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Part Of
Gilean Douglas fonds
Description Level
Fonds
Material Type
textual records
graphic material
cartographic material
ephemera
Accession Number
1999.001
Date Range
1904-1993 (predominant 1948-1993)
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of the personal records of Gilean Douglas which were produced and received during her personal and literary activities. There is some material dating from Douglas's early life, but the bulk of it dates from 1948 to 1993 and directly concerns her life on Cortes Island. Because of Douglas's involvement in the public life of the island, and her interest in local history, her papers contain a great deal of information about the political, community and social life of Cortes Island, particularly the Whaletown area. Fonds is composed of eighteen series: Manuscripts; Correspondence; Literary Records; Regional Director for Area I (Cortes Island); Women's Institute; Women's Auxiliary of the Anglican Church; School District #72; Whaletown Community Club; Channel Rock; Research; "The Log" of the Columbia Coast Mission; Journals and Notebooks; Illustrations and Sketches; Ephemera; Clippings; Maps; Albums; Photographs.
Other Title Info
Title based on contents of the fonds.
Part Of
Gilean Douglas fonds
Description Level
Fonds
Creator
Douglas, Gilean
Fonds Number
1999.001
Accession Number
1999.001
Material Type
textual records
graphic material
cartographic material
ephemera
Date Range
1904-1993 (predominant 1948-1993)
Physical Description
1.9 m of textual records; ca. 2,352 photographic records (1147 prints : b&w and col. - ca. 560 negatives : b&w and col. negatives ; 35 mm and 14 x 11 cm or smaller - 645 slides : col. slides ; 35 mm); 1 cm of graphic material; 8 maps.
Extent
1.9
History / Biographical
Gilean Douglas was born in Toronto, Ont. In 1900. Orphaned at the age of 16, she began to work as a free-lance writer and photographer. Over her lifetime her work appeared in more than 200 publications, often published under pseudonyms (Grant Madison, Armoral Kent and Jill MacLean). Douglas published eight books of poetry and three books of non-fiction, and, from 1961 to 1992, wrote a regular column, “Nature Rambles”, for the Victoria Times-Colonist. In 1939, following the collapse of her third marriage, Douglas moved from Ontario to an isolated cabin in the mountains near Hope, B.C. Her first two books of nature writing (one published under the name Grant Madison) document her life there. Her cabin was destroyed by fire in 1947 and two years later she moved to a 138-acre waterfront homestead on Cortes Island with her fourth husband, Philip Douglas, (née Major). Her marriage ended in 1953, but she remained there until her death in 1993. Her home at Channel Rock was isolated, with no road access and no electricity. Douglas had a large garden, and supplemented her writing income by selling produce and plants. She was a volunteer Weather Observer for Environment Canada for 33 years, receiving several awards for her service. Starting in the 1960s, her writing centered increasingly on her life at Channel Rock. Her "Nature Rambles" columns and book "The Protected Place" reflect her life on the island. During her years on Cortes Island, Douglas took a leading role in community affairs and local politics. She held office in several community organizations and acted as a school trustee. As a member of the Women's Institute, she held local, district, provincial and national office, edited a book on its history, and was awarded a Life Membership in 1989. Douglas was a member of the first Cortes Island Advisory Planning Commission and represented Cortes on the Regional Board of Comox-Strathcona as Alternate Director from 1968 to 1973 and as Director from 1973 