120 years of history encompasses many generations, family stories, and memories, all of which are such an integral part of our town's past. The deeper I get into researching the Inn's history, the more fascinated & appreciative I become of Chemainus and the people who had a hand in developing this beautiful place that we currently reside & work in. In talking with only a handful of the town's residents, I have learned so much, yet it has awakened a curiousity in me, to delve into the recollections of 'Chemainians' still present in the community.
To pick up where I left off, the following proprietor of the Inn, was the very well known & loved, Gerry Smith, who owned The Horseshoe Bay Inn from 1945 - 1985. He resided in North Cowichan for over 60 years, was Mayor for 8 of those years & an Alderman for 15. Born in England, his parents brought him over on a ship to Canada when Gerry was 7 years old. He was educated in Duncan, but moved to Chemainus in 1935 to play basketball and had a hand in helping his school to achieve many athletic victories. After graduation, he worked at the local mill and later served overseas in The Second World War for 5 years in our Canadian Army. Following the War, he returned to the mill for approximately six months and began working at the Inn as a Bar Manager, continuing on to become a co-owner with a gentleman named Mr. M.G. Hill, who also owned the Yellow Point Lodge in Cedar, founded in the mid 1930's.
Gerry, it turns out, was a descendant of Esther Smith, who was related through marriage to the Howe family, the original proprietor of the Inn, brought over to install a revolutionary water turbine at the town's first mill & to train the crew who ran it. Matthew Howe liked the area so much, he decided to buy much of the town's property & bought the water rights to Fuller Lake. His son Arthur, opened up a butcher shop on his father's property, next to the Inn & eventually opened up four more shops on the Island.
Mr. Gerry Smith lived with his wife Betty in a small home on the property, running the business and a farm, that also housed stables, a requirement under the old Inn Licensing Regulations. The Inn's watering hole, was still divided into two sections; one half being the Gentlemen's and the other, for Gentlemen & Escorts. The Inn eventually underwent some renovations and played an important part in the lives of the loggers & mill workers that did shiftwork, as Gerry would provide the convenience of cashing their cheques, having an arrangement with the local CIBC. The unspoken agreement with the guys, of course, was to recipricate by obliging in his draught beer and his wife's famous meatloaf & onion sandwiches. His 'right hand man' in the pub, was the very colourful Teddy Francis, who was married to Louise Underwood (Thulihwulwut), previously elected to hold the position of Chief of Cowichan Tribes in 1960 and again in '73 & '74.
Gerry Smith was revered for many contributions, such as his campaigning efforts to have Chemainus taxpayers included into the District of North Cowichan, community fundraising, and even donating one year of his Mayoral salary to the Old Age Pension, of which he still paid the taxes on. He ran for Mayor several times against the likes of Graham Bruce and Rex Hollett, and during one of the campaigns was quoted by the reporter, Christy Lapi, of the Ladysmith-Chemainus Chronical in 1983, as saying; "I've made a good living here & I want to contribute some time in repayment for what I've taken out." Mr. Smith unfortunately passed away in Hawaii, whilst on a honeymoon with his second wife Ruth, in 1985, and she returned with full ownership of the Inn, never having had a hand in the running of the business. With the town suffering from the shocking loss of their highly regarded friend, and Ruth, with her devastating circumstances, returned to Calgary, and eventually sold the business to the majority shareholder, a logger named Bud Lee, who partnered with millworker, Rod O'Driscoll.
Bud Lee was instrumental in bringing the Inn it's Beer and Wine Store, renovated the kitchen, billiard room & patio, while running a very successful dining room in our present day banquet room. To this day, he still owns The Doghouse Restaurant in Duncan, which began as a small hot dog stand and expanded in '59, was purchased by Bud in '77 and has since been the family run business it is today. The family also took ownership of The Cobblestone Pub in 1983, which was built at the location of the Cobble Hill division of the Cowichan Creamery and continues to be a popular neighbourhood Pub. His partner, Rod O'Driscoll, also bought and ran another pub, located in Lake Cowichan; The Riverside.
