The Gabriola
Historical and Museum Society publishes
SHALE, which is edited by Nick
Doe. This webpage lists the contents
of each issue, starting with the most recent,
giving brief summaries of the major
articles. Go to:- the home page for information
about contributing to or obtaining
SHALE.
- the authors' index page for
a list of authors published in SHALE, with
links to the summaries of their
contributions.
- the topics page for a list
of all the topics covered in the journal to date,
with links to article
summaries.
BACK ISSUES OF
SHALE
No.22, January 2010
Withey's Shipyard
at Silva Bay
by
Jenni Gehlbach
Lesley A.Withey
brought his family to Silva Bay in 1945 to start
a shipyard on land then owned by Norm Sear. This
article is a complete history of that shipyard,
which became the major employer on Gabriola
Island throughout the 1950s and 60s, building
fishing boats, pleasure craft, and naval vessels.
The South Gabriola Public
Hall, 1913–79
by E. Joyce White
The
present Gabriola Community Hall was built in
1983/4 and is not the original one. This
article recounts the history of the original hall
as determined from the Social Club Minute book
dating from 1913 to 1954, and from other local
sources.
Charting Gabriola–the survey of
HMS Egeria, 1904
by Nick Doe
A full
report of the survey by Commander John F. Parry
and his crew. The article includes an
explanation of the petroglyph they carved at
Green Wharf.
Research notes
by Nick Doe
The smoking economy
A report on the export of tobacco
from Gabriola.
Tatshenshini-Alsek
petroglyph
Similarities to a
petroglyph on Gabriola.
Travel broadens the mind
Thoughts on seeing
pre-Cambrian shale.
Boat building in Silva Bay
Joseph Silva's contribution to
the tradition.
Holes in
sandstone at great heights
A
popular theory is that honeycombing in sandstone
is caused by wind and waves, despite abundant
evidence that it's not. Honeycombing at 210
metres above sea level in the hills behind
Nanaimo adds to the evidence.
Windy New Mexico
More honeycombing a long way from the
sea.
Gabriola's nose
and tail
Speculations on why
there are two major strike-slip faults on
Gabriola, and their connection with the Harewood
coalmine on Vancouver Island.
Malcolm Lowry's stars
In October Ferry to
Gabriola, Lowry describes stars seen at
dusk. Turns out, some of those stars he
couldn’t have seen here—they're all
better seen in Mexico.
More Gabriola ammonite fossils
…including some rare
ones.
No.21, July 2009 Gabriola's
ambulance service-- the first 25 years,
1969-94 by Jenni
Gehlbach The first "official"
ambulance vehicle on Gabriola was bought and
operated by Gabriola's volunteer firefighters.
The Gabriola Island Volunteer Ambulance Corps
(GVAC) was incorporated in 1969 and operated
entirely on volunteer labour and donations until
it was taken over by the BC Ambulance Service in
1974. The ambulance crews chose to remain unpaid
until 1979, donating their pay to GVAC so that
other community health-related services could be
supported. This article tells the stories of the
early fire service, ambulance service, first-aid
arrangements, doctors, and home-care services on
Gabriola up until the opening of the ambulance
station on Church Street in the mid 1990s.
Mirages
by Kit Szanto
Spurred by a story about people seeing
a mirage of Gabriola's Entrance Island lighthouse
from the Sunshine Coast in the mid-1950s, Kit
investigated the phenomenon of superior
mirages and collected reminiscences of
similar, more recent, local experiences from
Gabriolans. The cover photograph shows one such
mirage. Mendaro en Canada
This Spanish article appeared in
September 2006 in Mendebalde—a
publication in the community of Mendaro in the
Spanish Basque country. The aristocratic home of
the Gabiola [sic] family—the most
likely source of Gabriola Island's name—is
nearby in the Kilimon valley. An English
translation is included.
Gabriola's sandstone quarry-- the earliest days
by Jenni
Gehlbach An on-line database of early
editions of Victoria's newspapers the British
Colonist and the Victoria Times
Colonist has provided some answers to the
remaining questions about the very earliest days
of Gabriola's building stone (dimension stone)
quarry near Descanso Bay and the original owner
of the land, John Canessa. This article is a
supplement to the November 2008 Special Issue
(No.19) of Shale about Gabriola's
sandstone quarries. There is also a research note
about the slightly odd connection between the
Newcastle Island sandstone quarry and the San
Francisco mint in the 1860s.
Additions and corrections to
dates for archaeological sites around False
Narrows by Nick
Doe New developments in
radiocarbon dating techniques have prompted a
recalculation of previously published
measurements and a discussion of some new
measurements. The measurements were made on shell
samples taken from the exposed faces of the
eroding midden in False Narrows.
No.20, April 2009,
Special Issue:
Gabriola's geology, Part
3 Gabriola's fractures--their
origins by Nick Doe
Anyone who has walked on Gabriola,
whether on the beach or in the interior, will
have noticed the long linear fractures in the
sandstone bedrock. These are significantly
remarkable to have been incorporated in the
design of some of the petroglyphs (see
SHALE 17). This article describes the
tectonic origins of the fractures in the context
of the entire Pacific Ocean. Stress on
Gabriola by Nick
Doe A look at how stress on the
bedrock creates fractures, folds, and faults,
with lots of photographs of these features taken
on Gabriola. A technical appendix reports on the
presence of zeolite minerals on fracture
planes. Gabriola's shape, including some
surmises by Nick
Doe This article discusses why
Gabriola has the shape that it does and why it is
oriented the way that it is relative to the Gulf
Islands to the south. Our understanding of the
structural geology of Gabriola, Vancouver Island,
and the Georgia Basin is far from complete.
