Hobnobbing with a Countess and Other Okanagan Adventures: The Diaries of Alice Barrett Parke, 1891-1900 (The Pioneers of British Columbia)
By
Jo Fraser Jones (Contributor)
Hardback
Available / dispatched within 1 - 4 weeks
Quantity
Description
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.
Careful editing and additional research to contextualize the social and historical background, as well as biographical details, photos, and maps enhance the reader's understanding and appreciation of this remarkable woman's life, and the lives of those around her.
Selected as a BC Book for Everybody. 39 b&w photographs, 1 map
About the Author
Jo Fraser Jones (editor) lives in Vernon, B.C. She is a contributor to Framing our Past: Canadian Women's History in the Twentieth Century and has published articles on regional history.
More Details
- Contributor: Jo Fraser Jones
- Imprint: University of British Columbia Press
- ISBN13: 9780774808521
- Number of Pages: 384
- Packaged Dimensions: 152x229mm
- Packaged Weight: 720
- Format: Hardback
- Publisher: University of British Columbia Press
- Release Date: 2001-10-10
- Series: The Pioneers of British Columbia
- Binding: Hardback
- Biography: Jo Fraser Jones (editor) lives in Vernon, B.C. She is a contributor to Framing our Past: Canadian Women's History in the Twentieth Century and has published articles on regional history.
Delivery Options
Home Delivery
Store Delivery
Free Returns
We hope you are delighted with everything you buy from us. However, if you are not, we will refund or replace your order up to 30 days after purchase. Terms and exclusions apply; find out more from our Returns and Refunds Policy.