The Columbia Basin Institute of Regional History is very happy to annouce another new site in its growing collection of Columbia Basin history sites. On May 20th, 2009, “The Great Cranbrook Elephant Hunt” was launched. This site examines the conditions leading up to the 1926 elephant stampede in Cranbrook, looking at stampedes in Edmonton and Calgary before the arrival of the Sells-Floto Circus in Cranbrook on August 6th, 1926.
The Columbia Basin Institute is very pleased with this new site as it presents a wide array of new texts and photographs pertaining to the 1926 escape of a large elephant herd into the wilds around Cranbrook. We were happy to find people such as Ed Reynolds who still recalled the event, and to uncover photos that many may never have seen before. “The Great Cranbrook Elephant Hunt” is accessible from the Home Page of the Columbia Basin Institute’s web site.
Much thanks is due to our financial partners in this project, the Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance, the City of Cranbrook and the Columbia Basin Trust. As well, we could not have put together as comprehensive a site without the ongoing support of Chris Eimer and the Cranbrook Archives, Museum and Landmarks Foundation.
On the 17th of May the Columbia Basin Institute of Regional History launched a new site commemorating Cranbrook and District’s involvement in World War I. “In Memoriam - Cranbrook’s Cenotaph” looks at the impacts of WW I on the Cranbrook region, and what the returning soldiers did to advance their own causes.
The site presents images of Cranbrook’s involvement in WW I perhaps not seen before, and examines the Great War Veterans’ Association, the organization that was the forerunner of the Cranbrook Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion. The site is accessible off the Columbia Basin Institute’s Home Page. Anyone having any information to add to the photos displayed on the site is encouraged to use the “Comment” function to help in adding to the historical information.
The Columbia Basin Institute of Regional History wants to recognize its partners in this project. Without the assistance of the Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance, the City of Cranbrook and the Columbia Basin Trust the construction of this site would not have been possible. The Royal Canadian Legion was also of assistance in providing content.
The Provincial Government of B.C. will be forwarding a $100 cheque to each member of your family later this month. We each will have any number of ways to spend this money.
One possibility is to invest in the future of this region by preserving the past. Your Carbon Tax Credit cheque can be used by the Columbia Basin Institute of Regional History to document and upload four historical photos to our web site at www.basininstitute.org. These photos will then exist in searchable format for everyone in the Columbia Basin (and elsewhere) to study and enjoy.
As well, the Columbia Basin Institute can use your donation to secure other matching funds, ensuring that even more historic photos become available. But, perhaps best of all, as a registered charity we can issue a charitable tax receipt to you, thereby making your investment in Basin history tax deductible.
Bring our history forward for everyone’s use - support the Columbia Basin Institute of Regional History. Please visit us at www.basininstitute.org or by e-mail at info@basininstitute.org or by phone at (250) 489.9150.
University of Toronto Master’s student Sonya White is conducting a series of research conversations about memory, history and healing. She is inviting interested members of the diverse West Kootenay/Boundary Doukhobor community to participate in these research conversations.
Sonya is exploring the ways in which memories of conflict persist in the lives of people who have lived through experiences of conflict. Specifically, she will be asking questions about the different ways in which diverse members of the Doukhobor community in south-central British Columbia live with and remember their experiences of 20th century Doukhobor conflict. She is interested in speaking with people who experienced the 20th century conflict as direct participants or indirect non-participants.
Sonya White believes the research will hold many potential benefits for both Doukhobor and non-Doukhobor people who are interested in knowing more about how individuals find peace after conflict has been resolved. Specifically, the research will make an important contribution to the public understanding of Doukhobor history and experience in western Canada, and will validate and legitimize the knowledge of a minority Canadian cultural community. The work will also explore ways in which different generations of Doukhobors experieced the “Doukhobor troubles.” Finally, the research offers an opportunity to identify different strategies for living with difficult pasts and learning to heal from direct or indirect experiences of conflict.
If you have specific questions about this research and/or would like to participate in a research interview with Sonya, please contact her directly by telephone at (250) 421-2055, by e-mail at swhite@oise.utoronto.ca or by mail at Sonya White, 1631 Staple Crescent, Cranbrook, B.C., V1C 6J1.
