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British Columbia history that informs readers while entertaining them.

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British Columbia almost sank its own submarine navy

Posted by on Jul 18, 2019 in Articles | 0 comments

They were known as CC-class submarines, built by a Seattle shipyard in 1913 as coastal defence vessels for the Chilean navy. But the deal fell through and, with the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, B.C. Premier Richard McBride jumped at the chance to purchase the two of them—as a gift!—for the infant Royal Canadian Navy. At a cost of $575,000 each, they were duly commissioned, according to Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, as HMCS CC-1 and HMCS...

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John Fannin ‘Fathered’ Royal British Columbia Museum

Posted by on Jul 8, 2019 in Articles | 2 comments

John ‘Jack’ Fannin is one of the few of our bigger-than-life pioneers who has been immortalized, although this may be about to change. The first curator and virtual creator of the Royal British Columbia Provincial Museum, John Fannin was more than a remarkable public servant. Few who knew the stocky, white-bearded figure with the braying laugh and twinkling eyes realized that–not once but twice–he’d survived a hostile wilderness. In October 1874 Jack and George Florrence, a French Canadian, were commissioned...

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Bill Nye: Victoria’s Mystery Man

Posted by on Jun 30, 2019 in Articles | 2 comments

His real name was Thomas Chaplain but to generations of Victorians the remarkable character with the scraggly beard, ‘antedeluvian’ slouch hat, shabby overcoat and trousers tied with twine was ‘Bill Nye.’ A final touch, a gold earring gave him a distinct Long John Silver air. As a young man Bill had seen, over a nine-year period, much of the world from the deck and masts of a windjammer, before landing in Victoria in November 1892. A longshoreman for many...

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Minnie Paterson, my other illustrious namesake

Posted by on Jun 22, 2019 in Articles | 3 comments

The 169-foot San Francisco bark Coloma drifted, a helpless punching bag before the sou’easter, each 90-mile-an-hour gust jarring her to her keel and pounding the 850-ton ship beneath the waves. She was awash, her lifeboats gone, a spider web of collapsed rigging spilled over her sides. Clutching the stump of mizzenmast were 10 frightened men. Captain J. Allison had long given up hope. In the raging dawn of December 6, 1906 the sea and sky met in a jagged...

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