Photograph of the Manson's Landing school in the background. A man is seated on a tractor, with several children around him; there is a car in the right foreground, and a truck behind.
Photograph of the Manson's Landing school in the background. A man is seated on a tractor, with several children around him; there is a car in the right foreground, and a truck behind.
"To Doris,Love from M. Freeman, Easter 1955" written on verso.
Back, L to R: Charlie Jeffery behind Ted Hansen, Linda Rexford, Doreen Guthrie, Lesley Forrest, MaryAnn Parry
Middle: Bert Summers, Barbie Pyner, Jenny Armstrong, Wayne Becque
Front: Keith Hawkins, Doris Hartman, Wendy Hansen, Nancy Layton (?), Johnny Hansen
"To Doris,Love from M. Freeman, Easter 1955" written on verso.
Back, L to R: Charlie Jeffery behind Ted Hansen, Linda Rexford, Doreen Guthrie, Lesley Forrest, MaryAnn Parry
Middle: Bert Summers, Barbie Pyner, Jenny Armstrong, Wayne Becque
Front: Keith Hawkins, Doris Hartman, Wendy Hansen, Nancy Layton (?), Johnny Hansen
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).
Fonds consists of material that was gathered by Thompson as she researched island history for museum exhibits and local history albums. It includes land title information about Cortes Island properties going back to the original Crown Grants, correspondence and notes about Cortes Island history, photographs, maps and ephemera.
Fonds is arranged in five series: Land Titles Research; Historical Information; Maps; Photographs; and Ephemera.
30 cm of textual records
40 photographs
12 maps
2 CDs
History / Biographical
Doreen (Huck) Thompson, 1944-2006:
Doreen’s grandparents, William Edward Huck and Mabel Wells Huck, arrived on Cortes Island in 1915. Widowed in WWI, Mabel and her four children left Cortes for Vancouver in 1923. Her son Harry, Doreen’s father, returned to Cortes in the 1930s. He married Edith Launchbury in 1937 and had two children, Doreen (b.1944) and Ed (b.1945, d.1993). Doreen and Ed were raised in Whaletown and attended school there and at Manson’s Landing.
Doreen graduated from Vic High in Victoria before marrying Bob Thompson in 1962. From 1961 to 1963, Doreen lived in Teakerne Arm in a floathouse Bob had built on the shore of the Whaletown Lagoon and then moved to the shores of Heriot Bay on Quadra Island. Her children were born in 1964 (Janny) and 1965 (Debby). In 1970 the family and the house moved to Cortes Island where both daughters attended school to Grade 10.
Doreen spent a few years living in Alberta and Victoria in the early 1980s and then returned to Cortes Island. Doreen developed a deep knowledge of the history of the island and she devoted considerable time to preserving, gathering and sharing her own and others knowledge of the island through her volunteer work at the Cortes Island Museum and Archives.
Doreen was one of the founders of the Cortes Island Museum. She curated four exhibits at the Museum, including “Windows on Whaletown” in 1999, “Von Donop Inlet”, the commercial fishing portion of “Celebrating Wild Salmon”, and “Memories of Manson’s Landing”. She researched and created albums which combine photographs, reminiscences and clippings to document the history of various island areas, such as Green Valley and Whaletown. The Doreen Thompson Exhibit Gallery at the Museum commemorates her contributions.
Doreen was making a fourth cross-Canada road trip from Cortes to Newfoundland when she was killed in a car accident near Fort McLeod, Alberta on August 1, 2006.
Custodial History
Material was stored at the museum or collected from Doreen Thomas' house.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of material that was gathered by Thompson as she researched island history for museum exhibits and local history albums. It includes land title information about Cortes Island properties going back to the original Crown Grants, correspondence and notes about Cortes Island history, photographs, maps and ephemera.
Fonds is arranged in five series: Land Titles Research; Historical Information; Maps; Photographs; and Ephemera.
Fonds consists of sixteen photographs depicting people and scenes, primarily of the Manson's Landing area. Identification was provided by Fred Brooks Jr. in an interview with Cathy Jenks.
Alethea and Frederick (Fred) James Brooks Sr. and their two sons, Frederick (Fred) Earl, Jr. and Bob, lived on Cortes Island from ca. 1941 to 1944, near Manson's Landing. Fred Sr. logged in Cortes Bay and employed two of the Hawkins boys, Bill and George.
