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.
Photograph of the Church Hall in Whaletown, which stood in front of the old cemetery at the corner of Carrington Bay and Harbour roads. It served the community as both church and a venue for social events for almost forty years. The original Whaletown school became its kitchen, and a sleeping place for tired children.
Photograph of the Church Hall in Whaletown, which stood in front of the old cemetery at the corner of Carrington Bay and Harbour roads. It served the community as both church and a venue for social events for almost forty years. The original Whaletown school became its kitchen, and a sleeping place for tired children.
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.
This collection consists of ten photograph albums (binders) compiled and annotated by May Ellingsen. The albums contain both original and reproduced photographs of Cortes Island and nearby islands, including Twin Islands and Hernando Island. They are accompanied by captions and additional textual information such as pre-emption records, reminiscences and newspaper clippings. Most of the photographs date from the early decades of the 20th century, depicting homes and buildings, pioneer families, community activities, schools, wharves, boats, logging and marine activity. Fonds consists of two series: Series 1 (The May Ellingsen Historic Photograph Collection, Vol. 1-9, Accession 2004.003) and Series 2 (The Manson Family Album, Accession 2004.002).
Ten photograph albums (binders) containing 152 original photographs and 482 reproductions.
History / Biographical
May Ellingsen was born on March 13, 1914 to George and Robina Freeman. Her maternal grandfather, Michael Manson, was the first person to pre-empt land on Cortes Island, claiming a quarter section on Gunflint Lake in 1886. May spent her childhood on Hernando Island, where her family homesteaded and logged, and on Cortes Island, where she attended the log school at Manson's Landing.
In 1936 May married Elmer Ellingsen. They spent the next ten years in the Loughborough Inlet/Phillips Arm area while Elmer worked for his father's logging operations. During those years their children, Shirley, Bruce and Andy, were born. In 1946 the family moved to Von Donop Creek, where Elmer was logging. In 1950 they moved their float house, built at the time of their marriage, to Manson's Landing Lagoon and two years later, to its present permanent location on Hague Lake.
May and Elmer devoted much time and energy to building their community. Amongst her many community activities, May ran the library at Manson's Hall. She had a strong interest in local history, researching the history of land pre-emptions on the island, collecting and annotating photographs from pioneer families and recording interviews with old timers. She was a founder of the Cortes Island Museum and Archives Society; the archives reading room is named in her honor. Historical materials and artifacts gathered by May formed the kernel of the museum's collections and archives.
Custodial History
May Ellingsen created the albums in the 1980s, and kept adding to them throughout the 1990s. She kept them at the Manson's Landing library and then at the museum from 1999. She officially donated them to CIMAS in 2004.
Scope and Content
This collection consists of ten photograph albums (binders) compiled and annotated by May Ellingsen. The albums contain both original and reproduced photographs of Cortes Island and nearby islands, including Twin Islands and Hernando Island. They are accompanied by captions and additional textual information such as pre-emption records, reminiscences and newspaper clippings. Most of the photographs date from the early decades of the 20th century, depicting homes and buildings, pioneer families, community activities, schools, wharves, boats, logging and marine activity. Fonds consists of two series: Series 1 (The May Ellingsen Historic Photograph Collection, Vol. 1-9, Accession 2004.003) and Series 2 (The Manson Family Album, Accession 2004.002).
Photograph of Rev. Rollo Boas leading a church service just outside the school building at Surge Narrows on Read Island. Five women and a girl are seated in chairs or on the grass.
Photograph of Rev. Rollo Boas leading a church service just outside the school building at Surge Narrows on Read Island. Five women and a girl are seated in chairs or on the grass.
Fonds consists of two photograph albums containing 479 black and white photographs with captions, dating from 1916 to 1927. Most of the photographs depict family, friends and scenes from Cortes Island, especially the area known as Green Valley; some photographs show school friends and family from Vancouver and Saskatchewan. Titles in quotation marks are Dorothy Huck's photograph captions. Other information used in photograph descriptions comes from the "Green Valley", "Carrington Bay/Coulter Bay" and "Whaletown to 1930" albums created for CIMAS in 1999 by Doreen Huck Thompson, a grand-niece of Dorothy Huck. Unless otherwise noted, the location of all photos is Cortes Island.
