Tea and Tales 2015


Tea & Tales is a museum program that runs for seven weeks each summer. Every Tuesday from 2-4pm during July and August the museum hosts a tea and presents a tale on various topics relating to Pemberton's History. This year our theme is the Transportation. Admission is $2.
The following videos are edited versions of each talk. For a copy of these or any of our Tea & Tale presentations please Contact Us. Accession 015.42
![]() ![]() | School, Spuds, Turnips & Cream - Life After the RailwaySchool, Spuds, Turnips & Cream. This tale explains how the lives of people in Pemberton changed after the Railway arrived in 1914. We will present information about the first schools, and early farming institutions that were formed to market and ship agricultural products in Pemberton - turnips, cream, and potatoes. To see a clip of Pemberton farmers planting potatoes in 1957 watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=643fa3HPb4gWatch Video |
![]() ![]() | By Water, By Trail - The Douglas Gold Rush TrailThis Tale presents the early settlement history of Pemberton B.C. starting with the gold rush period through to 1888 when John Currie arrived. Learn about the first Hudson Bay explorers who came through this region, the 1846 Oregon Treaty, the 1858 Gold Rush, Governor James Douglas, Mathew Begbie, Arthur Bushby, the smallpox epidemic of 1862, 1st Pre-emptions and the end of this era and some of the legends from the period after the gold rush.Watch Video |
![]() ![]() | Railway Dreams - Connection to the CoastThis tale explains the importance of the Squamish Harbour after the railway arrived in 1914. Eric Andersen tells us how important the Squamish harbour was back when it was first created and how important it still is today. He tells us about the creation of railway, the Squamish Harbour as a major export, tourism in the area, and his ideas for the future of Squamish and the Howe Sound transportation corridor.Watch Video |
![]() ![]() | Twelve Bridges and Miles of Muck - Early Roads and TaxesNiki brings everyone back in time to explore what the roads were really like in Pemberton before the Highway came through. She covers the topic of taxes, bridges and even shows us the first car that came to Pemberton.Watch Video |
![]() ![]() | Lil'wat Fleet of Foot - First TrailsRandy Bouchard, Dorothy Kennedy and Johnny Jones' presentation on the Lil'wat Nation's first trails. One of the themes in the museum’s collection mandate is “Those who were here first” and to provide accurate information about the First Trails in the area that eventually led to modern transportation routes we asked for some help from some experts. The “First Trails” exhibit panel we created for the Transportation Exhibit used the local expertise of Johnny Jones and the Lil’wat Lands & Resource department. We also had help from anthropologists Randy Bouchard and Dorothy Kennedy who generously donated their time to review and proof the information we gathered. We are very grateful Randy & Dorothy were available to present their knowledge about First Trails based on their ethnographic research in the area and their book titled The Lil’wat World of Charlie Mack – which is also for sale at the museum. For over four decades, including two decades devoted intensively to ethnographic and linguistic fieldwork in First Nations’ communities, Bouchard and Kennedy have specialized in full-time anthropological and historical research relating to the Aboriginal cultures of British Columbia, Washington State and, more recently, Alberta and the Yukon. They have co-authored hundreds of reports and publications relating to the ethnography and ethno history of Aboriginal peoples. We’re also grateful for the assistance of Johnny Jones who is a cultural resource technician with Lil’wat Nation and has spent his lifetime walking and studying Lil’wat traditional lands. Johnny Jones is a regular contributor to the museum and helps us source hard to find information whenever we request it.Watch Video |
![]() ![]() | The Bridge River - The Powerhouse ProjectNiki brings us the inside scoop on the Bridge River Project. The project was thought of in 1912 when a surveyor was in the area and noticed the short distance between the lakes. It wasn't until 1927 that a company started to build the hydroelectric dam. It was completed in 1948, and still runs to this day.Watch Video |
![]() ![]() | 1958 Aug 7 Seaview Highway Opens Vancouver to Squamish SHS ArchiveThursday, August 7, 1958: Celebrating BC's Centennial Year On this day in history, the Seaview Highway opened a mainland route from Vancouver to Squamish. A huge motorcade travelling north from Horseshoe Bay and a motorcade travelling south from Pemberton met in Squamish that afternoon. A four day celebration followed. Squamish Historical Society Archives. All rights reserved.Watch Video |
![]() ![]() | Driving up to Whistler 1958 - Petersen Film CollectionDriving up to Whistler in 1958. Highway 99. Film part of the Petersen Film Collection. Whistler Museum. www.whistlermuseum.orgWatch Video |
![]() ![]() | It's a Little Scary in Places- Highway 99Long time locals Bob Walker, Bob Priest and Milton Fernandez share their stories of their memories of driving the early hydro tote road, which became highway 99 in the 60's. We share their memories via video. Brenda McLeod will also be our guest speaker and she will share her memories of driving the road south from Squamish when it first opened in 1958.Watch Video |