Fred Jr. attended grades three to six at Cortes Island school before the family moved to Pender Harbour. Some of the names he recalls are: the Christiansen kids (Robert, Jim, and a sister), the Tibers on the west side of Cortes Island, and the Jefferys of Smelt Bay.
Custodial History
Fred Brooks Jr. gave the photographs to Cathy Brooks of Pender Harbour Living Heritage Society, who facilitated the donation by collecting the photographs, donation form and information from Brooks and sending the materials to CIMAS.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of sixteen photographs depicting people and scenes, primarily of the Manson's Landing area. Identification was provided by Fred Brooks Jr. in an interview with Cathy Jenks.
Pender Harbour Living Heritage holds related material from the Brooks family: https://penderharbourheritage.pastperfectonline.com/bysearchterm?keyword=Brooks+family
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.
"Fred's cat, 1969" on verso.
Fred Reedel was skidding into Strange's Bay in 1969 with this beautiful 40 foot long, 6 foot diameter fir log in the arch.
"Fred's cat, 1969" on verso.
Fred Reedel was skidding into Strange's Bay in 1969 with this beautiful 40 foot long, 6 foot diameter fir log in the arch.
Group photo showing Manson's Landing school students sitting on and standing next to a huge log near the school.
Front row, left to right: Betty Hayes, Nicol Manson, Jack Hayes, Alice Marquette, Marjorie Hayes.
Centre left to right: Florence Hayes, Ethel Tiber, Dorothy Hayes, Nora Hayes, Helen Marquette, Veronica Tiber.
Back Row left to right: George Quimby and George Marquette.
Group photo showing Manson's Landing school students sitting on and standing next to a huge log near the school.
Front row, left to right: Betty Hayes, Nicol Manson, Jack Hayes, Alice Marquette, Marjorie Hayes.
Centre left to right: Florence Hayes, Ethel Tiber, Dorothy Hayes, Nora Hayes, Helen Marquette, Veronica Tiber.
Back Row left to right: George Quimby and George Marquette.
Pupils on road outside the Manson's Landing school fence.
Left to right: Nicol Manson, Rose Manson, George Marquette, Charlie Housley, Mabel Hawkins, Gwen Manson, Alice Marquette.
Pupils on road outside the Manson's Landing school fence.
Left to right: Nicol Manson, Rose Manson, George Marquette, Charlie Housley, Mabel Hawkins, Gwen Manson, Alice Marquette.
Teacher and pupils dressed as Indians for a school play at Manson's Landing School.
In the back is Miss Barbara McBeth
Middle, L to R: Muriel Hurren, Jack Froud, Russel Lambert
Front, L to R: Doris Hurren, Patsy McLennan
Teacher and pupils dressed as Indians for a school play at Manson's Landing School.
In the back is Miss Barbara McBeth
Middle, L to R: Muriel Hurren, Jack Froud, Russel Lambert
Front, L to R: Doris Hurren, Patsy McLennan
Teacher and pupils dressed as Indians for a school play, Manson's Landing School.
Back, L to R: Lyle Pickles, Mike Herrewig, Marjorie Pickles, Miss Barbara McBeth, Stuart Lambert and Harold Pickles
Middle, L to R: Ralph Morris, Bernadette Petznick, Arthur Pickles.
Front, L to R: Russel Lambert, Muriel Hurren, Jack Froud, Patsy McLennan
Teacher and pupils dressed as Indians for a school play, Manson's Landing School.
Back, L to R: Lyle Pickles, Mike Herrewig, Marjorie Pickles, Miss Barbara McBeth, Stuart Lambert and Harold Pickles
Middle, L to R: Ralph Morris, Bernadette Petznick, Arthur Pickles.
Front, L to R: Russel Lambert, Muriel Hurren, Jack Froud, Patsy McLennan
Mike Herrewig, Ethel Tiber, Lyle Pickles, May Freeman, Harold Pickles, Florence Hayes, Alice Hayes, Nora Hayes, Bernadette Petznick, Stuart Lambert, Veronica Tiber, Arthur Pickles
Mike Herrewig, Ethel Tiber, Lyle Pickles, May Freeman, Harold Pickles, Florence Hayes, Alice Hayes, Nora Hayes, Bernadette Petznick, Stuart Lambert, Veronica Tiber, Arthur Pickles