until 1977. List of Book Publications: 1952 Now the Green Word (Wings Press, Mill Valley, Ca.) 1953 Poetic Plush (The Story Book Press, Dallas, Texas) 1953 River For My Sidewalk (by “Grant Madison”; J. M. Dent & Sons, Toronto, Ont.) 1954 The Pattern Set (Quality Press, Montreal, Quebec) 1959 Modern Pioneers (a history of the Women's Institute, ed. by Douglas; Evergreen Press) 1967 Seascape With Figures (Prairie Press, Iowa City, Iowa) 1973 Now In This Night (Harlo Press, Detroit, Mi.) 1978 Silence Is My Homeland (Stackpole Books, Harrisburg, Pa.) 1979 The Protected Place (Gray’s Publishing, Sidney, B.C.) 1982 Prodigal (Harbour Publishing, Madeira Park, B.C.) 1984 River For My Sidewalk (by Gilean Douglas; Sono Nis Press) 1985 Kodachromes at Midday (Sono Nis Press) 1992 Seascape With Figures - Poems Selected and New (Sono Nis Press)
Custodial History
Upon Douglas’ death in 1993 her papers were gathered from her house by her literary executor, Gillian Milton. Douglas’ will directed that her papers and photographs be turned over to the University of British Columbia (Douglas’ primary beneficiary), after being examined and used for literary purposes including publication or biography. Accordingly, Milton inventoried the records, and with Andrea Lebowitz made use of them for a biography and anthology of the writings of Douglas, "Gilean Douglas: Writing Nature, Finding Home" (Lebowitz and Milton, Sono Nis Press, 1999). The textual records were turned over to University of British Columbia Library Rare Books and Special Collections in December 1999; the photographic records in 2002. By agreement with UBC, the records and photographs which have to do primarily with Cortes Island were turned over to the Cortes Island Museum and Archives Society (Manson's Landing, B.C.) in 1999.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of the personal records of Gilean Douglas which were produced and received during her personal and literary activities. There is some material dating from Douglas's early life, but the bulk of it dates from 1948 to 1993 and directly concerns her life on Cortes Island. Because of Douglas's involvement in the public life of the island, and her interest in local history, her papers contain a great deal of information about the political, community and social life of Cortes Island, particularly the Whaletown area. Fonds is composed of eighteen series: Manuscripts; Correspondence; Literary Records; Regional Director for Area I (Cortes Island); Women's Institute; Women's Auxiliary of the Anglican Church; School District #72; Whaletown Community Club; Channel Rock; Research; "The Log" of the Columbia Coast Mission; Journals and Notebooks; Illustrations and Sketches; Ephemera; Clippings; Maps; Albums; Photographs.
Name Access
Douglas, Gilean
Subject Access
Women's Institute
Columbia Coast Mission
Community Associations
Geographic Access
Cortes Island
Related Material
Gilean Douglas fonds at the University of British Columbia Library (Special Collections) Cortes Island Ratepayers Association fonds Gorge Harbour Community Hall fonds Whaletown Community Club fonds Whaletown Women's Institute fonds Regional Director of Electoral Area I (Cortes Island) fonds
Copyright
Copyright for Douglas's published writings is held by the University of British Columbia. Permission to use Douglas's manuscripts for publication purposes must be obtained from the University of British Columbia or from Gillian Milton, literary executor for the estate of Gilean Douglas.
Arrangement
Wherever possible, Douglas’ system of arrangement has been retained, and original groupings of material have been maintained. Other material has been arranged according to type.
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Eddie Huck, Andy Robertson and Dennis Newsham

