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.
Back row, L to R: Pat Lovell, Max Beck, Norm and Denise Gibbons, Sherry Hall, Ann and Ken Ferguson with infant Andrew, Bruce Stevenson
Middle, L to R: Lisa Gibbons holding her pet rock, (unidentified), Monty Hall, Stuart Arsenault, (woman in green unidentified), Glynne Evans, Mike Lovell, (person at end unidentified).
Front, L to R: Laurie Lovell, Mark Melul, Kris Hall, Tracy Lovell, Lisa Hall, Michael Gibbons, Dean Lovell (pulling a hat over Michael's face), Ann Melul (Ann was a teacher)
Back row, L to R: Pat Lovell, Max Beck, Norm and Denise Gibbons, Sherry Hall, Ann and Ken Ferguson with infant Andrew, Bruce Stevenson
Middle, L to R: Lisa Gibbons holding her pet rock, (unidentified), Monty Hall, Stuart Arsenault, (woman in green unidentified), Glynne Evans, Mike Lovell, (person at end unidentified).
Front, L to R: Laurie Lovell, Mark Melul, Kris Hall, Tracy Lovell, Lisa Hall, Michael Gibbons, Dean Lovell (pulling a hat over Michael's face), Ann Melul (Ann was a teacher)
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.
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
Standing, L to R: Inez White, Judith Williams, Sherry Hall
Seated, L to R: Bonnie MacDonald holding daughter Lucy, Ann Ferguson, Pat Lovell, Judy White, (? ID), Doris Hope, Denise Gibbons,
In front of Doris Hope: (? - lived in Teakerne Arm)
Standing, L to R: Inez White, Judith Williams, Sherry Hall
Seated, L to R: Bonnie MacDonald holding daughter Lucy, Ann Ferguson, Pat Lovell, Judy White, (? ID), Doris Hope, Denise Gibbons,
In front of Doris Hope: (? - lived in Teakerne Arm)
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.
This picture shows the house built by George Freeman in about 1915 when he moved his family to Stag Bay, Hernando Island to look after Mike Manson's timber interests and livestock. The house is not yet finished, but is liveable. The house was located on a hill overlooking Stag Bay, on the site of the former Smith family home. They had planted two apricot trees, Italian prune trees and cherry trees which were bearing fruit.
L to R: David Robertson, Jack Manson, Mrs. Jane (Mike) Manson holding granddaughter May Freeman, Mrs. Robina (George) Freeman standing behind her sister Florence Manson, and George Freeman.
This picture shows the house built by George Freeman in about 1915 when he moved his family to Stag Bay, Hernando Island to look after Mike Manson's timber interests and livestock. The house is not yet finished, but is liveable. The house was located on a hill overlooking Stag Bay, on the site of the former Smith family home. They had planted two apricot trees, Italian prune trees and cherry trees which were bearing fruit.
L to R: David Robertson, Jack Manson, Mrs. Jane (Mike) Manson holding granddaughter May Freeman, Mrs. Robina (George) Freeman standing behind her sister Florence Manson, and George Freeman.
Ruth Clark and Jean Robinson (nieces of Margaret Trenanan) and Wilfred Manson seated in an old car, with Jean Manson sitting on the running board. The former cookhouse of the Stag Bay, Hernando Island logging camp is in the right background. To the left are the storage shed, former camp manager's home and commissary building, part of which has been made into a garage for the car.
Jean Robinson was born in the Yukon in the house that Robert Service lived in when he wrote "The Trail of '98".
Ruth Clark and Jean Robinson (nieces of Margaret Trenanan) and Wilfred Manson seated in an old car, with Jean Manson sitting on the running board. The former cookhouse of the Stag Bay, Hernando Island logging camp is in the right background. To the left are the storage shed, former camp manager's home and commissary building, part of which has been made into a garage for the car.
Jean Robinson was born in the Yukon in the house that Robert Service lived in when he wrote "The Trail of '98".
.jpg?width=1200&404=no-img.jpg&watermark=wmk)
.jpg?width=1200&404=no-img.jpg&watermark=wmk)
.jpg?width=180&404=no-img.jpg)
