KEN MATHER has been researching western Canadian heritage for over four decades, working in curatorial, management, and research roles at Fort Edmonton Park, Barkerville and the O’Keefe Ranch since the early 1970s. He is the author of several books on pioneer and ranching history. His fifth book, Trail North – The Okanagan Trail of 1858-68, was runner-up for the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Historical Writing. In 2015, he received the Joe Marten Memorial Award for the Preservation of Cowboy Heritage in BC.