https://collections.cortesmuseum.com/en/permalink/descriptions11177
Part Of
Gilean Douglas fonds
Description Level
Item
Material Type
graphic material
Date Range
1959
Scope and Content
Photograph of Eddie Huck, Andy Robertson and Dennis Newsham, probably at Channel Rock while working on the Whaletown Women's Institute telephone line (see Gilean Douglas' Christmas letter for 1959).
Part Of
Gilean Douglas fonds
Description Level
Item
Fonds Number
1999.001
Series Number
18
Item Number
1999.001.2112
Material Type
graphic material
Date Range
1959
Physical Description
1 colour slide, 5 x 5 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of Eddie Huck, Andy Robertson and Dennis Newsham, probably at Channel Rock while working on the Whaletown Women's Institute telephone line (see Gilean Douglas' Christmas letter for 1959).
Storage Location
Slide box 1
Subject Access
Channel Rock
Women's Institute
Geographic Access
Cortes Island
Images
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Three teenage boys at Channel Rock: Eddie Huck, Andy Robertson and Dennis Newsham

https://collections.cortesmuseum.com/en/permalink/descriptions11178
Part Of
Gilean Douglas fonds
Description Level
Item
Material Type
graphic material
Date Range
1959
Part Of
Gilean Douglas fonds
Description Level
Item
Fonds Number
1999.001
Series Number
18
Item Number
1999.001.2113
Material Type
graphic material
Date Range
1959
Physical Description
1 colour slide, 5 x 5 cm
Storage Location
Slide box 1
Subject Access
Channel Rock
Geographic Access
Cortes Island
Whaletown
Images
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Two women in the patio area at Channel Rock; (L): Edith Huck, holding a kitten

https://collections.cortesmuseum.com/en/permalink/descriptions11237
Part Of
Gilean Douglas fonds
Description Level
Item
Material Type
graphic material
Date Range
1957-1958
Part Of
Gilean Douglas fonds
Description Level
Item
Fonds Number
1999.001
Series Number
18
Item Number
1999.001.2172
Material Type
graphic material
Date Range
1957-1958
Physical Description
1 colour slide, 5 x 5 cm
Storage Location
Slide box 1
Subject Access
Channel Rock
Geographic Access
Cortes Island
Images
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Man and boy in the garden at Channel Rock (ID - Harry and Eddy Huck?)

https://collections.cortesmuseum.com/en/permalink/descriptions11494
Part Of
Gilean Douglas fonds
Description Level
Item
Material Type
graphic material
Date Range
1965
Part Of
Gilean Douglas fonds
Description Level
Item
Fonds Number
1999.001
Series Number
18
Item Number
1999.001.2429
Material Type
graphic material
Date Range
1965
Physical Description
1 colour slide, 5 x 5 cm
Storage Location
Slide box 1
Subject Access
Channel Rock
Geographic Access
Cortes Island
Images
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Edith Huck, Amy and Elaine McKenzie at a Christmas gathering

https://collections.cortesmuseum.com/en/permalink/descriptions11508
Part Of
Gilean Douglas fonds
Description Level
Item
Material Type
graphic material
Date Range
[196-]
Part Of
Gilean Douglas fonds
Description Level
Item
Fonds Number
1999.001
Series Number
18
Item Number
1999.001.2443
Material Type
graphic material
Date Range
[196-]
Physical Description
1 colour slide, 5 x 5 cm
Storage Location
Slide box 1
Subject Access
Channel Rock
Geographic Access
Cortes Island
Images
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Mary and Otto Weiler fonds

