T.W. Paterson – British Columbia’s Pierre Berton

Since his late teens—more than half a century(!) T.W. Paterson has been a familiar byline to thousands of readers who have enjoyed his newspaper and magazine articles, and 30 books on British Columbia’s ‘popular’ history.

That’s millions of words!

1997-2020, his historical column Cowichan Chronicles appeared twice weekly in the Cowichan Valley Citizen.

They’re still going, bigger and better than ever, online, at www.CowichanChronicles.com.

‘T.W.’ is perhaps best known for his ghost town books which have been in print since the 1970s.

Since much of his writing is based upon field research, it gives him a firsthand slant that shines through in his posts, his columns and his books. Today, Vancouver Island’s coal mining history is his first passion and provides the fodder for much of his writings.

Not all of our pioneers were heroes and heroines and those who fell by the wayside often have more to tell than those who marched to more conventional drummers.

Even when writing about the dead, T.W. firmly believes that history is a living, breathing organism. As an author and historian he informs his readers by being part teacher, part preacher and, always, entertainer.

Most of all, he’s a teller of true tales that are well researched, well told, and, ultimately, well read.

Readers are encouraged to contact T.W. Paterson via Comments with further information pertinent to any of these posts, with suggestions, corrections or comments. Or even just to chit chat about British Columbia’s colourful and rich history.

For all his writings, for all those millions of words, he’s hardly scratched the surface. Stay tuned!