Telegraph Cove

Telegraph Creek
   Careful readers will notice the slight difference between the title of this post and the subtitle right above. Unfortunately, Telegraph Cove, which is on Vancouver Island, caught fire early in this new year. The cove is likely okay, but the very small community lost most of its buildings and the fire, on a much smaller scale, was as devastating as the one much farther down the coast in California. 

   Reading about Telegraph Cove reminded me of Telegraph Creek, which is located far away from the Pacific in the northern B.C. interior. They both exist because of attempts to establish telegraph lines, but the former attracts tourists, while the latter has not seen much activity since the Gold Rush. 
  It was the lack of activity and its remoteness that lured Edward Hoagland to visit Telegraph Creek in the mid-1960s and it remains a place that is not easy to get to. The result was this book which is the reason for this post: NOTES FROM THE CENTURY BEFORE: A JOURNAL FROM BRITISH COLUMBIA.

  I have just re-read the book and recommend it to you. But not if you are the type who gets too upset reading about what it took (and still takes) to survive in the wild, deep in B.C. I will not try to convince you that it is a fine book, but simply provide you with the remarks of those whose literary endorsement you are much more likely to respect.
   Using "blurb' in the British sense, as an advance recommendation from someone well-known, can you find me a book that has better ones than these? 

Source: 
  Articles about the fire will be found in early January, 2025. The picture of it above is from: "Fire Destroys Buildings, Parts of Historic Boardwalk in Vancouver Island's Telegraph Cove, CBC News, Dec. 31, 2024. 
  The cover of the book and the blurbs are from the 1969 Random House edition. 

Post Script: 
  I am assisting in providing care for an old professor. Years ago when the name "Edward Hoagland" came up, he told me a story about Hoagland who was staying close by in Barton, Vermont. I think it had something to do with him coming by to use the facilities. I just went to see the professor after reading the book and again mentioned Hoagland. His eyes brightened, but unfortunately he can no longer communicate and I will never know what he had to say about meeting Hoagland. 

Wild Horses

 Ponies in the Dunes
   Recently some horses were seen running loose in London (the one in England) and yesterday others were racing in the Kentucky Derby. Here I will provide some information about horses found in the wild outside of the confines of Churchill Downs and well away from city streets. 
 I am doing so for two reasons. One is that ponies are better subjects these days than politics and politicians, although one cannot completely avoid politics even when writing about ponies. Some think the horses found in the wild are problematic and bad for the environment, while others disagree.
  It is also the case that we were recently in Duck, North Carolina in what is called the "Outer Banks." I learned, while there, that herds of wild horses were found near Corolla, just to the north, where they roamed on the beaches bordering the Currituck Sound. 
  I would probably have not paid much attention to this equine news, but I grew up in an area to the north and east of the Outer Banks, where wild ponies also ran wild and could be seen grazing in the dunes on what is called the "Delmarva Peninsula", because it is consists of those three states - Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. The wild ponies were often discussed and I once went to a "pony penning" in Chincoteague. During such an event, the ponies are rounded up by "Saltwater Cowboys" and herded across the channel where some are auctioned off for the benefit of the Volunteer Fire Department. It is going to happen again when the tide is low on Wed. July 24th, so you have time to attend if you wish. 
  Although I don't think often about ponies and horses, they are better subjects than politics and politicians and that they still exist out there in the wild beyond the highways littered with dollar stores and fast food chains is worth noting. I remembered that there were also herds in Eastern Canada and have learned there are some in Western Canada as well. So I rounded up some sources for you and could surely have found more if I had included the Western U.S.  Enjoy reading about the horses and ponies that still run wild on this continent and simply skip over the political parts. 
[Click on the links to learn more. I have chosen ones that are not behind a paywall and are sure to be virus free.]

Corolla, North Carolina

Corrolla Wild Horse Fund

 This group works to protect the “Bankers”, the wild horses on the northern part of the Outer Banks. Apart from the information provided there is also related merchandise, including the book, Corolla’s Wild Horses A History.  A short account is found under,  “Spanish Mustang History” where one learns that the herd dates from the 1500s and that in the 1920s there were between 5,000 and 6,000 wild horses before the developers arrived.
   See also, "Wild Horses of the Outer Banks: Everything You Need to Know." 

Chincoteague & Assateague ( Virginia & Maryland)
   For information, start with the National Park Service's “Assateague’s Wild Horses” which also includes over 50 photos of the horses. See also: “How to See the Chincoteague Ponies” which includes a link to the “Chincoteague Travel Blog” and the “Official Chincoteague Island Pony Swim Guide" which indicates that the 99th pony swim this year will be on Wed. July 24, 2024.
  There are at least three Wikipedia entries related to the horses in this area:

"Chincoteague Pony"

"Pony Penning" - which even includes a chart showing how much the "Saltwater Cowboys" made for the Volunteer Fire Department from the pony auctions.

