Series consists of cassette tapes of interviews with residents of Cortes Island and nearby islands, of recordings of events which occurred on the island, and of musical performances by island artists and groups. Twenty-six of the tapes are interviews about the history of the island and early settler families done by Oonagh O'Connor for the Cortes Island Seniors' Building Society in 1995. Other interviews were recorded by museum volunteers gathering information for exhibits.
In 2017 the 54 cassette tapes in the collection at that time (along with 21 cassette tapes from Fonds # 2007.001: May and Elmer Ellingsen, 1 VHS tape and 1 mini-DVD) were digitized with a $1,000 grant from the Terry Reksten Memorial Fund, administered by Friends of the BC Archives. There are three components to each item: the original cassette tape, an electronic .wav file preservation master made from the original tape, and an .mp3 access file. The electronic files are stored on archival quality CDs as well as on a dedicated hard drive and the .mp3 files are available on the Museum and the Archives computers.
Series consists of cassette tapes of interviews with residents of Cortes Island and nearby islands, of recordings of events which occurred on the island, and of musical performances by island artists and groups. Twenty-six of the tapes are interviews about the history of the island and early settler families done by Oonagh O'Connor for the Cortes Island Seniors' Building Society in 1995. Other interviews were recorded by museum volunteers gathering information for exhibits.
In 2017 the 54 cassette tapes in the collection at that time (along with 21 cassette tapes from Fonds # 2007.001: May and Elmer Ellingsen, 1 VHS tape and 1 mini-DVD) were digitized with a $1,000 grant from the Terry Reksten Memorial Fund, administered by Friends of the BC Archives. There are three components to each item: the original cassette tape, an electronic .wav file preservation master made from the original tape, and an .mp3 access file. The electronic files are stored on archival quality CDs as well as on a dedicated hard drive and the .mp3 files are available on the Museum and the Archives computers.
Storage Location
Cassette tape boxes 1 and 2
Geographic Access
Cortes Island
Related Material
2007.001 - May and Elmer Ellingsen fonds
2009.001 - Island Women's Club
Interview of Trude Albright Sweeny by Bernice McGowan and Jill Milton. Subjects covered include Trude's childhood in Austria; marriage and move to the US; Trude's brother Hans Dolezal (also known as Hans Croker); how she came to Cortes; her marriage to Sedley Sweeny; Trude's Cafe; Cortes projects. (28 minutes)
Interview of Trude Albright Sweeny by Bernice McGowan and Jill Milton. Subjects covered include Trude's childhood in Austria; marriage and move to the US; Trude's brother Hans Dolezal (also known as Hans Croker); how she came to Cortes; her marriage to Sedley Sweeny; Trude's Cafe; Cortes projects. (28 minutes)
Interview of Brigid Weiler by Bernice McGowan and Jill Milton. The introduction to the interview is on File 1. In File 2 Brigid talks about growing up in Whaletown in the 1950s and 60s, the people who lived there and the location of their houses. (43 minutes)
Interview of Brigid Weiler by Bernice McGowan and Jill Milton. The introduction to the interview is on File 1. In File 2 Brigid talks about growing up in Whaletown in the 1950s and 60s, the people who lived there and the location of their houses. (43 minutes)
Interview of Emilie Hansen by Bernice McGowan and Jill Milton. Emilie talks about moving to Canada with her husband Gunnar; moving to Cortes in 1961; different properties they lived on; making a living on the island. (41 minutes)
Interview of Emilie Hansen by Bernice McGowan and Jill Milton. Emilie talks about moving to Canada with her husband Gunnar; moving to Cortes in 1961; different properties they lived on; making a living on the island. (41 minutes)
Interview of Jean Campbell by Bernice McGowan and Jill Milton. Jean talks about growing up, meeting Dan Campbell, his political career, moving to Cortes in the 1960s, island life, people and events. (49 minutes)
Interview of Jean Campbell by Bernice McGowan and Jill Milton. Jean talks about growing up, meeting Dan Campbell, his political career, moving to Cortes in the 1960s, island life, people and events. (49 minutes)
Recording of Norm and Lisa Gibbons talking about their experiences at Refuge Cove, recorded by Lisa Gibbons during a museum-sponsored trip to Refuge Cove on the "Misty Isles". See also the digitized photographs from Norm Gibbons' album which illustrate many of the stories in the recording. (Cortes Island Museum & Archives Society fonds, Series 5, File 2)
Recorded by Lisa Gibbons on her iPhone, July 15, 2023
Scope and Content
Recording of Norm and Lisa Gibbons talking about their experiences at Refuge Cove, recorded by Lisa Gibbons during a museum-sponsored trip to Refuge Cove on the "Misty Isles". See also the digitized photographs from Norm Gibbons' album which illustrate many of the stories in the recording. (Cortes Island Museum & Archives Society fonds, Series 5, File 2)
Interview of Dennis Newsham and Ann Dewar by Bernice McGowan and Jill Milton. Frances Guthrie was also present. Dennis and Ann talk about their memories of growing up in Whaletown.
