Interview with Scotty Gilchrist

Audio recording and transcript of Scotty Gilchrist's 1979 interview with Shirley Ramsay for the Coal Tyee History Project. Gilchrist shares information and stories from his 32 year career as a coal miner and he also briefly mentions his father's experience as a miner. Gilchrist talks about his school days in Nanaimo before he quit to work at the mine when he was 14 years old. He describes his different jobs, working conditions in the mines, and what his first day on the picking tables was like. He gives the present day locations of the Wakesiah, Jingle Pot, and Northfield Mines, and he also describes several mining railways. Throughout the interview Gilchrist gives details about Nanaimo, including his recollection of how the Ravine was filled in downtown, local doctors, and the hospital. He talks about union activity and the gas committee, and he also fondly recalls attending the miners' picnics that took place on Newcastle Island.