Bannock and Beans

Bob White’s reminiscences, recounted in the tradition of the cowboy storyteller, describe the hardships of cutting trails and hauling supplies on horseback, the beauty of the wilderness landscape and many of the unique aspects of the expedition. Bannock and Beans also reveals the complex character of the expedition’s leader, Charles Bedaux, a French entrepreneur who made his fortune in the United States. The book includes White’s experiences in Bedaux’s attempts to develop a ranch in northern BC after the expedition.

Editor Jay Sherwood supplements with original Bedaux Expedition correspondence and photographs to show Bedaux’s strong attachment to the remote wilderness area of northern BC from 1926 to 1939. Bannock and Beans provides new information and a fresh perspective on this unique event in BC’s history. White’s memoirs take us back to the campfire stories of people who were part of the vast wilderness that still covered much of the northern part of the province 75 years ago.

About the Author

Bob White (1902–85) was a career cowboy, born and raised in the remote Cypress Hills region of southwestern Saskatchewan. As a young man, White yearned for adventure, so headed west with a friend and ended up trapping and working on pack trains in northern BC, where he was hired to work for Charles Bedaux. In 1983, long after he had returned to Saskatchewan, White wrote his account of the Bedaux Expedition.

From 1979 to 1986, Jay Sherwood lived and taught school in Vanderhoof. There, he learned about the ledgendary land surveyor, Frank Swannell, through his involvement with the local history society. A former surveyor himself, Sherwood embarked on a study of Swannell that would result in the publication of three books about him. His research also inspired him write about other important land surveyors, explorers and cowboys.

Other books by Jay Sherwood
Furrows in the Sky
In the Shadow of the Great War
Return to Northern British Columbia
Surveying Central British Columbia