There will soon a be new sculpture in Stanley Park as the Park Board has accepted a statue donated by the Portuguese Joe Memorial Society. The piece, featuring pioneer Joe Silvey (“Portuguese Joe”), will celebrate the ancestral connection of Coast Salish and Portuguese communities in Vancouver.
From the proposal to the Vancouver Park Board:
“The proposed artwork will be a 14-foot bronze sculpture with life-sized representations of Portuguese Joe Silvey and his Coast Salish wives, Khaltinaht and Kwatleematt. The artist, Luke Marston is a recognized Coast Salish artist and the great, great grandson of Silvey and Kwatleematt. The site was chosen as it is the historic location of Portuguese Joe and Khaltinaht’s home.”
Joe was born in Pico, Azores in 1828 and likely arrived in Vancouver between 1858 and 1860 with four or five other Portuguese men in search of gold. The men came down to the Fraser River from the Cariboo on their way to Victoria and were greeted — on the shores of what would be South Vancouver today — by Grand Chief Kiapilano (Joe’s future “grandfather in-law”) and the Musqueam people.
Soon after Joe married Khaltinaht, Kiapilano’s granddaughter. Many years later, Joe described his first wife as a, “pretty girl with dark eyes, and hair down to her middle; large deep, soft eyes.” After honeymooning in Point Roberts, where Joe may have previously lived, he built a house at Coal Harbour near Brockton Point in Stanley Park.1
The artist who created the sculpture, Luke Marston, told the Vancouver Sun: “It is such a great story. When the first settlers came here it was a negative thing (for the First Nations people) but not with him. He married the chief’s granddaughter (Chief Kiapilano) and was accepted by the people.”
Joe and Khaltinaht’s first daughter, Elizabeth, was born between 1864 and 1867 at their home in Stanley Park, around the area of where the 9 O’Clock Gun sits today. Elizabeth became the first child born of European parentage in Vancouver. In 1867, Joe became the first Portuguese person in Canada to receive British Citizenship.
It takes a lot of gumption to open a saloon in Gassy Jack’s town, but Joe did it in 1870. He purchased Lot No. 7 in the Granville Townsite and operated the “Hole in the Wall” near Gassy Jack’s “Globe Saloon”.
1880 – Gastown. Photo credit: Joseph Davis. Archives Item# Dist P11.1.
Disaster struck Joe’s family soon after their second child was born in 1871. His wife Khaltinaht caught a cold in her back and died. She was buried with her people at Musqueam. Devastated, Joe sold his Saloon to some hand loggers and retreated to his home in Stanley Park. He fished in a sloop he had built in Stanley Park, the “Morning Star,” the first European built boat in Vancouver.2
While out fishing in Howe Sound, it’s believe that’s where Joe met his second wife, Kwaham Kwatleematt, a Sechelt woman known as Lucy. She and Joe had ten children before he passed away in 1902.
Today, there are over 500 descendants of Joe Silvey in BC who are very proud of their Portuguese and Aboriginal ancestry. In fact artist Luke Marston is Joe’s great-great grandson. His sculpture is set to be unveiled at the end of September this year.
Update 2015
From the Vancouver Sun: Vancouver Sun Article : “After five years of planning and work, a sculpture by Coast Salish artist Ts’uts’umutl Luke Marston will finally be unveiled Saturday at 2 p.m. in Stanley Park.
The 4.2-metre-high bronze, titled Shore to Shore, is a tribute to Marston’s great, great grandfather, Joe Silvey, and his indigenous wives: Khaltinaht and Kwatleematt. Silvey, known as Portuguese Joe, was one of the first Portuguese immigrants to B.C.
Built at a cost of about $700,000, Shore to Shore was a project that involved the Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh First Nations, the Portuguese-Canadian community in B.C., as well as the governments of Portugal, the Azores, Vancouver and Canada.
The sculpture is located in what was once the traditional village of Xwayxway, where Silvey lived with Khaltinaht. This area is now called Brockton Point.”
1, 2 Portuguese Pioneers of BC.
It’s not everyday that I eat at one of Vancouver’s most award-winning restaurants, but I should definitely do o more often. Last weekend I had brunch at Hawksworth Restaurant in the Rosewood Hotel Georgia for the first time and the company I was with sparkled like the grand chandelier in the main dining area as we all dolled up a bit for the occasion.
I savoured every bite of my sablefish eggs benedict and each sip of my mimosa while my mother went for the traditional English breakfast (complete with baked beans on the side) and Keira-Anne had a modified eggs benedict with avocado and tomato (and a spicy virgin Ceasar).
Other brunch menu items include the House Chorizo Hash (with sunny side eggs, grilled fennel, smoked tomato vinaigrette); Crunchy Duck Salad (with spicy tamarind, bean sprout, cucumber, taro); Housemade granola whole milk yogurt (with fresh berries); House smoked salmon bagel cream cheese (with red onion, capers); and more.
The restaurant was quiet (we were there around 11:00am) and no noise could be heard from busy West Georgia Street outside. Our conversation flowed like my mother’s coffee refills as we discussed life, travel, and the latest family news. The artwork inside Hawksworth is worth peeling your eyes away from our meal and after brunch, a quick stroll through the opulent and historic lobby of the Rosewood Hotel Georgia is recommended.
With the weekend on the horizon, Hawksworth Restaurant would like to offer up brunch for two (and beverages, excluding alcohol) for one lucky Miss604 reader and their guest. Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
Follow Hawksworth Restaurant on Facebook and Twitter to learn more about their seasonal menu, award-winning Chef Hawksworth, and special events. I will draw one winner at random from all entires at 12:00pm on Thursday, May 30, 2013.
