Excerpt from Transactions of the Edinburgh Geological Society, 1868; A Trapper's Journal, Charlie Rasmussen, 1929; excerpt from The Last Great Sea mentioning Bute Wax, 2000; Bute Inlet history and the Glacier Museum Project, Judith Williams, 2010; BC Arts Capacity and Sustainability Grant draft application, 2011; emails and webpage printouts, 2010, 2011, 2015. Newspaper clippings and magazine articles relating to Bute Inlet, 2010-2019, subjects mentioned include: George Vancouver, Cougar Companions, Disposition of Crown Land and Allocation of Water, Plutonic Power, fishing, Homalco history and culture, Tsilqot'in, Glen Macklin, National Geographic. CIMAS promotional material for the Bute Inlet boat trip and exhibit; photographs and post cards
Excerpt from Transactions of the Edinburgh Geological Society, 1868; A Trapper's Journal, Charlie Rasmussen, 1929; excerpt from The Last Great Sea mentioning Bute Wax, 2000; Bute Inlet history and the Glacier Museum Project, Judith Williams, 2010; BC Arts Capacity and Sustainability Grant draft application, 2011; emails and webpage printouts, 2010, 2011, 2015. Newspaper clippings and magazine articles relating to Bute Inlet, 2010-2019, subjects mentioned include: George Vancouver, Cougar Companions, Disposition of Crown Land and Allocation of Water, Plutonic Power, fishing, Homalco history and culture, Tsilqot'in, Glen Macklin, National Geographic. CIMAS promotional material for the Bute Inlet boat trip and exhibit; photographs and post cards
Clippings with info on floathouses, the hermit of Von Donop Channel, the landslide at Spences Bridge, Von Donop Marine Park, Klahoose First Nation, and Doreen Thompson, 1920-2017, and clippings from WNE, 1987-1989. Transcript with info on the Ellingsens in Von Donop Creek, 1946-1950, from interview with May, Elmer, Andy, and Bruce Ellginsen, 2001. Info on logging in Von Donop Creek, 1920s-1960, from a logging meeting in 2001. Info from Von Donop Creek Research and Display for CIMAS, 2001. An envelope with info from Bev Mathews, donated in 2013.
Clippings with info on floathouses, the hermit of Von Donop Channel, the landslide at Spences Bridge, Von Donop Marine Park, Klahoose First Nation, and Doreen Thompson, 1920-2017, and clippings from WNE, 1987-1989. Transcript with info on the Ellingsens in Von Donop Creek, 1946-1950, from interview with May, Elmer, Andy, and Bruce Ellginsen, 2001. Info on logging in Von Donop Creek, 1920s-1960, from a logging meeting in 2001. Info from Von Donop Creek Research and Display for CIMAS, 2001. An envelope with info from Bev Mathews, donated in 2013.
File contains hand-written notes on the history of different areas of Von Donop, a map of Cortes Island (1963), and a photocopy of a page from "British Columbia Place Names" about the inlet.
File contains hand-written notes on the history of different areas of Von Donop, a map of Cortes Island (1963), and a photocopy of a page from "British Columbia Place Names" about the inlet.
Article about the Inlet, date unknown; trip advertisement in Cortes Marketer; promotional posters; hand written notes working out cost of trip, invoices, fees paid, cost per person, and profit; emails regarding taxi and charter quote, tour guide, estimated cost per person, dates, coordinations, advertisements, and invoices; write up for press release; handwritten note noting how much they enjoyed the trip
Article about the Inlet, date unknown; trip advertisement in Cortes Marketer; promotional posters; hand written notes working out cost of trip, invoices, fees paid, cost per person, and profit; emails regarding taxi and charter quote, tour guide, estimated cost per person, dates, coordinations, advertisements, and invoices; write up for press release; handwritten note noting how much they enjoyed the trip
Newspaper clippings and articles re: Bute Inlet hydro project; Plutonic Power; run-of-river projects; Friends of Bute; Bute history; exhibition; But Inlet boat tour. Emails re: art; grants; curation of exhibit; critique of Rob Wood and CIMAS by Klahoose member Ken Hanuse; request for Open Meadows Project song performance by Klahoose member Brenda Hansen; display cabinets; exhibit fees. Review of exhibit by Marcel Creurer; project proposal sent to the Vancouver Foundation; handwritten notes by Lynne Jordan and Judy WIlliams; invoices; records of financial contributions; promotional material; photographs
Newspaper clippings and articles re: Bute Inlet hydro project; Plutonic Power; run-of-river projects; Friends of Bute; Bute history; exhibition; But Inlet boat tour. Emails re: art; grants; curation of exhibit; critique of Rob Wood and CIMAS by Klahoose member Ken Hanuse; request for Open Meadows Project song performance by Klahoose member Brenda Hansen; display cabinets; exhibit fees. Review of exhibit by Marcel Creurer; project proposal sent to the Vancouver Foundation; handwritten notes by Lynne Jordan and Judy WIlliams; invoices; records of financial contributions; promotional material; photographs
File consists of the Transportation Committee's interpretive report and summary of responses to their survey of island residents regarding the Cortes Island ferry service.
File consists of the Transportation Committee's interpretive report and summary of responses to their survey of island residents regarding the Cortes Island ferry service.
Fonds consists of a summary of the results of a questionnaire regarding ferry service composed by the Transportation Committee and sent to Cortes Island residents; the original questionnaires returned by islanders; and notes on other transportation issues such as road pavement and boat launch sites.
