1911 January – June

Industrial Capital of the Coast

1911 Industrial Capital of the Coast

Powell River’s Birth

At the beginning of the year, many announcements from the Government are made, as some fiscal years run from January to December, and some end on March 31. The announcement from the Provincial Secretary’s Office, where His Honour the Lieutenant‑Governor in Council has been pleased to appoint the undermentioned persons to be Commissioners for taking Affidavits in the Supreme Court, for the purpose of acting under the “Provincial Elections Act” in the Electoral Districts in which they reside. Such appointments will expire on December 31, 1911. Geo. E. McFall of Powell River for the Comox Electoral District.

From the Orders in Council of the Imperial Government, together with Treaties Negotiated between His Majesty the King and Foreign Powers and from the Parliament of Canada on November 30, 1910, by Order in Council, Powell River, in the Province of British Columbia, was established as an outport of customs and warehousing port, under the survey of the port of Vancouver, from January 1, 1911.

According to Mr. Scanlan in the January 1, 1911 edition of the Canadian Forest Industries magazine, the firm Brooks, Scanlan and Company, which was also the President of the Powell River Paper Company, bought up two billion board feet of timber in British Columbia. The investment of $2,500,000 showed their investments that included Powell Lake and the Gordon Pasha Lakes. It was also noted that the difficulty between the Powell River Pulp and Paper Company and the Michigan-Puget Sound Lumber Company, which bought out the Sayward limits in the district, has been amicably adjusted. The logging railway of the latter will be moved to another grade at the convenience of the Paper Company, which will bear all the expenses.

The Daily Colonist 1911 (click on image for pdf of pages)

MIT Technology Review 1911-03 (click for pdf of pages)

In January of 1911, the machinery for the Powell River Paper Company reached Powell River, BC, and is being installed. It is expected that the Company will be in shape to commence operations in May. When completed, the plant will employ from 1,250 to 1,500 men. The mill is to have a capacity of 100 tons of newsprint and 135 tons of wood pulp per day. Contracts for the output of the mill have been made for a long time ahead, and the domestic markets will take 25 percent of it. The balance will be sold in the United States. The groundwood and chemical pulp will be sold to foreign paper manufacturers for making expensive grades of paper. The Company have a water power capable of developing 65,000 horsepower. They also own 212 square miles of pulpwood limits.

On the waterfront of the Powell River Paper Company, nine carloads of large pipes arrived from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which came over the Great Northern to arrive at the Paper Mill on the coast in the New Westminster District.

Even the magazine Man to Man, in their January edition of 1911, made note that the principals of the well-known lumber firm of Brooks and Scanlon quietly proceeded during the past year to erecting one of the largest and most completely appointed pulp and paper mills on the continent, which was done at Powell River.

The Company Croft and Ashby, land agents who had an office in the Winch Building in Vancouver, BC, advertised in January 1911 that they had 7, 680 acres of land for sale on Powell Lake, 90 Miles from Vancouver.

The Powell River Lumber Company ordered in January of 1911 a Columbia type locomotive from the Montreal Locomotive Works. With a working order of 80,000 pounds and the engine on the track weighing 9,000 pounds with a wheelbase of 7 feet, the wheelbase engine was a full 22 feet 6 inches in length. It had 14×22 cylinders and was a boiler straight top type, with the boiler able to produce 165 pounds and storage of 1200 US gallons.

From Powell River, BC, Mr. H.W. Clark travelled down to the Dominion Hotel on January 14, 1911, after doing much surveying in the Powell River Pasha area.

January 14, 1911, held some great debates in government policy, with the government policy that was adopted some years ago prohibiting the export of timber and similar raw material from the public lands bearing fruit to a marked degree. It was from this policy that one of the largest pulp and paper plants in the world, now sitting at Powell River, is being constructed with, if not entirely with, American capital of at least over 3 million dollars. Expected to be finished in June next and give employment to 1500 men, manufacturing 125 tons of pulp and paper per day, it is hard to estimate at present the total of the beneficial results throughout the province of such undertakings of the business oversight of Government.

Canadian Forest Industries 1911 (click on image for pdf of pages)

Man to Man Magazine 1911 Move Brooks (click image for pdf of pages)

Mr. Michael Manson, who travelled the province and was a member of Parliament for the Comox riding, commented in the Legislature on January 17, 1911, that the pulp and paper mill nearing completion at Powell River had buildings made mostly of solid nature, with three ship loads of cement to be used for their construction. When finished, they will have cost over three million dollars. The mill will employ 1500 men and produce 125 tons of paper and pulp daily.

