10 • The Upper Columbia Pioneer
October 28, 2004
The tragic tale of Elizabeth Bruce By Elinor Florence Pioneer Staff
It has all the classic elements of a ghost story: the young bride, the sudden death, the old house. That’s why ghost stories about Lady Elizabeth Bruce have been circulating for generations. Even today there are people who believe they have felt her presence. “I’ve been working in the kitchen at Pynelogs when I have heard doors opening and shutting and I know I’m the only one Lady Elizabeth Bruce Photo: Historical Society in the building,” says Pynelogs volunteer Sharon Wass. “Usually I just call out ‘Hello, Elizabeth!’ and go about my business.” Many of the visitors who frolic on Kinsmen Beach are unaware that they are sunbathing near an 90-year-old grave. And if they do notice the covered stone, they don’t know the true story of Lady Elizabeth Bruce. Elizabeth grew up an English aristocrat, the second daughter of the Earl of Iddesleigh. When she was still a young woman, she met Randolph Bruce, a vigorous 54-year-old with a cleft chin and a bushy moustache. He was dynamic and persuasive and fresh from his adventures in the wilds of Canada. Bruce was the Windermere Valley’s first “developer.” He had a vision of this valley green with fruit orchards, and had convinced many others to follow his dream all the way to Canada. The young woman must have been impressed and flattered to receive his attentions. They were married on January 6, 1914 in an elaborate wedding on her family’s estate named Pynes in Devonshire. The bride wore silver lace embroidered with pearls. Randolph Bruce showered his young bride with diamonds and furs and the newlyweds honeymooned in Algiers before making the long journey home to Invermere. Compared with war-torn Europe, the valley seemed like a peaceful oasis. Randolph Bruce promised his young wife nothing but the best. He ordered construction of the most modern house in Invermere, complete with steam heat, modern plumbing and electric lights. The couple purchased a huge houseboat, “The Isabell,” to live in while the house was being built. While they watched the rafters rise, Elizabeth strolled on the beach with a parasol to shield her fair skin from the hot sun, planned the flower gardens, ordered furniture. She even named her new house Pynelogs, after her family’s ancestral home. But it was never to be. One evening Elizabeth felt a stabbing pain in her
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The houseboat called Isabell on Lake Windermere where Lady Bruce lived. Photo from the Ede Collection.
Cheers & Jeers ☺ Cheers to my neighbour Alita who surprised me with a beautiful homemade wreath for my front door. Thanks! LE
☺ Cheers to Maria Kloos for the wonderful cake. Thanks also to the
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abdomen. There was no medical attention available, as Invermere’s only doctor was overseas treating the war wounded. The pain grew worse. Randolph Bruce stayed at his wife’s bedside while she screamed in agony, her cries echoing across the still waters. Before dawn on September 27, 1915 she was dead. Since there was no autopsy, it is assumed she died from a ruptured appendix. A heartbroken Randolph Bruce laid Elizabeth to rest on the lakeshore that she loved so much. A few years later he was named Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia and left the valley, never to return. Pynelogs lay empty and shuttered while Elizabeth’s body turned to dust. In 1936 Bruce generously donated the house to the community and even added financial provisions for the upkeep of Pynelog’s gardens and Elizabeth’s grave. His illustrious career continued when he married into the wealthy Molson family in Montreal, and became ambassador to Japan. He died in Montreal at the age of 81. The community turned Pynelogs into a hospital, then a residence for the elderly and finally a home for the mentally handicapped. When that closed, Windermere Valley Arts Council approached the town in 1993 and leased Pynelogs for use as a cultural centre. Today the house is undergoing an extreme makeover, one that will restore its former glory. The darkened windows will glow with lights, and the sounds of music and laughter will spill out across the lawn. And on warm summer nights, while the moonlight shimmers on the water, one will sense the friendly ghost of Elizabeth Bruce leaning over the bannisters or slipping down the path.
Kloos family for their well wishes. BE
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