Lesley Keith, Director

Lesley spent her first five years living in Squamish and in Pemberton in forest fire season, as her father worked for the BC forest Service at the time. Her parents moved to Chilliwack, BC, but she was a frequent visitor to Squamish over the years.

She graduated from the University of Guelph and worked in several places in Western Canada before retiring to Squamish. Lesley's interest in the history of the valley was sparked by reading and transcribing her grandmother's1907 diary, which described a way of life in the early days of Squamish. Lesley's maternal grandmother, Minnie Armstrong (b. Rae) was a year old when she came to the Squamish Valley in February 1889.

The location of Lesley's photograph is the site of her grandparent's home, chosen over a hunderd years ago by her grandfather Herbert Armstrong, because this location remained dry during the 1908 flood. The house was across the road and just south of Mamquam School. The surrounding neighbourhood was called "Armstrong's Corners" for many years.