Fonds comprises material created or collected by Wilfred (Wilf) Freeman in the course of his work as a logger and during his community activities. It includes correspondence, logging records, maps, minutes of committee meetings, financial records, ephemera and clippings. It is arranged in four series: Logging; Centennial Committee; Ephemera; and Cortez Grapevine Telephone Association.
Wilfred (Wilf) Michael Freeman was born October 21, 1917 in Vancouver B.C. and died December 23, 2012. He was the son of William George Freeman and Robina Steel (Manson) Freeman and brother to Elizabeth Jane May (Freeman) Ellingsen (born March 13, 1914). His grandparents were Michael and Jane Manson. Wilf grew up on Hernando Island until 1926 when the family moved to Vancouver. One of his first jobs in the early 1930s was in Powell River where, among other things, he was hand digging basements under some of the original Powell River townsite homes.
He gravitated to the logging industry, working for Sigurd Ellingsen and Eric Flescher in Phillips Arm through the late ’30’s and into the 1950’s. He was an excellent worker; strong, resourceful, thoughtful, humorous and thorough, and, as well, he enjoyed hunting and fishing.
Wilf and his wife, May (Spence; died 1970) moved down to Smelt Bay on Cortes in the early 1950s from Phillips Arm. He logged with Bill Mathews between 1954 and 1965 in the Von Donop Creek areas. As well, they both crewed on the seine boat “Courtenay Maid” with Pat Andrews for a few summers.
When the ferry came to Cortes Island, both Wilf and Bill worked as deckhands, always cheerful and busy throughout the trips, often chipping and repainting rust spots on the ship.
Wilf was active in many community affairs over all the years living on Cortes: among them the Ratepayers Association, the 1958 Centennial Committee, the Cortes Grapevine Telephone Assoc. (a local telephone system, 1959 - 1966), Cortes Days summer celebrations, Cortes Island Firefighters Assoc., Cortes Rod and Gun Club.
Wilf and his second wife, Nora, lived on in Smelt Bay until they moved to Willow Point, South of Campbell River, in 2002. There they lived until, on December 23, 2102, he passed away while shovelling snow in their back yard.
Custodial History
Accession 2001.001 was donated to CIMAS by Wilfred Freeman on June 16, 2001. Accession 2002.002 was gathered at Wilf Freeman's garage sale by Bonnie MacDonald and donated to the museum in June of 2002. Accession 2017.006 was donated to CIMAS by Bruce Ellingsen, Freeman's nephew, in July of 2017.
Scope and Content
Fonds comprises material created or collected by Wilfred (Wilf) Freeman in the course of his work as a logger and during his community activities. It includes correspondence, logging records, maps, minutes of committee meetings, financial records, ephemera and clippings. It is arranged in four series: Logging; Centennial Committee; Ephemera; and Cortez Grapevine Telephone Association.
File contains postcards showing views of Whaletown.
#1: Photograph of St. John the Baptist Church, b&w, 1952; 1 copy
#2: Photograph of a Union Steamship at the Whaletown wharf; b&w; 1952; 1 copy
#3: Aerial photograph of the Salt Lagoon; b&w; likely 1952; 1 copy
#4: A drawing of the wharf and buildings of Whaletown, from the water; b&w, [195-]; 4 copies Verso says "Sketch by Canadian Artist, Mrs. R. A. Borland". Mrs. Borland was the sister of Mary Weiler, and lived in Manson's Landing.
#5: Church of St. John the Baptist; colour; 1952; 2 copies. Printed by George Frost, owner of the Whaletown General Store. See #2013.001.006
#6: The Whaletown Trading Post; colour; 2 copies. Printed by George Frost, owner of the Whaletown General Store. See #2013.001.005
File contains postcards showing views of Whaletown.
#1: Photograph of St. John the Baptist Church, b&w, 1952; 1 copy
#2: Photograph of a Union Steamship at the Whaletown wharf; b&w; 1952; 1 copy
#3: Aerial photograph of the Salt Lagoon; b&w; likely 1952; 1 copy
#4: A drawing of the wharf and buildings of Whaletown, from the water; b&w, [195-]; 4 copies Verso says "Sketch by Canadian Artist, Mrs. R. A. Borland". Mrs. Borland was the sister of Mary Weiler, and lived in Manson's Landing.
#5: Church of St. John the Baptist; colour; 1952; 2 copies. Printed by George Frost, owner of the Whaletown General Store. See #2013.001.006
#6: The Whaletown Trading Post; colour; 2 copies. Printed by George Frost, owner of the Whaletown General Store. See #2013.001.005
File contains a self-published booklet containing illustrations and notes about Whaletown, "a collection of facts, poems, short stories and drawings to enhance your visit."
File contains a self-published booklet containing illustrations and notes about Whaletown, "a collection of facts, poems, short stories and drawings to enhance your visit."
Sous-fonds consists of records of the Whaletown Women's Auxiliary. It is arranged in seven series: Minutes, Administrative Records, Financial, Correspondence, Subject Files, Ephemera and Artifacts. See also Gilean Douglas fonds (1999.001) for related material.
The Whaletown Women's Auxiliary of the Anglican Church (ca. 1949 - 1974) was a group which provided support for the the Columbia Coast Mission and the Anglican Church. From 1949 to 1961, the CCM maintained a station at Whaletown comprising a mission house, clinic building and the church of St. John the Baptist, which opened on August 13, 1950. Mission properties on Cortes Island were transferred to the Diocese in 1967.
Custodial History
Records were donated to CIMAS by the Island Women's Club in 2009.
Scope and Content
Sous-fonds consists of records of the Whaletown Women's Auxiliary. It is arranged in seven series: Minutes, Administrative Records, Financial, Correspondence, Subject Files, Ephemera and Artifacts. See also Gilean Douglas fonds (1999.001) for related material.
File consists of master pages of a fund-raising cookbook produced by the Whaletown Women's Institute. Typed recipes are pasted onto construction paper sheets; sheets are crumbling.
Complete copies of the cookbook may be found in the Whaletown Women's Institute fonds and the Island Women's Club fonds.
File consists of master pages of a fund-raising cookbook produced by the Whaletown Women's Institute. Typed recipes are pasted onto construction paper sheets; sheets are crumbling.
Complete copies of the cookbook may be found in the Whaletown Women's Institute fonds and the Island Women's Club fonds.
Photographic essay from the North Island News, July 26, 1960 about the celebration for the opening of the Gorge Road connecting Whaletown and Manson's Landing