A District of Campbell River meeting March 22, 1993 took place in the Campbell River Hall. Present at that meeting were the Chairman of the B.C. Ferry Corporation; Peter Hughes, Operations Manager BC Ferry Corporation for North Islands; representative of the Campbell River Council and Campbell River School District; Gretchen Brewin, Chair Community Relations Committee; Colin Gabelman and his Executive Assistant; various B.C. Ferry Corp personnel including the person responsible for docks and terminals; and Jim Abrams and Ralph Nursall representing the Regional District.
At that meeting Peter Hughes recommended that Cortes Islanders form a Transportation Committee to liaison with B.C. Ferry Corp.
When Ralph returned to Cortes Island he spoke with a number of people he thought might be interested in forming the backbone of such an Island Committee. Eight of the 20+ people Ralph had contacted attended an April 21, 1993 Cortes Island preliminary meeting--Joanne Weyler, Sabina Mense, Joan Bevington, Ken Ferguson, Herbert Havelaar, Norm Gibbons, Tom Bennet and Dick Teams. What was discussed was the convening of a Transportation Committee meeting to bring together all those Islanders interested in transportation issues on the island. No one at that meeting volunteered to convene such a meeting. Ralph contacted then acting Operation Manager for B.C. Ferry Corp., Capt. Norman Craddock, and made arrangements for a public meeting with Capt. Craddock in attendance to answer questions from the floor. Joanne Weyler advertised the event through the Cortes Classifieds.
The May 12, 1993 Transportation Committee consisted of all those who attended that public meeting held at the Gorge Hall. The high turnout (50+) indicated an intense interest in transportation issues on the Island and there was a spirited exchange of questions and answers. Before this meeting, Dennis Mense had agreed to act as convener for an Executive of the Transportation Committee and Ralph Nursall asked for volunteers to serve on the Executive. Volunteers included Harry Breurkens, Glen Carleton, Norm Gibbons, Bertha Jeffery, Ted Pudden, Carol Reese and Joanne Weyler. [ . . . ]
The "mandate" for the Committee and its Executive, as expressed by Ralph Nursall, as as follows: "[I]t is intended that the Transportation Committee be an independent, community committee operating as it sees fit to collect opinions of Islanders to transport to the B.C. Ferry Corp. and getting information from the Corporation for Islanders. [ . . . ] the Committee will also interest itself in Highways and other transportation matters of the Island."
(From "Cortes Island Transportation Committee Background Information," in Regional Director fonds)
Custodial History
The material was compiled by the Cortes Island Transportation Committee. It was made available to islanders at the Manson's Landing library, and later transferred to CIMAS.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of a summary of the results of a questionnaire regarding ferry service composed by the Transportation Committee and sent to Cortes Island residents; the original questionnaires returned by islanders; and notes on other transportation issues such as road pavement and boat launch sites.
Fonds consists of photographs of the Gorge Harbour Lodge and Lodge activities, the Corneille and Ballantyne families, and Gladys Ballantyne's house, Gypsy Hill.
Bobby (Elizabeth) Corneille Ballantyne (1914-2009) was born in Vancouver and moved to Cortes Island as a young child. She was 4 years old when her father died suddenly on Marina Island in 1919; she remembers that they had to wait 3 days for a Union Steamship to get the body. Her mother Tena (Sarah Christena) Corneille (1877-1949) bought a tourist lodge at the east end of Gorge Harbour in 1929, and ran it until 1936 with the help of her two teen-age daughters. Gorge Harbour Lodge offered accommodations in the main building or in tents, tennis and badminton courts, and excellent boating, bathing and fishing. Vacationers came up from Vancouver on the Union Steamships for a round-trip ticket price of $6.65. The annual Regatta was the main social event of the season, with people arriving by boat from Cortes and the surrounding islands. It featured boat and swimming races, and a dance in the evening.
Gladys Georgeson Ballantyne (1882-1964), first came to Cortes in about 1910. In about 1920 she bought a property in Whaletown (now 640 Whaletown Rd.) that she called "Gypsy Hill". She was one of the original members of the Whaletown Friendly Circle, later the Whaletown Women's Institute. Gladys, her son Bill, daughter Valerie and her fiance were all on Cortes building a summer cottage when the Depression suddenly hit. Their off-island jobs fell through, and they remained at "Gypsy Hill" for the duration.
Bill Ballantyne (1908-1993) was in the Merchant Marine from 1924-1929. When he was unable to find work on ships during the Depression, he took whatever jobs he could find hand-logging and fishing. Bill and Bobby Corneille were married in 1937. They and other young Whaletown residents formed the Gorge Harbour Dramatic Society to help raise funds to build a community hall, and Bill was the work boss of the building crew for the Gorge Hall. In 1941 they moved to Victoria, and after the war settled in Courtenay with their two sons Peter and Ross. In the late 1950s they returned to Whaletown on Cortes Island where they fished for many years on the gulf troller “Viking”. During that time many young “deckhands” spent time aboard during summer vacations. On retirement, Campbell River became their home.
Custodial History
Electronic records were downloaded in 2012 from an internet address provided by Peter Ballantyne. One photograph was scanned from a photograph temporarily loaned by John and De Clarke.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of photographs of the Gorge Harbour Lodge and Lodge activities, the Corneille and Ballantyne families, and Gladys Ballantyne's house, Gypsy Hill.