A group photograph taken in front of the white canvas house built by Walter Robertson on Hernando Island. The house was a bare framework covered by heavy Powell River canvas.
L to R, back row: Flossie (Manson) Kenny, Gwen (Manson) Campbell, Ralph Kenny
L to R, row 2: Mrs. Niven, Mrs. Jane Manson, Muriel Hurren
L to R, row 3: Audrey Kenny, Eileen Kenny, and Calvin, Minerva and Lorne Campbell
L to R, seated: Thelma Campbell, Dorothy Manson, Bill Niven and Ralph Kenny Jr.
A group photograph taken in front of the white canvas house built by Walter Robertson on Hernando Island. The house was a bare framework covered by heavy Powell River canvas.
L to R, back row: Flossie (Manson) Kenny, Gwen (Manson) Campbell, Ralph Kenny
L to R, row 2: Mrs. Niven, Mrs. Jane Manson, Muriel Hurren
L to R, row 3: Audrey Kenny, Eileen Kenny, and Calvin, Minerva and Lorne Campbell
L to R, seated: Thelma Campbell, Dorothy Manson, Bill Niven and Ralph Kenny Jr.
File consists of twenty pages of notes, lists, and handwritten letters relating to the Whaletown Women's Institutes 1952 Cemetery Project to clean up the old Whaletown cemetery at the corner of Carrington Bay & Harbour Rds. and replace grave markers.
File consists of twenty pages of notes, lists, and handwritten letters relating to the Whaletown Women's Institutes 1952 Cemetery Project to clean up the old Whaletown cemetery at the corner of Carrington Bay & Harbour Rds. and replace grave markers.
Donkey logging at Haywire Point, Hernando Island.
Standing on the logs are (L to R): Ervie McKay; Hazel McKay standing beside her mother Florence McKay; Wilfred Freeman beside his mother Robina Freeman.
Buildings on the beach in the background are three individual family cabins and the cookhouse. The steam donkey is on the extreme right of the photo.
Donkey logging at Haywire Point, Hernando Island.
Standing on the logs are (L to R): Ervie McKay; Hazel McKay standing beside her mother Florence McKay; Wilfred Freeman beside his mother Robina Freeman.
Buildings on the beach in the background are three individual family cabins and the cookhouse. The steam donkey is on the extreme right of the photo.
Photographs depict the pupils at the second Whaletown school standing beside the school. The photograph was taken by Evelyn Dow, who taught there from February 1928 to June 1929. This school was built in 1918 near the corner of Coulter Bay Road and Carrington Bay Road, and was used (with improvements) until 1950. The front, side and surroundings of the school are clearly shown.
Front row third from left is Marion Borden; Vernon Borden next to her fourth from left.
Top row, far right: Lorna Borden
(IDs by Terrill Marlow, Marion’s daughter, and Rob Borden, Vernon’s son).
Photographs are from an album created by Evelyn Dow and were donated to CIMAS by her niece, Sharon Thomas.
Scope and Content
Photographs depict the pupils at the second Whaletown school standing beside the school. The photograph was taken by Evelyn Dow, who taught there from February 1928 to June 1929. This school was built in 1918 near the corner of Coulter Bay Road and Carrington Bay Road, and was used (with improvements) until 1950. The front, side and surroundings of the school are clearly shown.
Front row third from left is Marion Borden; Vernon Borden next to her fourth from left.
Top row, far right: Lorna Borden
(IDs by Terrill Marlow, Marion’s daughter, and Rob Borden, Vernon’s son).
File consists of the agreement between the Whaletown Women's Institute and the Columbia Coast Mission regarding the use and upkeep of the Church Hall and cemetery at the corner of present-day Carrington Bay and Harbour Rd. in Whaletown.
File consists of the agreement between the Whaletown Women's Institute and the Columbia Coast Mission regarding the use and upkeep of the Church Hall and cemetery at the corner of present-day Carrington Bay and Harbour Rd. in Whaletown.
Fonds consists of a minute book and an accounts book of the Whaletown Church Hall Building Fund Committee, documents written by Canon Alan Greene setting out the history, responsibility and terms of use for the Church Hall, and a cover letter for the Certificate of Title from the Land Registry Office.
In 1919, the settlers of Whaletown decided to raise the funds necessary to erect a combined church and hall, to be used for both secular and religious purposes. The new building was attached to the first Whaletown school building, which was then used as a kitchen and dressing room. At this time, the parcel of land on which the school stood, at the corner of present-day Carrington Bay and Harbour Rd. in Whaletown, was deeded to the Diocese of Columbia by Mrs. Alice Robertson, and part of the property was set aside for a cemetery.
