An excerpt from the spring edition of British Columbia History

1 Ancient Artifacts or Forgeries?

These thrifted artifacts have prompted many questions. (Photo: Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, SFU)

Simon Fraser University archaeology students will flex their detective muscles in a new course this fall designed to determine whether a collection of rings and medallions is real — or fake.

The story begins with a donation to Thrifty Boutique in Chilliwack by a customer who said the items were potentially ancient. The thrift store contacted SFU’s Department of Archaeology to determine whether 11 decorated rings and two ornate medallions are historically significant. Archaeology faculty and the university’s Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology conducted a visual survey and decided the artifacts appear to be dated from the late antiquity period (3rd–6th century) and/or the medieval period.

The collection has been donated to SFU. However, with no known provenance, ethical questions have emerged: If the artifacts are forgeries, should the museum acquire them? If looted from a real hoard, should they be returned? This fall, instructors from the archaeology department will guide students through the more meticulous process of determining whether the collection is authentic. The students and instructors will probe the ethics related to the ways museums acquire collections and where this collection should end up — if it’s the real deal. 

2 Cataline Monument Restored

Restored Cataline burial monument at Gitanmaax Cemetery, Old Hazelton. (Photo courtesy Thomas Roper)

When Thomas Roper located a burial monument for the legendary packer Cataline at the Gitanmaax Cemetery, the stone was disintegrating and its plaque and horseshoe had been stolen. Thomas decided BC’s most famous packer deserved more respect and after consulting the Gitanmaax Band at Old Hazelton he began restoration with the help of Floyd Kennedy (who redesigned the plaque) and a stone mason, Trevor Doerksen. A heavy-duty mechanic by trade, Thomas is a self-described history buff “who tends to wander graveyards checking for stories of our pioneers.” 

Cataline (Jean Caux) arrived in BC from Southern France during the 1858 gold rush, and he quickly learned there was more money to be made by transporting supplies to miners. He worked with mules from Yale to Barkerville, along the Telegraph Trail near Hazelton, and in the Omineca region. Cataline was noted for his reliability, an uncanny memory (illiterate, he remembered every item delivered), and an odd habit of rubbing whisky into his fulsome hair.

With restoration now complete, Thomas says there are plans to further honour Cataline on horseback this summer. “Hopefully close to Pioneer Days in Hazelton we will ride from the paddlewheeler on the Skeena up to his gravesite and celebrate one historical character from Hazelton. … It is quite beautiful as Cataline looks out over the confluence of the Bulkley and Skeena rivers.

3 Tomey: The Unyielding Spirit of Tomekichi Homma

Illustrator Ally Adachi and author Jeff Chiba Stearns. (Photo courtesy Jeff Chiba Stearns)

A panel from Tomey, the graphic novel. (Courtesy Jeff Chiba Stearns)

A new graphic novel tracing the story of a Japanese Canadian social justice pioneer is being offered free to Canadian schools and libraries. Tomekichi (Tomey) Homma fought for equal pay for Japanese fishermen in the late 1800s and, later, for the right to vote. As a naturalized citizen he took his argument all the way to the Privy Council in London, but lost. Tomey died in a Slocan Valley internment camp before the vote became a reality in 1949 — his son Seiji was part of the successful campaign. 

BC author and filmmaker Jeff Chiba Stearns took on the challenge to create a book for younger readers after being approached by the Asia Pacific Foundation and National Coalition of Canadians Against Anti Asian Racism. “Back in the spring of 2023, I was asked to visit Tomekichi Homma Elementary [in Richmond] for a round of author talks. I actually had no idea who Tomekichi Homma was. While there, I learned about his contribution to Canadian civil rights. I was pretty blown away that I hadn’t heard about him before as I’m very well connected with the Japanese Canadian community.”

The graphic novel is dialogue driven, and Jeff worked with Tomekichi’s granddaughter to bring an authentic voice to her remarkable ancestor. “I wanted young readers to be inspired by Tomekichi’s story especially when there is so much happening in the world that requires people to stand up and have their voices heard!”  

Download a PDF version of Tomey, The Unyielding Spirit of Tomekichi Homma at https://tinyurl.com/4j2w47zw

4 From Confederation into The Cauldron

Historian Dr. Barry Gough from Confederation series. (Courtesy Canada History Society)

Erudite historian and former BC Historical Federation president Barry Gough, and Greg Scott, a fellow member of the Canada History Society, have launched a video series tracing British Columbia’s wild and rocky road to Confederation. A team of college and university students also contributed to the 20-part series that, Barry says, “explores the many reasons and aspects, pro and con, as to how and why BC elected to join Canada in 1871.”

The series marches swiftly through first contact with Indigenous peoples, the gold rush, colonial development and its implications, and the eventual promise of financial support and a railway. This forged the permanent relationship with Canada on July 20, 1871. Margaret Ormsby once described this date as “a moment suspended between empire and nationhood.”

The British Columbia Confederation series can be seen on the Canada History Society website, which also features The Cauldron, an 11-part podcast series hosted by Barry that considers “volatile aspects” of the province’s history between 1871 and 1914, including Indigenous land title, the Komagata Maru episode, and the US pursuit of Manifest Destiny. Greg Scott says the series is designed for historians, enthusiasts, and the curious: "Please take a listen as he [Barry] turns up the heat on the past — and listen to how British Columbia was shaped, heated, and poured into something new.”

Watch and listen on the Canada History Society website: https://canadahistorysociety.ca/video-series-bc-confederation

5 Historic Alexandra Lodge

Ken MacKinnon (Photo: Mark Forsythe)

Pull off the Trans-Canada Highway at Alexandra Lodge in the Fraser Canyon, and without much prompting, Ken MacKinnon will show you his latest restoration work on this Cariboo Wagon Road classic. One of the oldest structures in BC is being restored from top to bottom, and when I visited he pointed to square-headed nails believed to be from the original construction, circa 1863. (There have been three or four layers of additions and alterations over 150 years.)

When Ken and his wife, Shirley, took on this labour of love four years ago, the structure was almost ready to return to the soil, but Ken’s carpentry skills are impressive. New beams and supports, electrical wiring, and a water system that includes a sprinkler system for the roof are bringing back this historic stopping house located 14 miles from Yale — it was the first stop for horses and wagons heading north to the goldfields. The couple are now leaving their RV and moving into a fully renovated upper floor; plans for an art studio, small museum and public access to follow. Watch their progress on Facebook @TheHistoricAlexandraLodge.

Meanwhile, rehabilitation work continues on the nearby Alexandra Bridge (built in 1926), led by the Spuzzum First Nation and New Pathways to Gold Society. A new interpretive kiosk constructed like a pit house sits beside the Alexandra Bridge Park parking lot, highlighting the Spuzzum people’s deep history and cultural traditions at this spectacular site.

Pit house–inspired kiosk at Alexandra Bridge Park. (Photo: Mark Forsythe) 

Mark Forsythe travels through BC and back in time, exploring the unique work of British Columbia Historical Federation members.