Henry Castillou was affectionately known as “the cowboy judge” and has been described as “bigger than life, exuberant, witty, wise and sometimes wild.”
It is said that he had such a robust and booming voice, that he was the master of ceremonies for Merritt’s first rodeo in 1934 without the benefit of a loudspeaker or a microphone.
Henry was born in 1896 on his father Joseph’s Coldwater Valley Ranch, ten miles south of what is now Merritt. Joseph was a well-known packer who carried supplies over the Cariboo Wagon Road from Yale to Barkerville in 1875, before taking up ranching in the Nicola Valley.
As a young man, Henry completed his elementary school years and part of his high school education in Merritt, all the while working as a packer, a cowboy, hunting and fishing with the First Nations people in the Valley and learning to speak fluently the Chinook dialect. He went on to complete his high school education in New Westminster.
But, as Henry was making his career choices, World War One broke out. He quickly signed up to defend his country and left for Europe. He served well, climbing to the rank of Captain in the fledgling Royal Flying Corps before the war ended.
He did not return to British Columbia immediately however, instead attending law school in London, England to get his degree. When he did return, he opened a law practice in Vancouver in 1923.
As his career progressed, Henry became more and more famous. Time after time he successfully defended people facing murder charges. He made headlines all over B.C., when, together with the noted criminal lawyer Stuart Henderson, he defended three First Nations men charged in the Constables Percy Carr and Frank Gisbourne murders at the Canford Reserve in 1934. This time, however despite a valiant effort, they lost that case.
He was also sent to Hong Kong on an evidence gathering mission for the trial of five Chinese men with connections in Vancouver, San Francisco and Hong Kong, charged with distributing opium.
It was then that he acquired a Mandarin gown, on display at the Museum, which is rumoured to have had its threads dipped in gold.
The silk robe boasts a symbol of a dragon, which was supposed to be outlawed in China at the time. The case lasted 18 months, resulting in all five accused being found guilty and receiving a seven-year jail sentence.
In 1950, Henry settled in Williams Lake and was appointed County Court Judge for the Cariboo, a position he held until his retirement ten years later.
He always had a soft spot for the Nicola Valley and this was evident in the fact that his passions extended far beyond the realm of law. During his years in the Valley, a seed was planted for a keen interest in the history of the First Nations people of British Columbia. During his lifetime, he searched the province far and wide for information and artifacts and Henry soon became a recognized authority on B.C. Tribes and their origins.
A young Henry Castillou, second from left, after a hunting expedition. (Photo courtesy of Nicola Valley Museum and Archives).
Henry loved to show off his extensive collection of arrows and arrowheads, First Nations stone sculptures and skeletal remains. He was said to have one of the best collections of Pacific Northwest Native Indian artifacts. He also worked as a legal and political advisor to the North American Indian Brotherhood and represented B.C. Natives before the Indian Claims Commission in 1948.
He was also a devoted family man, He and his wife Mintie, had a son Henry, two daughters – Sheila (Cumming), Josephine Stackhouse, and nine grandchildren.
Henry is one of only a select few to hold a key to the City of Merritt, which was presented to him in front of the Coldwater Hotel in 1938. His trademark Indian buckskin jacket that he wore on that occasion, is also on display at the Museum.
Henry Castillou
(Photo courtesy of Nicola Valley Museum and Archives).
In 1967, after a long and illustrious career, Henry Castillou died at the age of 71.
At the conclusion of his funeral, his ashes were scattered at his birthplace, the Coldwater Ranch, where he spent his boyhood.
Be sure to join us on Thursday June 9, when Joline Castillou Cumming will give an illustrated talk about her grandfather and his role during the Nicola Valley Stampede Years – 1934 – 1940. She will be making her presentation, sponsored by the Nicola Valley Museum and Archives, at the Senior Citizens Recreation Centre Hall, 1675 Tutill Court, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Admission is free.
For more information on the history of Merritt and the Nicola Valley, call or come and visit the Nicola Valley Museum and Archives, 1675 Tutill Court, (250)-378-4145. You can also visit our website at www.nicolavalleymuseum.org.