The CPR steamer Otter is loading its cargo at Terminal City, which arrived from Brantford, Ontario, containing a quantity of wood pulp machinery for the Powell River Pulp and Paper Company on January 20, 1911.

When February arrived in 1911, there was talk of the Free Lumber Tariff between the United States and Canada, with the 100-ton paper mill being erected and hoping to be in operation by the fall of 1911. It was an important tariff, as the Powell River Paper Company was essentially American-owned.

Reporting to the financial institutions, the Powell River Paper Company announced that it would be in a position to commence the manufacturing of paper in the middle of August. This is about a month earlier than what was expected, and when the mill commences operations, it will turn out 100 tons of newsprint per day. The mill, which is not in operation, is already making plans to double its capacity by erecting a twin mill adjoining it. The Company’s main office is in the Winch Building, 739 Hastings Street, in Vancouver, British Columbia.

A Land Agent filed with the New Westminster Land District on January 30, 1911, on behalf of Mr. Neil Simpson of Vancouver, who was a real estate agent, with the intent to apply for permission to purchase lands commencing at a post planted on the north shore of the Third Gordon Pasha Lake, about 35 chains in a westerly direction from the point where Cybress Creek flows into the Third Gordon Pasha Lake—commencing at a post marked Neil Simpsons SW Corner, thence north 35 chains, thence east 60 chains, thence south 10 chains more or less to the lake shore, thence westerly and southerly following the lake shore to the point of commencement, containing 120 acres more or less. Land Agent Mr. L.B. McElhinney filed this application.

Mr. L.B. McElhinney, the agent for Mr. Charles R. Evans, a teacher from Vancouver, filed for intent to apply for permission to purchase lands on January 30, 1911, commencing at a post planted at the point where the south line of Lot 963 reaches the shore of the First Gordon Pasha Lake, and marked CR Evans South Corner, thence west along the south line of said Lot 963, to its south west corner, thence north along the western boundary of said Lot 963 to its north west corner, thence cast along the northern boundary of said Lot 963 to the south west corner of Lot 2805, thence north 25 chains, thence west 20 chains, thence south to the lakeshore, thence following the lake shore to the point of commencement containing 140 acres more or less.

May 11 1911 Memorandum Powell River Paper Company wharf (click on image for pdf of pages)

Districts Lots (click image for pdf of surveys and titles)

It was on February 2, 1911, that Mr. M. Robertson left on the Princess Adelaide to Vancouver, where he would transfer to the Queen City, which would take him to Powell River for his business trip. In Vancouver, the Powell River Paper Company applied for a large tract of land that was mostly District Lot 146. This land was to be used for its booming grounds to log booms and other raw materials, including a land sort on the Kingcome River. This application of 88 to 100 acres by the Company was requested to permit the building of a railroad to get to their timber sources.

Mr. Allen Oliver, who worked for the Dominion Telegraph office at Nanaimo, has accepted a position at Powell River, where the big interests of the Canadian Pulp Mills Co. are located; there he will be in charge of the telegraph station, act as a collector of customs and postmaster, according to the Alberni Pioneer News on February 18, 1911. Prior to leaving, Mr. Oliver and Mrs. Oliver were guests of Mrs. Oliver’s father on Admirals Road.

Announced on February 18, 1911, from the Provincial Secretary’s office, the Honourable Lieutenant Governor made the appointment as a Notary Public of British Columbia of Mr. George McKinney of Powell River.

A new northern passenger and freight trade is commencing service on February 28, 1911. The Yacht Selma, one of the finest in the world, will begin active service as a freight and passenger steamer between Vancouver and Powell River, with a call at such ports as her traffic demands. Her forward hull has been stripped for cargo that can hold about 100 tons of freight.

Napanee Express 1911 (click on image for pdf of pages)

Paper Trade Journal 1911-01-05 Vol 52 Iss 1 page 16 (click image to expand)

The Selma is owned by a company of Vancouver shipping men who have incorporated, including Captain Polkinghorne, who brought her around from the old country and Captain Sam Mortimer, who will be her skipper on the Powell River run. The Selma is 155 feet in length overall with a beam of 21 feet 6 inches and a draught of 10 feet 6 inches, and her gross tonnage is 202.

Arriving from Powell River on March 11, 1911, to the King Edward Hotel was Mr. J. Fussells.

