This collection consists of photographs of Jalmar Olson, his house and garden in Gorge Harbour, and Whaletown. Textual records include a hand-written account of J. Olson by his grand-daughter, Judy (Alderson) Gerwing, and a photocopy of a letter to J. Olson from the Meteorological Division of the Dept. of Transport (Small fonds box 1-18).
7 photographs : b&w ; 10 x 15 cm
3 photographs : colour ; 15 x 10 cm
1 file of textual records
History / Biographical
Jalmar Olson (Apr 30, 1869-Feb 29, 1964) was born in Sweden. He emigrated to Canada in 1906 and moved to Cortes in the 1930s. He had a house and garden in Gorge Harbour at what is now 509 Whaletown Rd. Olson was a Weather Observer for Transport Canada until 1949, when he moved off-island for health reasons.
Custodial History
Donated to CIMAS by Judy Alderson Gerwing, the grand-daughter of Jalmar Olson, Sept. 27, 2013.
Scope and Content
This collection consists of photographs of Jalmar Olson, his house and garden in Gorge Harbour, and Whaletown. Textual records include a hand-written account of J. Olson by his grand-daughter, Judy (Alderson) Gerwing, and a photocopy of a letter to J. Olson from the Meteorological Division of the Dept. of Transport (Small fonds box 1-18).
Photograph shows the front view of the store in Whaletown, the Whaletown Trading Post. A woman in a red sweater is looking at the bulletin board. This is a postcard printed in the 1990s, from a photograph taken by Doug Alderson, Jalmar Olson's son-in-law and Judy Alderson's father.
Photograph shows the front view of the store in Whaletown, the Whaletown Trading Post. A woman in a red sweater is looking at the bulletin board. This is a postcard printed in the 1990s, from a photograph taken by Doug Alderson, Jalmar Olson's son-in-law and Judy Alderson's father.
Photograph shows the church of St. John the Baptist in Whaletown. An old car is parked in front of the picket fence of the Rectory, at the left. Note there are no hydro or telephone poles or lines. This is a postcard printed in the 1990s, from a photograph taken by Doug Alderson, Jalmar Olson's son-in-law and Judy Alderson's father.
Photograph shows the church of St. John the Baptist in Whaletown. An old car is parked in front of the picket fence of the Rectory, at the left. Note there are no hydro or telephone poles or lines. This is a postcard printed in the 1990s, from a photograph taken by Doug Alderson, Jalmar Olson's son-in-law and Judy Alderson's father.
Fonds consists of sixty prints and slides dating from 1951 to 1971. It includes scenes of of Cortes Island school students, logging, and the Union Steamship. Most photographs are from the Whaletown area. There are 16 slides of a logging camp at the Quatam River in Ramsey Arm, BC.
The Maclean family (parents Don and Doris, and children Janice, Heather and Ian) lived in Whaletown from 1961 to 1973.
Don Maclean's parents, John and Edna Maclean, lived for many years in Edmonton, Alberta. When their son came home from the war they bought property near Coulter Bay and moved to Cortes Island. Don Maclean became a fisherman, eventually living on his fishing boat.
Doris Lancaster Maclean was born and raised in Victoria, B.C. In the late 1940s she answered a call from the Anglican Church to come and do Vacation Bible School with the Columbia Coast Mission on Cortes and nearby islands.
Doris and Don married in 1954. They moved to Cortes Island in 1961 when Don was hired to operate the Columbia Coast Mission boat, the "Alan Greene". They lived in the Mission house in Whaletown, next to the church. Don Maclean acted as a Lay Reader for the Columbia Coast Mission in the 1960s when no clergymen were available, holding services in the three Anglican churches on the island.
In 1967 the Diocese sold the "Alan Greene" and the Macleans were required to move out of the mission house. Maclean built a house on the beach of what used to be called Jardine’s property, although by this time it was owned by a cousin of Doris Maclean. He was hired as the Industrial First Aid man on site for the building of the Whaletown Ferry dock and after that worked as a clam digger.
The Maclean family left Cortes in 1973 and moved to Regina, SK. The house that Don built was rented for a couple of years and then sold and moved to a new location; it burned down a few years later.
Custodial History
Twenty-seven photographs and 15 slides were mailed to CIMAS by Janice Maclean Kerr in 2019; two more photos were mailed in Apr. 2021; 16 slides were mailed in Sept. 2021
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of sixty prints and slides dating from 1951 to 1971. It includes scenes of of Cortes Island school students, logging, and the Union Steamship. Most photographs are from the Whaletown area. There are 16 slides of a logging camp at the Quatam River in Ramsey Arm, BC.
Photograph is cut from a larger original with a label pasted to the bottom. Verso says "Dedication of school swing in memory of Don McDevitt, June 1971. Mrs. McDevitt & School Board [missing text] Phil Sampson. Children seen are Christine [missing text] ?racy, Jean & Ernie and wee Freddy [missing text]." School is the Whaletown school".
Identified by Janice Maclean Kerr as:
Front: Lottie McDevitt and Phil Sampson
Children: Back L, Jeannie Halliday, Phillip Bergman, Tracy Prestley with Christine Froese standing in front of her, Johnnie Prestley (behind Lottie's shoulder); the little boy in the front L is Ernie Halliday.
Photograph is cut from a larger original with a label pasted to the bottom. Verso says "Dedication of school swing in memory of Don McDevitt, June 1971. Mrs. McDevitt & School Board [missing text] Phil Sampson. Children seen are Christine [missing text] ?racy, Jean & Ernie and wee Freddy [missing text]." School is the Whaletown school".
Identified by Janice Maclean Kerr as:
Front: Lottie McDevitt and Phil Sampson
Children: Back L, Jeannie Halliday, Phillip Bergman, Tracy Prestley with Christine Froese standing in front of her, Johnnie Prestley (behind Lottie's shoulder); the little boy in the front L is Ernie Halliday.
Verso says "Easter Egg Hunt 1966. Johnny Weiler (back); Janice Maclean, Heather Maclean, Ian Maclean (back), Philip Bergman, Doug McCoy, Sarah Weiler (kneeling)
Verso says "Easter Egg Hunt 1966. Johnny Weiler (back); Janice Maclean, Heather Maclean, Ian Maclean (back), Philip Bergman, Doug McCoy, Sarah Weiler (kneeling)
