Douglas Hamilton
June 20th, 2025
Having previously lived on the off-grid eccentric Lasqueti Island, Douglas Hamilton is no stranger to West Coast lore and tall tales. But he also has an MA in history so he knows the difference between the two as he shows in his collection, Who Shot Estevan Light? Tales from the Salish Sea and Beyond (Caitlin $26). Some of the stories are maritime history and others fall into the category of local folklore. They include a BC pirate who claimed he was part of Butch Cassidy’s gang; a little-known French explorer who rivalled Captain Cook for travels in the Pacific; and BC’s Estevan Point Lighthouse, reportedly shelled by a Japanese submarine in 1942 (although a 1995 CBC report questioned the eye witness reports of the time and speculated it was propaganda to support Prime Minister Mackenzie King’s wartime policies for conscription). 9781773861531
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