The orientation of
fractures on Gabriola by Nick Doe A
report on hundreds of measurements of the
orientation of long linear fractures on
Gabriolaó-a database for future research. Also,
an example of the influence of the orientation of
fractures on the orientation of petroglyphs is
given. Terra firma? GPS
measurements around Gabriola by Nick Doe GPS
systems are now so sensitive they can track
movements of the bedrock due to the tectonic
forces operating on the west coast. This article
interprets some of the results of measurements of
land movement around Gabriola up to 200
kilometres away. The results show that the
forces that folded and fractured the island
bedrock in the distant past are still operating
today. No.19, November 2008,
Special Issue:
Gabriola's sandstone
quarriesThe origins of quarrying
for sandstone on Gabriola by Jenni Gehlbach This
article describes how the early colonial history
of Vancouver Island led to sandstone quarrying on
Newcastle and Gabriola Islands. It also traces
the early quarrying connections among San
Francisco, Nanaimo, and Gabriola. Gabriola's
dimension-stone quarry by Jenni Gehlbach This
article traces the history of the building stone
(dimension stone) sandstone quarry that operated
on Gabriola Island during the 1890s and the first
decade of the twentieth century. It names the
local people who worked there and the principals
of the Vancouver Granite Company, who owned the
quarry. The physical arrangement, equipment, and
operation methods of the quarry are also
described, as are some of the prominent buildings
in San Francisco, Victoria, and Vancouver that
were built using Gabriola sandstone.
Gabriola's millstone
quarry by Jenni
Gehlbach This history of the
millstone (pulpstone) quarry that operated in the
early 1930s on Gabriola Island names the local
people who worked there and gives first-hand
descriptions of the processes the quarriers used
and how the stones were used in BC's coastal pulp
mills. It describes the involvement of the Coats
family in the quarry site and traces the history
of the J.A. & C.H. McDonald Company, which
operated the millstone quarry. Gabriolans and the
sandstone quarries by Jenni Gehlbach
This article explores the family histories of
pioneer Gabriolans who were involved in the local
sandstone quarries (and other coastal quarries)
through land-ownership or their labour. It
includes the family stories of Captain John
Canessa, Alexander Hoggan, Mike Manly, John
"Bunky" and Martha Easthom, and Bill
Coats. No.18, April 2008
Malcolm Lowry on
Gabriola—the October Ferry, 1946
by Phyllis Reeve
This article describes the
cirumstances of novelist Malcolm Lowry's 1946
visit to Gabriola with his wife Margerie, and
their subsequent development of his notes into a
story. It also describes the critical response to
October Ferry to Gabriola and a symposium
held in 1994 on Gabriola in tribute to Lowry.
Stars in
stone—Ursa Major, Gemini, and
Orion petroglyphs at DgRw 230
by Nick Doe
Evidence indicates that the petroglyphs at the
DgRw 230 site represent the familiar asterism
known as the Big Dipper and that the pitted dots
nearby represent bright stars in the
constellation Gemini. At the site, these are also
graphically linked to the constellation Orion.
Who named Saturna Island?
by Nick Doe
This article examines the evidence for
José Narváez, Juan Pantoja,
Francisco Eliza, Dionisio Alcalá Galiano,
or Juan Francisco Bodega y Quadra being
responsible for the naming of Saturna
Island.
More…groundwater notes
by Nick Doe
This is the third article in a series on the
hydrology of Gabriola's groundwater.
Research notes Brickyard notes by Jenni
Gehlbach New information has come to
light clarifying a few mysteries remaining in the
history of Gabriola's brickyard as published in
SHALE 15. We now know the names of one
American and eight Chinese men who worked at the
Brickyard in 1911, and have discovered more about
the roles of Thomas and Annie Morgan in the
factory's history. Trace Elements by Nick
Doe An introductory look at
some of the less well known elements (such as
scandium) found in Gabriola's
groundwater. Mirrors and asterisms by
Nick Doe Why does a mirror reverse
your image left-to-right but not up-to down? A
meditation prompted by considering how a
petroglyph carver may have traced familiar
asterisms.
No.17, September 2007,
Special Issue:
Gabriola's
petroglyphsVisions cast on stone-- a
stylistic analysis of Gabriola's petroglyphs
by Amanda Adams
Petroglyphs are notoriously difficult to date.
In this study, some of the stylistic
characteristics of Gabriola’s petroglyphs
are compared to characteristics in dated
artifacts recovered from archaeological sites
with a known cultural affiliation. The conclusion
is that the petroglyphs' designs are in the
Marpole style, which would suggest that they are
more than a thousand years old, but less than two
thousand. Alignment and geometry of
petroglyphs at site DgRw229 by Nick Doe A study of
the alignment of the petroglyphs in complex
panels on Gabriola suggests that the designer
used three right-angled grids to position the
individual glyphs. One grid was the
familiar north-south, east-west grid. The
second was based on the orientation of the many
linear bedding-plane perpendicular fractures in
the Gabriola bedrock that date back to periods of
intense folding and faulting in the Neogene and
Eocene. And a third was a grid oriented
half way between the other two.
