Narrow Results By
Mrs. Cowan and daughter
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription165
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- February 24, 1923
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 7.1 x 10.3 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a woman and a girl standing by a chickenwire fence, looking at the geese and chicks. Vegetable gardens and a log building can be seen as well. According to the note in the accession file, the woman is Mrs. Sylvia Cowan, the second wife of Mr. James Cowan since they were married in 1…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 7.1 x 10.3 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a woman and a girl standing by a chickenwire fence, looking at the geese and chicks. Vegetable gardens and a log building can be seen as well. According to the note in the accession file, the woman is Mrs. Sylvia Cowan, the second wife of Mr. James Cowan since they were married in 1922, and the girl is one of Mr. Cowan's two daughters from his first marriage. The property depicted in the photograph was at 2930 Gilpin Street (later renumbered 5926 Gilpin Street), where Mr. Cowan purchased two acres of land to build a home in 1919. After settling in Burnaby in 1923 at that property, Mr. Cowan became active in serving the community, eventually earning the honour of having a memorial hall named after him, which later changed to the James Cowan Theatre. An annotation on the back of the photo reads: "2930 Gilpin in 1923/24 / 2 acres, vegetable gardens, chickens, a cow, geese / more info in files / Cowan Property." Stamped on the back of the photo: "0110."
- Subjects
- Animals - Fowl
- Agriculture - Farms
- Names
- Cowan, Sylvia
- Geographic Access
- Gilpin Street
- Street Address
- 5926 Gilpin Street
- Accession Code
- BV985.31.6
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- February 24, 1923
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Douglas-Gilpin Area
- Scan Resolution
- 600
- Scan Date
- 2023-12-19
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
Images
![Stone fountain in lake, [1920] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/1985/198557900001.jpg?width=280)
Stone fountain in lake
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription1416
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1920]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 6.5 x 6.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a small stone fountain spraying water in a pond laid with stones along the edges. There are swans and ducks in the pond, with trees and a part of a wooden building in the background. A note in the accession register speculates the location is Beaver Lake in Stanley Park, Vancouver.
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 6.5 x 6.5 cm
- Material Details
- The name "velox" is lightly printed on the back of the photo paper: thus, the photograph is printed on Kodak velox photo paper made in early 1900s for amateur photography.
- stamped on verso, "729"
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a small stone fountain spraying water in a pond laid with stones along the edges. There are swans and ducks in the pond, with trees and a part of a wooden building in the background. A note in the accession register speculates the location is Beaver Lake in Stanley Park, Vancouver.
- Geographic Access
- Vancouver
- Accession Code
- BV985.5790.1
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1920]
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Scan Resolution
- 600
- Scan Date
- 2024-02-02
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
Images
![Stone fountain in lake, [1920] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/1985/198557900001.jpg)
Interview with Maureen Olofson by Kathy Bossort October 14, 2015 - Track 1
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory569
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1906-1950
- Length
- 0:09:08
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Maureen Olofson’s parents immigration to Saskatchewan, her mother Kerstin in 1912 and father Axel in 1928, Maureen’s birth on a trip to Sweden in 1938, and her family’s move to Burnaby in 1942 and the start of their mink ranch, the GAK Fur Farm, near Curtis Av…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Maureen Olofson’s parents immigration to Saskatchewan, her mother Kerstin in 1912 and father Axel in 1928, Maureen’s birth on a trip to Sweden in 1938, and her family’s move to Burnaby in 1942 and the start of their mink ranch, the GAK Fur Farm, near Curtis Avenue in the old Hastings Grove subdivision on Burnaby Mountain.
- Date Range
- 1906-1950
- Length
- 0:09:08
- Subjects
- Agriculture
- Geographic Access
- Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Lochdale (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Westridge Area
- Interviewer
- Bossort, Kathy
- Interview Date
- October 14, 2015
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Maureen Olofson conducted by Kathy Bossort. Maureen Olofson was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about Maureen Olofson’s memories of growing up on her parent’s Burnaby Mountain mink ranch between 1942 and 1950 and about the operation of the farm. She also talks about her parents’ history, her teaching career, and her thoughts about the beauty and value of Burnaby Mountain’s natural area.
- Biographical Notes
- Maureen Olofson was born 1938 in Glote, Harjedalen, Sweden, to Axel (1906-1998) and Kerstin Margareta (1906-1980). Axel and Kerstin Olofson, who had separately immigrated to Canada in 1928 and 1913 respectively, married in Canada and then returned to Sweden where Maureen was born. They moved to Burnaby in 1942 with their daughters Maureen and Anita Lea, and bought land and a mink ranch on Burnaby Mountain with their partners Gus Skofteby and Karin Ericksson (Kerstin’s sister). The GAK Fur Farm, located in the old Hastings Grove subdivision on 4th Avenue near Curtis Street, was one of the largest mink ranches in BC, an award winning operation with over 1200 mink animals. In 1950 the partners sold the land and the Olofson family moved to rented homes on Sperling Avenue. In 1952 Axel sold the last of his minks and opened a sporting goods store on Hastings Street. In 1954 the family moved to North Vancouver where Axel Olofson reestablished his sports business. Maureen attended Sperling Avenue School from Gr. 1 to Gr. 8 and Burnaby North High School to Gr. 11, completing school in North Vancouver, before going to UBC where she trained as a teacher. She returned to Burnaby in 1977 to teach, retiring in 1997. She is a volunteer with the Swedish Canadian Rest Home Association and the Dania Homes Society. Maureen continues to enjoy activities on Burnaby Mountain and works toward preserving the natural beauty of the mountain.
- Total Tracks
- 8
- Total Length
- 1:19:04
- Interviewee Name
- Olofson, B. Maureen
- Interview Location
- Maureen Olofson's home in Burnaby
- Interviewer Bio
- Kathy Bossort is a retired archivist living in Ladner, BC. She worked at the Delta Museum and Archives after graduating from SLAIS (UBC) in 2001 with Masters degrees in library science and archival studies. Kathy grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and, prior to this career change, she lived in the West Kootenays, earning her living as a cook for BC tourist lodges and work camps. She continues to be interested in oral histories as a way to fill the gaps in the written record and bring richer meaning to history.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Audio Tracks
Track one of interview with Maureen Olofson
Track one of interview with Maureen Olofson
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-004/MSS196-004_Track_1.mp3