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Jan Peterson

Janet Anderson Craig Peterson (born May 3, 1927 in Strathaven, Lanarkshire, Scotland) is a Canadian non-fiction writer, historian, artist, and journalist best known for her popular historical books about Vancouver Island, particularly those about the cities of Nanaimo and Port Alberni.

In Scotland, Peterson spent her early years on a farm, and she also attended Strathaven Academy. In 1957, when she was 20 years old, her family immigrated to Kingston, Ontario. She went to school at Kingston Business College before taking a secretarial position at Queen’s University.[1] She married Ray Peterson in 1963, and together the Petersons moved across Canada, to Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1965. The Peterson family, which now including three children, Karen, John, and Craig, moved to Port Alberni on Vancouver Island in 1972.[2]

After moving to the Alberni Valley, Peterson got involved in the local arts and culture scene. She exhibited her own paintings throughout the 1970s, and also served as president of the Alberni Valley Community Arts Council. During her tenure, in 1977, Peterson oversaw the transformation of a heritage home into the Rollin Art Centre, a fine arts gallery, gift shop, classroom, and office dedicated to enriching the cultural environment of the Alberni Valley.[3]

She served on the BC Arts Board from 1979-1981,[4] and continued to participate in art shows and various exhibitions in the Alberni Valley, Nanaimo, and Victoria. During this time, Peterson was also writing about the arts. She produced press releases about local art events, and published the Alberni Valley Community Arts Council’s newsletters.[2]

From 1981-1987, Peterson worked as a reporter for the Alberni Valley Times. While working at the newspaper, she won a Jack Wasserman Memorial Award for outstanding journalism.[5] In 1987, a health issue pulled Peterson away from her work for a two year period.[1] It was during this time that she was inspired to begin researching and writing about the history of Vancouver Island.

In 1996, Peterson retired to Nanaimo, and she continued to research and write about her local community. She completed a historical trilogy about her new home city, publishing Black Diamond City: Nanaimo - The Victorian Era in 2002; Hub City: Nanaimo, 1886-1920 in 2003; and Harbour City: Nanaimo in Transition, 1886-1920 in 2006. Together, the three books chart the city’s founding, growth, and development, and tell the stories of its citizens.

In 2004, Peterson self-published her first book about Scotland, Listen Tae Yer Granny. Primarily a collection of Scottish rhymes, proverbs, and folklore, the book also includes stories from her own family's history.

2008 saw Peterson working with the Nanaimo Museum to publish A Place in Time: Nanaimo Chronicles. The book's proceeds were donated by Peterson to the museum.[6]

Peterson’s next book, Kilts on the Coast:The Scots Who Built BC, was published in 2012, and is a profile of Scottish settlers, including James Douglas, William Fraser Tolmie, and Robert Dunsmuir, who came to Vancouver Island during the period 1848-1854, primarily to work in the Hudson’s Bay Company’s fur trade and coal mining ventures.[7]

Realizing that there wasn’t a lot of written history about the city after the amalgamation of the twin cities of Alberni and Port Alberni, Peterson returned to the Alberni Valley for the subject of her 10th non-fiction book, Port Alberni: More Than Just a Mill Town, which was released in 2014.[8]

In 2017, Peterson published Mark Bate: Nanaimo's First Mayor. Her first historical biography, the book closely follows Mark Bate’s life and covers not only his years acting as the manager of Nanaimo's first coal mine, but also his sixteen terms as mayor of the city. The book includes many excerpts from Bate's own journals and letters, and offers insight into the drama that arose between him and other prominent coal men-turned-politicians, including the future premier of British Columbia, Robert Dunsmuir[9]

Peterson has worked with various community organizations devoted to arts, culture, education, and history including: the Nanaimo Historical Society, the Nanaimo District Museum Society, the Nanaimo Community Archives Society, the Friends of North Island College, the Alberni District Historical Society, the Alberni Valley Community Arts Council, the Alberni Valley Chamber of Commerce, and the Alberni Valley Museum Advisory Board. She holds honourary lifetime memberships in both the Alberni District Historical Society and the Alberni Valley Community Arts Council.

Peterson has repeatedly been recognized for her community service and for her contributions to the historical record of Vancouver Island[10] including: 1997 and 1999 Certificates of Honour from the British Columbia Historical Federation; a Canada 125 medal for community service; a certificate of appreciation from the City of Port Alberni for historical research, and a Heritage Award from the Alberni Valley Museum & Heritage Commission. In 2018, the City of Nanaimo awarded Peterson the inaugural Honour in Heritage Award, recognizing her outstanding support, advocacy, promotion, and interpretation of Nanaimo’s heritage and history.[11]

Books

The Albernis: 1860-1922 (1992)

Twin Cities: Alberni-Port Alberni (1994)

Cathedral Grove: MacMillan Park (1996)

Journeys Down the Alberni Canal to Barkley Sound (1999)

Black Diamond City: Nanaimo - The Victorian Era (2002)

Hub City: Nanaimo, 1886-1920 (2003)

Listen Tae Yer Granny (2004)

Harbour City: Nanaimo in Transition, 1886-1920 (2006)

A Place in Time: Nanaimo Chronicles (2008)

Kilts on the Coast:The Scots Who Built BC  (2012)

Port Alberni: More Than Just a Mill Town (2014)

Mark Bate: Nanaimo’s First Mayor (2017)

References

  1. ^ a b Shostal, Vernice (September 2013). "Serving Community". Senior Living: 34–35. ISSN 1710-3584 – via Issuu.
  2. ^ a b Peterson, Jan (1992). The Albernis: 1860-1922. Lantzville, BC: Oolichan Books. pp. Cover copy. ISBN 0889821186.
  3. ^ Colyn, Aaron. "The Rollin Art Centre". The Rollin Art Centre & Community Arts Council of the Alberni Valley. Retrieved 16 March 2019. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  4. ^ "#197 Jan Peterson". BC Booklook. 3 November 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2019. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  5. ^ Peterson, Jan (2002). Black Diamond City: Nanaimo - The Victorian Era. Surrey, BC: Heritage House. p. 240. ISBN 1894384512.
  6. ^ Peterson, Jan (2008). A Place in Time: Nanaimo Chronicles. Nanaimo, BC: Nanaimo Museum. pp. Cover copy. ISBN 9780969160816.
  7. ^ Peterson, Jan (2012). Kilts on the Coast: The Scots Who Built BC. Victoria, BC: Heritage House. pp. Cover copy. ISBN 9781927051276.
  8. ^ Pescod, Nicholas (21 June 2014). "Book focuses on town's history". Nanaimo News Bulletin. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  9. ^ Jacobson, Josef (21 November 2017). "Local writer tells the story of Nanaimo's first mayor, Mark Bate". Nanaimo News Bulletin. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  10. ^ "Jan Peterson". Heritage House Publishing. Retrieved 16 March 2019. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  11. ^ "2018 Culture & Heritage Award Recipients Announced". City of Nanaimo. 1 March 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2019. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)


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