In 1994, Mr. Lee & Rod's widow sold the Inn to Murray Gammon, who had high hopes of running the Inn & retiring off of it's success, but it was not to be, as the local mill suffered a 9 months closure, due to an ongoing strike. Murray, previously owned hotels in Salmon Arm and the Banff's Homestead Hotel, and in Victoria, the Crest Harbourview Inn and the builder of the landmark Hotel Grand Pacific on the Inner Harbour. His pride & glory, however; was the Classic Car Museum, which boasted over 40 pristine vintage automobiles, some having been owned by Hollywood stars such as Clark Gable & Errol Flynn. The museum also dazzled visitors with it's wax figures, and even a set of imitation British Crown Jewels, where they are now currently displayed at the Royal London Wax Museum. Gammon was one of the 'big six' tourism leaders who formed the Victoria Attractions Association years ago, and as he loved talking politics, was a friend to politicians, such as former Prime Ministers Jean Chretien and John Diefenbaker, and former BC Premier Bill Vander Zalm. Due to his ailing health & a downturn in the Inn's business, Murray moved back to Banff with his daughter Laura & husband Paul, who in turn opened up their own pub, and sadly, his wife Pennie & son Warren moved back to Victoria.
Before moving on, in 1997 the Gammons placed the Horseshoe Bay Inn's ownership into the hands of Earle Phillips from West Vancouver, who slowly renovated & built the business back up to what we see now. Even though Earle has numerous holdings and interests elsewhere, such as the Royal Coachman in Campbell River, the Jingle Pot Pub in Nanaimo and the majority shareholder in the local Saltair Neighbourhood Pub, 'The Shoe' has for the last 15 years held a very special place in his heart. For the rich history, the ongoing hub of friendly meetings, community events & fundraisers, the longtime loyal staff members, the colourful patrons of the pub, the ambience and the potential he always saw from the beginning.
In ending this nostalgic tour through our pages of Chemainus & BC history, I welcome you to visit us whenever you find yourself on our end of town. From Sun, Sept 9th - 15th, we are celebrating our 120th year Anniversary, with a week full of events, draws, giveaways, tours, food and drink specials, below gov't pricing in the liquor store, entertainment, AND, we're kicking it off with complimentary coffee, tea & biscuits for an open house of our Lobby, Hotel & Dining Rooms. Who knows, perhaps, there'll be a guest appearance from one of our local politicians or you may even run into one of our roaming residential 'spirits'.....oh, the stories we have......
Sources and Thank You's:
~Ladysmith-Chemainus Chronicle
~Times Colonist (Victoria)
~Norma of the Chemainus Valley Museum
~Wendy Baker (Beer & Wine Store Manager)
~Mike Shelling
~Wayne & Diane Kaye
(our almost bosses, who had a handshake agreement with Gerry to purchase the Inn, before he left for Hawaii.)
~ ~ ~ And a loving dedication to our old friend of yore, Mr. Bobby Waters, who we miss every day & whom had many a tale ready, about his good friend Gerry Smith. xoxo
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
120 Years of BC History
Welcome to the Horseshoe Bay Inn, a cozy heritage hotel boasting a rich history, which over the turn of the century has had registered many notable travelers, from far away places. Boasting names such as the Canadian Indian Poet, Pauline Johnson; a colorful Sea faring Captain, "Hell-Fire Peterson" and the crew from his sailing ship, Puako; and most notably, Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie, who's signatures can be seen in our original 1900 hotel registry, currently displayed in the hotel lobby.
The Inn's first proprietor, Matthew Howe, was remembered as a stoutly built Norfolk man and a kindly chap. With very little formal education, he taught himself the principles of electricity and mechanics, and was sent to Chemainus from England, to install and operate steam powered machinery for the local lumber mill. He eventually left the mill, which then employed about twenty-five men, and today is still sprawled across the landscape of town and is still an important part of the logging legacy of MacMillan & Bloedel. When he first built the Croft and Severne's "Horseshoe Hotel", it was a posting house for horses and carriages, and a port of call for loggers and sailors. According to one of the town's history books, a liquor license was granted in 1883, because, "there is no house of entertainment between Nanaimo and Maple Bay." Matthew eventually acquired much property, became a landowner and farmer, and supplied the Inn with such succulent luxuries as venison, grouse, quail, pheasant, poultry, home-cured ham and bacon, and cream so thick, that a spoon could stand up in it. He employed his nephew Fred Chatters, who eventually moved to Nanaimo, to serve in the bar and his son Jack, worked as his father did, as a mechanic in the mill. Loggers from the camps stayed in the Inn & filled with good beer, would stage wrestling bouts with a black bear chained to a tree out back, which today, still carries the marks from the chain that held him.
