Two local historians were recognized by Nelson City Council this week. Ron and Frances Welwood were presented with a Special Citation for the Heritage Award. You might find the pair guiding tours around the city or stumble across one of their articles, history brochures, or books.
Ron Welwood started collecting local history when the couple arrived here in 1969 as he realized there was very little of it:
“Anything and everything related to the Kootenays. So print, non-print, photographs, microfilm. In fact, I recall getting two Koerner Grants to collect microfilm for the area.”
He was the University Librarian at Notre Dam in Nelson and later at Selkrik College where he put together his collection of Kootenaiana which is still accessible today. His wife, Frances Welwood, was on the board of directors for the Nelson and District Museum and Archives, Art Gallery and Historical Society for over 20 years and is an accomplished historian. Frances’ work includes research on the first woman elected to Nelson City Council in 1920:
“She was just fascinating and there is still evidence of her work and her life in Nelson and the times. There were people still here 30, 40 years ago that remember her and that makes it so much more interesting – when you have a physical link. Those links are pretty well gone now.”
She published a book on the subject in 2011 called Passing Through Missing Pages: The Intriguing Story of Annie Garland Foster.