Dorothy Mary Huck Whalley (June 30, 1904 - Nov. 17, 1983) was the oldest of five children born to Mabel Wells Huck and William Edward Huck. Her siblings were Wilfred Harold (Harry), John Edward (Jack), Margaret Ethel and William Frances (Billie). Shortly after the Huck family arrived on Cortes in 1915, William E. Huck enlisted in the Army. He was killed in France in 1916, leaving Mabel with five children to bring up on her own. Her brother, Harold John (Jack) Wells was invalided home from World War I in 1917 and moved to Cortes, where he boarded with Mabel.
The Huck homestead, referred to as Hell's Half Acre or Billy Goat Hill, was in the NE 1/4 of Section 40, in Green Valley, the area around what is now known as Blue Jay Lake. Neighbours included the Barrett, Middleton, Tait and Tiber families. Dorothy was sent to Vancouver for schooling, and then returned to Cortes to attend the new Squirrel Cove school in 1916. In 1920 the Huck family moved to the Robertson property, Burnside, in Whaletown. Dorothy, having outgrown the local school system, went to Moose Jaw, Sk. where she finished high school and then attended a secretarial school run by her aunt and uncle. She married Joe Whalley and lived in Saskatchewan for many years before returning to live in Vancouver and White Rock. Dorothy died in White Rock on Nov. 17, 1983.
Custodial History
The albums were created by Dorothy Huck Whalley and given to her daughter Dorothy Whalley Livingstone. Dorothy Livingstone passed the albums on to her cousin, Karen Lee (daughter of Margaret Huck Mann), who donated them to the Cortes Island Museum & Archives Society.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of two photograph albums containing 479 black and white photographs with captions, dating from 1916 to 1927. Most of the photographs depict family, friends and scenes from Cortes Island, especially the area known as Green Valley; some photographs show school friends and family from Vancouver and Saskatchewan. Titles in quotation marks are Dorothy Huck's photograph captions. Other information used in photograph descriptions comes from the "Green Valley", "Carrington Bay/Coulter Bay" and "Whaletown to 1930" albums created for CIMAS in 1999 by Doreen Huck Thompson, a grand-niece of Dorothy Huck. Unless otherwise noted, the location of all photos is Cortes Island.
Geographic Access
Cortes Island
Squirrel Cove
Carrington Bay
Saskatchewan
Related Material
"Green Valley", "Carrington Bay/Coulter Bay" and "Whaletown to 1930" albums created by Doreen Huck Thompson.
Photograph of the "Rendezvous" with caption: "Rendezvous Patrol. The good ship is taking a heavy southeast'r; heading into it, off Viner Point, Read Island. This is the had of the Gulf of Georgia."
Photograph of the "Rendezvous" with caption: "Rendezvous Patrol. The good ship is taking a heavy southeast'r; heading into it, off Viner Point, Read Island. This is the had of the Gulf of Georgia."
Photograph of Tipton's store at Surge Narrows, Read Island, from the water. A house is above it and to the right, the wharf, walkway and sheds may be seen.
Photograph of Tipton's store at Surge Narrows, Read Island, from the water. A house is above it and to the right, the wharf, walkway and sheds may be seen.
Photograph of the old log school on Read Island, which was about a mile back from the water .A woodshed is to its side; the ground and roofs are covered in snow.
Photograph of the old log school on Read Island, which was about a mile back from the water .A woodshed is to its side; the ground and roofs are covered in snow.
Photograph of a store at the end of a dock. On the back of the photo, Douglas had identified it as "Tipton's store, Surge Narrow, Read Island", but had crossed that out. (ID)
Photograph of a store at the end of a dock. On the back of the photo, Douglas had identified it as "Tipton's store, Surge Narrow, Read Island", but had crossed that out. (ID)
Photograph of Rev. Williams casting the ashes of Richard Symons of Evans Bay, Read Island, from the Columbia Coast Mission boat (same as slide #1999.001.2238)
Photograph of Rev. Williams casting the ashes of Richard Symons of Evans Bay, Read Island, from the Columbia Coast Mission boat (same as slide #1999.001.2238)
