Andy Motherwell has gathered the first two years of his hugely popular Cariboo Observer Historical Footnotes’ columns and published a book Footnotes of the Cariboo – Stories of the early years.
“A lot of people wanted to have copies of the columns and this is a nice compact version,” Motherwell said.
He has also included more photos, many of which are in colour.
There’s two additional, never-before-published stories as well as an ecological report Motherwell wrote when he was a warden for the Itchez Mountains.
For Motherwell, he likes the snapshot-style of the short stories. They tell the pertinent details of the place, event or person and he says they’re like a travel log that encourages the reader to get out and explore, discover the history and experience all the changes on the land.
“It’s easy to see how much easier life is now than back in the day,” he said.
“However, so much of B.C.’s history is constructed from wood, which rots and that’s why it so important to preserve our heritage in pictures, books and articles.”
With 60-plus stories, each chronicling events, people and places in the Cariboo, Motherwell’s Footnotes of the Cariboo is a great introduction for newcomers.
“It tells the stories of the area’s history, when governments were small and adventurous people could make a life where they had only themselves to rely on,” Motherwell said.
For the past 60 years, Motherwell has called Quesnel home and many of the characters he writes about were his friends and acquaintances.
“I’ve enjoyed finding all the people whose lives and accomplishments have formed the Cariboo as we know it today.
“The Cariboo has really opened up with good roads and better vehicles – places that used to take days to reach are now just hours away and all accessible by vehicles. It’s been good growth and the Cariboo is still a good place to live.”
Footnotes of the Cariboo is available at Caryall Books, the Quesnel Museum, Big Country Printers and various other locations around Quesnel.