The hotel reached the height of it's glory under the management of Emily Collyer, who once held a post in the household of Queen Victoria. Signed pictures of the Queen and photographs of British aristocracy adorned the wall of the Inn, and Emily's table was often visited by the "better families" of Europe, known as far as the Old Country for the excellence of it's cuisine and fine damask linens. When Emily died, her son Arthur Collyer, who was a connoisseur of fine wines, became innkeeper. Many a good cellar in the West, by his advise, was stocked with vintages, and it's likely that the ships putting into the Chemainus port for lumber, carried the sherries, ports and champagnes that Arthur sold to the discriminating. His daughter currently resides in Victoria, and we very recently visited by her children, who immensely enjoyed being toured through our quaint and beautiful lobby, dining room and hotel rooms.
The Inn still has records of the proprietors who came into ownership after the Collyers, however, those stories will have to be revealed another time. We are presently in the midst of planning a 120 year celebration for the Inn, so stayed tuned for more history and upcoming events.
Original story sources:
~Gwen Cash (Described as Canada's first female general news reporter, worked for the Province, the Prince George Citizen, the Victoria Times-Colunist, and served for a period as head of public relations for the Victorian Empress Hotel.)
~Chemainus Archives
The Inn's first proprietor, Matthew Howe, was remembered as a stoutly built Norfolk man and a kindly chap. With very little formal education, he taught himself the principles of electricity and mechanics, and was sent to Chemainus from England, to install and operate steam powered machinery for the local lumber mill. He eventually left the mill, which then employed about twenty-five men, and today is still sprawled across the landscape of town and is still an important part of the logging legacy of MacMillan & Bloedel. When he first built the Croft and Severne's "Horseshoe Hotel", it was a posting house for horses and carriages, and a port of call for loggers and sailors. According to one of the town's history books, a liquor license was granted in 1883, because, "there is no house of entertainment between Nanaimo and Maple Bay." Matthew eventually acquired much property, became a landowner and farmer, and supplied the Inn with such succulent luxuries as venison, grouse, quail, pheasant, poultry, home-cured ham and bacon, and cream so thick, that a spoon could stand up in it. He employed his nephew Fred Chatters, who eventually moved to Nanaimo, to serve in the bar and his son Jack, worked as his father did, as a mechanic in the mill. Loggers from the camps stayed in the Inn & filled with good beer, would stage wrestling bouts with a black bear chained to a tree out back, which today, still carries the marks from the chain that held him.
The hotel reached the height of it's glory under the management of Emily Collyer, who once held a post in the household of Queen Victoria. Signed pictures of the Queen and photographs of British aristocracy adorned the wall of the Inn, and Emily's table was often visited by the "better families" of Europe, known as far as the Old Country for the excellence of it's cuisine and fine damask linens. When Emily died, her son Arthur Collyer, who was a connoisseur of fine wines, became innkeeper. Many a good cellar in the West, by his advise, was stocked with vintages, and it's likely that the ships putting into the Chemainus port for lumber, carried the sherries, ports and champagnes that Arthur sold to the discriminating. His daughter currently resides in Victoria, and we very recently visited by her children, who immensely enjoyed being toured through our quaint and beautiful lobby, dining room and hotel rooms.
The Inn still has records of the proprietors who came into ownership after the Collyers, however, those stories will have to be revealed another time. We are presently in the midst of planning a 120 year celebration for the Inn, so stayed tuned for more history and upcoming events.
Original story sources:
~Gwen Cash (Described as Canada's first female general news reporter, worked for the Province, the Prince George Citizen, the Victoria Times-Colunist, and served for a period as head of public relations for the Victorian Empress Hotel.)
~Chemainus Archives
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
The day the music died
I'm sure everyone at some point in their life have sung or boisterously joined others in singing this famous tribute. What most probably don't realize, though, is how many events, movements, and history inspired this song. It's really quite fascinating.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ycgegp0KdE4
Another awesome follow up to the video, of Tommy Allsup explaining in detail, the tragic night.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r4_8pjJPxo
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Another scary tale of "Woah"!
Well that was quick! (It almost seems, a response to my earlier blog)
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/08/10/port-north.html?ref=rss
I'm impressed that Harper is taking somewhat quick action on trying to stake our claim, however, what's disheartening about the whole issue, is that they're not doing it for the reasons we wish they were. As with the outlying parties interested, it's all about money, and potential money. Can we as concerned citizens do anything to protect our little piece of environment? Keep it from being raped and pillaged? Wouldn't that warm the cockles of our hearts, to think that our country's PM had conservation in the works? Personally, I think our cockles shall remain "as cold as ice"!
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/08/10/port-north.html?ref=rss
I'm impressed that Harper is taking somewhat quick action on trying to stake our claim, however, what's disheartening about the whole issue, is that they're not doing it for the reasons we wish they were. As with the outlying parties interested, it's all about money, and potential money. Can we as concerned citizens do anything to protect our little piece of environment? Keep it from being raped and pillaged? Wouldn't that warm the cockles of our hearts, to think that our country's PM had conservation in the works? Personally, I think our cockles shall remain "as cold as ice"!
