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.
Photograph of forest with large fir trees. Photo was likely taken in Knight Inlet, as another print of the same photo was in an envelope with other photographs taken there.
One of a series of photographs taken at Clarence and Doug Boardman's Dot Logging Co. camp in Knight Inlet.
3 photograph prints: b&w ; 10 x 15 cm, 16 x 21 cm & 20 x 25 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of forest with large fir trees. Photo was likely taken in Knight Inlet, as another print of the same photo was in an envelope with other photographs taken there.
One of a series of photographs taken at Clarence and Doug Boardman's Dot Logging Co. camp in Knight Inlet.
Photograph of three loggers from the Dot Logging camp in Knight Inlet, standing at the base of a giant first-growth cedar tree. Douglas has captioned it: "A giant red cedar of the Pacific Northwest which may have been a seedling when Columbus discovered America."
One of a series of photographs taken at Clarence and Doug Boardman's Dot Logging Co. camp in Knight Inlet.
3 photograph prints: b&w ; 15 x 10 cm, 21.5 x 16.5 cm & 25 x 20 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of three loggers from the Dot Logging camp in Knight Inlet, standing at the base of a giant first-growth cedar tree. Douglas has captioned it: "A giant red cedar of the Pacific Northwest which may have been a seedling when Columbus discovered America."
One of a series of photographs taken at Clarence and Doug Boardman's Dot Logging Co. camp in Knight Inlet.
Photograph of three loggers from the Dot logging camp in Knight Inlet, standing among the giants of a first-growth forest in Knight Inlet. Another print of this photograph is labelled "Douglas Fir in the Klinaklini country.
One of a series of photographs taken at Clarence and Doug Boardman's Dot Logging Co. camp in Knight Inlet.
3 photograph prints: b&w ; 15 x 10 cm, 21.5 x 16.5 cm & 25 x 20 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of three loggers from the Dot logging camp in Knight Inlet, standing among the giants of a first-growth forest in Knight Inlet. Another print of this photograph is labelled "Douglas Fir in the Klinaklini country.
One of a series of photographs taken at Clarence and Doug Boardman's Dot Logging Co. camp in Knight Inlet.
Photograph of a group of people, including a woman and child, standing beside an old Ford car in the valley at Knight Inlet. Buildings may be seen in the background.
One of a series of photographs taken at Clarence and Doug Boardman's Dot Logging Co. camp in Knight Inlet.
2 photograph prints: b&w ; 15 x 10 cm & 21.5 x 16.5 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of a group of people, including a woman and child, standing beside an old Ford car in the valley at Knight Inlet. Buildings may be seen in the background.
One of a series of photographs taken at Clarence and Doug Boardman's Dot Logging Co. camp in Knight Inlet.
Photograph of two men dressed in suits, standing beside a car in the valley at Knight Inlet. Buildings of the logging camp may be seen in the background.
One of a series of photographs taken at Clarence and Doug Boardman's Dot Logging Co. camp in Knight Inlet.
2 photograph prints: b&w ; 15 x 10 cm & 21.5 x 16.5 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of two men dressed in suits, standing beside a car in the valley at Knight Inlet. Buildings of the logging camp may be seen in the background.
One of a series of photographs taken at Clarence and Doug Boardman's Dot Logging Co. camp in Knight Inlet.
Photograph of a ship's wake taken from a boat stern, with the mountains of Knight Inlet in the background. Titled by Douglas: "Salmon fishing is tops in Knight Inlet."
One of a series of photographs taken at Clarence and Doug Boardman's Dot Logging Co. camp in Knight Inlet.
3 photograph prints: b&w ; 15 x 10 cm, 21.5 x 16.5 cm & 25 x 20 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of a ship's wake taken from a boat stern, with the mountains of Knight Inlet in the background. Titled by Douglas: "Salmon fishing is tops in Knight Inlet."
One of a series of photographs taken at Clarence and Doug Boardman's Dot Logging Co. camp in Knight Inlet.
Photograph of a log booming ground at the mouth of the river in Knight Inlet. Captioned by Douglas: "Booming on the Klina Klini River (Dot houses in the background) in country that loggers and grizzlies love." Another print is captioned "Mountain meadows and a log boom at the Dot Logging Camp on the Klinaklini River"
One of a series of photographs taken at Clarence and Doug Boardman's Dot Logging Co. camp in Knight Inlet.
2 photograph prints: b&w ; 15 x 10 cm & 21.5 x 16.5 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of a log booming ground at the mouth of the river in Knight Inlet. Captioned by Douglas: "Booming on the Klina Klini River (Dot houses in the background) in country that loggers and grizzlies love." Another print is captioned "Mountain meadows and a log boom at the Dot Logging Camp on the Klinaklini River"
One of a series of photographs taken at Clarence and Doug Boardman's Dot Logging Co. camp in Knight Inlet.
Photograph of of a booming ground at the mouth of the Klina Klini River. Captioned by Douglas: "British Columbia booming ground in the Knight Inlet country."
One of a series of photographs taken at Clarence and Doug Boardman's Dot Logging Co. camp in Knight Inlet.
3 photograph prints: b&w ; 15 x 10 cm, 21.5 x 16.5 cm & 25 x 20 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of of a booming ground at the mouth of the Klina Klini River. Captioned by Douglas: "British Columbia booming ground in the Knight Inlet country."
One of a series of photographs taken at Clarence and Doug Boardman's Dot Logging Co. camp in Knight Inlet.
Photograph of the booming ground at the mouth of the river in Knight Inlet. Captioned by Douglas: "Grizzlies and loggers like this country of lush meadows and evergreen woods, tall trees and swift rivers."
One of a series of photographs taken at Clarence and Doug Boardman's Dot Logging Co. camp in Knight Inlet.
3 photograph prints: b&w ; 15 x 10 cm, 21.5 x 16.5 cm & 25 x 20 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of the booming ground at the mouth of the river in Knight Inlet. Captioned by Douglas: "Grizzlies and loggers like this country of lush meadows and evergreen woods, tall trees and swift rivers."
One of a series of photographs taken at Clarence and Doug Boardman's Dot Logging Co. camp in Knight Inlet.