Alignment of the
petroglyphs at sites DgRw224 and 234
by Nick Doe This
article is a follow-up to the previous one and
shows that the same principles at work in the
positioning and orientation of the petroglyphs at
DgRw229 can also be clearly seen at two nearby
sites (DgRw224 and 234). In addition,
preliminary investigation shows that the same
principles also apply to petroglyphs at
Gabriola’s Church site (DgRw192).
This greatly increases the likelihood that the
observed geometric alignments of the petroglyphs
were intentional and not due to happenstance.
Observing the winter solstice
at DgRw228 by
Nick Doe A further study of the
petroglyph suspected to have been used to observe
the summer solstice (as described in Issue No.
10, January 2005). Investigations suggest
it may also have been used to observe the winter
solstice and that the observations may have been
the basis for a 40-day per “month”
calendar. Paleoastronomy at petroglyph
site DgRw230 by
Nick Doe An article on the
possibility, admittedly slight, that the
petroglyphs at DgRw230 might have been inspired
by changes in the position of Orion in the winter
sky. Observations for the curious
at sites DgRw193, 198, and 201 by Nick Doe Some thoughts
on the possibilities of dating petroglyphs by
studying lichen growth, and the weathering of the
ferromagnesian minerals in the
“case-hardened” surface zones of
sandstone. Petroglyph studies in the
cemetery by Nick
Doe Some ideas on what we can
learn about our own modern culture by looking at
the Gabriola Community Cemetery from the
perspective of an alien archaeologist. This is
similar to the task that faces us when we look at
petroglyphs and the aim of the study was to see
if any useful lessons might be learned. The
author examines the gravestones'
orientation—Do the graves really face
east?—and the way that the stonework, which
is accurately dated, has weathered.
No.16, July
2007Ecological
theatre on Gabriola-- managing the forests
by J.P. (Hamish)
Kimmins This article is about
ecosystems, in particular forestry ecosystems,
and ecosystem management on the Gulf Islands. It
uses the paradigm of an "ecological theatre" and
explores the ecological stage (the physical
environment of the ecosystem), the play (the
sequence of biotic communities occupying the
stage over time), and the actors (the species
making up the biotic community). It then
discusses the use of this theatrical metaphor to
develop an ethical land use policy.
New radiocarbon dates
for False Narrows by Nick Doe A large
Coast Salish village once existed on both the
Gabriola and Mudge Island shores of False Narrows
(DgRw4) and it is commonly but wrongly known as
Senewelets. Despite its importance, only two
radiocarbon dates have hitherto been obtained for
this major midden. This article reports three new
datings and discusses the implications of these
results. Polygonalling (for alligator
fans) by Nick
Doe Intricate networks of
cracks are familiar in our everyday worlds,
whether they be in caked mud, aged paintwork,
crazed pottery, or the rocks along the seashore.
The networks appear to come in two styles: one
where the cracks meet at right angles, forming
T-junctions and reticulate patterns
(alligatoring); and another where the cracks meet
in Y-junctions, forming polygons, particularly
hexagons. This article looks at some examples of
the latter. Stories and
research notes Gabriola arrival by Anna
Leather A lighthearted memoir of
arriving to live on Gabriola in the 1970s.
Gabriola's
coal-mining connections by Lynda Poulton
An examination of the importance
of coal-mining in the history of Nanaimo and
Gabriola in the nineteenth century.
Gabriola after the
lights went on by E. Joyce White
When electricity was brought to Gabriola in
1955 it had an immediate significant effect on
islanders' living conditions and paved the way
for subsequent development of the island
throughout the rest of the twentieth
century. No.15, May 2007 Gabriola's
industrial past: the brickyard by Jenni Gehlbach Today
few traces are to be found of the brickyard that
operated for half a century near Brickyard Beach
(Percy Anchorage) on Gabriola. In its heyday it
produced thousands of bricks a day, using blue
and brown shales dug from its quarry on the
hillside and firing its kilns with coal from
Nanaimo. It provided employment for many local
families as well as Chinese labourers who did
not settle here. Coal was delivered to the yard
on scows, which were also loaded with bricks for
delivery to Vancouver and Victoria.
This article explores the history of
the landowners, workers, and companies involved
in the brickyard's operation. It also contains
information about the McGuffie and Nairn Shaw
pioneer families. A context for Gabriola's
archeology by
Nick Doe This article places
Gabriola's archeology in the time context of
developments and archeological records elsewhere
in the world. No.14, September 2006
George
Vancouver visits Gabriola by Nick Doe When Captain
George Vancouver surveyed the BC coast in 1792 he
paid little attention to Vancouver Island because
his mission was to see if there was a navigable
route across the top of the North American
Continent. As this article describes however, he
did briefly visit Gabriola Island, albeit because
he was caught out by the tide in a small boat in
the Fraser River estuary. Draft Spanish and
British charts of the Strait of Georgia are
included. Petroglyphs and
equinoxes by
Nick Doe Any theory that some of the
many petroglyphs on Gabriola are accurately
orientated astronomically has to explain how it
is possible in the middle of a forest to
determine which directions are north, south,
east, and west. One possibility is that the
carvers watched and recorded the movement of the
shadows of the tops of tall trees. Some evidence
that they did this is presented. "Brown stuff" weathering
and manganese in your drinking water
by Nick Doe
Iron oxides (magnetite, hematite, goethite,
ferrihydrite) are common weathering products in
the upper-Nanaimo Group
sandstones, but minerals rich in manganese are
less well known. Some nodules and weathering
deposits in the
sedimentary rocks have extraordinarily high
concentrations of this metal. Groundwater budgets
by Nick Doe All
of the rain and snow that falls on Gabriola
eventually ends up returning to the atmosphere by
evaporation or transpiration
by trees and plants, or it flows into the sea
either above or below sea level. This article
describes measurements made on
the island of how much water goes where.
