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![Louise and Eleanor Irwin running with their uncle Fred, [1934] (date of original), copied 2004 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2019/2019_0032_0069_001.jpg?width=280)
Louise and Eleanor Irwin running with their uncle Fred
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15250
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1934] (date of original), copied 2004
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Louise Irwin (left) and Eleanor Irwin (Nelson) (middle) running with their Uncle Fred Taylor in their yard at the Barnet Mill.
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Louise Irwin (left) and Eleanor Irwin (Nelson) (middle) running with their Uncle Fred Taylor in their yard at the Barnet Mill.
- History
- Henry Stanley Irwin (1890-1966) started work at Barnet mill in 1924. Henry and his wife Elsie May Irwin (Taylor) Irwin (1894-1985) first lived with thier two daughters, Eleanor (Nelson) (1924-2005) and Louise (1927-) in a worker's cabin before moving to the Barnet Mill's managers' residence. The household included Elsie's mother, Elizabeth (Shephard) Taylor (1868-1950). The family resided at Barnet until they moved to Vancouver in September 1939. Louise and her older sister Eleanor attended Barnet School like other children in the Barnet area. After the mill closed in 1931, Henry was unemployed for two years, during this time, he hired a horse and driver and cut logs from the slopes of Burnaby Mountain to support his family.
- Names
- Barnet Mill
- Barnet Lumber Company
- Irwin, Louise
- Nelson, Eleanor Irwin
- Taylor, Frederick "Fred"
- Geographic Access
- Burrard Inlet
- Accession Code
- BV019.32.69
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1934] (date of original), copied 2004
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Barnet (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Mountain Area
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- See page 53 of book, "In the Shadow by the Sea: Recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village" with caption "Louise and Eleanor Irwin running with Uncle Fred Taylor, 1934"
Images
![Louise and Eleanor Irwin running with their uncle Fred, [1934] (date of original), copied 2004 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2019/2019_0032_0069_001.jpg)
![Isabella Taylor at Barnet, [1934] (date of original), copied 2004 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2019/2019_0032_0091_001.jpg?width=280)
Isabella Taylor at Barnet
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15273
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1934] (date of original), copied 2004
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Elizabeth "Isabella" (Shephard) Taylor standing in the yard of the Irwin family home at the Barnet Lumber Mill. Mrs. Taylor is dressed in a fashionable coat with a lambs wool collar. The tree with a swing is visible behind her.
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Elizabeth "Isabella" (Shephard) Taylor standing in the yard of the Irwin family home at the Barnet Lumber Mill. Mrs. Taylor is dressed in a fashionable coat with a lambs wool collar. The tree with a swing is visible behind her.
- History
- Henry Stanley Irwin (1890-1966) started work at Barnet mill in 1924. Henry and his wife Elsie May Irwin (Taylor) Irwin (1894-1985) first lived with thier two daughters, Eleanor (Nelson) (1924-2005) and Louise (1927-) in a worker's cabin before moving to the Barnet Mill's managers' residence. The household included Elsie's mother, Elizabeth (Shephard) Taylor (1868-1950). The family resided at Barnet until they moved to Vancouver in September 1939. Louise and her older sister Eleanor attended Barnet School like other children in the Barnet area. After the mill closed in 1931, Henry was unemployed for two years, during this time, he hired a horse and driver and cut logs from the slopes of Burnaby Mountain to support his family.
- Subjects
- Animals
- Geographic Access
- Burrard Inlet
- Accession Code
- BV019.32.91
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1934] (date of original), copied 2004
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Barnet (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Mountain Area
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- see page 49 of book "In the Shadow by the Sea: Recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village" with caption "...Grandmother Isabella Taylor wearing a fashionable coat with a lamb's wool collar, 1934"
Images
![Isabella Taylor at Barnet, [1934] (date of original), copied 2004 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2019/2019_0032_0091_001.jpg)
![Manager's residence at Barnet Mill, [1935] (date of original), copied 2004 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2019/2019_0032_0058_001.jpg?width=280)
Manager's residence at Barnet Mill
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15239
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1935] (date of original), copied 2004
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the manager's residence at the Barnet Mill. Henry Stanley Irwin, his wife Elsie May, their children Eleanor and Louise and Elsie's mother, Elizabeth Taylor lived in this house between 1924 and 1939. A picket fence encloses the large yard with a garden and cherry trees. The forested sl…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the manager's residence at the Barnet Mill. Henry Stanley Irwin, his wife Elsie May, their children Eleanor and Louise and Elsie's mother, Elizabeth Taylor lived in this house between 1924 and 1939. A picket fence encloses the large yard with a garden and cherry trees. The forested slope of Burnaby mountain is visible behind the house.