Interview of Dennis Newsham and Ann Dewar by Bernice McGowan and Jill Milton. Frances Guthrie was also present. Dennis and Ann talk about their memories of growing up in Whaletown.
Interview of Julia Rendall by Bernice McGowan and Jill Milton. Julia talks about moving to Canada from England; her experiences in BC and on Cortes Island including her involvement with Cortes ambulance service and aquaculture.
Interview of Julia Rendall by Bernice McGowan and Jill Milton. Julia talks about moving to Canada from England; her experiences in BC and on Cortes Island including her involvement with Cortes ambulance service and aquaculture.
Interview of Paul Kirmmse by Bernice McGowan, Jill Milton and Monika Hoffman. Paul talks about moving to Cortes in 1971; various experiences on the island; the formation of the Redlands land cooperative.
Interview of Paul Kirmmse by Bernice McGowan, Jill Milton and Monika Hoffman. Paul talks about moving to Cortes in 1971; various experiences on the island; the formation of the Redlands land cooperative.
Fonds consists of material generated by the Cortes Island Seniors' Building Society and includes meeting minutes, administrative records, research materials, correspondence, ephemera, maps, plans, and publications of the Cortes Island Seniors' Building Society, as well as some records of the Cortes Island Old Age Pensioners' Organization. Fonds is arranged into twelve series, following the original order of the records.
An accrual in 2023, described as Series 12, contains meeting minutes, correspondence, etc; arranged in chronological order (original order).
In 1987, members of the Cortes Island Old Age Pensioners' Organization incorporated the Cortes Island Seniors' Building Society (currently known as the Cortes Island Senior's Society) with the following stated purposes:
(a) to operate a facility where persons aged 65 years or older, or persons between 55 and 65 years of age who are in need, can improve their health through physical and other acitivity;
(b) to operate a residential housing facility for such persons;
(c) to carry on social activities incidental to the above purposes, but not to own, operate or manage a social club.
The records of the Cortes Island Seniors' Building Society provide useful insight into their process of envisioning the future of seniors' housing on Cortes Island.
Custodial History
Donated by Ruth Zwickel on behalf of the Cortes Island Senior's Society in 2013. An accrual was donated by Elinor Harwood on behalf of the Cortes Island Seniors' Society in 2021.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of material generated by the Cortes Island Seniors' Building Society and includes meeting minutes, administrative records, research materials, correspondence, ephemera, maps, plans, and publications of the Cortes Island Seniors' Building Society, as well as some records of the Cortes Island Old Age Pensioners' Organization. Fonds is arranged into twelve series, following the original order of the records.
An accrual in 2023, described as Series 12, contains meeting minutes, correspondence, etc; arranged in chronological order (original order).
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 material relating to a proposed subdivision by Elmer Ellingsen, Plan 23367, including a map with buyers pencilled in (60 x 51 cm - from Acc. #2019.019).
File contains material relating to a proposed subdivision by Elmer Ellingsen, Plan 23367, including a map with buyers pencilled in (60 x 51 cm - from Acc. #2019.019).
File contains maps of Bute Inlet (1970), Cortes Island/Read Island and surrounding area (ca. 1950), Powell River (1968) and Cortes Island zoning maps (Jan 1974).
File contains maps of Bute Inlet (1970), Cortes Island/Read Island and surrounding area (ca. 1950), Powell River (1968) and Cortes Island zoning maps (Jan 1974).
File contains five maps of Hernando Island: two showing plans of pre-emptions, 1891-1892; two copies of an old hand-drawn map, 1955; and one map of a later proposed development (undated). Some maps have notes on homesteads.
File contains five maps of Hernando Island: two showing plans of pre-emptions, 1891-1892; two copies of an old hand-drawn map, 1955; and one map of a later proposed development (undated). Some maps have notes on homesteads.
