Connell lived and worked as a church minister in the two neighboring small northern California towns of Gilroy and Hollister from 1909-11. In this article he describes some of the differences and similarities of their natural environment to Victoria, as well as some observations of the people he encountered. From the Victoria Daily Colonist, AugustContinue reading “On Foot in Santa Clara County”
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Old Paths My Feet Have Trod
Detailed and affectionate descriptions of the pastoral landscape, flora and fauna of the Burnside region make this article classic Connell. For him, farms and agricultural scenes were direct connections with a much older past than those of the individual farms themselves. It is also important to remember (a fact of which Connell was keenly aware)Continue reading “Old Paths My Feet Have Trod”
On the Edge of Urban Saanich
Connell gives a colorful and vivid account of his visit to Swan Lake. From the Times Colonist, October 13/20, 1928- The “yellow bus” dropped me at its Lake Hill terminus. Saturday afternoon in the fore part sees Saanich folk traveling city-wards so there were few passengers, and by the time the bus prepared to turnContinue reading “On the Edge of Urban Saanich”
Telegraph Road to Cowichan Head
From the Victoria Daily Colonist, April 28th, 1940- Across the highway from Keating Hall a road runs downhill to the east and an elderly signboard still bears the inscription: “Telegraph Road”. This is the way to the seashore at Island View Park. It drops rather steeply from the long gravelly ridge followed by the highwayContinue reading “Telegraph Road to Cowichan Head”
Wisdom Among Wild Fruits
Here Connell takes a comprehensive look at the wild fruits – and especially the wild berries – of the Southern Vancouver Island. “Berrying in the hills is a psychological phenomenon, an expression of country love and the desire to get back to old Mother Earth and her direct products.” From the Victoria Daily Colonist, NovemberContinue reading “Wisdom Among Wild Fruits”
Changed and Changing Countryside
Connell takes a nostalgic look back at the built and natural landscapes of Victoria and Saanich as they were during his first years on the West Coast in the early 1900s, with a focus on the region around Cedar Hill Cross Road and the Shelbourne Valley. From the Victoria Colonist, August 20th, 1939- “Believe itContinue reading “Changed and Changing Countryside”
By A Nameless Stream
In March of 1943 Reverend Connell went for a ramble along what was for him a “nameless stream”- now known as Blenkinsop Creek- on what was then the edge of town. In this article he gives us a glimpse of the recent history of the area between Blenkinsop and Swan Lakes, as well as someContinue reading “By A Nameless Stream”