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During my research for the upcoming exhibition, Mountaineers: Community Experience in Chilliwack’s Mountains, I’ve discovered some great accounts of women exploring the local ranges. In fact, one of the initial factors that drew me to the exhibition theme, is that climbing and exploration of the nearby mountains has long been an activity for all genders to enjoy. The following is one example.

When William Knight led a party of seven up Lhílheqey (Mt. Cheam) in 1907, his daughters Irene and Gertrude, along with Mina Carleton and Carolyn Macken, joined the climb to the peak. Unlike today, this journey was a challenging multi-day climb that involved hiking up the north side of the mountain from a trail near Bridal Falls. Camping several nights on the mountainside, scrambling along loose rock, and at least one hold-your-breath dash along a narrow ledge were required parts of the climb.

To make the journey more practical, the women of 1907 eschewed the dress conventions of the day by wearing short(er) skirts. While still considered long and hampering by today’s standards, a member of the climbing party, Carl Grossman, observed that, “The girls had donned their climbing clothes and looked like a lot of school kids. Their skirts were cut to the knees and looked very funny.”¹

Irene (Knight) Bunt and her sister Gertrude (Knight) Barber were in fact regular climbers of Lhílheqey (Mt. Cheam) and accompanied their father on countless trips to the peak. Bunt later recalled, “As a child we lived at Popcum and saw Cheam very well. Most years my father, William Knight, would take parties of young people up in August. We would leave early Monday morning and not get back until Sat. p.m. It was a delightful trip and we all…enjoyed it.”²

Unfortunately for Barber, she never reached the very top of the mountain. It appears that the various hiking parties inevitably had at least one member with a fear of heights, and poor “Gertie” was always selected to bring them back down to an easier part of the trail.

For more accounts such as this, make sure you visit our exhibition Mountaineers: Community Experience in Chiliwack’s Mountains when it opens at the Chilliwack Museum and Archives on May 18, 2018.

(Read more about the group’s climb in this 1907 article from the Progress archives.)

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1. Letter from Carl Grossman, 25 August 1907, AM0014, Grossman family fonds
2. Letter from Irene (Knight) Bunt to the Chilliwack Historical Society, 11 November 1985, AM0606, 1985.092, Irene Bunt fonds

Here at the Museum we are planning the next exhibition, Mountaineers: A History of Community Use on the Skagit Range. We are actively involved in the research and community outreach phase, and are contacting local individuals and community groups about their mountain experiences. We are also looking for loans or donations of equipment and gear associated with hiking and exploring the Skagits.

Which mountains are the Skagits? The Skagit Range is a subsection of the Cascade Mountains that extends to the Fraser River in the north, down to Washington in the south. Famous peaks include Lhilheqey (Mt. Cheam), Selísi (Mt. Slesse), and Loyúmthel (Liumchen Mtn). This area has been used extensively by aboriginal groups for thousands of years, and is included in the Stó:lō First Nation’s S’ólh Téméxw (Our World).

In addition to the community outreach and knowledge gathering we are currently conducting, if any individuals want to reach out we are happy to hear from you. If you have a story, photograph, old journal, or equipment associated with your relationship to the local mountains, don’t hesitate to get in touch. (Remember, a local element is crucial, so while we enjoy hearing stories from other parts of the world, our focus is on the Chilliwack connection.)

So…Did your family have regular backcountry excursions? Were you a member of Chilliwack Search and Rescue, the Chilliwack Outdoor Club, or did your Guides group explore the Skagits? Do you remember your family going out for berry picking excursions, or do you participate in cultural activities in the mountains? Maybe you are ready to retire your old backpack or the trusty hikers that got you through many the upcountry trail…

If so, get in touch with our Curator! Email [email protected], call 604-795-5210, or stop by the Archives at 9291 Corbould St (open M, W, F 9am to 4:30pm; Tu and Th by appointment).

We are interested in a range of modern, as well as traditional and historic, stories, photos and artifacts.

When it comes to fashion, the Chilliwack Museum textile collection has some articles of note, from a pair of 1900’s buffalo fur chaps (1988.030.001a-b) to a 1920’s beaded flapper dress (1995.006.007). Garments such as these provide an example of the changing trends in personal adornment over time, and tell a particular story about the history of Chilliwack.

One such collection that I’ve had the chance to review lately are the fabulous hats of Violet Dickinson. As Mrs. Dickinson was a fixture within the community for over 80 years, her hat collection represents the changing trends in modern headwear, particularly in the era from 1940-1970. Below is a sampling of the styles now held in the Museum collection.

 

The Beret

Sporting a beret, or “tam” style, this rich yellow cap (CMA 2014.077.019) is completed with a matching pom-pom.

The beret and its Scottish variant, the tam-o’-shanter, have a long history and various associations tied to local and military identity, going back to the bronze age. Other associations, as a revolutionary symbol (think Che Guevara) or the Rastafari movement, also follow the beret. As a modern accessory, such caps were worn by cultural icons from Picasso to Thelonious Monk, and the stereotype of the beret-adorned artist exists to this day.  In North America, the look has been a popular fashion accouterment since the 1920’s. In 1933 Chilliwack, you could buy a “beret tam” from David Spencer for .79c.

