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June2016FriendsoftheBCArchivesNewsletterVol.15,No.4

BCArchivesReferenceRoomRefreshDavidAlexander,HeadofArchives,Access,andDigital-RoyalBCMuseum

After many years, the BC Archives Reference Room is getting a refresh.We have allocated capital

budget thisyear for somechangesandweare currently costingoutwhat thatmight look like.The

refresh will potentially include some necessary cosmetic changes such as new carpets, compact

shelving,andreplacementof thedesk in thecentreof theroomwithsomethinga littlesmallerand

less obtrusive. It’s a large room, one of the largest in theRoyal BCMuseum, andwewould like to

encourage programming and events in the space during off-hours. We will be adding a projector,

movingsomeofthecabinets,andpurchasingmodularfurniturethatcaneasilybemovedaroundor

outoftheroom.Onceplanshavebeenfinalized,wewilldevelopatimelineandsharethiswithusers.

Therewillbesomedisruptionintheroom,eitherfullorpartialclosuresbutwewillworktominimize

thisasmuchaspossible.Itisabeautifulroombutlongoverdueforanupdate.Iamexcitedtoseethe

transformationandlookforwardtoinvitingyoutoeventshereinthefuture.

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BCArchives:ResearchNoteTheFBCABoardwasrecentlyinformedthatusersoftheBCArchiveswillnolongerberestrictedto

usingRBCMpricedandsuppliedUSBstickswhenscanningmicrofilmedmaterial.RememberyourUSB

stickonyournextvisit!

Congratulations!

Thewinner of the Lieutenant-Governor’sMedal for HistoricalWritingwas FBCA Treasurer Ronald

Greene for his book, Carlo Gentile, Gold Rush Photographer, 1863-1866 (2015). The award was

presentedbyHerHonourJudithGuichon,attheAwardsBanquetoftheBCHistoricalFederationheld

May 28, 2016 in Revelstoke. Ron spoke to the Friends on the subject at our April 2015 public

presentation.

Source:http://greenefrogge.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Front-Cover.jpg

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RecentFBCAEventsReturningFrenchCanadianstoVictoria’sandBC’sHistory/LesCanadiensfranҫaisaucouerdel’histoirefranco-colombienne(April17,2016)

TheNewcombeAuditoriumwasfilledtocapacityforapresentationbyJeanBarman,oneofCanada’s

mostdistinguishedhistorians.Dr.Barmandrewuponresearchfromheraward-winningbook,French

Canadians,Furs,andIndigenousWomenintheMakingofthePacificNorthwest(2014),butfocussedon

localandregionalthemesforanappreciativeaudience.ThiseventwasajointventureoftheFBCAand

L’Association Historique Francophone de Victoria. Professor Barman, who retired from the

EducationalStudiesDepartmentatUBC,explainedhowFrenchCanadianswerevitalinthefurtrade.

In the1830s, French Canadians comprised 60 per centof theHudson’s Bay Companyworkforce in

present-day Oregon, Washington, and BC. As they had done elsewhere, they established intimate

relationswithFirstNationswomenandsubsequentlycreatedculturalbridgesbetweenFirstNations

peoplesandnewcomersofEuropeandescent.After theOregonBoundary settlement in1846,many

French Canadians and their families moved north from theWillamette Valley to Fort Victoria. The

VictoriaVoltigeurs,amilitiaunitofFrenchCanadianmen,bolsteredthedefenceofVancouverIsland,

whileFrenchCanadiansprovidedabulwarktoAmericanexpansionduringtheFraserRivergoldrush.

Indeed,ProfessorBarmanargued,FrenchCanadianswerecrucialinestablishingaBritishcolonyanda

CanadianprovinceonthePacificslope.ShealsodrewattentiontothelegacyofFrenchCanadiansand

theirfamiliesinVictoriaandintheCowichanValley,withaslideshowthatwasillustratedwithimages

fromthecollectionsof theBCArchives.Theafternoonwasenrichedbyaposterprovidedbyourco-

sponsorsandartifactsfromthecollectionsoftheRoyalBCMuseum.ProfessorBarmangavethevery

first public lecture sponsored by the newly-established Friends of theBritish ColumbiaArchives in

October2000.WelookforwardtoherfuturecontributionstothestudyofBritishColumbia.

-PatrickDunae,President,FBCA

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MoosehidecartridgebeltandjacketmadeintheMétiscommunityofKellyLake,BC.AgifttoschoolteacherGeraldSmedleyAndrewsfromlocaltrapperMiltonCampbell.RBCM2014.199.

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DavidMattisonwasanarchivistwiththeBCArchivesuntilhisretirementin2010.Hespecializedin

photographs,managingtoputsomeorderintothemillionsofarchivalphotos,agoodnumberofwhich

arenowavailableonline.Aswellaswritingaward-winningarticlesinjournalsandgivingconference

papers, he also developed a searchable database, CameraWorkers, a directory of BC, Alaska, and

Yukonphotographsandphotographersfrom1858-1950.

At May’s Friend’s talk, David presented his accumulated and most recent work on one of the

photographers listed inCameraWorkers - a littleknown,but importantearlyBCphotographer,C.S.

Bailey (1869-1896). Bailey was the first Vancouver photographer specializing in landscape and

marinephotography.DavidshowedusmanyofBailey’spanoramasandrooftopviewsofaveryyoung

Vancouver.Interestingly,wewereabletopickoutsomerecognizablebuildings–especiallysincethe

site lines were more open than they would be today. Bailey also travelled into the interior to

photographtheactivityinthatareaandalongtheCanadianPacificRailwaytracks.Healsotravelledto

Hawaiiand imagesfromhisphotographicportfoliocanbefoundinthestatearchivesthere.Bailey’s

short life ended in Kamloops,where he died of tuberculosis at the age of 27. His legacy is a large

collectionofvaluabledocumentationof earlyBC.Onehas towonderwhathemight haveproduced

hadhelivedalongerlife.Thank-youtoDavidforsharingwithusthislittleknownmaterialfromthe

BCArchivesandothermunicipalcollections.

-DeidreSimmons,BoardMember,FBCA

AnArtistofRareAbility:TheLifeandPhotographsofC.S.Bailey(May15,2016)

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TheFriendsPrograms are held in the Newcombe ConferenceHall at the RoyalBritish Columbia

Museum, 675Belleville Street, Victoria, from2:00 - 3:30p.m. on Sundays. Formore information

about these events contactRonGreene, Treasurer of the Friends of theBCArchives at 250-598-

1835.Eventsarefreeformembers,$5.00fornon-members,payableatthedoor.

Pleasecall(250)356-7226inadvanceforinformationaboutaccessforpersonswithdisabilities.

FBCAContactInformation

Email:FriendsOfBCArchives@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

Website:https://friendsofbcarchives.wordpress.com/

Twitter:@BCArchives

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/FriendsofTheBCArchives/

Address:FriendsoftheBritishColumbiaArchives,B.C.Archives

RoyalBritishColumbiaMuseum,675BellevilleSt.Victoria,B.C.V8W9W2

MembershipDues

A friendly reminder thatmembershipdues for2016-17arepayable inSeptember.Thank-you toall

FBCA members for another successful year of engaging talks and support for BC’s documentary

heritage.

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