- History
- Henry Stanley Irwin (1890-1966) started work at Barnet mill in 1924. Henry and his wife Elsie May Irwin (Taylor) Irwin (1894-1985) first lived with thier two daughters, Eleanor (Nelson) (1924-2005) and Louise (1927-) in a worker's cabin before moving to the Barnet Mill's managers' residence. The household included Elsie's mother, Elizabeth (Shephard) Taylor (1868-1950). The family resided at Barnet until they moved to Vancouver in September 1939. Louise and her older sister Eleanor attended Barnet School like other children in the Barnet area. After the mill closed in 1931, Henry was unemployed for two years, during this time, he hired a horse and driver and cut logs from the slopes of Burnaby Mountain to support his family.
- Subjects
- Persons - Children
- Geographic Access
- Burrard Inlet
- Accession Code
- BV019.32.58
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1935] (date of original), copied 2004
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Barnet (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Mountain Area
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- See page 52 of book, "In the Shadow by the Sea: Recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village" with caption "The Irwin's house had been built as the Manager's residence. It was surrounded by a beautiful garden and cherry tree, which arein full blossom in this photo, c. 1935."
Images
![Manager's residence at Barnet Mill, [1935] (date of original), copied 2004 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2019/2019_0032_0058_001.jpg)
Mill burner
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15220
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 1937 (date of original), copied 2004
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the crumbling foundation of the old Barnet Mill burner. Bricks from the former burner are piled on the shore in front of the burner entrance. Old pilings encrusted with barnacles are visible in the foreground.
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the crumbling foundation of the old Barnet Mill burner. Bricks from the former burner are piled on the shore in front of the burner entrance. Old pilings encrusted with barnacles are visible in the foreground.
- History
- The Barnet Lumber Company also known as the Barnet mill was in operation between 1925 and 1932. The mill was located on Burrard Inlet in the neighbourhood of Barnet and was one of the most successful local employers in Burnaby until the 1930s when the Great Depression resulted in a strike at the mill. The City of Burnaby eventually assumed control of the site including all of the homes when the company failed to pay it's taxes. The city then dismantled the mill and sold the property in two parts - the eastern section would become the Kapoor Sawmills Limited and the western portion, the McColl-Frontenac Oil Company.
- Names
- Barnet Mill
- Geographic Access
- Burrard Inlet
- Accession Code
- BV019.32.40
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- 1937 (date of original), copied 2004
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Barnet (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Mountain Area
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- See page 120 of book "In the Shadow by the Sea - Recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village". Caption with photograph reads: "The crumbling foundation of the old mill burner, 1937"
- Historical information provided by Burnaby Heritage Planning - Barnet Neighbourhood
Images
Barnet School class
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15225
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 1937 (date of original), copied 2004
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph students at Barnet School. Students are gathered together on the school grounds and are identified from left to right; back row: Algot Peters, June Marshall, Fred Peters and Frank McDonald; middle row: Hugh Carey, Edith Bedore, Cecilia McDonald, Louise Irwin, Ella Neimi, Irene La Favor;…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph students at Barnet School. Students are gathered together on the school grounds and are identified from left to right; back row: Algot Peters, June Marshall, Fred Peters and Frank McDonald; middle row: Hugh Carey, Edith Bedore, Cecilia McDonald, Louise Irwin, Ella Neimi, Irene La Favor; front row: Jimmy Bedore, Billy Woytowicz, Tommy Keys, Clyde La Favor, Dallas La Favor and Jack Kask.
