Cecil Clark's stories from the archives of B.C.'s first lawmen show why the B.C. Provincial Police was considered one of North America's best police forces. Included are tales of the McLeans, a gang of vicious young killers in the Interior; "Skook" Davidson, one of the force's most unconventional Special Constables; canine policemen; and Sergeant Sperry Cline and his one-of-a-kind approach to policing.

West Kootenay's tragic The Miner Who Died Eight Times, Murder on Okanagan Lake, Death Rode a Pinto Pony, The Cremation of Siboo Singh, Kitwancool Drums Throbbed a War Dance, The Parking Ticket that Killed Three Menand Hangman's Tree at Lillooet.

Pioneer Days is a blend of words and photos that proves British Columbia's history is as interesting as that recorded anywhere else in North America. Every article is true, many written or narrated by those who, 100 or more years ago, lived the experiences they relate. Each volume contains 160 pages, plus some 60,000 words of text and over 200 historical photos, many published for the first time.

From 1858 until 1950, the BC Provincial Police maintained law and order in British Columbia, patrolling this vast and rugged area by horseback, boat, snowshoes and dog team until the arrival of the train, automobile and airplane. These classic cases from the files of North America's first territorial constabulary bring to life the lawmen who upheld the peace and the criminals who disrupted it. From the tale of a Texas gambler who though he had committed the perfect murder to the mystery of a Quesnel family who disappeared under suspicious circumstances, these dramatic stories provide a vivid window into frontier society and the challenges faced by members of this exceptional police force.

Keeping the peace in turn-of-the-century B.C. Murderers, thieves and drunks tested the will of Superintendent Fred Hussey, the B.C. Provincial Police officer appointed to keep the peace in rough-and-tumble, turn-of-the-century B.C. But in his action-packed and often risky career, he always relied on the power of reason rather than force to set things right. Even his prisoners seemed to like him, it was said. Hussey's work took him from formal dinners in elegant mansions to chilly breakfasts around campfires. In a 20-year period that saw the province's population mushroom by 100,000, he knew the famous and the infamous, from Judge Matthew Baillie Begbie to train robber Bill Miner and everyone in between. Inspecting his vast territory on horseback, by steamer and canoe, this remarkable man set the tone for the peaceful development of the young province. A glimpse into the ambience of a bygone era, The Lawman is an engaging look at the life and adventures of a self-possessed hero in turbulent times.

Ever since the Canadian prairies were first settled and the Mounties marched west to establish and maintain law and order, the names of individual officers have left their mark on the national landscape. Their long tradition has been honoured in many of the place names of Canada, especially in the West. In this collection, over 250 of the NWMP, RNWMP and RCMP members who died while on duty, or who enjoyed long or extraordinary careers, are remembered. Other place names are connected to a Mountie-related event or were named by a pioneering Mountie in honour of some significant occurrence. Authors William "Bill" Hulgaard and John "Jack" White, both retired Mounties, extended their research across Canada to compile the information for Honoured in Places.

Vancouver Island is one of the world's best year-round salmon fishing areas. This comprehensive guide describes popular fishing holes, including a map of each and data on gear, best time of year, methods and more.

This book is an ethnography of the cultural politics of Native/non-Native relations in a small interior BC city -- Williams Lake -- at the height of land claims conflicts and tensions. Furniss analyses contemporary colonial relations in settler societies, arguing that 'ordinary' rural Euro- Canadians exercise power in maintaining the subordination of aboriginal people through 'common sense' assumptions and assertions about history, society, and identity, and that these cultural activities are forces in an ongoing, contemporary system of colonial domination. She traces the main features of the regional Euro-Canadian culture and shows how this cultural complex is thematically integrated through the idea of the frontier. Key facets of this frontier complex are expressed in diverse settings: casual conversations among Euro-Canadians; popular histories; museum displays; political discourse; public debates about aboriginal land claims; and ritual celebrations of the city's heritage.

Boozy and boisterous. The Georges – the communities of South Fort George and Fort George that ultimately became Prince George – acquired a seedy reputation for a century, at times branded the dubious title of Canada’s “most dangerous city.” Is Prince George really such a bad lad? The Notorious Georges explores how the pursuit of respectability collided with caricatures of a riotous settlement frontier in its early years. Anxious about being marginalized by the provincial government and venture capitalists, municipal leaders blamed Indigenous and mixed-heritage people, non-preferred immigrants, and transient labourers for local crime. Jonathan Swainger combs through police and legal records, government publications, and media commentary to demonstrate that the disorder was not so different from the rest of the province – and “respectable” white residents were often to blame. This lively account tells us about more than a particular community’s identity. It also sheds light on small-town disaffection in modern Canada.

Gold rush fever in the 1860s brought thousands of miners to the new territories of British Columbia and the Yukon armed with rifles, revolvers, and bowie knives. Among them were thugs and outlaws lured by the promise of easy riches. Within months of the first arrivals a provincial police force was formed--the first in western Canada--and constables recruited to preserve order in the colonies. These intrepid lawmen patrolled vast regions of Vancouver Island, the Cariboo, the Kootenays, and the Klondike. They lived in rugged conditions and brought their prisoners by horseback, stagecoach, or canoe to courtrooms that were often hundreds of kilometers away. When no judges were available they evolved their own ways of settling disputes and meting out frontier justice. This dramatic collection of stories recounts some of the most notorious cases of the period--from Boone Helm, the west's most vicious criminal known for shooting his victims in the back and eating at least one of them, to the Wild McLeans, a gang of adolescent brothers who terrorized the Okanagan and Nicola Valley, to the Yukon's "Christmas Day assassins," whose elaborate plan of escape failed to outsmart the clever watch of the North West Mounted Police. Together they offer a vivid profile of outlaw life and the pioneer lawmen who maintained order in a frontier land.