Author and historian Jeanette Taylor says serendipitous events led her to write her new book: Sheltering in the Backrush, A History of Twin Islands.
“Some years back I wrote a book called Tidal Passages: A History of the Discovery Islands,” said Taylor. “I was fascinated with the ‘salty’ culture of the area, but I just touched the surface in that book.”
A few years ago Taylor was invited on an overnight tour hosted by the Cortes Island Museum, as a coastal historian and storyteller. She and guests stayed at a giant lodge on Twin Islands (part of the Discovery Islands) and while telling stories around a rustic long table, the opportunity for Taylor to dig deeper into the history of Twin Islands presented itself.
“It was a wonderful opportunity,” said Taylor. “When I started my research for the book, I was surprised to uncover a wild cast of characters, fascinating stories, international intrigue and mystery, all on two very small islands southeast of Cortes Island and part of the Discovery Islands.”
On Saturday, June 17, Taylor will be giving a talk, illustrated with photographs, at Powell River Public Library (PRPL).
“I am going to show [at the book talk] a fabulous collection of photographs uncovered while doing research,” said Taylor. “I think the audience will be shocked at how many intriguing characters there are on such a small island. As we dug in deeper, we uncovered an unsolved WWI-era murder, WWII spies and espionage, newspaper moguls and an anonymous heiress who saved the islands from clear-cut logging.”
Taylor emphasized that those are just a few examples of the characters flushed out digging into the Twins’ past.
“It’s hard to explain why this one place had so many wild stories,” added Taylor.
Many of the photos were found at the Cortes Island and Campbell River museums, however, the most fascinating images came from a private collection of the Andrews family. Americans Dick and Ethel Andrews bought the islands in 1936, anticipating the start of a world war and as Japan was siding with Germany. The Andrews bought Twin Islands as a refuge. At the time they were living in Japan operating a steel import business.
They built a gigantic log cabin on the island with all the furnishings built on-site; it is still there to this day.
“I’m a story collector; I’m pulling you in through the characters and their connection to place and the outer world,” said Taylor. “Of course my book is in chronological order, from a historical lens.”
The book’s title is telling of the types of people who were drawn to the area at the time; most fleeing from something, and looking for a place where not many could find them. Backrush is a nautical term Taylor learned from those who have lived on Twin Islands or in the Discovery Islands area.
“The Twins are close to Cortes Island and the incoming tide from the south comes flushing in and around tiny islands, then hits the Cortes shore and swirls back at Twin, creating swirling, potentially dangerous conditions,” said Taylor. “People navigating the area have to be wary and knowledgeable of this.”
Taylor emphasized that the library audience will enjoy hearing about the gorgeous characters, and a treasure trove of intriguing stories.
“[The stories in the book] will prove the old adage that truth is stranger than fiction,” said Taylor.
According to a media release, the Andrews [family] wanted to build a log lodge in the style of peers like the Vanderbilts in upstate New York. They came to Lund in search of a foreman and hired 30-year-old Charlie Rasmussen.
Rasmussen had no previous experience with a project of that magnitude, but he was a skilled logger and the crew’s first task was to source cedar logs.”
Taylor’s book brought the two families together once again, the Andrews and Rasmussens.
Rasmussen’s daughter, Rita, led Taylor to photographs and stories, as did interviews with the Andrews’ descendants, according to the release.
The fact that Queen Elizabeth II visited the Twin Islands gives them cache, but the author believes it’s the fascinating cast of characters who came to light that have the deepest intrigue.
Taylor’s book reading will start at 2 pm
