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History of Classical Music in the qathet RegionThe qathet Region has a strong musical tradition, beginning in the earliest days of the Powell River Mill workers.
The first orchestra of the region, known as the Powell River Concert Orchestra, formed in 1925. There were various small orchestral groups (who mostly played at dances) active up until the late 1960s, but by the 1970s there was no community orchestra in the qathet Region. It is only recently, in 2021, that a new orchestra, called the qathet Symphony Orchestra, was formed.
In 1945, the first Powell River Music Festival was held. It was a local competition for amateur musicians to compete and showcase in. It featured numerous divisions such as “Strings Open” and “Pianoforte Open”. In 2013, it added dance divisions and changed its name to the Powell River Festival of Performing Arts. |
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In 2003, the Powell River Academy of Music established the Symphony Orchestra Academy of the Pacific (SOAP). The Academy enrolled students from all over the world who hoped to become professional musicians. SOAP was suspended in 2012, but the Pacific Region International Summer Music Academy (PRISMA) was soon established to fill the void.
Since beginning in 2013, PRISMA has continued without interruption (despite the pandemic), and continues to build on a strong tradition of classical music in the qathet Region.
Since beginning in 2013, PRISMA has continued without interruption (despite the pandemic), and continues to build on a strong tradition of classical music in the qathet Region.
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The composer, Harold Mathews, spent 8 years as the choir master for the St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Townsite. He briefly had his own school of music for 11 years in the Powell River Mill Supply Store. Over his career as a prominent music instructor, he taught various classes and private lessons reaching over 250 students.
qMAS Object ID#: 1995.62.1
qMAS Object ID#: 1995.62.1
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The man behind the map
"We wanted to go into the logging roads to explore and find places. I found all the maps were divided and they were always cutting right through somewhere or we were folding big maps and joining them together to find places. There was no overall map."
Gerhard & Singrid Tollas Oral History #2008.281.133
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Chief Billy Mitchell constructing a dugout canoe from a red cedar tree.
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A dugout canoe is a canoe made from a hollowed out tree. It is formed from a solid piece of wood, traditionally using the hand tools of an axe, hammer, adze, box scraper, and wedge. The material of choice is often a red cedar tree.
Dugout canoes have been used by the Indigenous Peoples of the Pacific Northwest for thousands of years. They were used for trading, fishing, traveling, and even occasionally as war canoes. |
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James Thomson Elementary SchoolJames Thomson opened as the Wildwood School in 1923. When the original school was raised and the basement was added in 1931, it was named after James Thomson, an early settler and long-time resident in Wildwood. The current main building was built in 1955.
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Henderson Elementary SchoolThe above photo is from 1916. The school shown in the picture was located where Henderson Park is now. Henderson opened in this location in 1914. In 1957, it moved to its current location. While it was an elementary school when it was founded and is an elementary school now, between 1919 and 1930 Henderson offered high school classes. |
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Favourite Picnic Spots: Second Beach and Willingdon Beach
Quotes from the Powell River Digester, Vol. 7, No. 7, July 1928 (Pages 1 & 3) Second Beach was a popular picnic spot in the qathet Region, where "hundreds of Powell Riverites and their friends have wiled away many pleasant hours on picnics and beach parties. Diving floats, bathhouses, picnic stoves and tea rooms assured the necessary equipment for tea and toast on shore, or an afternoon’s frolic in the water."
Another popular picnic site was Michigan Beach (now Willingdon Beach). In 1928, houses at the beach were torn down, along with a pier used for creating log booms. A bathing house and playground were built, and equipment was moved there from Second Beach. This was "accomplished in time for the early summer rush of swimmers and picnic parties," turning Willingdon Beach into "a Mecca for Saturday and Sunday outings and picnickers." |
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Pleasure Parties of 1912
Paragraphs excerpted from the Powell River Digester, Vol. 13, No. 7, July 1937 (Page 12) "In the photograph on this page we see what Rod Le May, pictorial artist of Townsite’s early days, calls the 'First Pleasure Party,' leaving Powell River for 'Michigan' twenty-five years ago. In May, 1912, Powell River’s first newsprint machine came into production; and we may assume the boys and girls of our little village were celebrating the big event. Anyway, practically the whole townsite is on a picnic, and picnics in those days were serious affairs. No jumping in a car and going to your favorite resort."
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"It was the custom of the great and good men who controlled the railroad to place their locies at the disposal of Powell River’s little family group for an afternoon's outing. And on the flats piled all the gay lads and lassies of the district with their bottles of pop and sticks of chewing gum. They were in hilarious fettle—for, by gum, they were going to picnic ‘way down at Michigan."
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Native species are indigenous to the area or ecosystem in which they are found, having lived and evolved for that ecosystem over a long period of time.
