FEATURED AUTHOR kevin allen The Big Bend , A History of West Fernie
Kevin Allen is an award-winning writer and historian who has published two books and numerous articles . Allen moved to Fernie in 2006 while studying for a Masters in Public Administration . Seeking a thesis project , he approached the City of Fernie and later took on a public policy issue about water supply in West Fernie . The City of Fernie and the Regional District of East Kootenay were researching options for incorporating West Fernie into the Municipality , and this was a key piece of the puzzle . By 2009 , Allen had an 80-page document to present .
The research included interviews with 27 people , where he found that opinions and recollections varied widely on the history of the area . One of the people interviewed was Mike Sosnowski , then Area A Director for the RDEK . In 2020 , Sosnowski asked Allen to turn the research into a book and provided funding to cover additional research costs . The result is The Big Bend : A History of West Fernie , a coffee-table style book packed with pictures and records from the Fernie Museum alongside Allen ’ s in-depth research .
Allen ’ s previous book , Our Past Matters : Stories of Gay Calgary is a compilation of
recollections of the early days of Calgary ’ s gay community and reflects the author ’ s interest in LGBTQ2S + history and rights . Allen wrote the book during his tenure as Historian in Residence at the Calgary Public Library in 2018 and hosts walking tours in Calgary to present the stories in a physical context .
The Big Bend was written through the generous support of the RDEK and can be purchased from the Fernie Museum or Polar Peek Books & Treasures in Fernie . All proceeds from the sale of the book will support programming and operations at the Fernie Museum . Our Past Matters is available online . Kevin Allen is a senior elections official for the City of Fernie , Elections Alberta , and Elections Canada . He is a director with the Fernie Pride Society and Fernie Heritage Trust Society .
15