FRIENDS OF RUCKLE PARK HERITAGE SOCIETY
We are a registered B.C non-profit society that works to serve the Ruckle family’s legacy, to inform, educate, and inspire all Salt Spring Island residents and visitors who benefit from their gifts, generousity, and wisdom.
New members and volunteers welcome,
see our SUPPORT page. PayPal and major credit cards accepted.
New members and volunteers welcome,
see our SUPPORT page. PayPal and major credit cards accepted.
LATEST NEWS
To read our latest newsletter,
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To read our brochure,
click here or on the above image. |
Meet the Ruckles: A Family, a Farm, and a Spirit of Sharing
by Brenda Guiled
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PAST PROJECTS
• 2022 to date
• 2018
- BC Parks Park Enhancement Fund (PEF) Volunteer Grant for $500, to buy a smart-TV & hard-drive to loop historic videos during open-house days; see p. 3 of our 2022 newsletter for more about it.
- Our summer 2022 questionnaire: CLICK HERE to see it and the report.
- E-bike station and cycling interpretive sign installed by the parking lot up from the barn. See page 3 of our 2022 spring newsletter for more information.
- Ruckle Heritage Farm six new interpretive signs installed and launched, hosted by SSI Historical Society: Click here to read the signs as letter-size PDFs.
- Meet the Ruckles: A Family, a Farm, and a Spirit of Sharing, published. Click here for a peek inside and to purchase.
- $9,300 grant awarded by Heritage Legacy Fund of B.C: our second HLF grant, to help complete restoring the Henry Ruckle house, preparing it to open as an interpretive centre.
- BC Parks Park Enhancement Fund (PEF) Volunteer Grant for $900, to buy plants and related materials to restore the flower beds by the Henry Ruckle house, all work -- over 300-hours total -- by FRPH volunteer gardeners.
- Heritageworks Inc. won the top-honour 2020 Planning award from Heritage BC for its "Ruckle Park Heritage Conservation Plan". See below; click here to read more. about this award.
- "Ruckle Park Heritage Conservation Plan" published: funded by a $10,000 grant to FRPH from the Heritage Legacy Fund of BC; plan created by Heritageworks Inc's Gord Macdonald, Ben Gourley, and Denise Cooke.
• 2018
- Ruckle Family & Neighbours Arts & Crafts Show, exhibited in the SSI Library Program Room & foyer display case, to highlight Ruckle farm as a hidden, but vital island art centre for long decades. We will stage the show again in the Henry Ruckle house, when it's open as an interpretive centre, the first of various artistic and heritage-farm exhibits.
- 1876 Henry Ruckle House Restoration: Through our society, Heritage BC put over $30,000 into restoring this house, the oldest in the park. BC Parks has contributed another $10,000. Plans are to use it as an administrative and interpretive centre.
- Ruckle Provincial Park has the only heritage farm in all of BC Parks' 600+ parks and reserve lands. Henry Ruckle started the farm in 1872, making it one of the longest-running family farms in B.C.
- In 1974, the farm's full 1200 acres became a Class A park. The Ruckle family sold it to the B.C. government for a fraction of its commercial value, in keeping with their belief that land isn't owned, but tended for future generations.
- In recent years, another almost-200 acres were added, thanks to a generous neighbour and land-conservancy funding.
- Surrounding the old farm are beautiful hiking trails through coastal forests, and stellar (literally, under the open stars) seaside campsites.
LINKS
Our Brochure: To read, click here or on the image to the left.
Friends of Ruckle Park Heritage Facebook group - for Facebook members
Ruckle Park Friends Facebook public page - for everyone
BC Parks: Ruckle Provincial Park
Ruckle Heritage Farm
Our Brochure: To read, click here or on the image to the left.
Friends of Ruckle Park Heritage Facebook group - for Facebook members
Ruckle Park Friends Facebook public page - for everyone
BC Parks: Ruckle Provincial Park
Ruckle Heritage Farm
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