Interview with Lynn Starter, author of Follow The Road To Maple Bay
Lynn Starter’s hard-cover history book has been 14 years in the making. It weighs 11 pounds, costs $110, and includes almost 1,200 pages of facts, stories and photos of Maple Bay.
Starter spoke to sixmountains.ca from her home on Maple Bay Road overlooking Quamichan Lake and Mount Prevost.
Q: What was your original vision for this book?
A: “It wasn’t about the people at all. It was about the houses. Even as a child I had a passion for old architecture and as a child I personally knew many of these houses first-hand. I wanted to write about all the old houses — basically, 1860s to 1940s. There were two exceptions, character houses built in 1960 that were well known. I started to take photos and interview people and it kind of took on a life of its own. People had diaries, journals, photo albums….It became just as much about the people who live in those old houses.”
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Q: How did you conduct the more than 100 interviews?
A: “I got myself a little tape recorder, but people would clam right up. So, I did handwritten notes during interviews, but my short-hand abilities were nil; three days later, I’d go ‘what did I mean by that?’ So, as soon as I got home I typed it up, while it was fresh in my mind. It just sort of flowed out.”
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Q: You’ve categorized the book’s chapters according to addresses, and written about the various people who lived there.
A: “It’s like taking a leisurely Sunday drive…only in years past. It starts at Indian Road and Maple Bay Road and goes down to Maple Bay proper, then out to Arbutus, then Herd Road to Osborne Bay Road, then down to Bird’s Eye Cove and all the way to Genoa Bay.”
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Q: You’ve collected a lot of historic material for this book. Will you be donating it to the Cowichan archives?
A: “Absolutely. I’m not going to live forever. I’m 77. When this is all over and done, they’ll get everything I feel would be of value to them. Most of the photos have never been seen by the archives or the public. It was from peoples’ private collections.”
Q: How has Maple Bay changed over the decades?
A: “So many more people and houses. It used to mainly be cottages. Most people didn’t stay there year round. And a very slowed paced gravel road is now practically a speedway. But when you go down that big hill into the bay it stills takes my breath away. That will never change.”
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Q: Should there be stronger protection for heritage homes?
A: “I’ve always felt that way. We’re destroying the past. It’s heritage. I’m not good with change. You have to love old houses to realize they are part of the history.”
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Q: Talk about your editor, Paul Considine, whose family goes back generations in Maple Bay?
A: “After he gave me some photos and wonderful stories about his family, he came on board. I hired him, he was paid for his services, but not nearly enough. He just got so involved, he definitely went beyond. He formatted the book. He would turn old photos into historical gems. It’s amazing what he can do.”
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Q: Final thoughts?
A: “I’m glad it’s done. It was a long haul. It was full of adventure, things I could not have foreseen — people connecting with other people they hadn’t done for years. It was really neat. I’m very proud of my book. I put a lot of heart and soul and love and hours into it. My nature is to be very thorough, almost over the top. I know I will have missed some peoples’ homes and families, but we didn’t want a 20-pound book. We already have an 11-pound book.”
(Painting of Paddy’s Milestone by Lynn Starter)
More info: https://maplebayhistory.ca/f/finally-follow-the-road-to-maple-bay-is-in-print
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— Larry Pynn, Aug. 30, 2024