No.13, June 2006 The origin of Gabriola's
name by Nick
Doe The name of Gabriola Island
is an adaptation of the Spanish name Punta de
Gaviola, which first appeared on the
1791 Eliza chart drawn in San Blas
(Mexico). Although the naming is frequently
attributed to José
Narvaez, this article argues the case for it
having been assigned by Juan Bodega y Quadra. It
was probably named after
Simon de Gaviola y Zabala. That Gaviola is a
corruption of Gaviota (sea gull) is a
20th-century myth.
Spheroidal
weathering by
Nick Doe Spheroidal
weathering of Nanaimo Group shale is sometimes
attributed to modern weathering, but this article
suggests it is due
instead to weak concretions that date back to the
late Cretaceous. An illustrated
explanation of concretion formation in
shale and sandstone is included. Petroglyphs-- discovery and
demise (editorial) by Nick Doe The
editorial of this issue, which is a follow-up to
one published in SHALE 8, discusses the
rapid demise of the
petroglyphs on Gabriola as a result of sandstone
weathering following removal of their protective
moss covering. No.12, November 2005
Orcas at
Page's by
Phyllis Reeve "Page's" is Page's
Resort and Marina on the south end of Gabriola,
and in this refreshing article Phyllis and Ted
Reeve, who run Page's, give us an eye-witness
account of a visit of a pod of transient killer
whales to Silva Bay, where they were caught on
camera feeding on Steller sea-lions. Whales were
once abundant in the Strait of Georgia until they
were wiped out in the 1860s and 70s and again
around 1907. It is to be hoped that reports like
this will become less remarkable in the years to
come. Alligatoring on the
beach by Nick
Doe Idle musing on a hot
summer day as to what causes shale on Gabriola's
beaches to weather in a reticulate
pattern leads to a consideration of how
tempered (toughened) glass is made, why old
pottery is crazed, and
how remarkably common the phenomenon is when you
study the mucous trails of periwinkles; the
branching of garry oaks;
cracks in Gabriola's roads; fractals; ripples in
the sea; sea-fans; whale vertebrae; and
more....
No.11, May 2005
The four
schools of Gabriola by June Harrison The
first school on Gabriola was opened in 1873 at
the south end of the island. In this article,
June traces its subsequent history, along
with that of the North, East, and Gabriola
Elementary Schools right through to the
present. The tabla of Toba
Inlet by Nick
Doe When Galiano and Valdés
were exploring Desolation Sound in 1792, they
discovered a wooden plank (tabla in
Spanish) covered with curious
hieroglyphics, created by the Klahoose people of
Toba Inlet. The article offers an explanation of
these hieroglyphics based on the idea that
they form an unusual lunar-solar calendar
containing information about the tides in the
inlet. Groundwater notes
by Nick Doe with Norman
Windecker Many residents of the Gulf
Islands rely on groundwaterfor their water
supply. This article discusses the geology of
fractured rock aquifers in sandstone and
shale, and is based in part on interviews with
Norman Windecker who drilled wells on the island
for many years. No.10, January 2005
Malaspina's Lost
Gallery by Barrie
Humphrey Malaspina's gallery was drawn
in 1792 by José Cardero during the
Galiano-Valdés voyage of exploration and
his drawing was subsequently copied and
inaccurately "enhanced" back in Spain by other
artists who had not seen the formation. At the
beginning of the 20th century the exact
location of the gallery was a mystery. This
article traces the efforts of Professor George
Davidson and others to solve the puzzle,
as reported in the Victoria Daily Colonist and
the Nanaimo Free Press in 1903. Despite the
solving of this puzzle, confusion continues
about the name and location of the
gallery.
The article includes
biographical endnotes about George Davidson
(1825-1911), John Devereux (1827-1906), Ethelbert
Olaf Stuart Scholefield (1875-1919), William
Ernest Losee (c1860-1944), Fernando Brambila
(1763-1834), Manuel José Cardero (1776-?),
William John Sutton (1859-1914), Peter Creeke
Fernie (1830-1915), Archer Evans Stringer
Martin (1865-1941), Cayetano
Valdés y Flores (1767-1839), and James
McLay (1837-1918). A Most Unusual
Petroglyph by Nick
Doe The "sun" petroglyph (DgRw228)
consists of a natural hollow surrounded by four
circles and seven petal-like rays, with a
fish petroglyph carved nearby. The author
discusses the complex geometry and astronomical
alignment of this petroglyph, and its possible
use as a calendar by the people who carved
it. More About Runnels
by Nick Doe
This article discusses the action of
freshwater runoff in the formation of runnels
such as those found off Berry Point Road near
its junction with Seagirt Road. It was near here
that the Galiano and Valdés expedition of
1792 collected water for their ships, and
the article refers to the Spanish account
of this episode in Gabriola's history. It also
discusses the role and possible historical
significance of the lagrimados or
tear-duct-shaped hollows in Lavender Bay.
