Louis (parrot)

Louis was a well-known parrot from Victoria, British Columbia.[1] From the time of his reclusive owner's death in 1949 until 1966, he continued to live on his owner's estate, well-provided for in her will, and preventing development of the prime real estate.

Louis
Sexmale
Hatchedbefore 1882
Nation fromCanada

History

Victoria Jane Wilson (1878–1949) was born in Victoria and raised very privately by her parents. At age five, she received Louis as a pet, and later obtained many other birds. The top floor of her house became an aviary. In 1911, Victoria asked her father, Keith Wilson, to buy her a luxury Hupp-Yeats electric car so that she could take her Louis on short drives. Unfortunately, Louis reportedly didn’t like the car’s noise, and the car was put into sealed storage after just a few outings.[2]

Wilson led a reclusive life, entirely at the mansion on Courtney Street where she had been raised, until her death in 1949. Her will included a large amount of funds to take care of her birds (53 at the time), the electric car, [3] and Wilson's trusted gardener Yue Wah Wong was paid to be the birds' caretaker, staying at the house to do so. Louis was well known for enjoying brandy, two bottles per year, though news reports at the time liked to refer to him as a lush.[4][5][6] Eventually, all the birds passed away except for Louis, whose presence kept the Wilson property from being sold.[1][7][8]

In 1966, the lawyer administering the Wilson estate transferred ownership of the bird to Wong, and Louis went to live with him and his family. Wong was delighted, but unfortunately died soon after taking Louis in. Wong's family continued to care for Louis until his death in 1985 at 115 years of age. Louis' move let the Wilson property be developed as a hotel, the Chauteau Victoria, with a restaurant called the Parrot House on the top floor (later renamed "Vista 18"). [1][9][10]

Today, the top award of Hallmark Society of the Capital Regional District is called the Louis Award, awarded for exceptional heritage building restoration.[1] Life magazine featured a one-page article on Louis, in the August 9, 1963, issue, titled "The Old Bird Won't Sell".

See also

References
  1. Ruttan, Stephen (30 September 2012). Tales from the Vault, a new Victoria history series, begins with Miss Wilson and the famous parrot, Times Colonist
  2. Brehl, John (20 April 1985). Victoria: The city of the Tweed Curtain, high tea, flower myths and don't forget Louis the parrot Lush, The Gazette (Montreal)
  3. (11 October 1949). Pretty Polly, Ottawa Citizen
  4. McKinley, Barney (24 September 1967). They're Plucking Poor Louie's Well-Feathered Nest, The Register-Guard
  5. (30 December 1961). 100 Year Old Parrot Still Soaks Up Brandy In Victoria, The Vancouver Sun
  6. (23 December 1964). Christmas Means Extra Tot of Brandy For Old Louis, The StarPhoenix
  7. (23 June 1959). Hard-Drinking Parrot Stymies Progress, Calgary Herald
  8. Sackett, Russell (9 August 1963). The Old Bird Won't Sell, Life (magazine)
  9. Chateau Victoria, Our History Archived 2012-08-28 at the Wayback Machine, chateauvictoria.com, Retrieved 1 October 2012 (reporting that Louis died in 1985)
  10. Paterson, T.W. (14 October 2011). Pampered parrot postponing push for people, Cowichan Valley Citizen
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.