Advertised in the Daily Colonist Newspaper, placed there by Robert A. Renwick, who was the Deputy Commissioner of Lands, cancelled a reserve of land. The Lands published on December 27, 1907, situated on Texada Island and formerly covered by the Timber License 13449, are cancelled, and the said lands will be open for location under the provisions of the Land Act at midnight on March 22, 1911.

Mr. E.B. McKay, the Surveyor-General, published on February 23, 1911, a notice that the undermentioned tracts of land situated in the New Westminster District have been surveyed, and the plans of the same can be seen at the Department of Lands, Victoria. District Lots 3090 and 3091, both of the Powell River Paper Company. These lots, situated on the land below the Powell River Hotel, went right to the waterfront.

District Lot 1571 was a strategic lot, sitting at the headwaters of Eagle River, where the First Gordon Pasha Lake drains to the salt water, allowing whoever owns it to control lands on both sides. Mr. John O’Brien received his land grant for DL 1571 on February 24, 1911, for three hundred and twenty dollars. Originally filed by Mr. AB Turner in May of 1892, it was then purchased by Mr. J.A. Humbird on August 11, 1906, applied for by John O’Brien on February 7, 1909 and two years later became the official owner.

The Dominion published in the Canada Gazette on February 25, 1911, that the limit for the Port of Powell River shall be inside a line one mile east and one mile west of the mouth of Powell River and extending one mile forward. Vessels entering into or clearing Powell River, the rates of pilotage shall be $9 per foot for vessels under sail, and draught of water, and one cent per net registered ton.

Acts of the Parliament of Canada (11th Parliament, 3rd Session, Chapter 1-28, 1911 (click on image for pdf of article)

Construction workers at dam 1911 (click on image to expand – low res image)

For vessels in tow of a steamer, $1 per foot and one cent per net registered ton; for steamers it is $1 per foot draught of water, and one cent per net registered ton, and $1 per foot draft from Vancouver and any portion of a foot not exceeding six inches tall shall be paid as half a foot. Any fraction exceeding six inches shall be paid as one foot.

The Steamship Crown of Galicia picked up freight in Rio de Janeiro, then went to New York and loaded for freight on January 26, 1911, and is currently leaving New York on February 28, 1911, to deliver part of its cargo at the Powell River pulp works.

A Graduate of MIT Technology arrived in Powell River to work at the Powell River Paper Company. Mr. J.R. Randall, of Course II, is now employed with the Powell River Paper Company.

Dam construction April 4 1911 (click on image to expand – low res image)

Powell River Paper Company 1911 1912 (click on image to expand – low res image)

Powell River Paper Company 1911 (click on image to expand – low res image)

March 2, 1911 saw Mr. D. O’Hara who was the agent for Herman Thorsen, of Vancouver and was a marine engineer, who on February 17, 1911 first published in the Gazette, intended to apply for permission to purchase land commencing at a post planted about two and a half miles south of Timber License Lot 1368 and one mile east of Haslam Lake, thence 80 chains east, 80 chains south, 80 chains west, then 80 chains north to the point of commencement, containing 640 acres, more or less.

Mr. D. O’Hara, also acting as an agent for Mr. Charles O. Svedmark, of Tulameen, a mill owner, intended to apply for permission to purchase the following described lands, commencing at a post planted about three miles distant and in a northwesterly direction from Haslam Lake, thence 80 chains east, 80 chains west, 80 chains south, thence 80 chains north to the point of commencement, and containing 640 acres, more or less. This was published in the March 2, 1911 edition of the Government Gazette of British Columbia; however, the intent was first published February 17, 1911.

Mr. James Fergus O’Conner Wood of North Vancouver, who was a merchant, intended to apply for permission to purchase land commencing at a post planted on the west shore of Haslam Lake, thence 80 chains west, 80 chains north, 80 chains east, thence 80 chains south to the point of commencement containing 640 acres more or less, published as well on March 2, 1911, with the original intent published on February 16, 1911 in the Gazette.

February 17, 1911 brought another person to Haslam Lake, Mr. Arthur L. Belyea of Vancouver who was a solicitor, who intended on applying for permission to purchase land commencing at a post planted about a mile and a half north of Timber License Lot 1976 and two miles west of Haslam Lake, thence east 80 chains, north 80 chains, west 80 chains and thence south 80 chains the place of commencement containing 640 acres more or less, publishing his last ad in the Gazette on March 2, 1911.