The article includes a discussion
of the pH scale used to measure acidity. No.9, August 2004, Special
Issue
Gabriola's Geology--Part 2
Geology of Gabriola's roads
by Nick Doe
A lighthearted look at the cracks in
Gabriola's roads, some of which seem to resemble
the fractures and minor faults (that probably
date back to the Eocene or earlier) that can be
seen on the island's sandstone beaches.
Great balls
of stone-- concretions by Nick Doe Concretions
are most well known as those rocks with the size
and shape of cannon-balls. They are very common
on Gabriola, and this article describes their
origin. What makes holes in sandstone?
by Nick Doe
The Gulf Islands are famous for their
honeycomb formations (cavernous weathering or
tafoni) yet what causes these "holes in the
sandstone" is not known. This article describes
the author's ideas on how they might be formed.
It includes technical reports of several
chemical and petrographic analyses of
honeycombed rock that support these ideas.
Curious
nodules by Nick
Doe Although Gabriola is not
famous for its fossils, you can fairly easily
find relics of giant clams, known as
inoceramids, from the late Cretaceous period
in the shale beaches. Associated with these clams
are curious nodules and this article descibes
their appearance, their unusual manganese
chemistry, and ideas on how they were
formed. The formation of Malaspina
Galleries by Nick
Doe Contrary to popular opinion,
there is no evidence that Gabriola's Malaspina
Galleries were formed by the wind and waves.
This article proposes an explanation for
their formation that is more in keeping with what
can easily be observed by visitors to this famous
landmark. No.8, June 2004 The Roberts family of Mudge
Island by Lynda
Poulton The Roberts family of Mudge
Island is descended from David Samuel Reece
Roberts who immigrated to Canada in 1871 from a
farming and coal-mining area of South
Wales. He later married into the Martin family of
Gabriola and farmed land he had pre-empted near
Dodd Narrows. This article reports what is
known of the family's history
Malaspina Galleries-- what's in a
name? by Nick
Doe The famous Malaspina Galleries
of Gabriola, like many other local landmarks, has
an official name that is rarely used. Who has
heard of the Galiano Gallery? Who but official
cartographers ever calls Berry Point "Orlebar
Point"? Nick muses on the tortuous history
of some local placenames.
Lost Nanaimo-- taking back
our past by Dr. Jean
Barman In 2005,
this article was republished by the BC
Historical Federation in their journal
"British Columbia History" and Dr.
Barman was subsequently granted their annual Best
Article Award.
We have a tendency to construct history
according to our modern perspective, which may
result in a loss of some aspects of the past.
Because of this process, two important aspects of
Nanaimo's early history may have faded from view:
an excess of tradition and the erasure of
diversity. Dr. Barman examines how the traditions
and societal values of the families that
immigrated to this area from England on the
Princess Royal may have hindered them
in the new world. Frozen harbours
by the Museum Society
History Committee:
Barrie
Humphrey, E. Joyce White, Lynda Poulton,
and Nick Doe Our mild Gulf Islands
surprisingly frequently experience strikingly low
temperatures-- cold enough to freeze the
harbours and prevent sea traffic.
Surf
Lodge by E. Joyce
White Surf Lodge has been a major
player in Gabriola's social life for over 60
years, beloved of locals and visitors alike.
From its beginning in 1940 under the Andersons
to its current life under the Mules, it has had a
varied and fascinating history in the ownership
of several families. Short
stories & tall tales:
Flow but one way-- a legend of the
Coast Salish people
Coyote-- a legend of the Shushwap
people
Earth, Great Flood, and Sky-- a
legend of the Tsimshian people
The World-- a legend of the
Tlinglit people
Research notes:
Come and gone yet again
Barrie Humphrey's previous research on
Robert Dombrain(e) (also Dombrane; Dumblane) has
been reported in SHALE Nos.
2, 5, and 6. It seemed unlikely that much
more could be discovered, but a bonus prize has
emerged from a file in the BC Archives that
contained seven letters of
introduction for Robert Dombraine addressed to
Governor James Douglas.
Dendrochronology
Nick Doe's ruminations about tree
rings and paleoclimatology
Review:
Phyllis Reeve reviews:
- First Nations, first dogs--
Canadian Aboriginal ethnocynology by Bryan D.
Cummins,
published by Detselig
Enterprises Ltd., Calgary, 2002
No.7, January 2004, Special
Issue
Gabriola's Geology--Part I
How Gabriola
came to be by Nick
Doe This article describes the
processes pertinent to the development of the
Gulf Islands and includes a discussion of the
formation of the Nanaimo Basin, a remnant
of which is currently occupied by the Strait of
Georgia. Gabriola's submarine-fan
formations by Nick
Doe The sand, mud, and gravel from
which Gabriola's sedimentary rocks were made once
formed a submarine fan in the delta of a large
river whose depositional rates and sites varied.
This article includes a description of Gabriola's
stratigraphy, identifying the five uppermost
formations of the Nanaimo Group that are present
in the area: Gabriola, Spray, Geoffrey,
Northumberland, and De Courcy Formations.
