Fig. 1: An elderly Hubert Evans standing outside his home in Roberts Creek.
While working in the Museum I often came across a certain name: Hubert Evans. As some of you may know, we host his boat here in the Museum, but we didn’t have much other information about him. After receiving a number of questions about the nature of the man who built the boat, I decided to find out. I have compiled my findings here for you to read as well: hopefully this will shine some light on the mystery that was Hubert Evans!
Hubert Evans was born in 1892 in Vankleek Hill, Ontario, to William Edwin Evans and Frances Alberta Evans (nee Taylor). A year later they moved to Galt, Ontario, where Edwin took up a job as a schoolteacher at the Galt Collegiate Institute. All three of Hubert’s younger brothers – Charles, Gerald, and William – were born in Galt.
In later interviews Hubert maintained that there were two main things that his parents instilled in him from a very young age: a love of nature and a love of literature. His father would often take the family on camping trips and outdoor explorations, collecting nature samples and observing wildlife. They were also often read to – Edwin would read from the King James Bible (as a devout member of the Galt Methodist Church that was not surprising), while Frances (their mother) would read from more fantastical works, most notably the popular children’s novel The Water Babies. This love of literature came to fruition for the first time when Hubert won a Lipton’s Tea limerick contest for $1 when he was nine years old. These two differing values created a lifestyle that Hubert followed his entire life: a careful balance between mental and physical exertion. For every written word came something done by hand.
Hubert Evans was born in 1892 in Vankleek Hill, Ontario, to William Edwin Evans and Frances Alberta Evans (nee Taylor). A year later they moved to Galt, Ontario, where Edwin took up a job as a schoolteacher at the Galt Collegiate Institute. All three of Hubert’s younger brothers – Charles, Gerald, and William – were born in Galt.
In later interviews Hubert maintained that there were two main things that his parents instilled in him from a very young age: a love of nature and a love of literature. His father would often take the family on camping trips and outdoor explorations, collecting nature samples and observing wildlife. They were also often read to – Edwin would read from the King James Bible (as a devout member of the Galt Methodist Church that was not surprising), while Frances (their mother) would read from more fantastical works, most notably the popular children’s novel The Water Babies. This love of literature came to fruition for the first time when Hubert won a Lipton’s Tea limerick contest for $1 when he was nine years old. These two differing values created a lifestyle that Hubert followed his entire life: a careful balance between mental and physical exertion. For every written word came something done by hand.
Fig. 2: An example of the outdoor work Evans enjoyed doing. Here he is pictured dredging out the mouth of Roberts Creek, with friend George Klein on the tractor.
After dropping out twice, Hubert graduated from high school and enrolled in the University of Toronto’s forestry program, but never attended. He became the only one of his brothers to not attend University: Charles went on to be a geologist, William became a director of processing at an engineering company, and Gerald became the Head of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Minnesota. This lack of university education does not mean that Hubert was unsuccessful. He became a journalist at the age of eighteen, something that he always said was imperative in developing his writing style (succinct and to the point, but interesting and engaging). Journalism was something he greatly enjoyed, but after his time in the military in WW1 [as a signaler then a lieutenant of the Machine Gun Corps,] he found himself wanting something different. After a chance meeting with an old friend at a train station, Hubert found himself on his way to his new job and life in the fisheries of Lakelse, BC.
The very next year Hubert married his high school sweetheart, Anna Emily Winter. They had been faithful pen pals ever since their initial meeting in Galt when they were thirteen, even as he journeyed through journalism and military service, and as she graduated from the University of Toronto. With a similar “…own only what you can carry on your back” attitude in addition to this long history, it was no surprise that they eventually married (pg 11) . The official ceremony took place on June 29, 1920, in front of ten witnesses, but the lovebirds had their own private ceremony a few days before.
The very next year Hubert married his high school sweetheart, Anna Emily Winter. They had been faithful pen pals ever since their initial meeting in Galt when they were thirteen, even as he journeyed through journalism and military service, and as she graduated from the University of Toronto. With a similar “…own only what you can carry on your back” attitude in addition to this long history, it was no surprise that they eventually married (pg 11) . The official ceremony took place on June 29, 1920, in front of ten witnesses, but the lovebirds had their own private ceremony a few days before.
