About Tom

For 60 years (I was still a boy when I started), I’ve been writing about British Columbia history. To date: 30 books and thousands of magazine and newspaper articles. That’s millions of words in print!

I’m perhaps best known for my books on British Columbia ghost towns. As well, I’ve written extensively on shipwrecks, crimes, mining and our more colourful characters.

It should come as no surprise that I originally favoured the frontier drama of British Columbia’s ‘Wild West’ (yes, we had one), having grown up in Victoria on American magazines, American movies and American TV.

Why such a strong American influence?

Because, in those days, students didn’t encounter Canadian or provincial history until Grade 8. It was as if ‘our’ history didn’t exist!

Ironically, it was an American western history magazine that published my first magazine article about a lost (Canadian) gold mine, while I was in my teens. It was the first of 100s of articles that I wrote for audiences below the 49th parallel once I realized that many Americans are as interested in our history as we Canadians are in theirs, especially when it’s of the colourful variety.

But it’s not just the events–the shootings, the hangings or the love triangles–that make drama. It’s about the people who are involved, the men and women who are often swept up by uncontrollable passions and/or circumstances.

Which is not to say that history has to be ‘exciting’ to be, well, exciting.

Some of our best history is the plain unvarnished truth about the so-called ‘ordinary’ men and women who built this country, Canada, from scratch. Some came, some conquered, some were conquered. And what great stories they tell!

For 23 years my twice-weekly historical newspaper column, Cowichan Chronicles, was the most popular feature of the Cowichan Valley Citizen and developed a large and loyal following.

Now  the Chronicles,  bigger and better than ever, are online at www.CowichanChronicles.com.

I’m currently working on several ‘real’ and all my books, past and present, are in the process of being re-formatted as eBooks for release this year and next.

I’d love to hear from you. You can post a comment or reach me direct at firgrove@telus.net.