Misty of Chincoteague, the children's book also has an entry. The London Public Library has a copy. 

Ponies in the Virginia Mountains

   Start with this interesting piece which indicates that these ponies are related to the ones mentioned above: "Meet the Wild Ponies of Grayson Highlands State Park, VA: These Carefree Equines are the Descendants of 50 Assateague Ponies, Released into the Area in 1975," Catie Leary, Treehugger.

According to Virginia State Park staffer Amy Atwood, the carefree equines, which some speculate to be the descendants of Assateague and Chincoteague ponies, were released by the U.S. Forest Service into the area surrounding Mount Rogers National Recreation Area and Grayson Highlands State Park in 1975.1

Ponies With a Purpose

Why would the Forest Service release wild ponies in a state park? To control the growth of brush along the balds, which are a man-made landscape forged by extensive logging operations in the late 19th century. The balds maintained a clear-cut appearance through the first half of the 20th century due to cattle ranching, but after the area was transformed into a state park in 1965, there were no more cows to keep the brush in check. Goats have become a popular way to keep landscapes trimmed, but for the highlands, here is where the ponies came into the picture.

See also, "Ponies of the Grayson Highlands," Otto Solberg, The Appalachian Voice, Dec. 15, 2016 and the Grayson Highland State Park website. 

CANCON (For American readers, that acronym refers to "Canadian content".)
   Horses are also found running in the wild in Canada, from the Maritimes in the east to the mountains in the west. 

Sable Island
   This Parks Canada website is all you need and it contains many pictures as well. 
   Sable Island is widely known for its wild horse population. They have thick, woolly, shaggy coats, often brown, and stocky bodies. Today’s population descended from horses introduced to the island in the 1700s.The Sable Island horses are considered an iconic feature of the island, with both natural and cultural heritage value. The current population of wild horses on Sable Island is about 450 horses.
Origin: The population of wild horses on Sable Island has existed for over 250 years. The Sable Island horses are believed to be descendants of animals introduced to the island in the 1700s.

British Columbia

  Information about the horses in the Chilcotin area is found in this article: "Free-Roaming Horses Are Feral and Invasive, B.C. Says - But Biologist, First Nation Argue They Need Protection," CBC News, Dec.3, 2023. 

   A new book about them is also available: The Wild Horses of the Chilcotin: Their History and Future, by Wayne McCrory.

See also: “Protecting Wild Horses in Alberta (& Canada)” Zoo Check. Here is how it begins: "Wild horses have been a part of the Canadian west for hundreds of years. There are currently wild horses living in the Chilcotin region of British Columbia and parts of Saskatchewan, including a population of protected wild horses in the Bronson Forest. There are also approximately 900 wild horses in Alberta spread out over thousands of square kilometres of terrain in the Rocky mountain foothills. In the 1990s, a population of approximately 1200 wild horses also lived on Canadian Forces Base Suffield near Medicine Hat. Unfortunately, despite a concerted effort by Zoocheck, Animal Alliance of Canada, Albertan’s for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and Grasslands Naturalists, the Department of National Defense (DND) removed the horses. Despite promises to the contrary, most of the horses were sent to slaughter." [This also includes a YouTube video - 15 min.]
  That protection is needed is indicated in this article: "RCMP Investigating Suspicious Deaths of 17 Wild Horses in Kamloops Area," CBC News, Mar.14, 2023.

B.C. Tidbits or Titbits: Take Your Pick

 

 This blog was abandoned over three weeks ago because I was in British Columbia for part of that time and have been experiencing trip-lag during the rest of it. Now the weather has turned and I am inside, without excuses, although I may have to come up with some if I can't increase my blogging output. 

  B.C. is a marvelous and scenic place and many interesting things happened there while I was in it, but not to me. Unless I include items relating to my children and grandchildren about whom you are not interested. Therefore, I will simply present past material about British Columbia, which is very interesting, but which you will likely not have read. In the academic world, where I was a minor citizen, presenting links to past work is known as "self-citation", and I am guilty of it here, but only for the legitimate reasons hinted at in this definition: "Self-citation occurs in an article when an author references another of their own publications. This can be a legitimate way to reference earlier findings; but self-citations can sometimes be unduly made in an attempt to inflate an individual's citation count."

