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February 1998 WEST VANCOUVER HISTORICAL SOCIETY Page 3 AND THIS IS THE WAY IT WAS Barb Johnson^ ContrWutions Editor When Ghosts Haunted the Gloaming in West Vancouver Today (sometime in the 1920's) I am shivering in anticipation of this evening’s walk. After supper, in the company of our Irish neighbour, Mrs. \^ckeiy, we will set off for our trek from our house at 1046 Mathers Avenue to the Cemetery. I am sure that there is no one who can equal Mrs. \^ckeiy for her ability to tell exciting stories. She came from Ireland as a young woman and her two daughters, Effie (Sutherland) and Betty (Kirk), of our Historical Society, were steeped in leprechauns and elves from babyhood; what a thrilling life even if they only half believe. At last, my sister Betty and I see her and her daughters climbing the Eleventh Street htil. We wave and shout, “Hurry, hurry”, encouraging them, as we just can’t wait. We walk along Mathers Avenue through a tunnel of overhanging trees. We children chatter as we go, not pressing for the stories to begin. We know she will start when the time is right. The road is hardly more than a gravel path, which was once a wooden roadway. This was a busy road when two sawmills flourished here, about 1900. They too are gone, long grown over so we can barely tell they ever existed. There are no homes here. At last, at Third Street we enter the trail in to the cemetery grounds. Only a small area is cleared for use, the nicest area. This is an elevation overlooking the Capilano River below with the lights of Vancouver city coming on in the distance. Gloaming is approaching and the time for story telling has arrived. There are no memorial statues or stones in our West Vancouver burial ground; only slabs with names and dates carved there on. We find slabs near each other and sit on them, expectantly. We draw deep breaths. “You know kids, I can remember one day when I was about 12 years old,” she begins, her Irish accent sounding quietly on the darkening air, “there was a big old house in our area, long abandoned and falling gradually into merely a shell of a ruin.” She is off and we sit enthralled under her spell, knowing there will be at least one ghost to haunt that ancient dwelling. We shiver a little and huddle a little closer to our friends, forgetting for the moment that our witch is our friends’ mother. It is dark by the time the tale is through and she rises to start us off home. We beg for ‘just one more story’, but our time is over. Mrs. Mckeiy lights the “bug” she has brought with her (a candle in a jam tin,carried on a piece of wire) and we trek homeward by its flickering light. All the way we cling to each other’s hands and to Mrs. Mckeiy’s skirt, the bushes on each side of the trail forming scary shapes in the dim light. Mrs. Vickery sees us to our door and heads for home with her girls. Will we all dream of ghosts tonight? It is such good fun to be half scared out of your wits each time. I hope that another late evening walk happens soon. PLAN: WEST VANCOLTVER PARKS & RECREATION A1926 Plan of the Capilano View Cemetery Editor’s Notes: The area of the cemetery mentioned by Barbara is to the right of centre, marked A & B. The Mathers entrance is now the service entrance; the present entrance is from Third Street allowance; Kings Avenue never was extended. Each square represents 10 plots; walkways and several roadways have been infilled. A full sized map is on display at the Museum. For more info contact Community Archivist, David Wardle, 925-7298 HISTORY BOOK ALERT AROUND the SOUND A History of Howe Sound - Whistler Author: Doreen Armitage Again, we look forward to the privilege of having as guest speaker at our General Meeting an author of a recently published book on the history of our own back yard, so to speak. Though hard to come by, I found a copy of Doreen Armitage’s book at Amber Bookstore and thoroughly enjoyed the read. With luck she may have copies at our meeting. Doreen Armitage, an active member of our neighbouring North Shore Historical Society, has made an exceptionally fine choice oftopically interesting subjects for her book. Researched with care and attention to detail from a wide range of well documented primary and secondary sources, she has woven together stories of individuals and events to form a vivid historical tapestry of Howe Sound. Over a hundred illustrations are included; b&w photos, maps and documents. In no way limiting herself to a particular time period the author has covered the ftill gamut, including geological formation , aboriginal histoiy and life styles, early settlements and industrial development. Refreshingly, she follows through with recent history of business, industry and politics. Doreen makes full use of anecdotal material and excerpts from oral histories that blend well in her easy narrative style. Although chock-fiiU of facts and information, it reads as easily as a travel book. Contained herein are answers to all your questions, and the ones you have been asked, on the who, when where and why about the Howe Sound. ^y. Waring Pentland