Item G-06974 – Construction Of The Powell River Mill 1911 (click on image to expand – low res image)

General view of plant, Powell River, B.C. 1911 (click on image to enlarge)

Item A-07127 – Powell River. Early Housing 1911 (click on image to expand)

Item C-02675 – The Malaspina Hotel, Lund. 1911 BC Archives (click on image to expand)

As the lands around Haslam Lake were being applied to be purchased, Mr. James Charles Wood, of North Vancouver, who was a merchant, intended as well to apply for permission to purchase lands commencing at a post planted on the west shore of Haslam Lake, thence 80 chains west, 808 chains east, 80 chains south, and thence 80 chains north to the place of commencement and containing 640 acres, give or take. Mr. Wood originally published his intent on February 16, 1911 and was nearing his last ad in the Gazette on March 2, 1911.

Another application to apply for permission to purchase lands came from Samuel S. Auss; the agent was again Mr. D. O’Hara. This land commenced at a post planted about a mile and a half north of Timber License Lot 1976 and two miles west of Haslam Lake, thence east 80 chains, south 80 chains, west 80 chains, thence north 80 chains to the place of commencement, containing 640 acres more or less. Mr. Samual S. Auss was from Vancouver and was a broker; his application of February 17, 1911, was one of many on that day.

Item G-06697 – Powell River Mill 1911 BC Archives (click on image to expand)

Item G-06974 – Construction Of The Powell River Mill. 1911 BC Archives September 21 (click on image to expand)

Site of the Powell River Paper Mill 1911 (click on image to expand)

Mr. William J. Dick, of North Vancouver, who also was a broker, laid intent to apply for the permission to purchase lands, commencing at a post planted one mile south of Timber License 1031 on the east shore of Haslam Lake, thence east 80 chains, north 80 chains, west 80 chains, thence south 80 chains to the place of commencement, containing as well 640 acres, and Mr. D. O’Hara as his agent.

Publishing more on February 17, 1911, Mr. D. O’Hara, acting as the agent for Mr. Charles Agnes Crysdale, from Vancouver, who was an insurance manager, intended to apply for permission to purchase lands commencing at a post planted about a half mile north of Timber License Lt 1976, and two miles west of Haslam Lake, thence west 80 chains, south 80 chains, east 80 chains, thence north 80 chains to the point of commencement, containing 640 acres more or less.

Mr. D. O’Hara was not done submitting applications on February 17, 1911, acting as the agent for Vernon V. Rood, filed an intent to apply for permission to purchase lands commencing at a post planted about 3 miles north of Timber License Lot 916 on the west shore of Haslam Lake, thence north 80 chains, west 80 chains, south 80 chains, thence east 80 chains to the place of commencement, containing 640 acres, more or less.

Mr. D. O’Hara published another application with the intent to purchase on behalf of Charles A. Bodie of Vancouver, who was as well a broker, on the same day as the others. This land commenced at a post planted about a mile and a half north of Timber License Lot 1976 and two miles west of Haslam Lake, thence west 80 chains, north 80 chains, east 80 chains, and south 80 chains to the place of commencement, containing 640 acres more or less as per application.

St Andrew’s College Review, 1910-1913 1911 (click on image for pdf of pages)

Manual of the School Law [1910 British Columbia] (click on image for pdf of pages)

Ms. Mabel Lucy Paige of New Westminster, a married woman, filed an intent to apply for permission to purchase the following described lands, commencing at a post planted about two miles north of Timber License Lot 916, on the west shore of Haslam Lake, thence 80 chains west, 80 chains south, east 80 chains, thence north 80 chains to the point of commencement and containing 640 acres more or less, as well on February 17, 1911.

Both sides of Haslam Lake had the attention of many from the Vancouver area; Isabella McFarland of North Vancouver, who was a married woman, filed an intent to apply for permission to purchase lands commencing at a post planted about a half mile south of Timber License Lot 1308 and one mile east of Haslam Lake, thence 80 chains east,80 chains south, west 80 chains, thence north 80 chains to the point of commencement, containing 640 acres, and Mr. D. O’Hara was her agent.

Mr. Clinton P. McCormick of Vancouver, who was a broker, with Mr. D. O’Hara as his agent, on February 17, 1911, also applied for permission to purchase lands commencing at a post planted two miles south of Timber License Lot 1031, on the east shore of Haslam Lake, thence east 80 chains, thence south 80 chains, west 80 chains, thence north 80 chains to the point of commencement and containing 640 acres more or less.

