Joe Hilton's recollections as told to the Park Naturalists, Don Gough and Al Midnight
Part of a collection of interviews about the development of BC Parks from members of the Elders Council for Parks in British Columbia. The Elders Council for Parks in British Columbia is an independent society, whose members are retired parks system employees and conservation advocates who have dedicated a significant portion of their lives to parks and protected areas in B.C. Joe Hilton was a pioneer and trapper and one of Manning Parks first Park Rangers. This interview concerns the following topics: SIDE A The fires in Manning Park; Japanese internment camps; man-made wildfires; wildlife; the first moose sighting in the 1950s; animal populations; the Park's history before the 1950s; "cougar dogs;" trapping numbers; bear encounters; trapping stories; lynx encounters; prices for fur; human impact on animal populations; why the Park is experiencing more traffic; mammals in the Park; fish populations; the origin of lakes seeded with fish; how records for trapping were dealt with; lake flow, dams, and drainage; elk populations; the first white trapper; rumors of lost mines; trapper and prospector diplomacy; identifying old buildings; the story behind why "Lone" is the name of everything; when buildings were built; when the trails were constructed (Skyline, Heather); indigenous relations; history of hiking trails, and the steamboat trail. SIDE B A female homesteader of note who lived in the area; ghost stories and legends; the story behind Windy Joe; why there's an old ladder by Strawberry Flats; relationship with farmers; how folks came in before the highway; lost trails; the Great Northern Railway proposal, and when certain diseases entered the Park. NOTE: This recording contains derogatory language describing Indigenous, Japanese, and Chinese peoples.
- In Collection:
- Conservation of natural resources
- Nature conservation--Societies, etc.
- Wilderness areas
- Nature conservation
- BC Parks
- Parks--Employees--Attitudes
- Oral histories
- Gough, Donald George
- Natural areas
- Biodiversity conservation
- National parks and reserves--Management
- Parks
- Parks--Employees
- Wildlife conservation
- Parks--Conservation and restoration
- Midnight, Al
- National parks and reserves
- Parks--Management
- Hilton, Joseph
- Conservation of natural resources--Societies, etc.
- 00:15:47(Side B)
- 00:30:30(Side A)
- 49.06642, -120.78578
- Elders Council for Parks in British Columbia
- Accession Number: 2011-005; Item: 2011-005-01
- Archival Finding Aid: https://search.archives.uvic.ca/elders-council-for-parks-in-british-columbia-fonds
- 2023
- Metadata by KD.
- Rights
- This item is under copyright and made available on this site for research and private study only. Commercial use is prohibited. For all other uses please contact UVic Libraries' Special Collections and University Archives.
- DOI