- Names
- Barnet School
- Peters, Algot
- Marshall, June
- Peters, Fred
- McDonald, Frank
- Carey, Hugh
- Bedore, Edith
- McDonald, Cecilia
- Irwin, Louise
- Neimi, Ella
- La Favor, Louise
- Bedore, Jimmy
- Woytowicz, Billy
- Keys, Thomas "Tommy"
- La Favor, Clyde
- La Favor, Dallas
- Kask, John "Jack"
- Geographic Access
- Burrard Inlet
- Accession Code
- BV019.32.45
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- 1937 (date of original), copied 2004
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Barnet (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Mountain Area
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- Names of students taken from verso of photograph
- see page 234, Chapter Three in the book "In the Shadow by the Sea - Recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village". Caption with photograph reads: "Barnet School / Class 1936-1937 / BACK ROW: Algot Peters, June / Marshall, Fred Peters: Frank / McDonald"
Images
![Sarjit and Jagdis Kaur Siddoo, [194-] (date of original), copied 2004 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2019/2019_0032_0001_001.jpg?width=280)
Sarjit and Jagdis Kaur Siddoo
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15180
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [194-] (date of original), copied 2004
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Jagdis and Sarjit Kaur Siddoo standing next to a cow in a field at Barnet. The Kapoor Sawmills Ltd. is visible in the background behind them.
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Jagdis and Sarjit Kaur Siddoo standing next to a cow in a field at Barnet. The Kapoor Sawmills Ltd. is visible in the background behind them.
- History
- Kapoor Singh Siddoo was born in 1885 in the Punjab village of Kharaudi, India. Kapoor was one of the pioneer South Asian Canadian Sikhs who immigrated to America in 1906 and onto Canada in 1912. Kapoor first arrived in San Francisco in 1906, along with twenty uneducated men from the Province of Punjab, India. Kapoor was the only one among these men who was educated so acted as their interpreter, manager and accountant. They worked along the Southern Pacific Railway line near Marysville, California, toward Reno and Nevada. Kapoor heard about the beauty of British Columbia and decided to travel to the west coast but times were tough with discrimination against all South Asians in British Columbia. With this information, Kapoor traveled east to Northern Ontario where he tried homesteading for a year but the extreme winter conditions didn’t appeal to him. Kapoor returned to British Columbia after receiving word from South Asian Canadians that they were in need of an educated accountant/manager for a sawmill. In 1923, with the change in immigration laws, Kapoor arranged for his wife, Besant Kaur to emigrate from India. Besant came to Canada accompanied by Kapoor’s older brother. Kapoor and Besant had two daughters, both born in Duncan B.C. Jagdis Kaur Siddoo was born in 1925 and Sarjit Kaur Siddoo was born in 1926. Both of their daughters graduated as doctors from University of Toronto medical school. His career in B.C. began as a lumberman for a large lumber mill on Vancouver Island until 1935. Following this, Kapoor established the Kapoor Lumber Company Limited and operated a mill at Shawnigan Lake before eventually purchasing 45 acres in 1939 of the eastern section of the former Barnet Mill site in Burnaby. He purchased the site from the Municipality of Burnaby under the name of Modern Sawmills Limited since there was a restriction on selling this piece of a property to a non-white person. Eventually the name was changed to Kapoor Sawmills Limited. Kapoor’s company was a financial success but was tragically razed on January 14, 1947 due to a devastating fire. A smaller mill was rebuilt on the site and Kapoor maintained a successful financial operation until 1959. In 1959, Kapoor Siddoo was considered one of Vancouver’s most influential men in the South Asian Community. In this same year, the family set up the Kapoor Singh Siddoo Foundation and with help from his wife and daughters opened a hospital in the Punjab village of Aur. In 1964, Kapoor died in India at the age of 79 years. Kapoor’s younger brother, Tara Singh Siddoo came to Canada from India in 1906 but after suffering discrimination, he returned to India in 1912. Several years later Tara returned to Canada joining Kapoor at a logging mill on Vancouver Island. Lesser shares of the mill were held by Tara and other family members. Tara and his wife, Beant Siddoo lived at Barnet between 1943 and 1945, with their family of five sons, Lakhbeer, Gurdeb, Gurcharn, Baldev, Hardev and three daughters, Harjeet (Sangha), Runjeet (Basi) and Buckshish (Sarai). One of Tara’s responsibilities was to oversee the logging camp and ensure that the logs arrived regularly from Cowichan Bay near Duncan to the Barnet logging mill.
