THIS DAY IN HISTORY: MARCH 7, 1913

Pauline Johnson lived in Vancouver for less than five years. But the iconic native poet is forever associated with the city, where she died 100 years ago today. Johnson wrote a series of stories for the Daily Province newspaper about local native legends told to her by Chief Joe Capilano of the Squamish band. When she fell ill from breast cancer, her friends collected them in a book to raise funds for her care. Legends of Vancouver is still in print, a century later. Johnson also named Lost Lagoon in Stanley Park. “It was a tidal lagoon, so when the tide went out, the water would disappear and turn into mud flats,” relates Jolene Cumming, who has organized two events marking the 100th anniversary of Johnson’s death. “So she called it her lost lagoon, and wrote a famous poem about it.” Born on March 10, 1861, on the Grand River reserve near Brantford, Ont., Johnson’s father was a Mohawk chief and her mother an English immigrant. Her native name was Tekahion wake. She grew up in an intellectually rich environment, and in 1883, had a poem published in the New York magazine Gems of Poetry. She became a regular contributor to Canadian publications like the Globe newspaper and Saturday Night magazine in Toronto. Her obituary in The Vancouver Sun states she went to London in 1894, where her poetry collection, The White Wampum, was published to great acclaim. Her beauty, “dramatic manner” and “rich and melodious voice” also made her a star on the live stage. She toured across Canada many times, and in 1909 decided to retire to Vancouver. Unfortunately, she fell ill and spent her last months in the old Bute Street hospital, where she died three days shy of her 52nd birthday. Her ashes were buried at Ferguson Point in her beloved Stanley Park. Victoria’s poet laureate Janet Rogers, a Mohawk spoken word artist, will be doing two free events to honour Johnson this weekend. The Inspiration of E. Pauline will take place on Saturday at 7 p. m. at Rhizome Cafe, 317 E. Broadway. On Sunday at 1 p. m., Rogers will perform Poetry in the Park for Pauline at the Pauline Johnson memorial at Ferguson Point.

Poet Pauline Johnson died on March 7, 1913. The Vancouver Sun reported her death the next day, and ran one of her poems on the front page.