History at the Confluence: Acknowledgements and a reporter’s notebook

 For now, have reached the end of the History at the Confluence series. 

Thank you so much for coming along on this journey with me. It was an honour and a privilege to be able to immerse myself in our shared past, and bring some lesser known stories to light.

But of course none of it would have been possible without the people who helped along the way.

The first thank you has to go to Jaimie Fedorak, archivist at the Kamloops Museum and Archives (KMA). To say that she was the anchor for this project would be an understatement. She got me up to speed quickly on archival resources and kept me from getting lost along the way, not to mention all the paperwork and photo scanning.

Kukwstsétsemc once again to museum administratorDiena Jules and cultural educator Jackie Jules of the Secwépemc Museum and Heritage Park. Their wisdom and perspective was a guiding light for this work. 

Thank you also to Ken Favrholdt, former archivist of the Secwépemc Museum and long-time local history writer as past curator/archivist of the Kamloops Museum. I look forward to many more chats over coffee in the future. 

To my wonderful husband, parents and family, thank you for your support and for patiently listening to all my anecdotes big and small that I just couldn’t keep to myself. 

I appreciate everyone in the community at large who took the time to chat with me about local history, whether it was at the KMA reading room or randomly at the grocery store. Your insights and memories were a constant source of inspiration and curiosity.

Finally —I’d like to thank our community of supporters. The Wren relies on financial contributions from readers, big and small, to bring in-depth stories to light. 

Thank you all so much. 

On a personal note

Ever since I was a little girl, skipping stones on the beach where the rivers meet, I have wondered about the past. “How did things get this way?” 

My curiosity and drive to understand how the events of the past shape our present was encouraged by my Nana, the late June Moore. She herself was a walking encyclopedia of historical context and an avid collector of books. After her death my uncle safeguarded her collection of local history books. 

A few months ago, as I began work for this series, my uncle passed away and passed Nana’s collection on to me. Reading these rare books, and the hand written notes inside left by two generations, helped me process my grief. Though they were not standing here with me, I could feel their love through time and space. 

I would like to dedicate this series in loving memory to June Mary Moore (née Brown) and Randel Allen Moore. 

Thank you for reading!

Lyssa Martin