By Sam McBride

I am looking forward to giving a presentation on The Two Edgar Dewdneys at the Rossland Museum on Friday, April 24, 2015 between 6:30 pm and 8 pm.

For quite a few years I have been collecting images and stories of Edgar Dewdney which I will show in my slide presentation at the museum as part of the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Dewdney Trail through the Kootenays.   I offer my perspective as a descendant with material on Edgar that has not previously been organized and presented to the public.

Edgar Dewdney never lived in the Kootenays but his nephew Edgar E. L. Dewdney (my grandfather, known as Ted within the family and to close friends) was a prominent resident of Rossland, British Columbia in the early 1900s as a young Bank of Montreal clerk and lieutenant in the Rocky Mountain Rangers militia, and then again in the 1920s as bank manager and community leader.

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A story about the Dewdney Trail in the Cominco Magazine in the 1960s is among the material on display at the Rossland Museum this year in conjunction with the 150th anniversary of completion of the Dewdney Trail across southern B.C.

Ted Dewdney was not famous like his Uncle Edgar, but in many ways his story as a community builder in southern B.C. is just as interesting.  Unlike his uncle Edgar, there were no scandals or improprieties associated with Ted Dewdney, who was highly respected for his integrity and compassion throughout a 43-year career with the bank, followed by 12 years of service with community organizations before his death in Nelson in 1952.

The date April 24, 2015 is also significant for the Dewdney family because it will be 100 years since Ted Dewdney`s brother-in-law Private John Francklyn Peters died at the Second Battle of Ypres in the First World War.  He was the first of three of Helen Peters Dewdney`s brothers to die in the world wars

In conjunction with the Two Edgar Dewdneys talk, memorabilia of Edgar Dewdney and Ted Dewdney will be displayed in two of the Rossland Museum`s display cases.  The displays can be viewed before and after the presentation.

Last week I was interviewed about the Two Edgar Dewdneys presentation by Chris Stedile of Rossland News.  His story can be viewed on the following link: http://www.rosslandnews.com/news/298486611.html

UPDATE TO POSTING, MAY 2015

The Two Edgar Dewdneys presentation at the Rossland Museum went very well.  Extra chairs had to be brought in to the theatre room to accommodate an audience of about 50 local history enthusiasts.    The displays of Dewdney family memorabilia associated with the presentation will stay up as part of the display commemorating the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Dewdney Trail through the Kootenays.