Interview with Barbara Freeman Stannard

Audio recording and transcript of Barbara Stannard's 1983 interview with Lynne Bowen for the Coal Tyee History Project. Stannard shares the history of several generations of her family, dating back to the Harpooner's arrival in 1849, which brought the Muir and McGregor families, who were related to her mother's family (the Campbells) by marriage. She tells the story of how her maternal grandparents were reunited and married, and she also gives biographical information about her paternal grandparents and parents. She goes into detail about the different jobs that her father, Harry Freeman, had as a mining engineer. This included working at the Jingle Pot Mine and at Suquash, as well as other mines and projects throughout Canada and the United States. Freeman shares her version of the story of how Jingle Pot Mine got its name, and she also gives the details about both her parents' experiences during the Vancouver Island Coal Miners' Strike. The interview concludes with Bowen and Freeman discussing several mining artifacts found within the Nanaimo Museum's collection.