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Is Canada Too N"ice"?
I am not a journalist, a scientist, or a conspiracy theorist, however, as a Canadian citizen who is fiercely loyal to this beautiful country, I am deeply concerned with the contents of these two articles (below)I read on our Arctic Northwest Passage.
As part of Harper's 2006 campaign promise, he pledged to defend Canada's Arctic sovereignty, yet in reading the most recent article, I find that Canada has been, as usual, rather unprogressive in establishing our jurisdiction on our Canadian passageway.
It states that: "Russia, is currently trying to extend its 200 nautical mile limit almost up to the Pole itself, to claim the vast mineral and energy resources many feel lie underneath the Arctic ice. To plant an actual Russian flag, in a titanium capsule, at the base of the North Pole, 4,200 meters below sea level." Sounding a little scary yet?
"The Canadian government says the jurisdiction is clear — they're Canadian waters. But the U.S. and some other countries, especially now Russia, don't agree. They see the Northwest Passage as an international strait that any ship should be free to transit. And increasingly, they are seeing the Arctic seabed as a resource to be carved up among certain northern nations."
Now, to illustrate why International corporations would be interested, the second article explains the rate in which the Arctic ice is melting. Scientists from Environment Canada are showing the ice to be melting by 70,000 sq km/year, which is equivalent of Lake Superior!
It is a fact, that worldwide corporations have recently invested billions of dollars in ice navigating ships.
Our foreign minister, does not seem to be too concerned with these little tidbits, and I am left to wonder, if we/they are going to wake up any time soon, and loudly state our dominion and blatantly leave our scent on this precious territory to protect it and ourselves, before it can be left for International interpretation.
To quote from our National Anthem, as did one of the articles:
"The true north strong and free"
......lets hope so.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/cdnmilitary/arctic.html
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/northwest-passage/
As part of Harper's 2006 campaign promise, he pledged to defend Canada's Arctic sovereignty, yet in reading the most recent article, I find that Canada has been, as usual, rather unprogressive in establishing our jurisdiction on our Canadian passageway.
It states that: "Russia, is currently trying to extend its 200 nautical mile limit almost up to the Pole itself, to claim the vast mineral and energy resources many feel lie underneath the Arctic ice. To plant an actual Russian flag, in a titanium capsule, at the base of the North Pole, 4,200 meters below sea level." Sounding a little scary yet?
"The Canadian government says the jurisdiction is clear — they're Canadian waters. But the U.S. and some other countries, especially now Russia, don't agree. They see the Northwest Passage as an international strait that any ship should be free to transit. And increasingly, they are seeing the Arctic seabed as a resource to be carved up among certain northern nations."
Now, to illustrate why International corporations would be interested, the second article explains the rate in which the Arctic ice is melting. Scientists from Environment Canada are showing the ice to be melting by 70,000 sq km/year, which is equivalent of Lake Superior!
It is a fact, that worldwide corporations have recently invested billions of dollars in ice navigating ships.
Our foreign minister, does not seem to be too concerned with these little tidbits, and I am left to wonder, if we/they are going to wake up any time soon, and loudly state our dominion and blatantly leave our scent on this precious territory to protect it and ourselves, before it can be left for International interpretation.
To quote from our National Anthem, as did one of the articles:
"The true north strong and free"
......lets hope so.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/cdnmilitary/arctic.html
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/northwest-passage/
Friday, August 3, 2007
Just a tad bit green
Now that I can feebly navigate my way around this blogger thing, I will definitely read over my posts, before "pressing the button". I will also check my spelling & grammar with what little skill I possess in those subjects, and I have no idea if I'll have any readers, but if so, I fully encourage any comments or critiques.
Sailing without the "sheets"
As sad as it is to admit it; I have lived a stones throw away, from the Pacific Ocean for a little over 17yrs, and until yesterday, had never gone sailing! *hangs her head in shame*
I have done many other sports/activities on & around the ocean, but never specifically sailing.
To clarify, I'm not known for being a girly-girl, not that there's anything wrong with that, however, I was unsure on what to wear. The forecast showed a 28C for the early evening, with no chance of rain. Now, even in the best of summer's, my skin does not normally darken past the ivory hue of vampire flesh, so I really was a little concerned on attire. I had my lotion, my hat & sunglasses, and ended up deciding on a light beige pair of capri's and a white cotton T. There was also the issue of leg shaving, so thought it best to leave the shorts and/or bathing suit at home. MISTAKE! I think we all shed about 5Lb's before even leaving the docks - it was a SCORCHER! Thank god, I had the foresight to bring beer & ice.