https://collections.cortesmuseum.com/en/permalink/descriptions10631
Part Of
Mary and Otto Weiler fonds
Description Level
Fonds
Material Type
graphic material
textual records
Accession Number
2003.002
2022.005
2023.006
Date Range
1937-[ca.1980]
Scope and Content
Fonds consists primarily of photographs and slides taken by Mary Weiler. Textual records include correspondence, several issues of the "Log" of the Columbia Coast Mission, and material about Victor Von Donop, for whom Von Donop Inlet is named. Fonds is arranged in five series: 1: Photographs, 2: Correspondence, 3: Von Donop, 4: Ephemera, and 5: Books.
Part Of
Mary and Otto Weiler fonds
Description Level
Fonds
Creator
Weiler, Mary
Weiler, Otto
Fonds Number
2003.002
Accession Number
2003.002
2022.005
2023.006
Material Type
graphic material
textual records
Date Range
1937-[ca.1980]
Physical Description
510 photographs (132 prints: b&w and col.; 378 slides: col. slides)
1 cm of textual records
1 book
History / Biographical
In April of 1947 Otto and Mary Weiler were recently returned from London, and they were war weary---Mary was recovering from tuberculosis, and Otto from injuries sustained in the army, and like most people in those days, they were left strapped by the Depression and the War--- but they had a dream. They chartered a boat, and traveled up the BC coast, seeking a place where they could live---in their words---"a happy, romantic, bohemian life". Otto John—always known affectionately as Ottie---was born in Victoria, BC on March 27, 1903, to a well-to-do mercantile family. His grandparents, John and Christiana Weiler, arrive in Fort Victoria in the early 1850's from Germany by way of San Francisco, where they established a successful furniture factory and other businesses. Reminders of the Weiler family still exist in Victoria, most notably the six-story Weiler Building at the corner of Broad and Government streets, originally a grandly-appointed department store, and the Weiler cenotaph in Ross Bay cemetery. Mary was born Mary Agnes Campbell on March 13, 1915, in Enderby, BC. Her grandparents were pioneers who arrived in the North Okanogan to farm in the 1880's. The family moved to New Westminster in 1921. After high school Mary studied nursing at the Royal Jubilee hospital in Victoria, and then departed for France, having decided to work her way around the world. When war broke out, however, she was evacuated from France at Dunkirk, and immediately joined the British army. She served a nurse in London for the duration of the war, and here she met Ottie, a major with the Canadian Scottish regiment. There were married in 1943, and both went back to their respective postings with the army, looking forward to the day when they could live together. When Ottie and Mary sailed into Whaletown Bay, they were immediately enchanted by the house on the point, half-built and occupying 5 rocky acres of waterfront. They were urban and idealistic, and ready to throw themselves into life on a remote island. At first they turned their hand to fishing commercially. Their boat was twelve-foot clinker built inboard; a salmon license cost a dollar. In 1949 they were hired by Cece Stubbs to manage the Whaletown Store. When Gary and Velma Bergman bought the store in 1956, Ottie was offered the position of Whaletown postmaster, a job he held until a few months before his death. Mary was an artist—a talented and serious one. In spite of the isolation of Cortes Island in those days, she made a name for herself as a British Columbia artist of note, showing her work widely and selling internationally. Her studio was the dining-room table, surrounded by a swirl of children, and her paintings and prints were created in the midst of the gardening, fishing and canning necessary to country survival. Ottie was a writer---he had been a journalist before the war---and was a passionate gardener, fisherman, hunter and forager who tirelessly explored the trails and homesteads on the north end of Cortes, and beachcombed all his firewood. They were both dedicated to community service. Ottie was Justice of the Peace, a thoughtful counselor once famously referred to by Gilean Douglas as 'a Justice who really practiced peace' and he also served on the boards of the Whaletown Community Club and other organizations for many years. Mary acted as a community nurse, as well as teaching First Aid classes, holding monthly clinics, and canvassing for the Canadian cancer society. She taught annual art classes and workshops for adults and children, and in the late '60s, she and Ottie opened a summer art gallery in their Whaletown home---the Garden Gallery---as a showcase for local artists and craftspeople. Ottie and Mary had four daughters---Christina, born March 23rd, 1951; Brigid, born June 6th, 1953; Alexandra (who, however, has always gone by the nickname “Johnny”) born May 5th, 1955; and Sarah, born September 27th, 1958. In 1973 Ottie died after a short illness, and Mary didn't want to stay in their dream home without him. In 1974 she sold the house and said farewell to Whaletown. Mary Weiler went on to many more adventures—studying, travelling, and always making art---and died in Victoria in1999. [by Brigid Weiler, March 10, 2016]
Custodial History
This material was created or collected by Mary and Otto Weiler and donated to CIMAS by their daughter Brigid Weiler. The first accession was in 2003 (Accession #2003.002). There are two accruals: #2009.002 and #2017.001.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists primarily of photographs and slides taken by Mary Weiler. Textual records include correspondence, several issues of the "Log" of the Columbia Coast Mission, and material about Victor Von Donop, for whom Von Donop Inlet is named. Fonds is arranged in five series: 1: Photographs, 2: Correspondence, 3: Von Donop, 4: Ephemera, and 5: Books.
Storage Location
Photograph Box #3 Slide Album #2 Small Box 1
Name Access
Weiler, Mary
Weiler, Otto
Subject Access
Columbia Coast Mission
Fishing
Health care
Geographic Access
Cortes Island
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Part Of
May Ellingsen fonds
Description Level
Fonds
Material Type
graphic material
textual records
Accession Number
2004.002, 2004.003
Date Range
[ca.1910-1990]
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).
Part Of
May Ellingsen fonds
Description Level
Fonds
Creator
Ellingsen, May
Fonds Number
2004.002
Accession Number
2004.002, 2004.003
Material Type
graphic material
textual records
Date Range
[ca.1910-1990]
Physical Description
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).
Storage Location
Photograph Box #3
Storage Range
Photograph Box #3
Name Access
Ellingsen, May
Subject Access
Logging
Geographic Access
Hernando Island
Twin Islands
Cortes Island
Finding Aid
Item level finding aid for original photographs is available
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Part Of
Doreen Thompson fonds
Description Level
Fonds
Material Type
textual records
graphic material
cartographic material
Accession Number
2006.001
Date Range
[192-]-2005
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.
Part Of
Doreen Thompson fonds
Description Level
Fonds
Creator
Thompson, Doreen
Fonds Number
2006.001
Accession Number
2006.001
Material Type
textual records
graphic material
cartographic material
Date Range
[192-]-2005
Physical Description
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.
Geographic Access
Cortes Island
Manson's Landing
Whaletown
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May and Elmer Ellingsen fonds