 

With the land fight trying to obtain lands around Haslam Lake and the sudden interests in the area, Mr. John E. Crawford of Vancouver, a station agent, intended to apply for permission to purchase lands commencing at a post planted about two miles and a half south of Timber License Lot 1368, and one mile east of Haslam Lake, thence east 80 chains, north 80 chains, west 80 chains, and thence south 80 chains to the point of commencement containing 640 acres more or less Mr. D O’Hara was indeed keeping the Lands office busy on February 17, 1911.

With a last notice by Mr. D. O’Hara on February 17, 1911, published in the Gazette on behalf of Mr. J. Carl Wolf of Vancouver, who was a broker, filed an intent for permission to apply to purchase lands commencing at a post planted about three miles distant and in a northwesterly direction from Haslam Lake, thence 80 chains west, 80 chains north, 80 chains east, thence 80 chains south to the point of commencement containing 640 acres more or less.

The British Steamship Purley unloaded considerable amounts of machinery at the Powell River Pulp and Paper Mills Company after sailing from New York on February 8, 1911. After leaving Powell River, the Purley arrived in Vancouver on March 3, 1911, to reload its hulls.

The Queen Alexandra, while docked at the Powell River wharf, shattered its derrick beyond repair; it had to return with a large portion of its cargo still in the hold. Arriving in Vancouver, it lost one of its officers on March 7, 1911. The officer was killed by falling and striking a fender pile while the vessel was discharging its cargo

Newspapers 1911 (click on image for pdf of articles)

Government Gazette British Columbia (click on image for pdf of articles)

Mr. Douglas S. Scott writes of a trip taken around 1911 in June of that year, where he had taken an unlucky cruise. The cruise begins with a group of young men leaving Vancouver aboard the Davy Jones, planning a carefree run through the familiar waters of the Salish Sea, a route well‑known to Powell River boaters. Their first goal is Nanaimo, a standard stop for anyone heading north toward the Sunshine Coast. But after leaving on Friday the 13th, their engine dies mid‑Gulf, leaving them drifting overnight until they finally limp into Nanaimo Harbour. Pressing on, they head toward Buccaneer Bay on North Thormanby Island, a favourite anchorage for yachters. There, the trip turns grim; they discover a strangled man on the beach, a shock that casts a shadow over the rest of their northbound journey.

Trying to shake off the unease, they continue up the coast toward Texada Island, stopping at Van Anda, then cruising past familiar landmarks like Lund and the scattered islands of the upper Strait. But misfortune follows them. Their Chinese cook vanishes on a small island near Powell River, leaving only his hat in a pool of blood. A replacement cook is hired in Van Anda. Yet, he later becomes unnervingly silent as they push north toward Campbell River and the dangerous churn of Seymour Narrows, waters every mariner respects. At the Narrows, the new cook suddenly screams and dives into a whirlpool, vanishing instantly. Terrified by the string of deaths unfolding along the very coastline Powell River residents know so well, the Crew abandons the cruise and races back to Vancouver.

Taking on more land applications again was Mr. D. O’Hara, acting as an agent for Mr. Peter C. Jensen, who first advertised on February 17, 1911, for lands at Haslam Lake. Mr. Jensen of Seattle, Washington, who was a broker, applied for permission to purchase lands commencing at a post planted about three miles northwest of Haslam Lake, thence west 80 chains, north 80 chains, east 80 chains, thence south 80 chains to the point of commencement, containing 640 acres give or take. Mr. Jensen’s advertisement in the Daily News newspaper on April 1, 1911, was part of a requirement of the application.

As the coastal settlements grew, so did the coastal transportation network as it started to make daily sailings travellers were wanting. The Canadian Pacific advertised a change in schedules on April 4, 1911. In this change, it was announced that the SS Queen City would leave Tuesdays at noon and every Tuesday hereafter for Rivers Inlet, and calling both ways at Vancouver Marble Bay, Powell River, Campbell River, Granite Bay, Salmon River, Alert Bay, Kildalah and other way ports. This was announced by L.D. Chetham, the City Passenger Agent on 11002 Government Street.

The Chief of Police in Victoria was looking for information on T. Costello, who, around April 7, 1911, was working at the Powell River Paper Company. Mr. Costello’s brother Patrick, who lived in Winnipeg, is requesting if anyone has since seen him or received any letters from him since the sinking of a steamer on a trip to Sooke, and a man named Costello was thought to be on board at the time.