Update The winner is @JohnStuartistry!
I am proud to once again be the Social Media Sponsor of the Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards (the Jessies) and as such, I will be featuring a local theatre company every Thursday.
These profiles contain basic information about each company, as supplied by their team, and a list of their upcoming productions that you can check out in the coming season. Today’s feature company is: Solo Collective Theatre:
“Play With Monsters” by Aaron Bushkowsky. Bill Dow, Karin Konoval, Hiro Kanagawa, and Andrew McNee. Photo by Amy Dwight.
Solo Collective Theatre
Date Established: 1999
First Play Produced: Two by Two: Uncle Exile and The Promised Land
Total number of plays/events produced: 30
Founders: Aaron Bushkowsky and Johnna Wright
Artistic Director: Rachel Peake and Aaron Bushkowsky
Mission Statement
Solo Collective Theatre’s mission is to develop and produce exclusively new Canadian plays that reflect a unique and humorous perspective of contemporary society.
Latest News
Solo Collective Theatre is proud to announce this past season’s hit show Play With Monsters received 4 Jessie Richardson Theatre nominations: Josette Jorge (Outstanding Supporting Actress), Karin Konoval (Outstanding Supporting Actress), Malcolm Dow (Outstanding Sound Design), and Aaron Bushkowsky (Outstanding Original Script). The company has received 34 Jessie nominations since its inception in 1999/2000 including 15 in the past 5 consecutive years.
Follow
Stay up to date on the latest from Solo Collective Theatre by following them on Facebook and Twitter.
Local online boutique PileOfPillows.com is making a splash in the home decor scene with its collection of designer, Canadian, earth-friendly products ranging from duvet covers and hypoallergenic pillow cases to organic sheets and pet bedding.
On the website you can learn how to pick out the perfect pillow, shop by brand, learn the difference between organic cotton and Egyptian cotton, and check out different grades of Latex. Of course you can also browse decor pieces by price, size, or colour.
PileOfPillows.com is generously offering up a shopping spree valued at $150 for me to give away to one lucky reader. Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Comment here naming a PileOfPillows.com product you would like to have (1 entry)
- Go to PileOfPillows.com and PIN a product you like to Pinterest. Be sure to include @PileofPillows and @Miss604 on your pin so we can count the entry (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
Follow PileOfPillows.com on Twitter and Facebook for more information about their latest products and sign up for their newsletter online (via the box located in the site’s footer). You can also catch the company on the next season on the popular W Network/HGTV show “Buying and Selling with The Property Brothers”.
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Friday, May 31, 2013. Winner will receive a $150 credit for PileOfPillows.com.
Update The winner is @jenjennifers!
A trip to Vancouver Island’s Cowichan Valley isn’t complete without heading over to Cobble Hill and visiting Merridale Estate Cidery.
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Back in 2000, Janet Docherty and Rick Pipes purchased Merridale and its 20 acres of cider apples from its founder who started it the cidery in 1990. Today, Merridale is a full-experience cidery with self-guided tours of the orchards, a bistro with patio and outdoor dining, a wedding destination, a distillery, a deli, and even fit for an overnight getaway in a premium yurt.
My group (consisting of travel writers) stopped in for lunch and a quick tour of the property in early May. Even before we arrived, we had recommendations from staff at a winery in the area, suggesting what we try and what we should pick up from the cidery’s bakery.
We sat down on the bistro’s covered patio overlooking part of the orchard and enjoyed a flight of ciders along with some “today’s special” wood-fired pizzas. The ciders were arranged in order of the least sweet to the most sweet. Our selection was the Cidre Normandie, Scrumpy, Somerset, Traditional, Merri Berri, and the Project Q quince cider.
Pairing with crisp, tart, and sweet ciders, pizzas are popular at Merridale and have even prompted special live music “Pizza Nights” which will take place throughout the summer. Other menu items in the bistro include soups, sandwiches, charcuterie plates (with house-cured meats, and local cheeses), and a delicious house salad with local organic greens, toasted pumpkin seeds, daikon radish, fennel, carrot, celery, and apple cider herb dressing.
After lunch, Janet lead us over to the two yurts on site, which are open for bookings from mid-April to mid-October. The smell of fresh-cut grass filled our noses as honeybees buzzed from blossom to blossom.
Rates start at $95 (for the small yurt, mid-week) and go up to $135 (for the large yurt, on a weekend). Yurt stays include a breakfast of coffee or tea and goods from the bakery. The large yurt has a beautiful claw-foot tub for soaking and each has a washroom and a patio deck overlooking the property.
Visitors are welcome every day of the week at Merridale. You can do a free self-guided orchard or cidery tour, a tasting ($5 per person, based on booking for 6 people) or a guided tour and tasting ($6 per person, based on booking for 6 people). The Cider Bar is open 11:00am to 5:30pm, Monday to Sunday and the bistro is open for lunch Monday through Saturday from 12:00pm to 4:00pm and on Sundays for brunch from 10:30am to 3:00pm.
There are often special events with Merridale, either at the cidery or out and about in the community as Janet is very active on the island. As she puts it, it’s important for Islanders to support Islanders. The next big event at Merridale will be their Speakeasy Cocktail Party in the distillery barn on June 18th.
While it can definitely be billed as a couples getaway in the country — I need to find myself in that tub at some point — Merridale is a lovely day-trip destination for the whole family as well. Kids will love exploring the orchard on the easy-to-follow tour, the bistro and bakery treats, and stopping by the Merridale Fearie General Store:
To find out more about Merridale, and where you can get their estate-grown and produced ciders, follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