https://collections.cortesmuseum.com/en/permalink/descriptions10187
Part Of
May and Elmer Ellingsen fonds
Description Level
Fonds
Material Type
textual records
graphic material
sound recording
cartographic material
ephemera
Date Range
1892-[ca. 2005]
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.
Part Of
May and Elmer Ellingsen fonds
Description Level
Fonds
Creator
Ellingsen, May
Ellingsen, Elmer
Fonds Number
2007.001
Material Type
textual records
graphic material
sound recording
cartographic material
ephemera
Date Range
1892-[ca. 2005]
Physical Description
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.
Storage Range
1-1 - 1-8
Name Access
Ellingsen, Elmer
Ellingsen, May
Subject Access
Logging
Ferries
Transportation
Women's Institute
Water transport
Community Associations
Geographic Access
Cortes Island
Hernando Island
Related Material
May Ellingsen Historic Photograph Collection (2004.002)
Arrangement
Original order unknown; archivist has arranged records.
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Dorothy St. Dennis (daughter), Mr. Beesley (father), Walter Beesley (son)

https://collections.cortesmuseum.com/en/permalink/descriptions13934
Part Of
May and Elmer Ellingsen fonds
Description Level
Item
Material Type
graphic material
Date Range
1942
Scope and Content
Photograph comes from an envelope marked "Beesley family photos, 1920s"
Part Of
May and Elmer Ellingsen fonds
Description Level
Item
Fonds Number
2007.001
Series Number
13
Item Number
2007.001.669
Material Type
graphic material
Date Range
1942
Physical Description
1 photograph print: b&w; 8 x 6 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph comes from an envelope marked "Beesley family photos, 1920s"
Storage Location
Photograph Box 4
Geographic Access
Cortes Island
Images
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Part Of
May and Elmer Ellingsen fonds
Description Level
Item
Material Type
graphic material
Date Range
[192-]
Scope and Content
Photograph comes from an envelope marked "Beesley family photos, 1920s"
Part Of
May and Elmer Ellingsen fonds
Description Level
Item
Fonds Number
2007.001
Series Number
13
Item Number
2007.001.671
Material Type
graphic material
Date Range
[192-]
Physical Description
1 photograph print: b&w; 6.5 x 9 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph comes from an envelope marked "Beesley family photos, 1920s"
Storage Location
Photograph Box 4
Geographic Access
Cortes Island
Images
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Part Of
May and Elmer Ellingsen fonds
Description Level
Item
Material Type
graphic material
Date Range
[192-?]
Scope and Content
Photograph comes from an envelope marked "Beesley family photos, 1920s"
Part Of
May and Elmer Ellingsen fonds
Description Level
Item
Fonds Number
2007.001
Series Number
13
Item Number
2007.001.676
Material Type
graphic material
Date Range
[192-?]
Physical Description
1 photograph print: b&w; 7 x 11 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph comes from an envelope marked "Beesley family photos, 1920s"
Storage Location
Photograph Box 4
Geographic Access
Cortes Island
Images
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Edward Beesley & daughter Dorothy

