Photograph of a white house with rock-walled terraces to its right. This was Amy and Scotty McKenzie's float house, moved from Von Donop Inlet in 1951. Amy was daughter of Ruth and Henry Byers, who lived in the “Grey House” west of the ferry landing. (The "Grey House" was later moved to Squirrel Cove next to the Store.) The McKenzie house was between the Grey House and the ferry landing; it was torn down ca. 1974. The terraces may still be seen in the small park next to the ferry landing.
Photograph of a white house with rock-walled terraces to its right. This was Amy and Scotty McKenzie's float house, moved from Von Donop Inlet in 1951. Amy was daughter of Ruth and Henry Byers, who lived in the “Grey House” west of the ferry landing. (The "Grey House" was later moved to Squirrel Cove next to the Store.) The McKenzie house was between the Grey House and the ferry landing; it was torn down ca. 1974. The terraces may still be seen in the small park next to the ferry landing.
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.
Teacher Don McDevitt with group of Whaletown pupils holding ribbons and trophies.
L to R: Pat McCoy, Johnny Weiler with Jeannie Matthews in front, Sheryl Matthews, Brigid Weiler with Janice Maclean in front, Mr. Don McDevitt with Ian Maclean in front, Heather Maclean.
Teacher Don McDevitt with group of Whaletown pupils holding ribbons and trophies.
L to R: Pat McCoy, Johnny Weiler with Jeannie Matthews in front, Sheryl Matthews, Brigid Weiler with Janice Maclean in front, Mr. Don McDevitt with Ian Maclean in front, Heather Maclean.
Photograph of a large group of students and teachers standing in front of the Whaletown school. Writing on the back of the photo notes that May Freeman and her class were there.
Photograph of a large group of students and teachers standing in front of the Whaletown school. Writing on the back of the photo notes that May Freeman and her class were there.
Slide shows (L to R):
Front: Doug McCoy, Philip Bergman, Ian Maclean, boy (ID), Sheril Mathews, Janice Maclean, Jeannie Mathews, Johnnie and Sarah Weiler
Back: Ted Hansen, Pat McCoy, Don McDevitt
Slide shows (L to R):
Front: Doug McCoy, Philip Bergman, Ian Maclean, boy (ID), Sheril Mathews, Janice Maclean, Jeannie Mathews, Johnnie and Sarah Weiler
Back: Ted Hansen, Pat McCoy, Don McDevitt
L to R Doug McCoy, Phillip Bergman, Ian Maclean,Gary York (?), Mr. Don McDevitt, Sheryl Matthews, Heather Maclean, Jeannie Matthews, Johnny Weiler, Sarah Weiler.
Back Row Pat McCoy.
L to R Doug McCoy, Phillip Bergman, Ian Maclean,Gary York (?), Mr. Don McDevitt, Sheryl Matthews, Heather Maclean, Jeannie Matthews, Johnny Weiler, Sarah Weiler.
Back Row Pat McCoy.
Photograph of Kathleen Boas and her two daughters loading the "Rendezvous" at the Whaletown wharf. The Whaletown store is at upper left; the freight shed just to the right of the ramp, with the fuel shed to its right. Captioned "Boas family coming aboard with everything for the trip."
Photograph of Kathleen Boas and her two daughters loading the "Rendezvous" at the Whaletown wharf. The Whaletown store is at upper left; the freight shed just to the right of the ramp, with the fuel shed to its right. Captioned "Boas family coming aboard with everything for the trip."
Photograph originally titled "Vacation school workers being entertaind on one of the many islands." This gathering is at the Boas home in Whaletown. From left: Nigel Harrington, John Nagel, Kathleen Boas.
Photograph originally titled "Vacation school workers being entertaind on one of the many islands." This gathering is at the Boas home in Whaletown. From left: Nigel Harrington, John Nagel, Kathleen Boas.
Photograph of the Boas family with the Columbia Coast Mission boat "Rendezvous" in the background. Caption on the copy read "The Boas family shortly after their arrival in Whaletown. Their mission ship the "Rendezvous" is in the background." Caption on the original reads "The crew of the "Rendezvous", Rev and Ms Rollo Boas, Louise and Yvonne. During the past four years the whole family made crew for the ship."
2 photograph prints: b&w; 7.5 x 5 cm (orig) and 14.5 x 10 cm (copy)
Scope and Content
Photograph of the Boas family with the Columbia Coast Mission boat "Rendezvous" in the background. Caption on the copy read "The Boas family shortly after their arrival in Whaletown. Their mission ship the "Rendezvous" is in the background." Caption on the original reads "The crew of the "Rendezvous", Rev and Ms Rollo Boas, Louise and Yvonne. During the past four years the whole family made crew for the ship."
Photograph originally labelled "Canon Alan Greene (R) at Whaletownon Cortez Island. With him is the Rev Douglas Kendall". The photograph was taken at the dedication of St. John the Baptist Church in Whaletown.
Photograph originally labelled "Canon Alan Greene (R) at Whaletownon Cortez Island. With him is the Rev Douglas Kendall". The photograph was taken at the dedication of St. John the Baptist Church in Whaletown.
Photograph of the "John Antle" leaving port. An appended caption of the back of A says "The mission ship "Rendezvous" (skipper Rollo Boas) leaving Whaletown her home port." However, the back of B identifies the location as Heriot Bay, and the boat is the "John Antle".
2 photograph prints: b&w; 15.5 x 10.5 (A) and 9 x 6.5 (B)
Scope and Content
Photograph of the "John Antle" leaving port. An appended caption of the back of A says "The mission ship "Rendezvous" (skipper Rollo Boas) leaving Whaletown her home port." However, the back of B identifies the location as Heriot Bay, and the boat is the "John Antle".
Photograph of Don Maclean in his garden at Cedar Hill Cross Roads. Maclean acted as a Lay Reader for the Columbia Coast Mission in Whaletown in the 1960s when no clergymen were available.
Photograph of Don Maclean in his garden at Cedar Hill Cross Roads. Maclean acted as a Lay Reader for the Columbia Coast Mission in Whaletown in the 1960s when no clergymen were available.
Photograph of a group of girls who were taking part in the Vacation School sponsered by the Columbia Coast Mission standing on the Whaletown wharf, in front of the freight shed. Left to Right: Yvonne and Louise Boas, Beth Hanen, Nola Ogren,Joan Disney, Mary Irwin, Pam Woolsey, Florence Bull, Mary Thompson.
Photograph of a group of girls who were taking part in the Vacation School sponsered by the Columbia Coast Mission standing on the Whaletown wharf, in front of the freight shed. Left to Right: Yvonne and Louise Boas, Beth Hanen, Nola Ogren,Joan Disney, Mary Irwin, Pam Woolsey, Florence Bull, Mary Thompson.
