I was so saddened to see this monument defaced when I think of all the thought and hard work that went into its creation by a group of dedicated volunteers back in 1971. Most of them are not with us anymore but I'm sure there are those around today who will remember them.

The Cortes Grapevine on January 5, 1972, reported on its completion just in time to qualify for a government grant:

"Our Cortes Island Centennial '71 project, that of a large map of Cortes Island over a stone cairn, was completed according to Beverley Mathews, secretary of this special group. The stone cairn, having been acquired by Wilf Freeman and Bill Mathews, and cemented in place by Mike Talbot, now features a bronze plaque upon its face, while the wooden-framed map rises over the cairn.

Klaus Maibauer did the artistry featured on the map, and also assisted Bruce Ellingsen, president of the Centennial group, and Bill Mathews in the map's erection just before the December 31 deadline. The elected Centennial '71 group also had the following people as members: Irene Gardner, treasurer, Eva Freeman, Olga Hynek and Bud Guthrie."

The Cortes Grapevine was written by different people weekly for a North Island newspaper in the 1960s and 1970s, and many copies of it reside in a Cortes Museum album.

From researcher for CIMAS,
Lynne Jordan
January 29, 2022