At 9am this morning there was a knock at the door and a film crew of five tromped in, armed with tripods, cameras, lights, baffles (and Purdy's chocolates). Turns out, the Royal BC Museum in Victoria is creating an exhibit about the BC Gold Rush and, for this, had asked if they could come and interview Cole as part of a 15-minute film. I was expecting one interviewer and one camera-man. But no. What with camera-men, interviewer, producer, script-writer, and curator, I think there were seven. Then where to film? Cole rather favoured the nook, but when we saw all the stuff ...! Even the living room barely held it all.
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| My large harp wheeled out, the furniture shifted ... |
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| … even the piano - and a movie set was created |
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| The professor, in his favourite Ottawa-Valley chair, ready to talk ... |
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| … then, pouring over Mike Kennedy's map of Chinese placer mining sites in the Fraser Canyon (in "BC Studies") |
Not sure what they will make of Cole's talk, but, eavesdropping from out-of-sight in the back hall, I found it fascinating. Cole just knows this time and place, and can put his thoughts into such good words. I love it! I always learn stuff. Today, for example, that there were only about 200 non-native people on the BC mainland before the gold rush (in 1857) - mostly fur-traders. Then came 25,000-30,000 men in 1858, mostly from California. Mainland BC was not yet a British colony, but the Colonial Office in London acted fast and created the Crown Colony of British Columbia that year, pre-empting annexation by the US. One consequence was that the eastern "Canadians" could now see the possibility of a trans-continental country.
Phew. Wiltshire Street is now restored to its usual tranquil state. I was told the exhibit opens in Victoria in May, runs through the summer, then goes to the Museum of History in Ottawa. May see it there!
Exciting!
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