Raincoast Chronicles 17: Stories and History of the British Columbia Coast

Ann Turner is the financial and budget manager of the University of
British Columbia Library.

While some of the earlier volumes of the Raincoast Chronicles series
have been devoted to particular themes, this one contains a potpourri of
pieces by 12 authors, including one by series editor Howard White on the
Native village site of Kalpalin. Historically, the articles cover a
considerable span of time, from the legendary last battle between the
Sechelt and Kwakiutl nations to a 1972 Opportunities for Youth grant
that established an information centre for Vancouver Island’s West
Coast Trail. Biographical articles feature architect Francis Rattenbury,
early B.C. photographer Hannah Maynard, and the pioneering August
Schnarr Family of Bute Inlet. The horrors of the smallpox epidemics,
which wiped out a third of B.C.’s Native population in the 19th
century, and the peculiarities of The Doctor Book present the darker and
lighter sides of pioneer medicine. Illustrated with historical
photographs, this volume continues the fine Raincoast Chronicles
tradition of making history approachable and enjoyable.