A Misnamed Islet off Cadboro Bay? There is a small islet off the north-east shore of Cadboro Bay in my hometown, Victoria, British Columbia, called Ellen Staines Isle. The story behind it is an interesting piece of historical trivia. For some unknown reason the small island was mis-named, because Ellen Staines Isle was named to […]
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Traditions of Victoria Day Every year the traditional “May 24th” holiday, the anniversary of Queen Victoria’s birthday, occurs on a different date. This year it is early – on Monday, 20th May. The holiday weekend consists of celebrations ranging from a parade, boating, festivals and even, on one memorable occasion in 1896, a tragedy. According
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“LUND – THE BEGINNING OR THE END OF THE ROAD?” As an inquisitive writer, I love discovering lesser-known places in British Columbia. I remember about fifteen years ago doing exactly that on a trip from Horseshoe Bay north to Powell River on the section of Highway 101 that is affectionately known as “the Sunshine Coast”.
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A Charming Appendage As the author of many historical books, both non-fiction and fiction set in British Columbia, plus hundreds of articles all of which have resulted in a great deal of research, it was obvious to me that it was the men folk who invariably made a name for themselves. Their wives, often only
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Rudyard Kipling’s World Travels Most of us are familiar with the many works of Rudyard Kipling such as The Jungle Book, Captain Courageous and Soldier Tales, but here are a few more things you might not know about him, including his world travels. Kipling was born in Bombay in 1865 where his father was a
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Beware the Ides of March The Ides of March (March 15th) was the 74th day in the Roman calendar and was marked by several religious observances while also being a deadline for settling debts in ancient Rome. In 44BC this date also became notorious because it was when Julius Caesar was assassinated, an event which
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Black History in Canada In honour of Black History month, here are a few stories about the black men and women who made a difference in Canada. The theme for Black History month this February is “Black Excellence: A Heritage to Celebrate; a Future to Build. This theme symbolizes the significant past and present contributions
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The Darker Side of Valentine’s Day Today, February 14th, is the day we associate with love. Thousands of people around the world send or receive sentimental or humorous greetings cards from their sweethearts, friends, or family members. But, not wishing to bring you down, let’s for a moment investigate the darker side connected to this
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The Year It All Began – 1858! “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness,
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THE “ALMOST” PERFECT CRIME Along with my passion for history, I have always loved mysteries and perfect crimes that go wrong. The infamous Great Brinks Robbery in Boston, Massachusetts, that happened on this date (January 17) in 1950 and was described at that time as the “Crime of the Century,” contains elements of all three.
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