Lest we forget Remembrance Day – November 11 This Monday will mark the 101st anniversary of the end of hostilities in the First World War. Last year, as part of the 100th anniversary, the Canadian government digitized the records of the personnel who served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) and have made these records […]
Tag Archives | Cortes Island
Lilies – Living History – The Heritage Garden at the Cortes Island Museum
Lilies provide fragrance and colour in early summer and bloom at the same time as roses and lavender. Regale lilies Lilium regale have been in western gardens since the early 1900s, and this beautiful trumpet lily is famous, fragrant and long-lasting. Aurelian trumpet lilies Lilium aurelianense were developed in the mid-1950s in the USA. They […]
Judith Williams’s Book Launch
The Cortes Museum and Archives Society presented Cortes Island’s author Judith Williams (in Mansons Hall on Sunday, June 9, 2019) for a book launch and slide show based on her new book, Raincoast Chronicles 24: Cougar Companions, Bute Inlet Country and the Legendary Schnarrs, which examines the history of Bute Inlet and traces the remarkable story of the […]
GLOWING FISH (rotten and otherwise)
Text and photographs are by Christian Gronau unless indicated otherwise. This story reminded me of a story and then another: A friend, after walking his dog at night on a Cortes Island beach, reported how some old and smelly fish remains, being pawed by his excited companion, glowed in a pale bluish-green light. He had […]
Gilean Douglas Poetry Night
An evening of poetry and reminiscences, caringly hosted by artist Tanya Henck, was held at the Cortes Island Museum to honour the memory of the writer Gilean Douglas, who died on Hallowe’en 25 years ago. The event marked the beginning of a series of exhibits celebrating 20 years of programming at the museum and drew […]
Hoping to Curry Favour!
This young raven had a rough day. I found him late this afternoon while gathering eggs during a lull in the rainstorm. He may have been hung up for as long as five hours. The chickens didn’t seem overly alarmed and luckily for the raven, the farmer was not overly alarmed! With Donna’s help using […]
Still Alive and Skipping
A few years ago this unremarkable photograph of an unassuming little brown butterfly was taken on the foliage of a Cortes Island butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii). During the 2017 Bio-Blitz, the image was brought to the attention of Libby Avis and her husband Rick from Port Alberni – both are local experts in matters lepidopteran […]
A Zero Tide
Friday the 13th was special for more than its usual notoriety. Just after noon, we had a zero tide. This is a relatively rare event, often not happening for a number of years. The “zero tide” refers to the tide height. Typically for this area “a low tide” is measured in the range of 2 […]
The Schools of Squirrel Cove – by Lynne Jordan
At the beginning of the 1900s, Squirrel Cove on the east side of Cortes Island was a hub of activity for homesteaders, loggers, fishermen, miners and trappers. They came from all the surrounding islands for supplies, groceries, mail, repairs, radios and dances in the hall. There were two stores, a post office, church, hall, two […]
HUGE THANKS to George Sirk
HUGE THANKS to George Sirk for so ably entertaining those attending the Cortes Museum’s AGM on March 18th. George, with some help from wife Kim, regaled guests with hilarious tales of travels, animals, birds, volcanoes, flowers and jungles in Costa Rica. In his inimitable way, George transported everyone to this lush land with his amazing photos. […]
Hiking in West Greenland
Eighty-five Islanders were treated to a vicarious adventure at Manson’s hall on Sunday afternoon, 25 February 2018. Using her excellent photographs and maps of the area, Iris Steigemann described her experiences trekking in West Greenland and the reason why she returns so often to hike along the Arctic Circle Trail. Amy Robertson, Anna Ochsenbein and […]
2017 Christmas Bird Count
On a very rainy Sunday, December 17, 2017, thirty-five bird enthusiasts attended the CBC – Christmas Bird Count Day, sponsored by the Cortes Island Museum, Audubon Society and Bird Studies Canada. In the heavy at times and continuous rain, with water covered eye glasses, binoculars and cameras, it was difficult to spot and recognize birds. […]