After a church was built in Whaletown in 1950, the Church Hall continued to be used for social events. In 1952 the Whaletown Community Club took over responsibility for the Gorge Hall, which then replaced the Church Hall as the main venue for weddings, dances, meetings and parties for both the Whaletown and Gorge Harbour communities. In 1953, the Whaletown Women's Institute signed agreements with both the Whaletown Community Club and the Columbia Coast Mission to assume responsibility for the use and upkeep of the Church Hall and cemetery. The Church Hall was used for a few more years. It was decommissioned in about 1957 and later dismantled.
Custodial History
Canon Alan Greene of the Columbia Coast Mission was involved in the project to build a new Church Hall, and wrote the document setting forth its history and terms of use; envelopes indicate the material was in his possession. Found in a box on the archives shelves; provenance unknown.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of a minute book and an accounts book of the Whaletown Church Hall Building Fund Committee, documents written by Canon Alan Greene setting out the history, responsibility and terms of use for the Church Hall, and a cover letter for the Certificate of Title from the Land Registry Office.
1999.002 Whaletown Women's Institute fonds
2003.003 Whaletown Community Club fonds
2009.001 Island Women's Club fonds
2011.001 Dorothy Huck Whalley fonds
Fonds consists of the personal, business and research records of May and Elmer Ellingsen. Textual records include personal and business correspondence; financial and legal records; information about local history; records and newsletters of various community organizations; records created by John Manson and by the St. James Ladies' Guild; maps; ephemera; and clippings about Cortes Island people and events. Fonds also includes photographs of the Manson family and other island people and places, and cassette tapes of oral history and music.
Fonds is arranged in 14 series: Correspondence; Financial records; Elmer Ellingsen records (business and personal); May Ellingsen personal records; Local history subject files; John Manson records; St. James Ladies' Guild records; Community organizations and services records; Cortes Island Museum & Archives Society records; Maps; Ephemera; Clippings; Photographs and Audio tapes.
Records from Accessions 2017.003 and 2019.002, which were processed after the other material had been arranged, have been interfiled.
3 meters of textual records
726 photographs
21 audio cassette tapes
Extent
252 cm
History / Biographical
Elmer Ellingsen (1913-2002) was born in North Vancouver to Sigurd and Gladys Ellingsen. After graduating from high school, he took a short course in business at Sprott Shaw College. In the early 1930s Elmer worked in logging and became a strong supporter of the trade union movement. He also had classical piano training in school, later turning to popular music; he played for many dances and parties until well into his eighties.
May Ellingsen (1914-2012) was born in Vancouver to George and Robina Freeman. Her maternal grandfather, Michael Manson, was the first person to pre-empt land on Cortes Island, in 1886. May grew up on Cortes and Hernando Islands until grade six, then moved to Vancouver with her family to finish her schooling.
May and Elmer met on Cortes in 1935 and were married on August 1, 1936. They built a float house and spent the next ten years in the Loughborough Inlet/Phillips Arm area where Elmer worked in his father's logging operations. While there, their children Shirley (1939), Bruce (1940) and Andy (1941) were born. In 1946 they moved to Von Donop Creek, where Elmer formed a logging partnership with Mike Herrewig and Scotty McKenzie. In 1950, he formed a new partnership with Erne Anderson for logging in the Whaletown area, and moved the floathouse to Manson's Landing lagoon. Two years later their floathouse was moved to its present location on Hague Lake.
After travelling from home to various logging operations, Elmer retired from logging. He bought a D8 Caterpillar tractor, backhoe and gravel truck and worked for the next forty years excavating, delivering gravel and moving things. He often worked with BC Hydro and BC Tel on pole installation, repair and maintenance.
Both Elmer and May were very active in community life. They sponsored weekly movie nights through the 1950s and square dancing in the sixties. May's many involvements included the Ladies' Guild, Women's Institute, Ratepayers Association, Post Office, Vancouver Regional Library development and Cortes Island Days. Elmer was a leading promoter of bringing ferry and hydro service to the island; he helped renovate Manson's Hall in the late 1970s, lobbied for road paving and helped initiate the Cortes Island Firefighters Assoc. in the 1980s. Both were founding members of the Cortes Island Museum and Archives Society.
