The Jeanne Clarke Local History award for publication goes to Kent Sedgwick for his book Giscome Chronicle: the rise and demise of a sawmill community in central British Columbia, 1912-1976, published by CNC Press in 2008.
The book chronicles the history of the community of Giscome, one of 40 small sawmill towns that grew, flourished for a time, then faded along the “East Line” of the Grand Trunk Pacific rail line. The author drew upon a wide range of historical documents including maps, newspapers, drawings, diaries, oral histories and photos to produce a timeline of the major events in Giscome’s community history. The book is a unique contribution to our local history, providing valuable research in resource-based communities and northern community development.
This is the second Jeanne Clarke Award for Kent Sedgwick, who was honoured for his contributions to local history in 1991. Kent is a former geography instructor at the College of New Caledonia and urban planner with the City of Prince George.