About BC Books Online
BC Books Online was created for anyone interested in BC-published books, and with librarians especially in mind. We'd like to make it easy for library staff to learn about books from BC publishers - both new releases and backlist titles - so you can inform your patrons and keep your collections up to date.
Our site features print books and ebooks - both new releases and backlist titles - all of which are available to order through regular trade channels. Browse our subject categories to find books of interest or create and export lists by category to cross-reference with your library's current collection.
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Description
This historical biography - based on the life of British Columbia pioneer John Muir - tells the amazing story of a family from Scotland who came out to Canada in the late 1840s to work as "consignee" labourers for the Hudson's Bay Company. Daryl Ashby recreates the story of the Muirs' struggle to develop a place for themselves in the hierarchic colony ruled by James Douglas. With their vision of a country based on democratic principles, the Muirs fought to bring a new way of life to the West Coast.
Drawing on the Muir family diaries, Ashby recounts the family's voyage from Scotland, their first years of toil in the coal mines near Fort Rupert on northern Vancouver Island, and their challenge to the Company when they initiated what may have been the first strike in Canada. Muir went on to acquire property and became an important figure in the economic development of the province. Muir built the first successful steam-operated sawmill in B.C. and developed the largest privately owned fleet of ships in the Northwest. He became a magistrate with his own sense of justice for the working man, and later a Member of the first Legislative Assembly.
So fascinating is Muir's personality and so intriguing is his struggle for a democratic way of life that his life's story reads at times like a novel. Ashby is to be commended for vividly bringing back to life this historic figure, a man who deserves to be better known in his own right and for his contribution to the development of the West.
Contributor Notes
Daryl Ashby is an independent historian who has researched the lives of the Muir family for over a decade. He searched out their original homesite at Fort Rupert on northern Vancouver Island and the site of their sawmill and home in Sooke. He has lived in Victoria for most of his life and has a solid knowledge of local history. He cut his teeth in the Lands Department, Surveys and Mapping Branch of the provincial government, graduating to a forestry position with Eurocan Pulp & Paper in Kitimat. The love of Victoria brought him back three years later as an engineering consultant in the development of numerous subdivisions and commercial projects throughout Greater Victoria. Next, he held an engineering position for Central Saanich, followed by director of engineering services and approving officer for the District of North Saanich. In his free time he served as an alderman for the Township of Sidney and a council member for the CRD Advisory Commission. Daryl now works as a successful realtor within the Greater Victoria, Saanich Peninsula and western communities. His knowledge and familiarity with local government is unsurpassed. He is presently at work on a second book about early Canadian history. He lives with his wife, Cheryl, and their family in the Greater Victoria region.
Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age:
- 14
- Grade:
- 9
