LITERARY LOCATION: Edenbank Farmhouse, 7001 Eden Drive, Chilliwack

Built in 1913, the Edenbank Farmhouse in which Oliver Wells lived can be found within an adult-oriented housing complex called Edenbank. Oliver Nelson Wells (1907-1970) was a Fraser Valley stock breeder and farmer who began to sense his Chilliwack River neighbours were on the threshhold of losing their culture in the 1950s. His sidelong career as an ethnographer began after he wrote the introduction to the Sepass Poems, edited by Eloise Street, "to let the readers know that [Chief William] Sepass was a reality and a highly respected man."

ENTRY:

Carrying a tape recorder and sketch pad, Oliver Wells began to document the memories and knowledge of his Aboriginal friends and their leaders. He then began to venture further afield from Chilliwack, initially to interview Chief August Jack Khahtsahlano of the Squamish. "I went mainly because Eloise Street told me that August Jack had the same religious training and background that Sepass had," he recalled in a 1970 letter. "...I am one of the few White people who get into the 'power dances' which our local Indians are reviving. This is the closest I have come to being intimately associated with the Native in a primitive cultural experience. You have to see and hear it to realize it is possible. The wonderful thing about these big dances is that the Indians set a high standard of behavior and etiquette, and do their own policing, very effectively. Three or four hundred Indians, from babes in arms to old people-all in harmony, with maybe thirty drums beating in a small hall, makes an impressive accompaniment for a lone dancer dramatizing his 'power'. Some of the finest people I know are devout religious men and women of our local tribes who have accepted Christianity but, like Sepass, see no wrong in the good things of the old ways."

Wells' invaluable work as an ethnographer was later condensed into The Chilliwacks and Their Neighbours (Talonbooks, 1987), edited by Ralph Maud, Brent Galloway and Marie Weeden. It contains interviews with August Jack Khatsahlano, Domanic Charlie, Chief Albert Louie, storyteller Dan Milo, historian Bob Joe and Wells' friends such as Mrs. August Jim (to whom Wells dedicated one of his research publications). Wells is credited with helping to preserve the Halkomelem language, reviving Salish weaving techniques, transcribing legends and tracing family trees. His interviews with Domanic Charlie and August Jack Khatsahlano formed the basis for Squamish Legends (Vancouver: C. Chamberlain and F.T. Coan, 1966), of which Wells has been listed as both editor and author. His other works include Salish Weaving Primitive and Modern, As Practiced by the Salish Indians of South West British Columbia (Sardis: 1969) and Myths and Legends of South Western British Columbia: STAW-loh Indians (Sardis: 1970).

Wells' writings and life are recalled in a family history entitled Edenbank: The History of a Pioneer Canadian Farm (Harbour, 2003), edited by Richard and Marie Weeden. The Edenbank farmhouse was designed by renowned Vancouver architect Thomas Hooper. According to UBC Special Collectons: Edenbank Farm was the home of five succeeding generations of the Wells family. Allen Casey Wells (1837-1922) moved to Chilliwack in 1866 to manage the large land holdings of his brother-in-law, Charles Evans. He later purchased over 450 acres of farmland for his family. Wells' Edenbank Farm produced hay, root crops, and dairy products. Wells established the first creamery and cheese factory in the Chilliwack area and later established the Edenbank Trading Company, a general store. A.C. Wells served as Reeve of the Township of Chilliwack from 1897 to 1901. Edwin Wells assumed active management of the farm in 1912. Edwin's son, Oliver Wells, became the proprietor of the farm in 1939. In 1966, it became a family-owned company, Edenbank Farm Ltd. The main farmhouse has been preserved.

Review of the author's work by BC Studies:
The Chilliwacks and Their Neighbors
Edenbank: The Story of a Canadian Pioneer Farm

BOOKS:

Charlie, Domanic & August Jack Khatsahlano. Squamish Legends (Vancouver: C. Chamberlain and F.T. Coan, 1966). Interviews by Oliver N. Wells.

Wells, Oliver N. Salish Weaving Primitive and Modern, As Practiced by the Salish Indians of South West British Columbia (Sardis: 1969).

Wells, Oliver N. Myths and Legends of South Western British Columbia: STAW-loh Indians (Sardis: 1970).

Wells, Oliver N. The Chilliwacks and Their Neighbours (Talonbooks, 1987). Edited by Ralph Maud, Brent Galloway and Marie Weeden.

Wells, Oliver N. Edenbank: The History of a Pioneer Canadian Farm (Harbour, 2003). Edited by Richard and Marie Weeden.

[BCBW 2015] "Anthropology" "Agriculture" "First Nations"