- Accession Code
- BV019.32.1
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- May be restricted by third party rights
- Date
- [194-] (date of original), copied 2004
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Barnet (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Mountain Area
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- Photograph was originally obtained used in the publication: "In the Shadow by the Sea - Recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village"
- Incorrect spelling of the name "Sarjeet Siddoo" in the book "In the Shadow by the Sea" has been corrected to "Sarjit Kaur Siddoo"
Images
![Sarjit and Jagdis Kaur Siddoo, [194-] (date of original), copied 2004 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2019/2019_0032_0001_001.jpg)
![Besant Kaur Siddoo at her kitchen stove, [194-] (date of original), copied 2004 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2019/2019_0032_0002_001.jpg?width=280)
Besant Kaur Siddoo at her kitchen stove
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15181
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [194-] (date of original), copied 2004
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Besant Kaur Siddoo (spouse of Kapoor Singh Siddoo) tending the sawdust burner at her kitchen stove. A large galvanized hopper which fed the sawdust to the fire box of the stove is to her left.
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Besant Kaur Siddoo (spouse of Kapoor Singh Siddoo) tending the sawdust burner at her kitchen stove. A large galvanized hopper which fed the sawdust to the fire box of the stove is to her left.
- History
- Kapoor Singh Siddoo was born in 1885 in the Punjab village of Kharaudi, India. Kapoor was one of the pioneer South Asian Canadian Sikhs who immigrated to America in 1906 and onto Canada in 1912. Kapoor first arrived in San Francisco in 1906, along with twenty uneducated men from the Province of Punjab, India. Kapoor was the only one among these men who was educated so acted as their interpreter, manager and accountant. They worked along the Southern Pacific Railway line near Marysville, California, toward Reno and Nevada. Kapoor heard about the beauty of British Columbia and decided to travel to the west coast but times were tough with discrimination against all South Asians in British Columbia. With this information, Kapoor traveled east to Northern Ontario where he tried homesteading for a year but the extreme winter conditions didn’t appeal to him. Kapoor returned to British Columbia after receiving word from South Asian Canadians that they were in need of an educated accountant/manager for a sawmill. In 1923, with the change in immigration laws, Kapoor arranged for his wife, Besant Kaur to emigrate from India. Besant came to Canada accompanied by Kapoor’s older brother. Kapoor and Besant had two daughters, both born in Duncan B.C. Jagdis Kaur Siddoo was born in 1925 and Sarjit Kaur Siddoo was born in 1926. Both of their daughters graduated as doctors from University of Toronto medical school. His career in B.C. began as a lumberman for a large lumber mill on Vancouver Island until 1935. Following this, Kapoor established the Kapoor Lumber Company Limited and operated a mill at Shawnigan Lake before eventually purchasing 45 acres in 1939 of the eastern section of the former Barnet Mill site in Burnaby. He purchased the site from the Municipality of Burnaby under the name of Modern Sawmills Limited since there was a restriction on selling this piece of a property to a non-white person. Eventually the name was changed to Kapoor Sawmills Limited. Kapoor’s company was a financial success but was tragically razed on January 14, 1947 due to a devastating fire. A smaller mill was rebuilt on the site and Kapoor maintained a successful financial operation until 1959. In 1959, Kapoor Siddoo was considered one of Vancouver’s most influential men in the South Asian Community. In this same year, the family set up the Kapoor Singh Siddoo Foundation and with help from his wife and daughters opened a hospital in the Punjab village of Aur. In 1964, Kapoor died in India at the age of 79 years. Kapoor’s younger brother, Tara Singh Siddoo came to Canada from India in 1906 but after suffering discrimination, he returned to India in 1912. Several years later Tara returned to Canada joining Kapoor at a logging mill on Vancouver Island. Lesser shares of the mill were held by Tara and other family members. Tara and his wife, Beant Siddoo lived at Barnet between 1943 and 1945, with their family of five sons, Lakhbeer, Gurdeb, Gurcharn, Baldev, Hardev and three daughters, Harjeet (Sangha), Runjeet (Basi) and Buckshish (Sarai). One of Tara’s responsibilities was to oversee the logging camp and ensure that the logs arrived regularly from Cowichan Bay near Duncan to the Barnet logging mill.
