Jim Cooperman

Jim Cooperman

Biographic Abstract - Jim Cooperman Author of the local best seller, Everything Shuswap, Jim Cooperman moved to the Shuswap in 1969 as a war resister and a back-to-the-lander, after receiving his BA from the University of California at Berkeley. Over the succeeding years, Jim taught school, worked in construction and log building, operated a sawmill, and edited a provincial environmental journal, the BC Environmental Report. His local environmental work led to the protection of over 25,000 hectares of new parks in the Shuswap, which is documented in the book, Big Trees Saved, by Deanna Kawatski. He has researched and written about local history and helped initiate and edit the local history journal, Shuswap Chronicles I and II. In 1993, he wrote the Chapter on Canada in Clearcut – The Tragedy of Industrial Forestry. And in 1998, he wrote Keeping the Special in Special Management Zones, A Citizens’ Guide, published by BC Spaces for Nature. Jim lives with his wife, Kathleen, in a log home they built on 40 acres above Shuswap Lake, where they raised five children. His column, “Shuswap Passion,” appears every two weeks in either the Shuswap Market News or the Salmon Arm Observer. Additionally, his YouTube channel has over 100 videos, including many that showcase live music, skiing and Shuswap geography.

Jun 20 2013October 10, 2020

The Shuswap-Okanagan Canal

History

What the canal might have looked like if it had been built Often, some of the most interesting history stories are the footnotes, the obscure …

The Shuswap-Okanagan Canal Read More »

Jun 8 2013October 10, 2020

Forest industry was key to Shuswap settlement

History

A log drive on the Shuswap River Despite the obstacles that many settlers encountered in gaining title to their homesteads due to the rights held …

Forest industry was key to Shuswap settlement Read More »

May 24 2013October 10, 2020

The sternwheeler era

History

The steamer Andover on Shuswap Lake, circa 1910 Before there were roads and automobiles, sternwheeler steamships served a vital role in the development of the …

The sternwheeler era Read More »

May 11 2013October 10, 2020

Shuswap’s multitude of communities

History

North Shuswap pioneers, circa 1910 The pattern of early settlement in the Shuswap was influenced by the location of arable land, the modes and challenges …

Shuswap’s multitude of communities Read More »

Apr 26 2013October 10, 2020

Early settlers were initially deemed squatters

History

Shuswap settlers successfully lobbied Prime Minister Wilfred Laurier on his western tour in 1910 to ensure the size of their homesteads was not reduced …

Early settlers were initially deemed squatters Read More »