As was the advertisement for Mr. Charles Soley of Vancouver who was a broker, applying for permission to purchase lands commencing at a post planted about two miles south of Timber License Lot 1031, and on the east shore of Haslam Lake, thence 80 chains east, 80 chains north, 80 chains west, thence 80 chains south to the point of commencement, containing 640 acres more or less. Advertised in the Daily News April 25. 1911

Prince Rupert Journal 1911 (click on image for pdf of articles)

The Daily News 1911 (click on image for pdf of articles)

In the House of Commons on May 8, 1911, supplementary expenditures were approved for the fiscal year totalling $17,020,980. In those expenditures, the Dominion Government approved an expenditure of $55,000 for the harbour at Powell River.

April 25, 1911, Elizabeth AL Hinchcliffe acquired, through the Crown Grant, District Lot 1649 and 1650, which had previously been pre-empted on May 28, 1895. This lot, situated just north of the Myrtle Rocks and Deighton Creek, where there is a small farmers’ settlement, had a low, flat waterfront area.

Sad news on the same day came from the Edmonton Bulletin that on April 25, while trying to make repairs to their small sailing craft in heavy seas, the vessel capsized and three men, Charles Phipps, Adolph Paro, and Oscar Byron of Powell River Port, BC, drowned. Herman Roesch, a fourth member of the party, narrowly escaped. Mr. Roesch crawled along the beach on his hands and knees and gave quick alarms.

The search party was quickly organized, and a search was made for the missing men. Captain Mortimer and Crew of the steamer Selma joined in the search, as did Captain Cockle and Crew of the steamer Cheslake. Using the searchlights, which were a valuable search aid, they all searched until 3 o’clock. The search was then continued by Provincial Constable Lucas of Van Anda, knowing the men set out from Powell River in their small vessel, when off the breakwater some trouble was experienced with the sail and the vessel capsized. Sadly, only the bodies of Mr. Phipps and Mr. Paro were recovered; Mr. Byron’s leaves a widow who was a resident of Powell River.

May 2, 1911, Mr. Duncan O’Hara, acting as an agent for Mr. HM Dwar of Vancouver, who was a merchant, made intentions to apply for permission to purchase lands commencing at a post about one mile east of Timber License Lot 32454 and two miles from Haslam Lake, thence 80 chains south, 80 chains east, 80 chains north, thence 80 chains west to the point of commencement containing 640 acres of land. Mr. Dwar also applied for the land opposite this section, thence north 80 chains, east 80 chains, south 80 chains, thence west 80 chains to the point of commencement, containing 640 acres more or less. The two pieces of land, with a total area of 1280 acres, sat with river access to the salt water.

 

The Semi-Weekly Colonist. Vol. L, 1911 (click on image for pdf of articles)

Victoria Daily Times 1911 (click on image for pdf of articles)

The Fifth Census of Canada was conducted on June 1, 1911, by Mr. A. Rausay, the Enumerator for the electoral district of Comox. In this census, Mr. Rausay recorded 28 individuals at Sarah Point, where most were loggers. The Okeover Arm area had a population of 71 people, while Desolation Sound reported 10 residents. In Theodosia Arm, there were only 9 people recorded, and Lund had a population of 128. Sliammon, on the other hand, only listed 7 individuals in the census.

BC’s early fire‑protection laws (starting with the Bush Fire Act of 1874) provided penalties for causing fires but no organized fire‑control force. By the late 1880s, the province began appointing Fire Wardens, and by 1911 the system had expanded to meet public demand for better forest protection. On June 2, 1911, Mackenzie Bowell was assigned the Divisional Warden for the Powell River area.

James Cullen, who was actin as the agent for James Herbert of Vancouver BC who was a brakeman, intended to apply for permission to purchase land, commencing at a post planted about 5 chains north of the northeast corner of Timber Lease 925, and about twenty miles from the mouth of Powell Lake, thence north 40 chains, west 40 chains, south 40 chains and then east 40 chains to the point of commencement containing 100 acrces or more and published in the June 8, 1911 Government Gazette first published on on March 16, 1911.

Mr. William Anderson, who was Mr. George Duncan Gavin’s agent, published in the June 8, 1911 edition as well, where he gave notice he intended to apply for permission to purchase the following described lands. Commencing at a post planted on the bank of Powell Lake at the head thereof, about one and a quarter miles from the west shore thereof, thence 80 chains north, east 80 chains, south 80 chains, thence west 80 chains to the point of commencement, first published May 2, 1911.

Mr. William Anderson, also acting as an agent for Gwendelyn Gavin, published the first time on May 2, 1911, gave notice in the June 8, 1911 edition of the Gazette that there was an intent to apply for permission to purchase the following lands, commencing at a post planted on the bank of Powell Lake at the head thereof; about one and a quarter miles from the west shore, thence north 80 chains, west 80 chains, south 80 chains, thence east 80 chains to the point of commencement.

