The annual Heritage Event presentation, sponsored by the Village of Ashcroft, will be taking place on Sunday, February 26 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the community hall on Bancroft Street. This year’s theme is “Our Canada! Our B.C.!” in honour of Canada’s 150th anniversary, and the event will take a look at Ashcroft before, during, and after its foundation in the 1880s.
We think that there was nothing here in 1867, when Canada became a country; but of course the area had been inhabited for thousands of years before white settlers began arriving in the 19th century. John Haugen of Lytton will start off the event with a look at some of the beautiful First Nations baskets that have been donated to the Ashcroft Museum and Archives. Not only were they put to practical use, they were traded for other goods throughout the Thompson and Cariboo regions. Haugen will be discussing the history and provenance of some of the baskets, and the First Nations people who created them.
Chris Linton of Historic Hat Creek will be discussing—and showing off—some of the clothing that the early pioneers would have worn. What did settlers wear, at work and at play? How quickly or slowly did fashion trends change, in a place so far from Europe and the fashionable eastern cities? And did early female settlers take advantage of an opportunity to wear less constricting clothing, or did they try to remain in vogue?
Other segments of the presentation will look at pioneer settlers such as “Oregon” Jack Dowling and Wilson Henry Sanford, better known as “Boston” Sanford (after whom Boston Flats is named); early politicians from the area, such as Clement Cornwall (who went on to become Lieutenant-Governor) and Charles Semlin, who became B.C.’s premier; area roadhouses (including Hat Creek, Bonaparte House, Ashcroft (Manor), and Oregon Jack’s); and the four founders of Ashcroft.
There will also be a trip up Oregon Jack Valley in search of gold; a look at the many enterprises the Cornwall brothers established; and an account of the most catastrophic event ever to occur in Ashcroft: the Great Fire of July 1916. What was undoubtedly a major blow to many people quickly turned into a story of determination, as people came together to help rebuild the town.
The event is open to everyone, and there is no charge. Refreshments will be served at the intermission, and there will be displays and a PowerPoint presentation. For more information, call Barbara Roden at (250) 457-0749.