Fig. 3: An image of Anna from Alan Twigg's biography of Hubert Evans. Found on page 50.
Soon after the wedding Hubert became disillusioned with his increasingly bureaucratic fishery position. This prompted their decision to find somewhere to live along the Coast – from 1920 to 1927 they were on the move. They camped on the beach, stayed with friends, and lived in Cultus Lake and North Vancouver for a couple of years. Their first two children, Elizabeth and Joan, were born during this period. Their son Jonathan wasn’t born until 1930, three years after they had finally settled in Roberts Creek.
Through the years of the Depression Hubert set writing aside to focus on providing for his family. 1932 was the year he began commercial fishing. He used a technique called ‘hand-trolling’ and fished out of his handmade double-ended handliner – the same one that is on display at the Museum. Contrary to popular belief he did not make the boat on his own. He had a close friend and fellow fisherman help him over the course of a winter. We all know that handtrolling was a huge part of life on the Coast – it was how many people survived through the tough times of the depression. Local researcher Larry Westlake is the leading man when it comes to information on hand-trolling traditions on the Coast. Not only does he have many first-hand accounts of Coast fisherfolk but he has also built a fully functional replica of Hubert’s handliner.
Through the years of the Depression Hubert set writing aside to focus on providing for his family. 1932 was the year he began commercial fishing. He used a technique called ‘hand-trolling’ and fished out of his handmade double-ended handliner – the same one that is on display at the Museum. Contrary to popular belief he did not make the boat on his own. He had a close friend and fellow fisherman help him over the course of a winter. We all know that handtrolling was a huge part of life on the Coast – it was how many people survived through the tough times of the depression. Local researcher Larry Westlake is the leading man when it comes to information on hand-trolling traditions on the Coast. Not only does he have many first-hand accounts of Coast fisherfolk but he has also built a fully functional replica of Hubert’s handliner.
Fig. 4: An image of Hubert Evans standing beside his handmade double-ended handliner after a fishing trip.
Eventually, Hubert was able to write as well as fish for a living. In 1949 he started publishing his writing again, writing everything from novels to newspaper serials. Most popular are his works Mist on the River and Son of the Salmon People, which address the struggle of First Nations youth as they try to balance traditional customs and values with the unyielding encroaching Western cultures. Lesser known, but just as impactful, are his works in poetry, plays, and newspaper serials.
At the end of his career By the end of his career Hubert Evans had published 21+ works, and was the quintessential “Coast Man”. He could write, read, build, and fish with the best of them. In addition to this, he had educational achievements: in 1981 he was the recipient of an honorary doctorate by SFU. In true Hubert Evans fashion he refused to make the long trip to the SFU campus, so the committee went to his small home in Roberts Creek. There was also a literary prize named after him: the “Hubert Evans Prize”. It is awarded to the top British Columbian non-fiction writer of the year, every year, in Vancouver.
At the end of his career By the end of his career Hubert Evans had published 21+ works, and was the quintessential “Coast Man”. He could write, read, build, and fish with the best of them. In addition to this, he had educational achievements: in 1981 he was the recipient of an honorary doctorate by SFU. In true Hubert Evans fashion he refused to make the long trip to the SFU campus, so the committee went to his small home in Roberts Creek. There was also a literary prize named after him: the “Hubert Evans Prize”. It is awarded to the top British Columbian non-fiction writer of the year, every year, in Vancouver.
Fig. 5: An image of Evans and friend Margaret Laurence at Evans' honorary doctorate ceremony in 1981. The picture can be found on pg 108 of Alan Twigg's biography.
If you have any questions about Hubert Evans, his boat, the handtrolling tradition, or his writing, please come into the Museum! We would be happy to answer your questions.
Works Referenced
Twigg, Alan. Hubert Evans: The First 93 Years. Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 1985. Print.
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