- Subjects
- Persons - South Asian Canadians
- Accession Code
- BV019.32.2
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- May be restricted by third party rights
- Date
- [194-] (date of original), copied 2004
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Barnet (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Mountain Area
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- see page 63 in the book "In the Shadow by the Sea - recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village". Caption with photograph reads: "Mrs. Kapoor Siddoo tending the sawdust burner at her kitchen stove. Note the hopper which fed the sawdust to the fire box of the stove. c. 1940s"
Images
![Besant Kaur Siddoo at her kitchen stove, [194-] (date of original), copied 2004 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2019/2019_0032_0002_001.jpg)
![Mayo Manhas and Kapoor Singh Siddoo in mill office, [194-] (date of original), copied 2004 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2019/2019_0032_0003_001.jpg?width=280)
Mayo Manhas and Kapoor Singh Siddoo in mill office
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15182
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [194-] (date of original), copied 2004
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Mayo Manhas (right) and Kapoor Singh Siddoo (left) in a mill office looking over a map Vancouver Island with timber areas.
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Mayo Manhas (right) and Kapoor Singh Siddoo (left) in a mill office looking over a map Vancouver Island with timber areas.
- History
- Kapoor Singh Siddoo was born in 1885 in the Punjab village of Kharaudi, India. Kapoor was one of the pioneer South Asian Canadian Sikhs who immigrated to America in 1906 and onto Canada in 1912. Kapoor first arrived in San Francisco in 1906, along with twenty uneducated men from the Province of Punjab, India. Kapoor was the only one among these men who was educated so acted as their interpreter, manager and accountant. They worked along the Southern Pacific Railway line near Marysville, California, toward Reno and Nevada. Kapoor heard about the beauty of British Columbia and decided to travel to the west coast but times were tough with discrimination against all South Asians in British Columbia. With this information, Kapoor traveled east to Northern Ontario where he tried homesteading for a year but the extreme winter conditions didn’t appeal to him. Kapoor returned to British Columbia after receiving word from South Asian Canadians that they were in need of an educated accountant/manager for a sawmill. In 1923, with the change in immigration laws, Kapoor arranged for his wife, Besant Kaur to emigrate from India. Besant came to Canada accompanied by Kapoor’s older brother. Kapoor and Besant had two daughters, both born in Duncan B.C. Jagdis Kaur Siddoo was born in 1925 and Sarjit Kaur Siddoo was born in 1926. Both of their daughters graduated as doctors from University of Toronto medical school. His career in B.C. began as a lumberman for a large lumber mill on Vancouver Island until 1935. Following this, Kapoor established the Kapoor Lumber Company Limited and operated a mill at Shawnigan Lake before eventually purchasing 45 acres in 1939 of the eastern section of the former Barnet Mill site in Burnaby. He purchased the site from the Municipality of Burnaby under the name of Modern Sawmills Limited since there was a restriction on selling this piece of a property to a non-white person. Eventually the name was changed to Kapoor Sawmills Limited. Kapoor’s company was a financial success but was tragically razed on January 14, 1947 due to a devastating fire. A smaller mill was rebuilt on the site and Kapoor maintained a successful financial operation until 1959. In 1959, Kapoor Siddoo was considered one of Vancouver’s most influential men in the South Asian Community. In this same year, the family set up the Kapoor Singh Siddoo Foundation and with help from his wife and daughters opened a hospital in the Punjab village of Aur. In 1964, Kapoor died in India at the age of 79 years. Kapoor’s younger brother, Tara Singh Siddoo came to Canada from India in 1906 but after suffering discrimination, he returned to India in 1912. Several years later Tara returned to Canada joining Kapoor at a logging mill on Vancouver Island. Lesser shares of the mill were held by Tara and other family members. Tara and his wife, Beant Siddoo lived at Barnet between 1943 and 1945, with their family of five sons, Lakhbeer, Gurdeb, Gurcharn, Baldev, Hardev and three daughters, Harjeet (Sangha), Runjeet (Basi) and Buckshish (Sarai). One of Tara’s responsibilities was to oversee the logging camp and ensure that the logs arrived regularly from Cowichan Bay near Duncan to the Barnet logging mill.