  The good news for an increasingly small number of us is that British Columbia is still called "British Columbia." I had suggested that it was likely (and likely still is) to be given a new shiny name or a duller, pre-colonial one. See: "British Columbia or Sasquatchia? There is more good news (for a few) in that, although the elementary school which the grandchildren attend was retrofitted to withstand the coming earthquake, the name was not changed and remains as, "David Livingstone Elementary School." The Vancouver School Board "Archives & Heritage Blog," indicates that it was named for that David Livingstone, but apparently no one has read it or thought much about the name of the school. If they do, there will be a call for a change since it is now known that Livingstone should never have been on the African continent and Stanley should never have bothered looking for him. As an aside, it should be noted that the folks in London are perhaps more progressive than those in Vancouver. The father of the children who go to David Livingston, attended "Ryerson Public School" in London, which has now the very imaginative moniker, "Old North Public School."

  My post about B.C. last year was titled, "The Left Coast", not for political reasons, but because residents there once drove on the left-hand side of the road as a result of the retrograde attitudes of the British colonialists. Another, "Notes From the Coast", describes the "atmospheric rivers', which were flowing again this year.

  The crows which darken the often dark sky over Vancouver were still able to fly against the flow of the atmospheric rivers. See, a "Murder of Crows."

   Although we did not go to the Van Dusen Botanical Gardens and the Yosef Wosk Library located there, you can learn more about the philanthropist, Mr.,Dr.,Dr.,Rabbi Wosk by reading "Unexpected Libraries" or the section about him in, "Olde Posts Addenda."

  We also did not make it up to UBC, but I am sure it is still the "University of Beautiful Cars," since we saw many on the streets close by. I did not notice any 

Cullinans, but I did see a few Rivians. Other evidence of opulence abounds even though one sees many people apparently without homes. Back in the early years of the last century one could get a piece of property in B.C. by subscribing to a magazine, see: "Property in British Columbia."

  We did see the sculptures of Parviz Tanavoli at the Vancouver Art Gallery, but, being white, were made to feel somewhat guilty by another exhibition, "Conceptions of White" which was designed to help "viewers grapple with contemporary configurations of White identity." Those who created the rather crude collage probably aren't aware of "A Black Sculpture" found in a back yard elsewhere in the city. It was based on an event that happened many years ago on the Eastern Shore of Maryland where I grew up and which I would have more reason to feel guilty about if I thought guilt was heritable and that I was accountable for the historical acts of others.

   This has been a useful exercise for me, if not an enjoyable reading experience for you. I often don't properly "tag" posts in MM and had difficulty finding some of these that relate to B.C. There may be more. For example, you will learn about the "British Columbia Food History Network" in my post about "Food History." and about the "Angling Books" found in the "Harry Hawthorn Foundation Collection" at UBC.

The Bonus:

   If you want more old news from British Columbia, be sure to visit "BC Historical Newspapers" where you will find hundreds of digitized newspapers dating from the mid-1850s. Unfortunately there will be fewer of them in the future. Both the Alaska Highway News and the Dawson Creek Mirror recently stopped publishing. See:"As B.C. Communities Lose TheIr Last Newspapers, Hope Emerges For Locally Owned Publications," Kate Partridge, CBC News, Oct. 18, 2023.

British Columbia or Sasquatchia?

 

Should The Name Be Changed? 

   

   At some point in the near future, the name of the province of British Columbia may be changed. Although right now a majority of the people who reside there do not want to change the name, those in the vocal minority are likely to make the call to do so and it will be done. 

   There are two major problems with the name: 1) the word "British" and 2) the word "Columbia".  They are both now noxious. 

    Don't worry. If the name changes and you miss the news, you will still be able to find the province. For example, if you google the "Queen Charlotte Islands" you will now automatically learn from the Wikipedia entry that this group of islands is known as "Haida Gwaii." I suppose future google searches will also find Galiano Island and Mount Garibaldi under their new names. And, for that matter, Prince Edward Island. 

   I was recently in British Columbia which is why I am bringing up again, the subject of "names." I wrote "again" because I think it is mostly mistaken to yield ground to the totalitarians of toponymy who would like to vacuum clean the map, and have said so. In short, remember the children's rhyme, "Sticks and stones.." For arguably more mature reasons see, Names on the Land, No More Name Changing or First They Came For the Names. For even more about both names and words now problematic see, This is NOT About Mariah Carey, where statues are also touched upon (the puzzling title is explained by the fact that it was conjured up on a new year's eve. I would change the title, but am not unhappy with the content. You will find in it, for example, a consideration of university names which are, or will be, under the microscopes yielded by the new linguistic puritans. Remember "Ryerson University?")

