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.
File contains photocopies of original Crown Grants, subsequent title changes and maps for:
To Joseph Gregson: 1926, Crown Grant for fractional W 1/2 of Lot 899 and Lot 901 (between Coulter and Carrington Bays), with a water easement for Wailes
To John Nugent McIllree: 1957, Crown Grant of mineral rights to lots at Coulter Bay surveyed as the "Arrow" and "Bullseye" mineral claims
To Hilda Peterson: 1919, Crown Grant for Lot 878, Carrington Bay, 55 acres
(Files 12 through 16 are from the same envelope.)
File contains photocopies of original Crown Grants, subsequent title changes and maps for:
To Joseph Gregson: 1926, Crown Grant for fractional W 1/2 of Lot 899 and Lot 901 (between Coulter and Carrington Bays), with a water easement for Wailes
To John Nugent McIllree: 1957, Crown Grant of mineral rights to lots at Coulter Bay surveyed as the "Arrow" and "Bullseye" mineral claims
To Hilda Peterson: 1919, Crown Grant for Lot 878, Carrington Bay, 55 acres
(Files 12 through 16 are from the same envelope.)
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.
File contains a page of notes, and photocopies of a tax sale notice (1938) and list of properties forfeited for non-payment of taxes, Crown Grants and other title information for the following:
William Walter James: 1926, Crown Grant for NW 1/4 of Sec. 38; 156 acres for $1.00; forfeited to Crown in 1939
Tom Albinson: 1919, Crown Grant for Lot 867; forfeited in 1927
Sadie McMurray: 1917, NE 1/4 of Sec. 39; 160 acres for $160
Peter Police: 1925, fractional NW 1/4 of Sec. 39; 103 acres for $1.00
(Files 12 through 16 are from the same envelope.)
File contains a page of notes, and photocopies of a tax sale notice (1938) and list of properties forfeited for non-payment of taxes, Crown Grants and other title information for the following:
William Walter James: 1926, Crown Grant for NW 1/4 of Sec. 38; 156 acres for $1.00; forfeited to Crown in 1939
Tom Albinson: 1919, Crown Grant for Lot 867; forfeited in 1927
Sadie McMurray: 1917, NE 1/4 of Sec. 39; 160 acres for $160
Peter Police: 1925, fractional NW 1/4 of Sec. 39; 103 acres for $1.00
(Files 12 through 16 are from the same envelope.)
File contains a key map which was pasted on the front of the envelope indicating the areas researched for Files 12-16; notes on the titles; photocopies of Crown Grants and subsequent title information for:
BC Buildings Corp: 1982, Crown Grant for Block A of SW 1/4 of Sec. 25 (Highways Maintenance Yard)
District Lot 871 (40 acres between Carrington and Coulter Bays): to James Frederick McManus, 1919
To Ernest Henry Vaughn: 1922, Crown Grant for NE 1/4 and NW 1/4 of NE 1/4 of Sec. 24; SE 1/4 of SW 1/4 and SW 1/4 of SE 1/4 of Sec 31
Herbert Proctor: 1928 for fractional SW 1/4 of Sec. 41, bordering Tork Reserve; 159 acres for $159.00 (orig. Crown Grant to Herbert Proctor in 1922)
To William Cowan: 1937, E 1/2 of SE 1/4 of Sec. 26, 89 acres
(Files 12 through 16 are from the same envelope.)
File contains a key map which was pasted on the front of the envelope indicating the areas researched for Files 12-16; notes on the titles; photocopies of Crown Grants and subsequent title information for:
BC Buildings Corp: 1982, Crown Grant for Block A of SW 1/4 of Sec. 25 (Highways Maintenance Yard)
District Lot 871 (40 acres between Carrington and Coulter Bays): to James Frederick McManus, 1919
To Ernest Henry Vaughn: 1922, Crown Grant for NE 1/4 and NW 1/4 of NE 1/4 of Sec. 24; SE 1/4 of SW 1/4 and SW 1/4 of SE 1/4 of Sec 31
Herbert Proctor: 1928 for fractional SW 1/4 of Sec. 41, bordering Tork Reserve; 159 acres for $159.00 (orig. Crown Grant to Herbert Proctor in 1922)
To William Cowan: 1937, E 1/2 of SE 1/4 of Sec. 26, 89 acres
(Files 12 through 16 are from the same envelope.)
L to R: Kiyoshi Kosky, Justin Stirn, Mike ?, John Shook
Part of a series of 8 photographs which document a clean-up at the proposed Carrington Bay Park site. The squatters' cabin was built in the 1970s, on the east side of Carrington Bay.
L to R: Kiyoshi Kosky, Justin Stirn, Mike ?, John Shook
Part of a series of 8 photographs which document a clean-up at the proposed Carrington Bay Park site. The squatters' cabin was built in the 1970s, on the east side of Carrington Bay.
L to R: John Shook, Justin Stirn, Pierre DeTrey, Kiyoshi Kosky, Cedar DeTrey
Part of a series of 8 photographs which document a clean-up at the proposed Carrington Bay Park site. The squatters' cabin was built in the 1970s, on the east side of Carrington Bay.
L to R: John Shook, Justin Stirn, Pierre DeTrey, Kiyoshi Kosky, Cedar DeTrey
Part of a series of 8 photographs which document a clean-up at the proposed Carrington Bay Park site. The squatters' cabin was built in the 1970s, on the east side of Carrington Bay.
L to R: Cedar DeTrey, Mike ?, John Shook
Part of a series of 8 photographs which document a clean-up at the proposed Carrington Bay Park site. The squatters' cabin was built in the 1970s, on the east side of Carrington Bay.
L to R: Cedar DeTrey, Mike ?, John Shook
Part of a series of 8 photographs which document a clean-up at the proposed Carrington Bay Park site. The squatters' cabin was built in the 1970s, on the east side of Carrington Bay.
Mark Appleyard makes an oar as Emily looks on. Wendy Knudsen, Mark & Emily lived aboard the sailboat Cytherea. Zuk’s boat Devotion in background (Whaletown dock)
Part of a series of 8 photographs which document a clean-up at the proposed Carrington Bay Park site. The squatters' cabin was built in the 1970s, on the east side of Carrington Bay.
Part of a series of 8 photographs which document a clean-up at the proposed Carrington Bay Park site. The squatters' cabin was built in the 1970s, on the east side of Carrington Bay.
File contains scanned copies of photographs donated by Jim Palmer for the Carrington Bay exhibit in 2009, depicting the community living in Carrington Bay in the 1970s and 1980s.
Jim Palmer and Jan Gemmel lived in a house on the west side of the log jam between Carrington Lagoon and Carrington Bay. Jim built the house at the property of John and Anna Gregg in Manson's Landing and relocated it onto pilings in Carrington Bay. Jim and Jan later fabricated steel pontoons for it. In 1985 the house was moved onto the floats and towed into Gorge Harbour by Bob Thompson with his boat "Sutil Chief".
File contains scanned copies of photographs donated by Jim Palmer for the Carrington Bay exhibit in 2009, depicting the community living in Carrington Bay in the 1970s and 1980s.
Jim Palmer and Jan Gemmel lived in a house on the west side of the log jam between Carrington Lagoon and Carrington Bay. Jim built the house at the property of John and Anna Gregg in Manson's Landing and relocated it onto pilings in Carrington Bay. Jim and Jan later fabricated steel pontoons for it. In 1985 the house was moved onto the floats and towed into Gorge Harbour by Bob Thompson with his boat "Sutil Chief".
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