Karen Collins is gifted with a number of attributes that would have made her an attractive recruit for CSIS, Canada’s spy agency. Chief among these are an insatiable curiosity, a prodigious work ethic and a tenacious will to tease out information from unlikely sources. Add to this an alert mind and an ability to express herself clearly, and we have the makings of a canny sleuth. The spy moguls didn’t come calling though and she has devoted her research talents to unearthing secrets from the local past.

Born in Oliver, Karen spent her growing up years in rural communities, including several years in Hedley. When the family moved to Kettle Valley, the nearest neighbours lived a mile away. Still preschool, Karen and her older brother tramped a mile through bush to play with their children. Even at that age her curiosity sometimes took over. When her father said they should stay away from a nearby hill because the bears were coming out of hibernation, she felt compelled to do a little investigating there. One day her father hid in a clump of bushes and made growling sounds. “We were terrified,” she admitted. “My mom saw us coming and she told me later I had been running so fast, my ponytail had been flying straight out.”

Her fascination with local history began early. “My parents took us for Sunday drives along logging roads and they talked about local scenes and people. I was interested and paid attention.”

Karen’s interest in local history, especially the people, didn’t abate. “I learned that Thomas Ellis and his family, early ranchers with thousands of acres and large herds of cattle, had donated land for the Penticton Cemetery” she said. “I made a list of all the people buried there and did research on them.” She wanted to know who they were and what they had contributed to their community.

When geologist Charles Camsell (1876-1958) came to Karen’s attention, she was quickly intrigued. She learned he was the son of an HBC factor and did extensive geological fieldwork in southern B.C. Locally he did a detailed survey of the unique gold deposits of Nickel Plate Mountain. “I recently ordered a rare book on Camsell from Boston, ” Karen said, “but it’s so musty I’ve put it aside to let it air out.”

When Karen became a single mom with two young children, she took a retail course at Okanagan College. In 1979 she was hired by Woodwards in Penticton. Here she met Hartley Clelland when he became store manager in the mid 1980’s. He had grown up in Hedley so this gave them an important common ground. They were surprised when they discovered that Karen’s great aunt Maggie (McLean) had been married to Joseph Brent, Hartley’s great grandfather. In time the relationship flourished and they became a couple.

“We visited a number of countries,” Karen said. “In Egypt I took a photo of Hartley at a pyramid. In Mexico I climbed to the edge of a pyramid. We also did cruises. These trips gave us an appreciation for what we have, and also for the people who live there. Hartley and I enjoyed over 25 years together, until his passing in 2019.”

Karen retired early and is investing much of her time in research and writing. She is president of the Penticton branch of the South Okanagan Historical Society and south okanagan editor of the society’s annual publication, Okanagan History. She has researched and written about area schools, churches, businesses and agriculture. “Currently I’m working on an article about L.W. Shatford,” she said. “He built the store that eventually became the Hitching Post restaurant in Hedley. For 17 years he was the local Conservative MLA. Later he was appointed to the Senate.”

Karen has scoured pretty much all newspapers in southern B.C. Some, like the Hedley Gazette are now defunct, but past issues offer valuable insights into people and events of early years. She also goes to the UBC Library Open Collections site for information.

Karen has family connections to the local past. Her great grandfather, Roderick McLean, was in charge of the Keremeos HBC post from 1863 to 1868. Listening to her talk about the men and women whose lives she has researched and written about, I was impressed with her intimate understanding of them, and the immense respect she has for them. Some are family and others seem like family.