https://collections.cortesmuseum.com/en/permalink/descriptions13945
Part Of
May and Elmer Ellingsen fonds
Description Level
Item
Material Type
graphic material
Date Range
1942
Scope and Content
Photograph comes from an envelope marked "Beesley family photos, 1920s"
Part Of
May and Elmer Ellingsen fonds
Description Level
Item
Fonds Number
2007.001
Series Number
13
Item Number
2007.001.680
Material Type
graphic material
Date Range
1942
Physical Description
1 photograph print: b&w; 6 x 8.5 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph comes from an envelope marked "Beesley family photos, 1920s"
Storage Location
Photograph Box 4
Geographic Access
Cortes Island
Images
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Love from Dorothy Beesley

https://collections.cortesmuseum.com/en/permalink/descriptions13946
Part Of
May and Elmer Ellingsen fonds
Description Level
Item
Material Type
graphic material
Date Range
1936
Scope and Content
Photograph comes from an envelope marked "Beesley family photos, 1920s"
Part Of
May and Elmer Ellingsen fonds
Description Level
Item
Fonds Number
2007.001
Series Number
13
Item Number
2007.001.681
Material Type
graphic material
Date Range
1936
Physical Description
1 photograph print: b&w; 6.5 x 11 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph comes from an envelope marked "Beesley family photos, 1920s"
Storage Location
Photograph Box 4
Geographic Access
Cortes Island
Images
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Dorothy Beesley and husband Bernard K. St. Dennis

https://collections.cortesmuseum.com/en/permalink/descriptions13948
Part Of
May and Elmer Ellingsen fonds
Description Level
Item
Material Type
graphic material
Date Range
1920
Scope and Content
Inscribed "To Miss Rose Manson, not to be stolen". Photograph comes from an envelope marked "Beesley family photos, 1920s"
Part Of
May and Elmer Ellingsen fonds
Description Level
Item
Fonds Number
2007.001
Series Number
13
Item Number
2007.001.683
Material Type
graphic material
Date Range
1920
Physical Description
1 photograph print: b&w; 8.5 x 13.5 cm
Scope and Content
Inscribed "To Miss Rose Manson, not to be stolen". Photograph comes from an envelope marked "Beesley family photos, 1920s"
Storage Location
Photograph Box 4
Geographic Access
Cortes Island
Images
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Dorothy Beesley and mother Anna Beesley

https://collections.cortesmuseum.com/en/permalink/descriptions13950
Part Of
May and Elmer Ellingsen fonds
Description Level
Item
Material Type
graphic material
Date Range
1917
Scope and Content
Photograph comes from an envelope marked "Beesley family photos, 1920s"
Part Of
May and Elmer Ellingsen fonds
Description Level
Item
Fonds Number
2007.001
Series Number
13
Item Number
2007.001.685
Material Type
graphic material
Date Range
1917
Physical Description
1 photograph print: b&w; 12.5 x 8 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph comes from an envelope marked "Beesley family photos, 1920s"
Storage Location
Photograph Box 4
Geographic Access
Cortes Island
Images
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Island Women's Club fonds

