Jack L.

Cougar Annie

Jack L
South Island Pop Up Fairs
Victoria, BC

Ada Annie Rae-Arthur, known as Cougar Annie, was a survivalist, pioneer, and entrepreneur who lived for over 65 years in the remote Boat Basin on northwest Vancouver Island. She was known for her skill as a marksman, reportedly killing more than 80 cougars to protect her livestock and collect bounties. Alongside this, she built a thriving nursery, store, and post office while raising a family in isolation. 

Born in 1888 in California to George Jordan and Margaret Coleman, Annie’s early life included travel to England, South Africa, and Canada before settling permanently in Boat Basin. 

In Vancouver, she married Willie Rae-Arthur in 1909, a relationship that became a catalyst for their move to Boat Basin. Willie struggled with addiction, and Annie sought a remote life to remove him from the influences of alcohol and drugs and receive money from his family to do the same. They had eleven children together. 

Gardening was Annie’s passion and became a successful business. She ran a mail-order nursery, best known for her dahlia bulbs. In 1923, she opened the Boat Basin store, selling essential goods to the isolated community. As the only store in the area, changed prices to make more earnings. By 1935, it also became a post office, supporting her nursery business and monthly income. The post office remained in operation until the mid-1980s. 

Annie experienced many hardships. The loss of children and four husbands, including the drowning of Willie Rae Arthur. She would eventually tend her garden alone with some visitors. 

Later in life, Annie sold her land to friend Peter Buckland, who helped preserve it through the Boat Basin Foundation. Her health declined in 1983, and she moved to Port Alberni, where she died in 1985. Her ashes were scattered in her garden. 

Ambitious, protective, and resilient, Cougar Annie built a remarkable life despite hardship, leaving a legacy. 

What sources and evidence did you consult for your project? What different perspectives did they provide on your topic?

Wikipedia contributors. (2023, August 27). Cougar Annie. Wikipedia. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cougar_Annie.This provided an overview of her life.

Horsfield, M. (1999). Cougar Annie’s garden. Nanaimo, BC: Salal Books. This biography helped gain knowledge of what it would be like to be Cougar Annie, who she was, what her land looked like, the many people involved and the culture of the settlement.

Healey, H. (2020). On their own terms: True stories of trailblazing women of Vancouver Island. Victoria, BC: Amazing Stories. This book provided another overview and some details about her many marriages.

Royal BC Museum and Archives. (n.d.). Ada Lawson, known as Cougar Annie. Retrieved fromL https://search-bcarchives.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/ada-lawson-known-as-cougar-annie. This picture was what got me interested in Cougar Annie and my inquiry question about what it was like for her in the early 1900s.

Cougar Annie. (n.d.). The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/cougar-annie. This website also provided an overview of her life but discussed how she starting killing cougars for protection and led to her starting to trap and kill for bounty. Another means to make money.

Cougar Annie inspired a musical. (n.d.). Times Colonist. Retrieved from: https://www.timescolonist.com/archive/cougar-annie-inspired-a-musical-4651310. This website provides an overview of Annie's life and talks specifically about her legacy.

Boat Basin Foundation. (n.d.) Boat Basin Foundation. Retrieved March 16, 2026, from: http://www.boatbasin.org. The Boat Basin website provided pictures of the garden and is how the garden stays alive today as a heritage site.

Cougar Annie’s Garden [@cougaranniesgarden]. (n.d.) Instagram. Retrieved March 16, 2026, from: https://www.instagram.com/cougaranniesgarden. Boat Basin. Instagram provided pictures of the garden and is how the garden stays alive today as a heritage site.

What is the historical significance of your topic?

Cougar Annie’s historical significance came from her famous garden and her success as a business woman in a remote community. She created a thriving garden in Boat Basin by carefully choosing bulbs that could survive the local climate. To support herself and maintain the garden, she ran a store and post office, collected cougar bounties, and sold flower bulbs. Today, the garden remains her legacy, with many of the original flowers still growing. The land is now protected by the Boat Basin Foundation as a heritage site that represents pioneer life on the remote west coast of Vancouver Island. Ada Annie’s story is still remembered today for her strength, survival skills, and independence, which were unusual for women of her time. 

Why did you choose this topic? 

I came across the photo of her with a gun, looking fierce and fearless. I wanted to know more about her. With my research she became this hero to survive the harsh wilderness, and thrive with her businesses and being a marksman.