A Memorandum, dated May 11, 1911, was filed with the Minister of Public Works, submitted by the Powell River Paper Company. In the early years of Powell River’s industrial development, the Powell River Paper Company sought federal authorization to construct a wharf that would anchor its emerging operations on the Malaspina Strait. The Company submitted a formal application under the Navigable Waters Protection Act, accompanied by a detailed survey plan prepared by professional engineers and certified by the District Registrar of Deeds in Vancouver.

Their description outlined the precise foreshore parcel required, measured in bearings, distances, and landmarks such as Teeshquot Creek and Lot 450, reflecting the meticulous surveying practices of the era. This documentation reveals not only the Company’s ambitions but also the bureaucratic rigour involved in altering Canada’s navigable waters at a time when industrial expansion was reshaping the coastal landscape.

The federal review process, recorded in the 1911 memorandum labelled P.C. 1118, shows a coordinated evaluation between the Department of Public Works and the Department of Justice.

Both departments confirmed that the proposed wharf complied with statutory requirements and posed no objection from an engineering or legal standpoint. With these assurances, the Minister of Public Works recommended approval, and the Committee of the Privy Council endorsed the plan, with the signatures and handwritten notations of R.L. Cartwright among them, capturing the human element behind the administrative machinery. Together, these documents form a foundational chapter in Powell River’s transformation from a remote coastal settlement into a significant industrial hub, illustrating how infrastructure, law, and geography converged to shape its early growth.

Japan was paying close attention to Powell River in the year 1911, publishing in the Hong Kong Telegraph on June 12, 1911, about the trade relations between Canada and the United States. In the article, it tells of the new large paper mill that has been built and is soon to be in operation at Powell River, and already many of the principal newspapers of the Pacific Coast have contracted for the supply of paper from the mill. Owing to the large supply of raw materials available and unrivalled water power, this paper company is in a position to manufacture under conditions which mills in the east or the west can not approach.

Originally published in the Daily News on May 2, 1911, Mr. Duncan O’Hara, acting as the agent for R.B. Francis of Vancouver, who was a merchant, published in the June 20, 1911 edition. The application to apply for permission to purchase land commencing at a post planted about one mile east of Timber License Lot 32454 and two miles from Haslam Lake, thence east 80 chains, south 80 chains, west 80 chains, thence north 80 chains to the point of commencement, containing 640 acres, give or take.

More to the north, Mr. O’Hara, acting as the agent for Mr. W.E. Fry of Seatlle Washington who was a broker, applied for permission to purchase lands commencing at a post planted about one mile east of Theodosia Lake at Timber License 31562, thence 80 chains west, 80 chains north, 80 chains east, 80 chains south to the point of commencement containing 640 acres more or less, applied originally May 19, 1911 and final publication on June 20, 1911 in the Daily News newspaper.

Word was received at the offices of the Pacific Coast Construction Company stating that the launch, which was on its way north to Prince Rupert under its own power to be used there by the Company, caught fire and was burned to the water’s edge at Powell River on Sunday prior to June 20, 1911. The Crew escaped without injury, and no further details of the accident were received.

Dorothy Fry, with the same agent, Mr. O’Hara, who was a married woman from Seattle, Washington, applied for permission to purchase lands commencing at a post planted about one mile east of Theodosia Lake, at Timber License 31562, thence east 80 chains, north 80 chains, west 80 chains, thence south 80 chains to the point of commencement, containing 640 acres more or less.

District Lot 797 was an exceptionally large tract of land, with over a mile of waterfront, an abundance of trees, just south of Lund with a view of Savary Island. Mr. George O. Madigan acquired this lot on June 20, 1911, where an old mine shaft built into the hillside was known to exist.

References:

1. The Technology Review, Vol. XIII, No. 3 (March 1911)

The Technology Review. “The Coming Congress of Technology.” Vol. XIII, No. 3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, March 1911.

2. Canada Lumberman and Wood Worker, Vol. 31, No. 1 (January 1, 1911)

Canada Lumberman and Wood Worker. “Duty on Lumber Urgently Needed.” Vol. 31, No. 1. Hugh C. MacLean Ltd., Toronto, January 1 1911.

3. Man to Man, January 1911

Man to Man. “The Totem Tree of Itswoot the Canoe Maker.” January 1911. British Columbia.

