The Man Who Saved Vancouver: Major James Skitt Matthews

Can$19.95

Daphne Sleigh paints a vivid portrait of controversial archivist Major James Skitt Matthews in her impeccably researched look at this colourful character whose dedication, dogged persistence and guerrilla tactics were instrumental in preserving Vancouver's history. Matthews, as noted for his fiery nature and stentorian voice as he was for his zeal for collecting and preserving artifacts, was the founder of the City of Vancouver Archives, an institution he forced upon a reluctant city council and which he guarded ferociously until his death at age 92. In addition to collecting a massive number of historical objects and important early records, Matthews conducted hundreds of extensive interviews with Vancouver pioneers from disparate backgrounds, publishing them in his series Early Vancouver: Narratives of Pioneers of Vancouver, B.C.

But before Matthews had even embarked on this vocation-he took up the heritage cause after retiring-he had lived an adventurous, action-packed life that to most people would seem like several lives. This compelling biography covers his unique background and the unusual experiences that shaped the man and set the stage for a remarkable future.

Daphne Sleigh won the Lieutenant-Governor's Medal from the BC Historical Society in 1984 for her book on explorer Walter Moberly. She has written five books in all, was the first curator of the Maple Ridge Museum in BC and has been on the executive of various historical societies.

 

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