   More than enough said. You can decide for yourself and probably already have. Below are seven sources relating to the name "British Columbia." The last one is my favourite. Citations are provided in case the links rot. 

Sources:

“Renaming Places: How Canada is Reexamining the Map: The History Behind the Dundas Name Change and How Canadians are Reckoning With Place Name Changes Across the Country — From Streets to Provinces,” Robert Jago, Canadian Geographic, July 21, 2021. This is an interesting piece and in it one learns that in 1858, there was consideration given to the idea that an “Indian name should be sought out and adopted in a translated shape.” Columbus is thoroughly denigrated and the author asserts that: "The name British Columbia is unquestionably offensive in this or any era. The name was never meant as anything but a placeholder, disliked at its own inception; it became the name of the colony, and then the province, because time and distance prevented the founders from finding their preferred choice — an Indigenous name.”

“Should British Columbia Change Its Name? As We Reckon With History, Some Say It's Time,” CBC NEWS, AUG. 2, 2021

“There's been a national reckoning on place names and the people they're named after — and some say that conversation should include looking at the name of British Columbia, which is derived, in part, from Christopher Columbus.”

“Majority of British Columbians In New Survey Say No Way to B.C. Name Change

CBC News · Posted: Aug 31, 2021

Most B.C. residents don't want the name of their home province to be changed to reflect the area's Indigenous heritage, according to a survey created by Research Co. 

“A New Name For British Columbia? Here Are a Few Ideas,” Vancouver is Awesome, Jack Knox, Jan, 28, 2018. 

“First, let’s get real: Nobody is going to change the name of British Columbia. Good idea or bad, it isn’t going to happen. It’s an intriguing proposal to debate, though, as proven by the response to last Sunday’s column.”

It’s an intriguing proposal to debate, though, as proven by the response to last Sunday’s column. After we asked readers to submit alternative names, more than 300 poured in. Some were serious, some frivolous, some thoughtful, some racist, some anatomically challenging.

All were in response to an idea first advanced a decade ago by Victoria’s Ben Pires, who argues the province’s current name is neither historically accurate (direct British rule didn’t last that long) nor inclusive. Thinking about that perspective was the real point of the exercise.

“Rename British Columbia: The Province’s Name is the Shameful Holdover of a Colonial Past," Stephen Collis,  The Walrus, June 16, 2020.

“It Is Time to Rename British Columbia: Changing British Columbia’s Name is an Idea That Has Been Percolating for a While. A Notion That is not as Far Fetched as it Sounds or Without Precedent,” Jennifer Cole, Toronto Star, June 29, 2021.

“No, Don’t Change British Columbia’s Name,” Mark Milke, The ORCA, May 24, 2021.

This is a good article to read if you don’t think the name should be changed. The basic argument is presented briefly below, after which the author discusses slavery on the West Coast, that is, the practice of slavery in Indigenous societies.

“To wit, if the argument for changing British Columbia’s name rests on the notion of past colonial imperfection, that misses the big picture as well: Everyone’s ancestors fail by modern standards. And others, even out-of-step on some matters, had redeeming qualities on others.

But when ideologues look back, they see only extremes in black-and-white, and never the full spectrum of colour. They engage in cartoonish history.”

The Bonus: 

Forget about the politics and have fun. Read this fascinating book:

For more about the author, George R. Stewart, see: "George R. Stewart (1895 - 1980).

The Left Coast

    My recent trip to British Columbia began with my reading about the “Far Corner”, while on the plane. The “Far Corner” is that area of the continent encompassing Oregon, Washington and British Columbia and the full title of the book being read was (and still is): Far Corner: A Personal View of the Pacific Northwest Including Certain Places No Longer Easily Found. 

   The view offered is from the 1920s and from it one learns that British Columbians were driving on the left-hand side of the road during the early part of that decade. The following description of the protests over changing the rules of the road seems now to be rather quaint given the more noxious debates currently raging. 

“At that time the stranger discovered, before he got to his hotel, that Vancouver was no Yankee city. His taxi ran on the left. So did all other traffic, including the specially built streetcars. This was odd enough even in Canada, where otherwise, except for tiny Prince Edward Island off the East coast, traffic followed the right-hand custom common to the United States. 

    It was confusing at first, though one ceased to think of it; and it was fair notice to the outlander, either Canadian or American, that the Province of British Columbia proposed to live up to its name. This was a true British Commonwealth. But there had been a mounting opposition to the left-hand rule. This presently congealed into a strong parliamentary clique and, after a good deal of impassioned oratory, the provincial legislators passed an Act changing the rule of the road to right-hand. The time set for a change was January 1, 2019.