 

The Pillbox

The pillbox style is characterized by a flat crown, straight upright sides, and by having no brim. Historically, this shape of hat was used as military headgear, however the modern women’s version was invented in the 1930’s, and was perhaps most famously sported by Jackie Kennedy in the 1960’s. This variant on the pillbox style (CMA 2017.044.003) is topped with stiff netting and a flower motif.

 

The Cloche

The third hat (2014.077.016) is shaped in the cloche style, which is characterized by a bell-shaped, close-fitted look. Popularized between 1922 and 1933 (think Josephine Baker), the style enjoyed a resurgence in the 1960’s. This particular hat is made with in a decorative, “lacy straw” style. The gauze bow adds to the delicate appearance of the piece.

 

About Violet Dickinson

Violet Phyllis Dickinson (nee Craven) (b. April 1, 1919, England–d. September 28, 2013) came to Canada with her parents and siblings in 1928. The family lived in Agassiz for a year, then moved to Chilliwack. In 1942 she married S. Perry Dickinson, and they had two daughters. Her hobbies included knitting, making artificial flowers, and collecting and caring for a small aviary, and a large assortment of rare tropical fish. Dickinson is well-known for her role in hosting the “Chat-A Way” Club—an initiative of the Chilliwack branch of Soroptimist International—from her home twice a week during the 1950’s. The club went on to become the Chilliwack Senior Recreation Centre. She continued volunteering in the community throughout her life.

The stereoscopic card was a popular form of household entertainment in the late 19th century. Developed soon after the advent of photography, stereoscopic cards provided the illusion of 3-D imagery. These cards were easily reproducible and fairly inexpensive for individual households to purchase, and consequently enjoyed a worldwide market.

I recently reviewed the Museum’s collection of stereoscopic cards, and while many of the cards portrayed famous events, landmarks and persons—several cards did not. Rather than recording the momentous, these humble scenes portrayed situational jokes and household tableaux.

Most striking among these cards was the humorous scene titled, Tabby as Grandma. This card pictures a well-pleased tabby cat lounging in a comfy armchair, knitting needles at the ready, and neatly dressed as “Grandma.”

The beauty of studying history is how it can inform the present, often in unexpected ways. Let’s take a paws (ahem) and consider Tabby as Grandma from our vantage point—namely, that of internet users in 2017. Today, the undisputed champion of social media shares and viral youtube videos is none other than the felis catus (domestic cat). Both lauded and vilified for possessing low-brow accessibility and tremendous popularity, many the critic have questioned humans rising obsession with felines.

But what if this obsession didn’t just begin in the age of the internet? Looking at Tabby as Grandma, we can infer that cute and/or humourous cat photographs were being produced and distributed en masse as soon as humankind had the technology to do so inexpensively (for instance, with stereoscopic cards).

It does seem to prove that before the internet brought us lolcats, Grumpy Cat, and many the meme, the human love for their furry companions was already a well-established trend. And in fact, have captured our hearts for (at the least) over a century!

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The Tabby as Grandma image was originally published by The Universal Photo Art Co., in Philadelphia, USA.

By Rachel Vandenberg – Archival and Curatorial Assistant

Over the past few months I have been fortunate enough have the opportunity to work at the Chilliwack Museum and Archives as the Archival and Curatorial Assistant. This summer I have been able to learn about archival practices and curatorial management from our awesome Archivist, Tristan Evans, and wonderful Curator, Adrienne Rempel. These two have been great mentors and hilarious co-workers during my time here.

So, what did I do over the summer? Well…

I spent most of my time at the Archives building helping out, and learning from, Tristan and Adrienne. I started out the summer by processing a donation from the Soroptimist Club of Chilliwack. This was quite a large donation, filled with scrapbooks, meeting minutes, and club records, so it was a time-consuming process. Tristan was able to guide me through the process and showed me the ins and outs of being an archivist along the way. As the summer went on I was able to process many more donations. In addition to processing donations, I also learned how to assist researchers and preserve documentary artefacts. One of my favourite parts of working at the archives was meeting the people who bring in donations. Whether they are bringing in a single piece of paper, or a whole box of objects, the donor always has a story to go along with it. Interacting with donors made me realize that the documents and artefacts we work with are deeply connected people and their community.

The first big item on the Museum’s agenda after I was hired was the upcoming exhibit Gold Mountain Dream: Bravely Venture into the Fraser Valley. To my surprise, I was given the opportunity to help with the planning of the exhibit! Adrienne showed me the behind-the-scenes process of how to plan an exhibit. Everything from the small details visitors might not notice, like the font size of text or the level of lighting in the room, to the big details, like which objects are used or what colour the walls will be, is taken into consideration when planning an exhibit.  It was a much more comprehensive process than I had previously imagined. In the end, the exhibit looked amazing and the information is very interesting. You should definitely stop by the museum and have a look! There is so much to learn about British Columbia’s gold rush past and the forgotten history of Chilliwack’s Chinatowns.

Overall, my experience at the Chilliwack Museum and Archives has been incredible! I began this position hoping to gain some valuable work experience in the public history field, but I ended up with a lot more; I got to work with awesome people, be actively involved in my community, and learn so much along the way.