April 2005 - Vol Five, No.5

History Helps, Volume Five, Number 5, April 2005
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HAPPY SPRING!

In Spring the Weather Counts for Everything

“FROM DELTA

Our unusually long and severe winter having now passed away, the farmers are busily engaged with their ploughing, to be in readiness to sow as soon as the sun shall have penetrated the soil sufficiently for the seed to germinate.

Considering the severity of the winter, stock has wintered remarkably well in this locality.

Increased attention will be given to enlarge the areas of permanent grass land for raising hay, and also to the cultivation of mangols and turnips for stock feeding --- the past winter having shown the necessity of preparing against any emergency, by stowing away an abundant supply of food...”

Source: Mainland Guardian, 07 April 1880, page three.

Delta Waterways

“CANOE PASS ENTRANCE

There is now a good deal of traffic through Canoe Pass, and great difficulty is experienced in entering the pass on account of the absence of any buoys or beacons to mark the channel.

It has often happened that tugs and small vessels have had to remain out on the shoals all night exposed to the exigencies of the weather, because they were unable to find the entrance. The channel could be marked by buoys or piles at a moderate expense, and the benefit to trade would be very great.

By taking Canoe Pass the voyage to Mud Bay is shortened by about 15 miles.”

Source: Daily British Columbian, 19 August 1886, page three.

Allen County Public Library, Fort Wayne, Indiana

A giant leap geographically from British Columbia, but this exceptional resource contains a mother lode of information, including many letters, diaries, histories, yearbooks and directories that couldn’t or didn’t find a home elsewhere.

Genealogists, of course, are familiar with the Historical Genealogy Department, but the rest of us can benefit from a browse there, too.

You can learn more about this fine library, its collections, and programs through the following links:
http://www.acpl.lib.in.us/genealogy/index.html
http://www.FriendsOfAllenCounty.org/

The Railway Boom in Delta

“Delta Railway Co.

Mr. Orr has placed before the provincial legislature a bill to incorporate the Delta Railway Company.

The persons named as incorporators are T. E. Ladner and Thos. McNeely, of Ladners [sic]; R. Lipsett, J. Heywood, T. W. Patterson, and G. Riley, Victoria; Adam Innes, Langley Prairie; D. McRae, J. C. Henderson and S. Caley, Chilliwhack [sic]; M. W. Miller and W. C. Campbell, Sumas.

The capital stock is to be $1,000,000, in shares of $100 each.

The object of this company is to construct and operate a railway from Ladners [sic] to Popcum, on the south side of the Fraser, a distance of about 80 miles. The route will lie through one of the finest agricultural districts in the province, and as the country is comparatively level the cost of construction will be small.

Since the construction of the C. P. R. on the north side of the Fraser, those settlers on the south of the river have felt themselves placed at a disadvantage, especially during the season when the river steamers do not run. Roads in this district are scarcely every good in winter, and the means of communication are very uncertain.

This railway would bring every settlement of any importance on the south side of the river into direct communication with New Westminster, and through it with all places where connection would be desirable. It would likewise greatly aid in the development of that region where the agricultural advantages are very great and the chief disadvantage is the lack of roads.

The company asks the government to exempt the road from provincial and municipal taxation for five years after it has been completed -- a request so modest that it will hardly be refused. The increased value of property along the line would produce more taxes than would be lost through this exemption. We hope the bill will pass, and that the road will be successfully floated.

The head offices of the company are to be at [New] Westminster.”

Source: Weekly British Columbian, 16 March 1887, page four.

New Westminster Public Library

If you haven’t visited recently, you may not be aware that the records for Bowell Funeral Home have been updated so that they now span the years 1932 to 1956. Make note, if you will, that this is a work in progress, so the site warrants checking back periodically.

Find the site at http://www.nwpl.ca/nwheritage.org/heritagesite/genealogy/index.htm.

University of California at Berkeley

A recent article in the The Preservationist,” the newsletter of the New Westminster Heritage Preservation Society, of which I’m a member, identified historical documents as “endangered heritage.”

The article itself is worth reading, but what I wanted to draw to subscribers’ attention was the statement, “the library of the University of California at Berkeley has one of the best collections of early B. C. history to be found.”

I looked up the library site, which can be found at http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/, but, of course, didn’t have time to do as much exploring as I would have liked. Have a look for yourself.

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Gwen Szychter, M.A.

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