FVC History Edition - July 26, 2024 - Mission train bridge a key link for the valley

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Good morning!

It’s hard to believe it’s been a whole month since we debuted the FVC History Edition, but here we are again! This month, we have a chat with a BC historian and author, a dive into the details of the Mission train bridge, and a bevy of great history events to look forward to. We also have a delightful reader-submitted photo of Hope’s May Day celebrations from Sharon Blythe. Thank you Sharon for sharing your memories! If anyone else has photos to send in, just reply to this email. We’d love to see them.

We are still fine-tuning this newsletter, so if you have any feedback or suggestions, don’t hesitate to send them along. And if you love what you see, consider becoming a member. (It’s about the same price as a weekly Tim Horton’s coffee.)

– Grace

HISTORY

A lawyer, a gold rush, and a sternwheeler

First came Australia. Then California. Then, finally, the Fraser Canyon. Three gold rushes changed the shape of the western world. And William Kelly saw them all.

A British lawyer with a thirst for gold towns and the idea of striking it rich, Kelly arrived in BC having made a name for himself as an author writing about gold fever across the world. In Yale, he found something a little different—a river that both supplied and obstructed that goal.

Because how do you navigate the Fraser Canyon in a boat? That was the challenge that confronted him and others, and which may have left a unique replica in a Yale home 150-odd years later.

• Today, we are excerpting a chapter of Daniel Marshall’s new book, Untold Tales of Old British Columbia.

Tyler also talked with Marshall about Canada’s changing approach to history over the last 40 years, and why sometimes we just need to chill out about the past.

• Insider members can read that interview here.

Related

🛶 July 23, 1866: One man shared a vibrant account of his journey from Yale to Hope, noting that the best way to travel is by canoe [British Columbia Tribune]

✏ July 15, 1910: Of 321 rural BC students who sat the examination to get into high school, less than half passed; in Abbotsford, the numbers were better, with seven of eight students graduating to high school [The Abbotsford Post]

🌼 July 16, 1924: The Agassiz flower show had a splendid turn out; the many entries would have ‘done credit to a larger place and more leisured class’ [Agassiz Record]

🚒 July 10, 1958: A car was totaled during a roll-over crash near the Vedder Canal on a trip to Cultus Lake; Mrs. Parker ended up in hospital with a gash on her head, although Mrs. Hickman and her young boys were unharmed [Aldergrove and District News]

🍓 July 23, 1986: Chilliwack berry growers opted to sell their raspberries to the highest bidder, forcing the East Chilliwack Co-op to import juice concentrate from Yugoslavia and Poland [Chilliwack Progress]

💰 July 31, 1996: Mink breeders offered a $100,000 reward for information on who was responsible for ‘freeing’ 400 mink from an Aldergrove barn [Aldergrove Star]

New in history

💔 Ron Denman, Chilliwack’s ‘Mr. Museum’ and former director of the museum and archives, passed away in late June [Chilliwack Archives]

🌳 Descendants of Agassiz’s founding family reunited at the Agassiz Harrison Museum this past month [Agassiz Harrison Observer]

🎉 The Coqualeetza Cultural Centre celebrated 50 years of education and relationships on July 12 [Chilliwack Progress]

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Mission train bridge a key link for the Fraser Valley

In February 1891, the first train trundled across the Mission CPR bridge over the Fraser River—and dozens of workers, politicians, and dignitaries arrived to commemorate the occasion. The bridge had been under construction by the Canadian Pacific Railway since 1889, with construction crews working sunrise to sunset. (Construction in the boggy riverbed proved a challenge: portions of the bridge had to be rebuilt daily because they would sink into the mud.)

After two years of work, the wooden train bridge opened for the first time. Present at the opening were CPR Superintendent H. Abbot and Mission Mayor David Oppenheimer. Some of the same men who were photographed during the construction of the Mission bridge were also present at the inaugural crossing.

The bridge didn’t stay the same for long. Initially built out of wood, with a swing span to allow steam boats to pass underneath, portions of the bridge were replaced with steel starting in 1903. The remainder of the bridge was converted in 1910.