   I was still a resident of the province, and recall the uproar as the day drew near. The letter columns of the Vancouver Province, Sun, and World, and of the Victoria Colonist and other papers, were seething with bitter protests and denunciations concerning the un-British, even traitorous adoption of “Yankee notions.” Various societies, associations and clubs were galvanized into action, They held meetings. They passed and drew up resolutions damning the whole business as the work of Satan in league with Uncle Sam. Communications signed John Bull and The Englishman, both gentlemen obviously close to apoplexy, were given prominence. What was good enough in the time of Gladstone, it appeared; what was good enough for the Pitts, both Elder and Younger, and doubtless, too, good enough for Beowulf, was good enough for British Columbia in the twentieth century. It was freely prophesied that collisions and wrecks would strew the streets and highways with carnage compared with which the field at Balaclava was as nothing.

   The awesome day came and passed. The local press reported that not a single accident occurred that could have been charged to the change. Disappointed John Bull and True Englishman returned to their more usual subjects of letters to the editors, things like the first crocus in Kerrisdale, and the correct ingredients of proper chutney."

Sources: 
Far Corner...is by Stewart Holbrook and you will enjoy it. Here are two chapter headings which will likely entice you: "The Edens of Erewhon" and "The Dead Stacked Like Cordwood."
About the subject of "Left-Handed Driving" you are now curious. For B.C. see: "99 Years Ago, British Columbians Started Driving on the Right-hand Side of the Road," Bronwyn Smyth, Vancouver Is Awesome, Jan. 1, 2021. For a list of all countries where they still drive on the "wrong side" see this Wiki entry: "Left- and Right-Hand Traffic."

The Bonus:
Speaking of quaintness, attentive readers who made it to the last sentence will have noticed that letters were being written  to newspapers in British Columbia alerting readers to the blooming of the "first crocus in Kerrisdale." Readers of this blog will recall that letters were written in Great Britain reporting on the arrival in the spring of the first cuckoo. The Times even published a series of books with the titles, The First Cuckoo, etc. See: "Books of The Times."

A Return To Action (Maybe)

 

   I have returned from the West Coast and proof that I was there is offered in the photo above. It is also raining, so I may get back to blogging. Apart from placating my complaining premium subscribers, I need to put something here to push the late Professor Hilborn farther down on the screen. Luckily, for me, no one read that post, or at least no one from up at Western. To make sure he is pushed to the bottom I will refer you to my "Featured Post" which is to the right (at least for today.) In it, I offer excuses about the last time I offered excuses. I will now try to think of a topic to post about. Surely I will be able to come up with something about British Columbia and I will get right back to you, if it is still raining.

Notes From the Coast

   The contents of this blog are rather stale and the reason for this is that the blogger is on a trip to the West Coast. Given that only subjects of immense significance are covered here, and personal matters not at all, postings were on hold until I had time to approach a topic of importance. It just so happens that the trip provides one in the form of an 'Atmospheric River' or "Pineapple Express'.  

   We arrived at the Abbotsford Airport on Sunday, Nov.14th and drove west toward Vancouver in heavy rain. Which continued. There are now a lot of 'coasts' in British Columbia and not just the one bordering the Pacific.  If you were to arrive at the Abbotsford Airport today, you would find that the runway is open, but just about everything else is submerged. You can still make it to Vancouver, but heading east is problematic. Here is an illustration, accompanied by some headlines. 

"Abbotsford mayor says catastrophic flood danger averted for now, as water levels drop"

"Thousands remain out of their homes in B.C. after devastating, destructive floods"

"B.C. residents urged not to panic-buy as bare shelves fuel food security angst"

"Military set to arrive today after province declares state of emergency"

"It could take weeks to begin repairing 'unprecedented' damage to B.C.'s highway system, experts say."

   By now, most Canadians will be aware of all of this and even some in the United States. A headline in The Guardian today is "Canada Storm: Floods Could Lead to Country-wide Shortages as Air Force Deployed to British Columbia." So, I need not go on.  But, having provided you with only a rather meagre post, I will change the featured one to the right. Perhaps you haven't read it and it is of more interest. 

The Bonus: 
  My readers usually expect one and I generally provide a gem, or at least a nugget of information. I am travelling and visiting family, however, and was not planning on blogging. So here is the best I can offer today - "Eating a Hot Dog Could Take 36 minutes off Your Life, Study Says, " . The study is found in the journal Nature Food, and was reported on CTV News.  If this is true, then Joey Chestnut can't be feeling well. He has often consumed from 60 to 70 hot dogs in just a few minutes while competing in "Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest."