Louis was a well-known

parrot Parrots, also known as psittacines (), are birds of the roughly 398 species in 92 genera comprising the order Psittaciformes (), found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three superfamilies: the Psittacoid ...

from

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. Th ...

.Ruttan, Stephen (30 September 2012)
Tales from the Vault, a new Victoria history series, begins with Miss Wilson and the famous parrot
''

Times Colonist The ''Times Colonist'' is an English-language daily newspaper in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It was formed by the Sept. 2, 1980 merger of the ''Victoria Daily Times'', established in 1884, and the ''British Colonist'' (later the ''Daily Co ...

'' 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.

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.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) The ''Montreal Gazette'', formerly titled ''The Gazette'', is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Three other daily English-language newspapers shuttered at various times during the second half of th ...

'' 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, (11 October 1949)
Pretty Polly
''

Ottawa Citizen The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. History Established as ''The Bytown Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris (journalist), William Harris, it was renamed the '' ...

'' 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.McKinley, Barney (24 September 1967)
They're Plucking Poor Louie's Well-Feathered Nest
''

The Register-Guard ''The Register-Guard'' is a daily newspaper in the northwestern United States, published in Eugene, Oregon. It was formed in a 1930 merger of two Eugene papers, the ''Eugene Daily Guard'' and the ''Morning Register''. The paper serves the Eugene- ...

''(30 December 1961)
100 Year Old Parrot Still Soaks Up Brandy In Victoria
''

The Vancouver Sun The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network. Published si ...

''(23 December 1964)
Christmas Means Extra Tot of Brandy For Old Louis
''

The StarPhoenix ''The StarPhoenix'' is a daily newspaper that serves Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, and is a part of Postmedia Network. The ''StarPhoenix'' puts out six editions each week and publishes one weekly, ''Bridges''. It is also part of the canada.co ...

'' Eventually, all the birds passed away except for Louis, whose presence kept the Wilson property from being sold.(23 June 1959)
Hard-Drinking Parrot Stymies Progress
''

Calgary Herald The ''Calgary Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Publication began in 1883 as ''The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate, and General Advertiser''. It is owned by the Postmedia Network. History ''The ...

''Sackett, Russell (9 August 1963)
The Old Bird Won't Sell
''

Life (magazine) ''Life'' was an American magazine published weekly from 1883 to 1972, as an intermittent "special" until 1978, and as a monthly from 1978 until 2000. During its golden age from 1936 to 1972, ''Life'' was a wide-ranging weekly general-interest ma ...

'' 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"). Chateau Victoria, Our History
, chateauvictoria.com, Retrieved 1 October 2012 (reporting that Louis died in 1985)Paterson, T.W. (14 October 2011)

''Cowichan Valley Citizen'' Today, the top award of Hallmark Society of the

Capital Regional District The Capital Regional District (CRD) is a local government administrative district encompassing the southern tip of Vancouver Island and the southern Gulf Islands in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The CRD is one of several regional d ...

is called the Louis Award, awarded for exceptional heritage building restoration. ''

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...

'' magazine featured a one-page article on Louis, in the August 9, 1963, issue, titled "The Old Bird Won't Sell".

References

External links

LIFE Aug. 9, 1963
{{DEFAULTSORT:Louis (Parrot) Individual parrots Victoria, British Columbia Individual animals in Canada

History

See also

References

External links