It's about
pointy rocks by Nick
Doe The author ruminates upon the
existence of particular patterns in our
surroundings (such as pointy and cuboid rocks)
and our ability to perceive them easily
once we start to look with a particular focus. He
also does some applied mathematics to explain how
compression stress and conjugate fractures
are involved in the formation of these
shapes. Steinpilze--rock
mushrooms by Nick
Doe This article examines the way
sandstone near the high-tide mark is sometimes
weathered into shapes resembling mushrooms.
It discusses the way sea salt is involved
in a process of moisture evaporation from within
the rock, washing out flakes of clay and
loosening grains of sand to form the familiar
"honeycombed" tafoni. Geochemistry of Gabriola's
groundwater by
Steve Earle and Erik Krogh The Geology
and Chemistry Departments at Malaspina
University-College are studying the geochemistry
of the groundwater used by residents of
eastern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands.
This article describes the hydrogeology of
Gabriola and presents the findings of the
researchers' geochemical survey of private water
wells on Gabriola Island. What Gabriola is made of
by Nick Doe
An analysis of the chemical elements
present in the rocks of Gabriola. The techniques
used included spectral analysis using an
inductively-coupled plasma ion generator and a
mass spectrometer, plus LECO analysis for carbon
and sulphur. Research
note: So...is this
where the dinosaurs went? No.6, April 2003 Two islands-- Gabriola and
Manhattan by Barrie
Humphrey, Shelagh Huston, Phyllis Reeve, Kit
Szanto, Jack Ruitenbeek, and Nick Doe,
based on an idea of Catherine Humphrey
Gabriola and Manhattan are remarkably
similar in size. This article takes a light
hearted approach in making other
comparisons between these two
communities, from wildlife to ethnicity and
bridges with detours through the traffic, and
much besides. Beryl Cryer and the stories she
collected by Dr. Loraine
Littlefield In the mid-1930s, a
series of stories told by Coast Salish Elders on
Vancouver Island was published in the Victoria
newspaper, the Daily Colonist.
They had been gathered and edited by Beryl Cryer,
a part-time journalist living then in
Chemainus. This article tells what we know of her
life and how she came to collect these stories.
It also tells about the Elders who shared
their stories with her. Page's Marina-- sixty years
ago by Phyllis
Reeve Since 1987, Phyllis and Ted
Reeve have run a marina and resort with cottages,
campground, bookstore, and art studio at the
south end of Gabriola Island in Silva
Bay. They happily assumed responsibility for a
place that had been known, visited, and loved
since 1943, when two young brothers, Jack and
Les Page, bought the Japanese fish camp at Silva
Bay. This article tells the story of the early
years of Page's Marina, as told by members of
the Page family to the Reeves.
Two tides a
day? by Nick
Doe This article explains why
there are two tidal cycles each day, not just
one. What with gravitational pulls from sun,
moon, and Venus, centripetal and
centrifugal forces, moving observers, and
barycentres-- it's not as simple as you might
think. Short stories &
tall tales: Hy-Altz, the Sun
God-- as told by Tzea Mntenaht (Mary Rice)
through Beryl Cryer
Research notes:
An ammonite for SHALENick Doe ruminates about
museums and fossils Come
and gone again-- this time for good?
While pursuing other research, Barrie
Humphrey has made a serendipitous discovery in
the Anglican Archives about the demise
of Robert Dombrain (Dombrane; Dumblane),
whose brief history on Gabriola was written about
in SHALE Nos. 2 and 5.
Reviews and reports:
This book was reviewed in November 1862
by The Daily British Colonist newspaper
in Victoria. That review is reproduced
here, followed by Nick Doe's review.
- British
Columbia and Vancouver's Island by Duncan
George Forbes MacDonald, CE.
Published by Longman &c., London,
1862 No.5, December 2002
Captain B. A. Wake
and his family by
Lynda Poulton Captain Wake was a
naval man from Northamptonshire, England, who
pre-empted land on Valdes Island in 1876,
homesteading there for several years
before his mysterious demise in 1880. He also
briefly taught at the Gabriola School. This
article describes what is known of his life and
death and the lives of his family.
Ups and downs
of Gabriola-- sea-level changes by Dr. Steven Earle This
article discusses the effect on Gabriola's
coastline of changes in local land and sea levels
(isostatic and eustatic adjustments)
over the last twenty thousand years.
The
Martin family of Gabriola by Dr. Donald Martin
Jonathan Martin was born in Kent,
England and started work for the Hudson's Bay
Company in BC when he was 18 years old.
He lived in various parts of Vancouver
Island before settling on Gabriola Island, where
he and his son William applied to pre-empt
land in 1874. His grandson Donald
describes what he has learned of his family's
history from his own research and that of members
of the Museum's History Committee.
An old fence-- how Indian
reserves came to Gabriola by Lynda Poulton
There are two small reserves on
Gabriola Island at Degnen Bay: IR5 (Indian Point)
and IR6 (Burial Island). An
interesting letter written in Nanaimo in 1876 by
Mr. Gilbert Sproat of the Joint Indian Reserve
Commission to Mr. Elliot, the BC
Provincial Secretary, describes how these
reserves came into being. Gabriola warming-- a changing
climate? by
Justine Pearson This article
examines some of the implications for Gabriola of
global warming. The possible
impacts upon natural resources, human health,
flooding, and storms are discussed. Nick Doe
adds an analysis of current carbon
generation by Gabriolans. Short
stories & tall tales:
Memories of a one-room schoolhouse,
by Hazel Windecker (née Cox)
Research notes:
Why does water in the sink drain away
counter-clockwise-- and why should we care?
