The legendary west coast settler Cougar Annie was anything but a typical woman – especially in the early 1900’s.
She trapped over 70 cougars, homesteaded a rainforest bog, opened a remote post office, and outlived four husbands.
California-born Ada Annie Jordan settled in the Clayoquot coastal rainforest in 1915 with her first husband and three young children. A five-acre garden that she carved out of the wilderness provided food and income throughout her long life.
The bounty on cougars supplemented her income and she earned her nickname of Cougar Annie for shooting over 70 of the animals. She gave birth to eight more children in this remote location, and, in fact, rarely left the property until old age and blindness forced her removal to Port Alberni, where she died at the age of 97.
Now, singer/songwriter Kat Kadoski – who lived in Clayoquot Sound for three years caretaking Cougar Annie’s garden and immersing herself in the folklore surrounding the legendary pioneer-settler – draws upon many sources, including Annie’s family in the upcoming performance, Cougar Annie Tales, which comes to the Rivercity Stage (1080 Hemlock St.) June 11.
The dynamic one-woman performance uses dramatic narrative, images, letters, and original compositions to celebrate the unconventional life of one of B.C.’s most colourful characters.
Robert Moyes of Monday Magazine says “it’s great to see our unique B.C. history being kept alive in so appealing a fashion,” and John Threlfall of CVV magazine calls the performance “a treat to behold.”
Tickets for the show are available at ticketrocket.co/event/details/97631 and are $15.
Tickets will also be available at the door for $18. Doors open at 7:30 p.m., performance begins at 8 p.m.