https://collections.cortesmuseum.com/en/permalink/descriptions8069
Part Of
Island Women's Club fonds
Description Level
Fonds
Material Type
textual records
graphic material
sound recording
object
Accession Number
2009.001; 2018.001
Date Range
[ca 1920]-2000
Scope and Content
This fonds comprises records of four Cortes Island women's service organizations, including minutes, financial records, administrative records, correspondence, photographs, ephemera and artifacts. It is arranged in four sous-fonds according to the creator of the records: Whaletown Women's Institute (2009.001.1); Whaletown Women's Auxiliary of the Anglican Church (2009.001.2); Cortes Island Women's Institute (2009.001.3); and Island Women's Club (2009.001.3). Related material in CIMAS archives may be found in the Whaletown Women's Institute fonds (1999.002), the Gilean Douglas fonds (1999.001), and the May and Elmer Ellingsen fonds (2007.001).
Part Of
Island Women's Club fonds
Description Level
Fonds
Creator
Island Women's Club
Fonds Number
2009.001
Accession Number
2009.001; 2018.001
Material Type
textual records
graphic material
sound recording
object
Date Range
[ca 1920]-2000
Physical Description
.75 m of textual records
Extent
.75 meters
History / Biographical
The Island Women's Club was formed in 2000, when the members of the Cortes Island Women's Institute withdrew from the British Columbia Women's Institute in order to focus their efforts locally. It was the successor to previous women's service organizations on Cortes, local branches of the Women's Institute and the Anglican Church Women's Auxiliary. Activities included awarding bursaries to graduating high school students, contributing to school projects such as printing yearbooks, sponsoring sports teams and building playground equipment, supporting the community halls and organizing memorial teas on behalf of bereaved families. They disbanded in 2016.
Custodial History
After they disbanded, records of the Whaletown Women's Institute and the Whaletown Women's Auxiliary passed into the hands of the Cortes Island Women's Institute and its successor, Island Women's Club, who donated them to CIMAS in 2009. The organizational records created by the Island Women's Club were donated to CIMAS in 2018.
Scope and Content
This fonds comprises records of four Cortes Island women's service organizations, including minutes, financial records, administrative records, correspondence, photographs, ephemera and artifacts. It is arranged in four sous-fonds according to the creator of the records: Whaletown Women's Institute (2009.001.1); Whaletown Women's Auxiliary of the Anglican Church (2009.001.2); Cortes Island Women's Institute (2009.001.3); and Island Women's Club (2009.001.3). Related material in CIMAS archives may be found in the Whaletown Women's Institute fonds (1999.002), the Gilean Douglas fonds (1999.001), and the May and Elmer Ellingsen fonds (2007.001).
Storage Range
1-1 - 3-16
Name Access
Island Women's Club
Whaletown Women's Institute
Women's Auxiliary of the Anglican Church
Cortes Island Women's Institute
Subject Access
Women's Institute
Community Associations
Geographic Access
Cortes Island
Related Material
Whaletown Women's Institute fonds (1999.002), Gilean Douglas fonds (1999.001), May and Elmer Ellingsen fonds (2007.001)
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Billie Huck and Lorna Borden

https://collections.cortesmuseum.com/en/permalink/descriptions7738
Part Of
Dorothy Huck Whalley fonds
Description Level
Item
Material Type
graphic material
Date Range
1920
Scope and Content
Photograph of two children on a donkey. In the background a vegetable garden, picket fence and buildings at Braeside can be seen. (See also #2001.001.161, #2001.001.173 & #2001.001.174. Identifications by Doreen Thompson.)
Part Of
Dorothy Huck Whalley fonds
Description Level
Item
Creator
Whalley, Dorothy Huck
Fonds Number
2011.001
Series Number
2
Item Number
2011.001.175
Material Type
graphic material
Date Range
1920
Physical Description
1 photograph print: b&w; 11.5 x 7 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of two children on a donkey. In the background a vegetable garden, picket fence and buildings at Braeside can be seen. (See also #2001.001.161, #2001.001.173 & #2001.001.174. Identifications by Doreen Thompson.)
Geographic Access
Cortes Island
Images
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Cortes Island Seniors' Building Society fonds

https://collections.cortesmuseum.com/en/permalink/descriptions13514
Part Of
Cortes Island Seniors' Building Society fonds
Description Level
Fonds
Material Type
textual records
ephemera
graphic material
architectural drawing
cartographic material
Accession Number
2013.005
Date Range
1989-1997
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).
Part Of
Cortes Island Seniors' Building Society fonds
Description Level
Fonds
Creator
Cortes Island Seniors' Building Society
Fonds Number
2013.005
Accession Number
2013.005
Material Type
textual records
ephemera
graphic material
architectural drawing
cartographic material
Date Range
1989-1997
Physical Description
30 cm. of textual records and other material
Extent
.3 m
History / Biographical
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).
Storage Location
1-1 to 1-35
Storage Range
1-1 to 1-35
Name Access
Cortes Island Seniors' Building Society
Subject Access
Seniors
Community Associations
Health care
Geographic Access
Cortes Island
Finding Aid
File list available
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