Questions and answers
generated by Nick Doe while investigating the
weather (who needs the Coriolis force?).
The wild gardens of Ruxton
Island Anne Gartshore from De
Courcy Island describes the beautiful array of
wild flowers to be found on deer-free Ruxton
Island in the Spring.
Aboriginal burials on Gabriola
Island Dr. Brian Chisholm
summarizes the findings of A. Joanne Curtin in
her revised Ph.D. thesis, "Prehistoric Mortuary
Variability on Gabriola Island", in
which she compared Aboriginal burials in rock
shelters and middens.
Summer tides Nick
Doe discusses why the tide is usually low during
the day in summer locally. No.4, June 2002
Last fight
of the Cly-Altw by
Jennie Wyse with Beryl Cryer This
story was first published in the 1930s in the
Victoria, BC newspaper, The Daily
Colonist. It tells of a battle between
the Snunéymuxw who lived on
Gabriola Island at False Narrows and the
Lekwiltok. The battle probably took place in the
1830s. Inoceramus
vancouverensis-- big clams by Nick Doe An account of
one of the species of inoceramid that are
commonly found in the shales of the
Northumberland Formation of the Nanaimo
Group. The fossils date from late-Cretaceous
times, and are one of the many species that did
not survive beyond the K-T boundary. Recent
research has given some clues as to their way of
life and their demise. Scotch broom-- the golden
gangster by Phyllis
Fafard First introduced to Vancouver
Island by Captain Grant in the 1850s, this plant
is becoming a serious pest in the Gulf Islands.
This article describes something of the
life cycle of this plant, and some of the
measures being taken on the island to control its
spread Newcastle Island's turbulent
past by E. Joyce
White This is an overview of the
eventful history (First Nations, Kanakas, mining,
quarrying, ship-building, canning, murders,
and mayhem) of Newcastle Island, which is
now a provincial park. The art of voting
scientifically by Nick
Doe Mathematicians have long known
that there is no perfect voting system (Arrow's
theorem). This article looks at some of
the alternative voting systems currently
in use or under consideration, and discusses the
pros and cons. The results of the Canadian
federal election in 2000 and the BC provincial
elections of 1996 and 2001 are used as examples
of how the choice of voting system can
influence the outcome of an election.
Short stories & tall tales:
Bruhn moments, by Aileen Adam
Reviews and reports:
- Nick Doe
reviews:
"Spirit Images, Medicine
Rocks--The Rock Art of Alberta", a lecture by
Michael Klassen given to the Nanaimo
Branch of the BC Archaeological
Society. - Jenni Gehlbach
reviews:
"Passage to Juneau--A Sea
and its Meanings" by Jonathan Raban
- Phyllis Reeve reviews:
"My Brother's Keeper" by Marion
Woodson No.3, January 2002
Researching
pioneer family history by Barrie Humphrey
This article records the results to
date of the Gabriola Historical and Museum
Society's efforts to enhance research of
the island's history using the
Internet.Web pages were set up describing what is
known about pioneer families, and their
descendants were invited to
contact the museum and exchange information.
After a slow start, the experiment is proving to
be very successful. A Russian map of Gabriola--
1849 by Nick
Doe Surprisingly, the
earliest known nineteenth century map of Gabriola
Island was published by the Russians in 1852.
This article tells the story behind
the map. Several early charts of the area
compiled by the Spanish navy, the British navy,
and the Hudson's Bay Company are
included in this article.
The
Chapple family by Gabriola Museum, History
Committee The Chapple family
lived on the south side of Gabriola in the
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This
article describes what is known
about this interesting family.
Hul'qumi'num-- Gabriola's
first language by Nick Doe A
not-too-technical article about the nature and
development of language, the aboriginal language
families of British Columbia, and the
languages of the Coast Salish. (The journal also
includes a brief aid to interpreting phonetic
alphabets.) Short stories
& tall tales: A journal
entry, by Mary Rose Lam
Research notes:
Old growth?-- a fossil on Whalebone
Beach, by Nick Doe Old
dogs-- dogs in Coast Salish communities, by Nick
Doe Reviews and reports:
Nick Doe reviews selected books about
treaty talks and aboriginal
self-government:
- "Treaty Talks in British Columbia--
Negotiating a Mutually Beneficial
Future" by Christopher McKee
- "Aboriginal Self-Government in
Canada" edited by John Hylton
- "First Nations? Second Thoughts" by
Tom Flanagan
Phyllis Reeve reviews:
- "The Laughing One-- a Journey to
Emily Carr" by Gabriola's Susan Crean
Douglas Todd reviews
two books about aboriginal attitudes to the
environment: - "Animals and
Nature-- Cultural Myths, Cultural Realities" by
Rod Preece
- "The
Ecological Indian-- Myth and History" by Shephard
Krech III
Ruth
Loomis reports on an interview:
- "Reflections with Ellen White,
Medicine Woman of the
Snunéymuxw."