The company was absolutely perfect (my Mom), our host & captain of the vessel was engaging, full of stories, humorous, appreciative of our beautiful habitat, graciously informed us on surrounding islands, folklore, nautical terms & descriptions, and some of his own family members & background. His baby is a 1982 Catalina 27' which he has owned for about 15 years, and couldn't be more in love. He does however, share her with his wife, as often as their life allows it. He is retired, per se, and partners in a landscaping business on one of the local islands, which puts a smile on his face, most times than naught. He explains that one of the enjoyments of doing this, over the 38yr career he had, is that he can leave this venture whenever he chooses. For the time being though, he is still enjoying what he does.
Interestingly enough, he has done jobs for a few well-known names: one being Robert Bateman, who according to our seafarer, is one of the most down to earth, kindest people he's had the pleasure of meeting. (Who also is one of my personal heroes - artist/conservationist/human rights defender/naturalist/environmentalist/you get the idea-ist)
To get back to the original concept of this post, the sailing was amazing to me for all of the enjoyment factors of being on the ocean on a beautiful day, exploring a small sample of the beauty this world possesses, seeing the sights, smelling the smells & tasting the salt and hops on my lips. So here's the kicker:
We didn't once, in the 3hrs, get a chance to fly the sails! The ocean was as still as glass, with not even a whisper of a breeze. Like I said, it was amazing to me, for I had never been on a sailboat, so we only motored along at about 4 knots for the entire trip, yet I so thoroughly enjoyed myself, I'm sure our host thought me to be a bit simple. He actually felt really bad that I didn't get to experience the thrill of "opening up the sheets", and we made another date to bring my hubby for next time. To finish off the evening, he took us up to the yacht club, introduced us to some longtime friends and treated us to a drink out on the patio, overlooking the marina. What an adventure for a Wednesday night!
I have done many other sports/activities on & around the ocean, but never specifically sailing.
To clarify, I'm not known for being a girly-girl, not that there's anything wrong with that, however, I was unsure on what to wear. The forecast showed a 28C for the early evening, with no chance of rain. Now, even in the best of summer's, my skin does not normally darken past the ivory hue of vampire flesh, so I really was a little concerned on attire. I had my lotion, my hat & sunglasses, and ended up deciding on a light beige pair of capri's and a white cotton T. There was also the issue of leg shaving, so thought it best to leave the shorts and/or bathing suit at home. MISTAKE! I think we all shed about 5Lb's before even leaving the docks - it was a SCORCHER! Thank god, I had the foresight to bring beer & ice.
The company was absolutely perfect (my Mom), our host & captain of the vessel was engaging, full of stories, humorous, appreciative of our beautiful habitat, graciously informed us on surrounding islands, folklore, nautical terms & descriptions, and some of his own family members & background. His baby is a 1982 Catalina 27' which he has owned for about 15 years, and couldn't be more in love. He does however, share her with his wife, as often as their life allows it. He is retired, per se, and partners in a landscaping business on one of the local islands, which puts a smile on his face, most times than naught. He explains that one of the enjoyments of doing this, over the 38yr career he had, is that he can leave this venture whenever he chooses. For the time being though, he is still enjoying what he does.
Interestingly enough, he has done jobs for a few well-known names: one being Robert Bateman, who according to our seafarer, is one of the most down to earth, kindest people he's had the pleasure of meeting. (Who also is one of my personal heroes - artist/conservationist/human rights defender/naturalist/environmentalist/you get the idea-ist)
To get back to the original concept of this post, the sailing was amazing to me for all of the enjoyment factors of being on the ocean on a beautiful day, exploring a small sample of the beauty this world possesses, seeing the sights, smelling the smells & tasting the salt and hops on my lips. So here's the kicker:
We didn't once, in the 3hrs, get a chance to fly the sails! The ocean was as still as glass, with not even a whisper of a breeze. Like I said, it was amazing to me, for I had never been on a sailboat, so we only motored along at about 4 knots for the entire trip, yet I so thoroughly enjoyed myself, I'm sure our host thought me to be a bit simple. He actually felt really bad that I didn't get to experience the thrill of "opening up the sheets", and we made another date to bring my hubby for next time. To finish off the evening, he took us up to the yacht club, introduced us to some longtime friends and treated us to a drink out on the patio, overlooking the marina. What an adventure for a Wednesday night!
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