Non-native species evolved in an area or ecosystem other than the one they are currently located in. They were introduced to new environments either intentionally or by accident. Once non-native species are established in their new environment, they are considered naturalized. Invasive species are non-native species that adapt easily and reproduce quickly in their new environment. They cause significant damage to ecosystems by taking over the landscape, and stealing food from or actively harming native plants and animals. Often, there are few predators that can hunt them and keep populations in check. |
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Trailing blackberry (Rubus ursinus) is the only native blackberry in BC. Its berries ripen before those of the Himalayan blackberry, and many people consider them to be sweeter. Its vines are woody, long, and have small but sharp thorns. Trailing blackberry can often be found growing in open woodlands, along the sides of trails, and in clearings where there has recently been a fire. It is closely related to raspberries and salmonberries. The Tla'amin name for blackberries is čɩtoxʷan.
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Himalayan blackberry (Rubus armeniacus) is an invasive species that is native to Iran and Armenia. Luther Burbank brought it to California in 1885. It forms dense and tall thickets, which can produce up to 13,000 seeds per square metre. This impenetrability blocks native plants from getting sunlight and hinders the movement of animals. Wherever its vines touch the ground, it readily takes root. The dead vines left by the species are highly flammable, making it excellent wildfire fuel.
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Evergreen blackberry (Rubus laciniatus) is native to Eurasia. It is invasive, but not to the extent of the Himalayan blackberry. It was brought to North America in 1860, where it tends to grow in disturbed areas. The plant likes moist soil, and thrives along shorelines. Its roots do not grow as deep as those of native wetland shrubs, limiting its ability to stabilize banks. Being flood tolerant, evergreen blackberries once survived a month-long flood on the Fraser and Columbia rivers in 1948.
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Salal (Gaultheria shallon) is native to the Pacific Northwest. It's prized for its tasty berries and for its leaves, which are used in bouquets. The plant can grow in sun or shade, and in wet or dry areas. Small animals like to take cover under it. Indigenous Peoples use salal berries for food and making dyes. The Tla'amin name for salal is t̓aq̓ay.
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Apple trees (Malus domestica) are a non-native and non-invasive species. They were introduced to Nova Scotia in 1604, and were routinely planted at the Hudson's Bay Company's forts. Both Spartan and Ambrosia apples originated in BC. The Pacific crabapple (Malus fusca) is the only apple species that is native to the province.
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Broadleaf cattail (Typha latifolia) is a native perennial that is found in freshwater wetlands. It provides habitat to marsh birds, such as the red-winged blackbird. Cattails are edible, and they are a food source in some Indigenous Cultures. They are monoecious meaning male and female flowers grow on the same plant.
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English ivy (Hedera helix) is an invasive species brought to BC for its decorative properties, and it was used to cover buildings like Dwight Hall. It grows all year round, smothering forest floors and wrapping tightly around tree trunks. It displaces native plants and weakens the resilience of trees against storms.
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Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius) is a decorative invasive species that spreads along roadsides and in clear cuts, living up to 25 years. Its seeds can survive for up to 30. It crowds out native species and prevents them from getting sunlight. Broom is highly flammable, intensifying wildfires and making them harder to fight.
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Three varieties of waterlily are found in BC, but only the yellow waterlily (Nuphar lutea) is native to the area. European waterlilies (Nymphaea alba) and fragrant waterlilies (Nymphaea odorata) are invasive, and severely disrupt aquatic ecosystems due to their rapid spread. There are many lilies on local lakes, including Cranberry Lake.
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Myrtle Grove Goat Dairy Farm
Myrtle Grove Goat Dairy was founded by Tom and Gertie Lambert in 1926 in what is now Paradise Valley. The farm had humble origins, but it soon expanded to become the biggest goat dairy in Canada.
The Early DaysSetting up a farm was hard work. In order to legally retain the land, it had to be cleared within the first five years. In 1918, Tom and Gertie Lambert were helped by a natural forest fire that moved through the valley; however, stumps still had to be blasted out and burned. They put up a number of buildings on the farm with hired help.
At the start, Tom delivered the goat milk using a Ford Model T. The Lamberts later bought a manufactured panel truck—the first one in the town. |
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The Only Woman on the Goat FarmSetting up the farm may have been difficult, but running it was just as hard. Each day, Gertie Lambert had to milk twenty-three goats, clean their udders, feed them, and care for the other animals. She was also responsible for preserving foods and cooking all the meals for her family and the farm hands. She managed to keep a flower garden as well, and would sometimes help herd the farm’s over 100 goats.
On top of all her duties at the farm, Gertie was able to make time for photography, taking many pictures with her Brownie camera and developing them herself. |
A Billy Goat for Billy-Goat SmithIn 1931, the Lamberts sold a billy-goat and two does (female goats) for $60 to Billy-Goat Smith, a well-known local figure.
Billy-Goat Smith lived in a remote area up Powell Lake. He became a recluse after his boat was wrecked in a storm in 1937. Many colourful rumours circulated about Billy-Goat (whose real name was Robert Bonner Smith), including that he had been a contract killer in the US and had fled to Canada to avoid punishment. When he died, the Lambert family was asked to take his goats back, but they refused because they already had plenty. 
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