No.2, March 2001 Island
Sanctuaries-- early mixed-race settlement on
Gabriola and nearby coastal islands
by Dr. Jean Barman
After European contact
Gabriola and other Gulf Islands were settled by
European men who often lived with and married
Aboriginal women. This article explores
how the character of the islands may have
influenced these families by offering a
refuge from racial intolerance and giving both
parents and children a strong sense of
autonomy. The Gabriola ferry Eena,
1955-64 by B.
Parker Williams Eena (a
Chinook word meaning "beaver") was the second
ferry to see service on the run between Gabriola
and Nanaimo. The author served as one
of the engineers assigned to the service and this
is an account of some of his experiences.
Coast Salish placenames on
Gabriola by Dr.
Loraine Littlefield All of
the placenames now used on Gabriola and
surrounding islands were assigned by newcomers in
the last hundred years or so. Yet these
places once had names that had been passed from
generation to generation by the
Snunéymuxw. Most of
these names have now been lost. This article
lists and gives the meaning of the few that
Elders have been able to remember
during interviews held at various times over the
past ten years. Gabriola's trees-- a
brief history by Nick Doe and Paul Smith
This article discusses trees that have
grown on the island since the end of the last ice
age. The past may give us a clue to
the future as global warming progresses,
encouraging drought-tolerant species like the
Douglas Fir and Garry Oak, and
leading to the possible demise of others like the
Western Hemlock and Red Cedar.
Short stories & tall tales:
The Haida myth-- an
investigation by Nick Doe
Research notes:
Sand, firewood, and the stars at
night-- some interesting facts
by Mr. E. L. Wisty (as
told to Nick Doe) The net shed
at Page's by
Phyllis Reeve Come and
gone-- the brief appearance on Gabriola of Robert
P. Dombrain(e) by Barrie Humphrey
A French note-- the significant
French Canadian presence on the BC coast in the
early nineteenth century by Nick Doe Just
tell them it's Tafoni The
mystery of the familiar "honeycomb" appearance of
sandstone at the tideline. by Nick Doe
Reviews and reports:
Nick Doe reviews books about the role
of disease, particularly smallpox, in the
history of the BC coast:
- "Decimating Disease" contained in
Panati's Extraordinary Endings of Practically
Everything and Everybody by Charles
Panati
- "First
Contact: Smallpox" contained in You Are Asked
to Witness - The Stó:lo in Canada's
Pacific Coast History by Keith
Thor Carlson
- "The Great
Pox" contained in Raincoast Chronicles 17 -
Stories & History of the British Columbia
Coast by Douglas Hamilton
- "Voices of Smallpox Around the Strait
of Georgia", contained in The Resettlement of
British Columbia - Essays on Colonialism
and Geographic Change by Cole
Harris
- "Guns, Germs, and
Steel--The Fates of Human Societies by
Jared Diamond
- "The Coming
of the Spirit of Pestilence-- Introduced
Infectious Diseases and Population Decline Among
the Northwest Coast Indians, 1774
-1874 by Robert Boyd
The
Snunéymuxw (Nanaimo) village at
False Narrows by Dr. Loraine Littlefield
The False Narrows archaelogical site
(DgRw4), now El Verano Drive, was once a large
village belonging to the
Snunéymuxw First Nation
(SFN). This article records the memories of SFN
Elders of their visits to the village
site and discusses the ethnographical and
archaeological importance of the site to
understanding Coast Salish culture.
Alcalá
Galiano's sketchmaps of Gabriola
by Nick Doe
Maps drawn by the Spanish naval
officer Galiano on his visit to Gabriola in 1792.
These maps show that the location
of Cala del Descanso was Pilot
Bay-- not the present-day Descanso Bay.
The LeBoeuf
family by
Lynda Poulton and Barrie Humphrey
The LeBoeufs, like many of the
earliest settlers on Gabriola Island, have left
no descendants here. This article describes
what is known of the family from archival
records of the nineteenth century.
Sandstone and shale--
Gabriola's origins by Nick Doe An
introduction to the geology of Gabriola Island.
The island consists of formations of the Nanaimo
group dating back to the late
Cretaceous. Around the island in
1853 by Nick
Doe An account of a
circumnavigation of Gabriola Island by William
Ebrington Gordon of HMS Virago in April
1853. Short stories &
tall tales: When the
ferry went duck hunting The
sad tale of Jankowski's horse
as told by Frank
Hackwood Research notes:
Seagull Island?
on-going research on
the origin of Gabriola's name by Nick Doe
Reviews and reports:
Phyllis Reeve reviews books about
petroglyphs: - "Gabriola: Petroglyph
Island" by Mary and Ted Bentley
- "Senewélets-- Culture History
of the Nanaimo Coast Salish and the
False Narrows Midden" by David V. Burley
- "Indian Petroglyphs of the Pacific
Northwest" by Beth Hill
- "Guide to Indian Rock Carving of the
Pacific Northwest Coast" by Beth Hill
- "Seven-knot Summers" by Beth
Hill
- "Moonrakers" by Beth
Hill
- "Spirit in the Stone"
by Joy Inglis
- "On Island
Time" by Hilary Stewart
- "Glyphs and Gallows" by Peter
Johnson
- "The Amazon
Influence" by Marion Woodson
- "Moving Water" by Joan Skogan
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