August 12, 2003, marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Sir James Douglas. Although he played an integral role in British Columbia's history, in many ways Douglas remains misunderstood and an enigma. He is known for his contradictory qualities - he was self-serving, racist, a military hawk, sometimes violent and arrogant. Yet he was also extremely community oriented, a humanitarian, brave and a devoted family member.
John Adam's bestseller Old Square-Toes and His Lady: The Life of James and Amelia Douglas serves as an important source of information regarding Douglas's public and private lives. As Adams writes, [the term] old square-toes characterizes him as an unbending, stodgy, boring individual, but nothing could be further from the truth.
At the pinnacle of his career, Douglas was knighted by order of Queen Victoria. Considering his modest, mixed-race beginnings in South America, his lofty status is, indeed, remarkable. Equally so is the life of his wife, Amelia. She was also of mixed blood, her mother being Cree and her father Irish. But unlike Douglas, who was educated in Scotland, she never left the northern forests until they married. Their ending up as a knight and lady of the British Empire was an unusual achievement.
Old Square-Toes discusses the Douglases' diverse experiences of astonishing contrasts, from crossing North America by canoe to touring Europe by train, from Native uprisings to the frantic gold rush. Besides finding glory, they also faced grief in losing seven of their beloved children. This is a story of the adventure, heartbreak, and devotion that lies at the roots of western Canada.
Authors
- Bibliography, etc. Note
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 233-237) and index
- Control Number Identifier
- CaOOCEL
- Dewey Decimal Classification Number
- 971.1/02/0922
- Dewey Decimal Edition Number
- 21
- General Note
- Issued as part of the desLibris books collection
- Geographic Area Code
- n-cn-bc
- ISBN
- 9781459331686
- LCCN
- F1088.D672
- LCCN Item number
- A33 2001eb
- Modifying agency
- CaBNVSL
- Original cataloging agency
- DLC
- Physical Description | Extent
- 1 electronic text (xi, 243 p.)
- Published in
- Canada
- Publisher or Distributor Number
- CaOOCEL
- Rights
- Access restricted to authorized users and institutions
- System Control Number
- (CaBNVSL)thg00604568 (OCoLC)605727745 (CaOOCEL)419958
- System Details Note
- Mode of access: World Wide Web
- Transcribing agency
- DLC
Table of Contents
- Contents 6
- Maps 7
- Acknowledgments 10
- CHAPTER ONE - Sugar Cane and Beaver Pelts 14
- CHAPTER TWO - Fur-Trade Warriors 22
- CHAPTER THREE - Go West 33
- CHAPTER FOUR - Honeymoon 41
- CHAPTER FIVE - Life in Oregon and Demerara 55
- CHAPTER SIX - Chief Factor 66
- CHAPTER SEVEN - Fifty-four Forty or Fight 73
- CHAPTER EIGHT - The Move From Hell 87
- CHAPTER NINE - Murder and Marriage 100
- CHAPTER TEN - Outpost of the Empire 110
- CHAPTER ELEVEN - Of Lovers and Gold Miners 127
- CHAPTER TWELVE - Daughters, Daughters, Daughters 147
- CHAPTER THIRTEEN - Retirement 163
- CHAPTER FOURTEEN - Grand Tour 173
- CHAPTER FIFTEEN - Squire Douglas 183
- CHAPTER SIXTEEN - The Great Connolly Case 194
- CHAPTER SEVENTEEN - Martha 199
- CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - Prepare to Meet Thy God 210
- CHAPTER NINETEEN - The Dynasty Fades 220
- Afterword 231
- Endnotes 236
- Bibliography 246
- Index 251
- A 251
- B 251
- C 251
- D 252
- E 254
- F 254
- G 254
- H 254
- I 255
- K 255
- L 255
- M 255
- N 255
- O 255
- P 255
- Q 255
- R 255
- S 256
- T 256
- U 256
- V 256
- W 256
- Y 256
- Z 256
