. Anecdotes about the by-election campaign. The Gibsons' connection with David Sturdy. Discussion of Sturdy and Charles Eversfield. Meetings to discuss the Eversfield evidence with the Gibson brothers, Ron Howard, Tommy Gold, Stuart Keate and Donald Cromie. Payments to Sturdy. Comments on Sturdy's judgement. Comments on Eversfield. RCMP Inspector W.J. Butler. CALL NUMBER: T2719:0005 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Gordon and Jack Gibson : the Sommers case (part 3) PERIOD COVERED: 1953-1958 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1977 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Comments on the "money talks" speech. Discussion of the presentation of the Eversfield evidence to the Sloan Commission, Dec. 1955. The role of Charles Locke, the Sloan Commission counsel. The Gibsons have never seen the Butler Report. J. Gibson asked federal Justice Minister Stuart Garson to see the Butler Report but was refused. Discussion of the Tahsis Company in the Butler Report. The role of C.D. Orchard and the Forest Service. Davie Fulton, federal Justice Minister, put pressure on the Sommers case. Implications of Sommers case for Jack Gibson's role as a Liberal party fund-raiser. TRACK 2: Payments from Gibson to Sturdy. Peripheral involvement of James Sinclair, Johnny Fairburn and Sid Smith. Gibson has no specific knowledge of the alleged payoffs to keep Sommers out of the country. Gibson did not attend trial. Comments on the role of C.D. Scultz. Gibson did not know the Gray brothers. No ministers other than Sommers benefited personally from the bribery scheme. The Gibson brothers considered applying for an FML. Gibson cannot recall details of meeting with Sommers prior to famous speech. Miscellaneous comments. (End of interview);

CALL NUMBER: T1856:0001 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): The Gordon Gibson story (part 1) PERIOD COVERED: 1904-1940 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1960 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Gordon Gibson describes his early life as a logger, especially on the West Coast of Vancouver Island. Work for the Munitions Board during the First World War. The Gibson family's involvement in the shingle industry, logging and in the pilchard industry, all on the West Coast. The Gibson's accidental entry into the shipping industry. Anecdotes about the SS "Malahat". TRACK 2: More about the "Malahat", especially on the Queen Charlottes. The Gibsons begin to prosper. More about the "Malahat". CALL NUMBER: T1856:0002 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): The Gordon Gibson story (part 2) PERIOD COVERED: 1916-1957 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1960 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Getting into the forest industry in the 1930s and 1940s. Logging shows on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The Gibson family's business deals. Description of early camp conditions. TRACK 2: The construction of Jeune Landing logging camp. Changes in loggers' lifestyles. CALL NUMBER: T1856:0003 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): The Gordon Gibson story (part 3) PERIOD COVERED: 1948-1960 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1960 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Gibson recalls a 1948 speech by his brother Clarke to the Truck Loggers Association. Discussion of the development of forest policy in B.C. TRACK 2: Continuation of the discussion of forest management policies. Discussion focuses around the situation in Quatsino Sound. CALL NUMBER: T1856:0004 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): The Gordon Gibson story (part 4) PERIOD COVERED: 1948-1960 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1960 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Continuation of the discussion of forest management policies in B.C. Discussion of the 'Sommers Case': how Gibson got into politics; disagreements with the East Asiatic Co.; early discussions with Sommers; money to Coalition for campaigning funds; the Lord Commission; involvement of Gordon Wismer. TRACK 2: The Sommers Case (cont'd): connection between FMLs and Coalition campaign funds; more on the Lord Commission; Gibson's resignation and the Lillooet by-election; the Sturdy-Eversfield connection; Sturdy's presentation of evidence to the Sloan Commission; Eversfield and Sturdy visit Bonner; the RCMP (Butler) Inquiry. CALL NUMBER: T1856:0005 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): The Gordon Gibson story (part 5) PERIOD COVERED: 1948-1960 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1960 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Continuation of a discussion of the Sommers Case: the RCMP (Butler) Inquiry; Johnny Fairburn incident; Britannia Beach story; Liberal Party opposed Gibson; speculation about the amounts involved; philosophical implications. Orchard gives his side of the story. Further discussion of forest management policies. TRACK 2: More on forest management policies and matters of political philosophy. (End of interview)