Hobnobbing with a Countess and Other Okanagan Adventures: The Diaries of Alice Barrett Parke, 1891-1900 (The Pioneers of British Columbia)

In 1889, Alice Barrett moved west from Ontario to the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia to keep house for her brother and uncle. She soon married Harold Parke, a former military officer, and recorded her experiences in a series of notebooks. Few women’s diaries have survived from that time, and Parke recalls a period of profound transformation in a region newly opened to white settlement by the railway. She was an astute observer and an exceptional writer, and her diaries provide valuable insights into work, health, religion, race and gender relations, and women’s lives. She was part of the circle of the Countess of Aberdeen, who stayed at nearby Coldstream Ranch, and became the first corresponding secretary of the Vernon chapter of the National Council of Women. At The Turn Of The Nineteenth Century, The Okanagan Valley In British Columbia's Interior Was Still A Relatively New Destination For White Settlers. The Discovery Of Gold And The Promise Of A Successful Farming Life Led Many People To The Region In The Mid-1800s. By 1891, Settlements Were Becoming Towns That Attracted Migrants From Across The Country. One Such Migrant Was A Young Woman By The Name Of Alice Barrett, Who, At The Age Of Twenty-nine, Left Her Native Port Dover, Ontario, To Seek A Western Adventure. For Nearly A Decade, Alice Recorded The Day-to-day Activities And Adventures Of Her New Life In Both The Spallumcheen Valley And Vernon In Thirty-one Notebooks. One Such Adventure Saw Her Hobnob With The Countess Of Aberdeen, An Imposing Socialite Whose Outspoken Feminism Frequently Challenged Those Around Her. Through Her Diaries, Alice Conducts Her Own Witty And Lucid Debate About Her Society's Opinions On Religion, Trade, Politics, Race, And Women's Rights. The Result Is An Expansive Yet Personal Narrative Of Pioneer Life In British Columbia. Jo Fraser Jones Has Arranged Her Excerpts From Alice's Diaries Both Chronologically And Thematically, And Her Comprehensive Commentary Makes Hobnobbing With A Countess A Significant Contribution To The Historical Record Of British Columbia. This Book Will Be Of Interest To Regional Historians, Pioneer History Buffs, And Those With A More General Interest In Canadian Women's History.--book Jacket. 1. Quite Away From All My People: Arriving In The Spallumcheen Valley -- 2. The Real, The Useful, The Necessary, These Occupy One Here: Life In The Spallumcheen Valley -- 3. A Very Cosy, Happy Home: At Home In Vernon -- 4. How Many People I Have Got To Know!: Vernon Friends And Acquaintances -- 5. Oh! I Do Hope I'll Be Able To Do Something Useful And Good: A One-woman Social Welfare Service -- 6. A Great Many People Have Ailments Here: Health And Social Issues In The 1890s -- 7. How I Love Them All: Some Members Of The Barrett Family -- 8. Oh! I Wish I Could Hear Someone Who Whould Stir Me Up: Religion In The West -- 9. A Man Of Mr. Parke's Ability: A Husband Of Unusual Accomplishment -- 10. I Have Been As Busy As I Could Be: Life At The Bx Ranch And Encounters With The Chinese -- 11. There Is Much Of The Untamed Animal Nature In Me: Confessions To The Diaries -- 12. The Women Work Much Harder Than The Men: Attitudes Toward Other Races -- 13. Hob-nobbing With A Countess: Early Feminism In Western Canada -- 14. I Think If I Were A Man I'd Want To Go In For [politics]: Political Life At The End Of The 1800s -- 15. People Really Seem To Be Getting Sanguine Over The Mining Prospects Around Here: Exploration And Prospecting In The Okanagan -- 16. It Really Is Shameful The Way I Neglect My Poor Old Diary Lately: The End Of The Diaries -- 17. I Wonder When I'm A Grey Haired Old Woman If I Will Enjoy Reading These Papers!: The Final Years -- App. A. Chronology Of The Diary Volumes -- App. B. Family Tree Of Hugh Massey Barrett And Caroline Butler -- App. C. Family Tree Of Charles Pelly And John Dobbs. Edited By Jo Fraser Jones. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 335-339) And Index. In 1891, Alice Barrett moved from Port Dover, Ontario, to the Okanagan Valley to keep house for her brother and uncle. She soon married Harold Parke, a former NWMP officer, and spent the next decade recording her experiences in a series of notebooks sent to her Ontario family. Few women's diaries have survived from that time, and Barrett Parke recalls a period of profound transformation in a region newly opened to white settlement by the railway. She was an astute observer and an exceptional writer, and her diaries provide invaluable insights into work, health, religion, race and gender relations, and women's lives. On a personal level, her writings show the conflict between her independent spirit and women's traditional roles. Although wary of the emerging feminism of the time, Alice was co-opted into the'vice-regal circle'of the Countess of Aberdeen, who stayed at nearby Coldstream Ranch, and became the first corresponding secretary of the Vernon chapter of the National Council of Women. Selected as a BC Book for Everybody. In 1891, Alice Barrett moved from Port Dover, Ontario, to the Okanagan Valley to keep house for her brother and uncle. She soon married Harold Parke, a former NWMP officer, and spent the next decade recording her experiences in a series of notebooks sent to her Ontario family. Few womens diaries have survived from that time, and Barrett Parke recalls a period of profound transformation in a region newly opened to white settlement by the railway. She was an astute observer and an exceptional writer, and her diaries provide invaluable insights into work, health, religion, race and gender relations, and womens lives. On a personal level, her writings show the conflict between her independent spirit and womens traditional roles. Although wary of the emerging feminism of the time, Alice was co-opted into the vice-regal circle of the Countess of Aberdeen, who stayed at nearby Coldstream Ranch, and became the first corresponding secretary of the Vernon chapter of the National Council of Women. Selected as a BC Book for Everybody.