In 1927, the bridge also opened to vehicle traffic, after a lengthy back-and-forth between the railway and the city. (Previously, vehicles had to use the ferry.) In 1955—when the bridge was 64 years old and had been carrying vehicle traffic for 28 years without being properly designed for it—it collapsed into the Fraser River. Surprisingly, no one was hurt in the collapse. A family driving on the bridge at the time felt it “heave” and quickly made it to the other side. Another driver that was about to cross hurriedly backed up onto solid ground.

After the collapse, Mission residents were left with no way to cross the river, and wanted CP to build a new bridge. But the replacement became a contentious issue, with CP Rail delaying the reopening. While business and government debated, many residents in both Abbotsford and Mission were unable to get to their jobs, and were subsequently fired. Customers changed their shopping habits, and businesses suffered.

In October 1956, 16 months after the incident, the Mission train bridge finally reopened. It supported both train and car traffic until a new vehicle bridge opened alongside it in 1973.

Today, both bridges continue to connect Mission and Abbotsford. The train bridge is a key crossing in the directional running agreement between CPKC and CN, which you can read more about here.

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Emily Eden’s Portraits of Princes and People of India (1844)

Published in London in 1844, Portraits of Princes and People of India contains 28 sketches of people living in colonial India under the British Raj. Emily Eden, the author and illustrator, travelled to India with her sister Fanny and her brother George, the Governor General of India at the time. The portraits feature prominent Sikh rulers, as well fakeers (religious devotees), jemadars (headmen), Akalis (Sikh religious devotees and soldiers), horseman, dwarfs, Shitr Sawar (camel riders carrying dispatches), Tartar traders from Tibet, wrestlers, and Zamindars (landowners). The book contains the only surviving live portrait of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who was the founder and ruler of the undivided Punjab between 1801 and 1839. The artifact is part of a limited edition reprint of Eden’s book, of which very few copies survive. It is now held at the South Asian Studies Institute at the University of the Fraser Valley.

This artifact is courtesy of the South Asian Studies Institute.

FVC reader Sharon Blythe sent us this photo of Hope’s May Day celebration in 1949. Maypole dancing, pictured above, has been an important part of European spring celebrations for more than 2,000 years. Originally a dance of nature and fertility, the tradition was revived in the 1800s and featured pairs of boys and girls dancing around a ribbon-festooned pole. Blythe’s twin sister, Sheila Nickerson, was one of the maypole dancers at the Hope celebration in 1949, although you can’t see her in the picture.

Have a story or photo you want to share? Fill out this form, and we may feature it in a future edition.

Sweet summer: Participate in candy-themed crafts and games at the Chilliwack Museum’s Sweet Summer Scavenger Hunt from Monday, July 29 to Friday, Aug. 2. Participation is free, as is admission to the museum’s feature exhibit, Refuge Canada. Details online.

Brigade Days: Brigade Days returns to the Fort Langley National Historic Site from Saturday, Aug. 3 to Monday, Aug. 5. Immerse yourself in the history of the fur trade era with black powder demonstrations, storytelling, and a fur trade fashion show. Details online.

Life in Agassiz: The Agassiz Harrison Museum shows kids what life was like in early Agassiz on Thursday, Aug. 15. The program will teach kids how to use a washboard, make jam, churn butter, and play historical games. Register online.

Genealogist on-site: Volunteers are available at the Mission Library every Tuesday from 2:30 to 4:30 pm to help you track your ancestors and draft a family history. Email [email protected] for more information.

Movie night: The Tashme Historical Society and the Kikiai Collaborative are hosting a double feature at the Hope Cinema on Sunday, Aug. 18. Watch Henry's Glasses, a film about resilience and hope in Japanese internment camps, and The Tashme Project, a film about second-generation Japanese Canadians after WWII. Tickets online.

Local archaeology: Kids can learn about local archeology at the Agassiz Harrison Museum on Thursday, Aug. 22. The one-day event will teach them about archaeology in the Harrison River Valley and how to set up a dig site. Register online.

Indigenous roots: Get help in researching your ancestors, share successes and challenges, ask questions, and get new insights with a Zoom meeting on the last Tuesday of each month. This month’s meeting is on Tuesday, Aug. 26 from 12:30 to 2pm. Email [email protected] for details.

Have a history event to tell us about? Fill out this form to have it highlighted here.

Catch up

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