Cantley 1889 Articles
The following article first appeared in The Echo of Cantley Volume 33 no 2, August 2020. This article is made available for the enjoyment of others with the express permission of the Echo of Cantley.
Selma deLotbinière Huxley Barkham (1927 - 2020)
“...globally important geographer, explorer and historian...”1
By Margaret Phillips (with thanks to Oriana Barkham)
For centuries, Canadian history between Jacques Cartier’s final voyage to Canada in 1542 and Champlain’s first voyage in 1603 was a mystery.
Selma Barkham dedicated four decades researching and finding archaeological proof to solve this mystery. She discovered a significant 16th century Basque whaling industry in southern Labrador and Québec. Its major Newfoundland port of Red Bay is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Canada and the world have honoured Selma with many awards, including the Order of Canada. Her amazing story has been documented on the internet, television specials, in national and international magazines and newspapers. Selma’s recent death on May 3rd inspired many world-wide tributes.
The Cantley Years
Selma and her husband Brian Barkham met in Montreal when she was the librarian for the Arctic Institute at McGill University. He was studying next door at the School of Architecture. They soon married, moved to Ottawa for Brian’s new job and to start his architectural firm - “Schoeler & Barkham”.
In December 1954, the young couple met Ray and Lola Foley at their Cantley farm to buy land for a home. Ray drove them by horse-drawn sleigh to a site on a rocky cliff overlooking the river.
Brian designed a uniquely modern home for its time. With help from friends, but little income, they began building in early spring, 1955. They lived in a tent that year with their newborn son Thomas until the first part of their house was built. Selma remembered taking her first bath while the tub was still just sitting on joists!
During the following years, Brian designed award-winning houses in Wakefield and Ottawa and helped design the Expo 67 Canadian Pavilion. He won the Canadian design award for Ottawa’s Juvenile Court.
In 1956, the couple visited friends in Spain’s Basque Country. A priest mentioned there was a long tradition of Basque fishermen going to “Terra Nova”. This began Selma’s passion to discover the Basque connection to Newfoundland.
Meanwhile, Selma’s time was spent in Cantley caring for her family and community. She joined the Citizen’s Committee on Children, advocated for teaching French to anglophone children in Ottawa schools, and presented a brief to the House of Commons supporting bilingualism. She ran a small francophone nursery school in her home. She was active in the toy testing council, fluoride in water, a mobile library, raising funds to bring students from South Africa, and she did a CBC radio piece “How not to build your own house”.
Cantley friends remember Selma best as a charming, intelligent woman who cared deeply about people. She was a friend to many, including Lola Foley, Eirene McClelland and her river neighbours. She had a special rapport with us children. The Barkhams hosted marvellous parties inviting all ages - always a bonfire, plenty of food, music and laughter. Everyone felt welcome with the fun-loving Barkhams.
In1964 tragedy struck. Brian died at age 35, three weeks after his cancer diagnosis.
Selma was left with four children (ages 2 to 9). She found work with National Historic Sites.
In 1969, Selma decided to follow her dream of discovering the Basque “Terra Nova” connection. She rented out her beloved Cantley home then travelled with her children to Mexico to learn Spanish. In 1972, they sailed by cargo ship to Spain to investigate original documents. Her multi-lingual children spent their childhood in archive rooms helping her research. The first lesson Selma taught them was to find the words “Terra Nova”!
Selma’s incredible discoveries enabled her to reconstruct Canadian-Basque history.
Perhaps her Cantley years of such happiness and loss helped to instill her tremendous courage and determination.
Oriana (Selma’s daughter), husband Eduardo Alvarez and family continue to live in the Barkham home.
1 From D.M. Coolican presentation of Royal Canadian Geographical Society’s Gold Medal (1980) to Selma Barkham.