4. Privy Council Order P.C. 1118 (May 11, 1911)

Canada. Privy Council. Order in Council P.C. 1118: Approval of Wharf Site for Powell River Paper Company. May 11 1911.

5. Land Grant to Elizabeth A. de Hinchcliffe (April 25, 1911)

Province of British Columbia. Land Act Grant No. 1424 to Elizabeth A. de Hinchcliffe, Lot 1650, Group 1, New Westminster District. April 25 1911.

6. Victoria Daily Times, Vol. 31, No. 97 (April 26, 1911)

Victoria Daily Times. Various articles. Vol. 31, No. 97. Victoria, British Columbia, April 26 1911.

7. Orders in Council of the Imperial Government… (1911)

Canada. Orders in Council of the Imperial Government Together with Treaties Negotiated Between His Majesty the King and Foreign Powers. Ottawa: Charles Henry Parmelee, Law Printer to the King’s Most Excellent Majesty, 1911.

8. Photograph: “General View of Plant, Powell River, B.C., June 1911 — R. Le May”

Le May, R. General View of Plant, Powell River, BC. Photograph, June 1911.

9. St. Andrew’s College Review, p. 10 (1911)

St. Andrew’s College Review. “A Hoodoo Yacht.” p. 10. 1911.

10. Census Schedule No. 1 – Population (Early 20th Century)

Dominion of Canada. Census of Canada, Schedule No. 1 – Population. Handwritten enumeration pages, early 20th century.

Newspapers and Periodicals

  1. The British Columbia Gazette. “Appointments.” February 23, 1911, p. 2432.
  2. Includes the appointment of George McKinney of Powell River as a Justice of the Peace.
  3. The Daily News (New Westminster, British Columbia). “Land Act Notice.” April 1, 1911.
  4. Land notice concerning Peter C. Jensen and other applicants in the New Westminster Land District.
  5. Edmonton Bulletin. “Three Men Drowned.” May 1, 1911. Vol. V, no. 592.
  6. Article concerning a drowning incident on the British Columbia coast.
  7. The Exeter Advocate (Exeter, Ontario). “What the Western People Are Doing.” March 30, 1911.
  8. Includes the report that machinery from Pittsburgh had arrived at New Powell River for the Powell River Paper Works.
  9. Hong Kong Telegraph. “Trade Relations.” June 12, 1911, p. 3.
  10. Discusses the reciprocity agreement and specifically refers to the Powell River mill and the Pacific Coast paper industry.
  11. Paper Trade Journal. “Big Pulp Plant for British Columbia.” January 5, 1911, p. 16. Vol. 52, no. 1.
  12. Reports the Brooks-Scanlon Company’s large paper and pulp plant at Powell River, including its projected employment, investment, production capacity, timber limits, and model town.
  13. The Prince Rupert Journal. “Shipping Report.” March 7, 1911, p. 8.
  14. Reports the Queen Alexandra accident while loading/discharging at Powell River and damage sustained to the vessel.
  15. The Railway and Marine World. “Railway Rolling Stock Notes.” January 1911, p. 41. New Series, no. 155.
  16. Reports that the Powell River Lumber Company ordered a Columbia-type locomotive from the Montreal Locomotive Works and gives its specifications.
  17. The Victoria Colonist. “Resources of Northern B.C.” June 6, 1911, p. 6.
  18. Article concerning northern British Columbia resources and development.
  19. Victoria Daily Times. “Twenty Feet of Water in Hold.” March 3, 1911, p. 10.
  20. Reports the Queen Alexandra taking on water while carrying lumber.

Particularly useful sources for your Powell River origins thesis

The strongest primary-source citations from this group, in my view, are:

  1. Paper Trade Journal, January 5, 1911, p. 16 — very useful contemporary description of the Powell River industrial project.
  2. Hong Kong Telegraph, June 12, 1911, p. 3 — independent international newspaper reporting specifically on the Powell River mill.
  3. The Exeter Advocate, March 30, 1911 — contemporary report identifying New Powell River and the Powell River Paper Works.
  4. The Railway and Marine World, January 1911, p. 41 — particularly valuable for the Powell River Lumber Company’s locomotive.
  5. The Prince Rupert Journal, March 7, 1911, p. 8 — contemporary shipping evidence connecting Powell River with the Queen Alexandra.
  6. The British Columbia Gazette, February 23, 1911, p. 2432 — an official provincial record rather than newspaper reporting, and therefore especially valuable for establishing George McKinney’s official status.
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Foundations of an Industry

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Index

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Industrial Capital of the Coast Jul-Dec