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Pages WEST VANCOUVER HISTORICAL SOCIETY November 1998 Wast Vancouver issa 555 Mueeum&Archives By: Preben Mortensen, Community Records Archivist Hello from the new Archivist As you are no doubt aware, David Wardle is no longer the West Vancouver Community Archivist. My name is Preben Mortensen, and I started woiidng here at the end of September. Prior to coming to West Vancouver, I worked as an Archivist at the Vancouver Art Gallery, the Special Ctdlections department at the UBC Main Library, and have also been a Photo Archivist for the Public Affairs Office at UBC. Archives, even if relatively small, are not always easy to figure out. Therefore, I am still familiarizing myself with the procedures followed by my predecessors so as not to make things even more complicated! One of tty irmnediate goals is to make the archival collection more accessible by improving the quality of the finding aids for the currem collection. Making the descriptions of the holdings uniform and detailed will make it much easier for researchers to find the information they want. The Archives will be open at the same times, Tuesdays and Wednesdays 12:00 to 4:30, however you can arrange an ai^intment if the hours are not convenient. I welcome new volunteers, so if you want to volunteer, give me a call at 925-7298 PS: In case you are wondering, the origin of my name is Danish. I grew up in Denmark, but I have lived in Canada for more than 12 years. Berton Talks to the North Shore (Cont from p. 7) We extend our thanks to Pierre Berton for his kindness in debating his time and energy to us to help raise fimds for the Museum & Archives and the West Vancouver Manorial Library. You can be assured that they will be put to good use in the near future •k it it is It it it WEST VAN FLORIST SHOP IN 1940’s FRCM WEST VAN FLORIST ARCHIVES An ‘‘Old Salt’’ Visits our Meeting (Cont. from p. 6) Scarborough also served in The Lark, Cadboro, and the Beaver - the latter being the first steam ship to be seen on the coast. She consumed very large quantities of wood so wood “caches” were stoclq>iled along her route. The natives were astute traders and tried very hard to buy some of the visiting ships so that they could trade on their own without the Company as intermediary. Fortunately for the Hudson Bay Company, they were unsuccessful. Like many HBC men. Captain Scarborough married a local girl, “Polly”- the daugher of the Chinook tribal chief They built a house on Scarboro Hill overloddng the Columbia, James having been given the land by his father-in-law. After retirement, Scarborough worked as a Bar Pilot and also traded on his own behalf. He is reported to have made a fortune in 1848 by supplying California Gold Rush miners with tools, and was supposed to have buried two chests of gold on his property! This may have led to trouble later. He died in 1855 at the age of 52, a year after Polly, leaving their two sons to be brought up by friends in the Company The property was thoroughly explored many times throughout they years, but no gold has ever beai found. So much for rumour! The US Army eventually took over the prqperty and built a fort there, but things always change and to^y Scarborough Hill is a State Historic Paric, which wo^d surely have pleased that old sea dog James Scarborough!