Custodial History
Records were collected from the home of May and Elmer Ellingsen by Andy and Susan Ellingsen and by Bruce Ellingsen and donated to CIMAS. There are eight accessions in this fonds: 2007.001, 2007.002, 2007.003, 2007.005, 2008.002 and 2010.001, 2018.002 and 2019.002.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of the personal, business and research records of May and Elmer Ellingsen. Textual records include personal and business correspondence; financial and legal records; information about local history; records and newsletters of various community organizations; records created by John Manson and by the St. James Ladies' Guild; maps; ephemera; and clippings about Cortes Island people and events. Fonds also includes photographs of the Manson family and other island people and places, and cassette tapes of oral history and music.
Fonds is arranged in 14 series: Correspondence; Financial records; Elmer Ellingsen records (business and personal); May Ellingsen personal records; Local history subject files; John Manson records; St. James Ladies' Guild records; Community organizations and services records; Cortes Island Museum & Archives Society records; Maps; Ephemera; Clippings; Photographs and Audio tapes.
Records from Accessions 2017.003 and 2019.002, which were processed after the other material had been arranged, have been interfiled.
Photograph of a group of people at Raine's Spit on Hernando Island.
L to R standing: Amy and Scotty McKenzie, Calvin Campbell
Back, seated: Henry Byers, Lorne Campbell, Ruth Byers holding Elaine McKenzie, Hazel Hansen holding Lorraine Byers, Ervie McKay, Rod Griffin, Nerine Hayes
Middle seated: Flo McKay holding Judy Hansen, Gwen Cambell, Frank Hayes
Front: Mary Hayes with Bob Hayes, Sharon Herrewig
1 photograph print: b&w; 6.5 x 12 cm and 1 negative
Scope and Content
Photograph of a group of people at Raine's Spit on Hernando Island.
L to R standing: Amy and Scotty McKenzie, Calvin Campbell
Back, seated: Henry Byers, Lorne Campbell, Ruth Byers holding Elaine McKenzie, Hazel Hansen holding Lorraine Byers, Ervie McKay, Rod Griffin, Nerine Hayes
Middle seated: Flo McKay holding Judy Hansen, Gwen Cambell, Frank Hayes
Front: Mary Hayes with Bob Hayes, Sharon Herrewig
A group of people on the beach at Stag Bay, Hernando Island. Twin Islands can be seen in the background.
Back row, L to R: Mr. Niven, Jim Niven, Dick Parker, Jean Manson, Mrs. Niven
Front row, L to R: Muriel Hurreen, Thelma Campbell, Audrey and Eileen Kenny, Minerva and Lorne Campbell, Dorothy Manson
A group of people on the beach at Stag Bay, Hernando Island. Twin Islands can be seen in the background.
Back row, L to R: Mr. Niven, Jim Niven, Dick Parker, Jean Manson, Mrs. Niven
Front row, L to R: Muriel Hurreen, Thelma Campbell, Audrey and Eileen Kenny, Minerva and Lorne Campbell, Dorothy Manson
Part of a series of 5 photographs taken by a couple from Germany who were visiting Hans Dolezol (also known as Hans Croker), who lived in the Round House on the property of Paula Snow (now 1474 Robertson Rd.) during the late 1970s until his death in 1982.
Part of a series of 5 photographs taken by a couple from Germany who were visiting Hans Dolezol (also known as Hans Croker), who lived in the Round House on the property of Paula Snow (now 1474 Robertson Rd.) during the late 1970s until his death in 1982.
Summer visitors to Stag Bay, Manson relatives, seated on the steps of Wilfred and Jean Manson's home.
On the left, top to bottom: Mr. Lammie, Isabella and Mary Jane Lammie, Mrs. Liz (Percy) Renwick and son
Behind the dog 'Ruff', Mrs. Lammie, Mrs. Neen, Tom Renwick, Mike Manson
On the right: John Renwick, Mrs. Jean (Wilfred) Manson
Summer visitors to Stag Bay, Manson relatives, seated on the steps of Wilfred and Jean Manson's home.
On the left, top to bottom: Mr. Lammie, Isabella and Mary Jane Lammie, Mrs. Liz (Percy) Renwick and son
Behind the dog 'Ruff', Mrs. Lammie, Mrs. Neen, Tom Renwick, Mike Manson
On the right: John Renwick, Mrs. Jean (Wilfred) Manson
Logging crew in front of the cookhouse at Stag Bay, Hernando Island. Of the men up on other's shoulders are: far left, Dick Thompson, next, Cliff Palmer. Far right, in the white shirt is Eric Erickson, blacksmith.
Logging crew in front of the cookhouse at Stag Bay, Hernando Island. Of the men up on other's shoulders are: far left, Dick Thompson, next, Cliff Palmer. Far right, in the white shirt is Eric Erickson, blacksmith.