- Subjects
- Persons - South Asian Canadians
- Accession Code
- BV019.32.3
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- May be restricted by third party rights
- Date
- [194-] (date of original), copied 2004
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Barnet (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Mountain Area
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- see page 65 in the book "In the Shadow by the Sea - recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village". Caption with photograph reads: "Mr. Mayo Manhas and Mr. Kapoor Siddoo in the mill office looking over a map of timber areas. c. 1940s"
Images
![Mayo Manhas and Kapoor Singh Siddoo in mill office, [194-] (date of original), copied 2004 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2019/2019_0032_0003_001.jpg)
![Fleet of Kapoor Sawmills trucks, [194-] (date of original), copied 2004 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2019/2019_0032_0011_001.jpg?width=280)
Fleet of Kapoor Sawmills trucks
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15190
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [194-] (date of original), copied 2004
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a fleet of trucks for Kapoor Sawmills Limited.
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a fleet of trucks for Kapoor Sawmills Limited.
- History
- Kapoor Singh Siddoo was born in 1885 in the Punjab village of Kharaudi, India. Kapoor was one of the pioneer South Asian Canadian Sikhs who immigrated to America in 1906 and onto Canada in 1912. Kapoor first arrived in San Francisco in 1906, along with twenty uneducated men from the Province of Punjab, India. Kapoor was the only one among these men who was educated so acted as their interpreter, manager and accountant. They worked along the Southern Pacific Railway line near Marysville, California, toward Reno and Nevada. Kapoor heard about the beauty of British Columbia and decided to travel to the west coast but times were tough with discrimination against all South Asians in British Columbia. With this information, Kapoor traveled east to Northern Ontario where he tried homesteading for a year but the extreme winter conditions didn’t appeal to him. Kapoor returned to British Columbia after receiving word from South Asian Canadians that they were in need of an educated accountant/manager for a sawmill. In 1923, with the change in immigration laws, Kapoor arranged for his wife, Besant Kaur to emigrate from India. Besant came to Canada accompanied by Kapoor’s older brother. Kapoor and Besant had two daughters, both born in Duncan B.C. Jagdis Kaur Siddoo was born in 1925 and Sarjit Kaur Siddoo was born in 1926. Both of their daughters graduated as doctors from University of Toronto medical school. His career in B.C. began as a lumberman for a large lumber mill on Vancouver Island until 1935. Following this, Kapoor established the Kapoor Lumber Company Limited and operated a mill at Shawnigan Lake before eventually purchasing 45 acres in 1939 of the eastern section of the former Barnet Mill site in Burnaby. He purchased the site from the Municipality of Burnaby under the name of Modern Sawmills Limited since there was a restriction on selling this piece of a property to a non-white person. Eventually the name was changed to Kapoor Sawmills Limited. Kapoor’s company was a financial success but was tragically razed on January 14, 1947 due to a devastating fire. A smaller mill was rebuilt on the site and Kapoor maintained a successful financial operation until 1959. In 1959, Kapoor Siddoo was considered one of Vancouver’s most influential men in the South Asian Community. In this same year, the family set up the Kapoor Singh Siddoo Foundation and with help from his wife and daughters opened a hospital in the Punjab village of Aur. In 1964, Kapoor died in India at the age of 79 years. Kapoor’s younger brother, Tara Singh Siddoo came to Canada from India in 1906 but after suffering discrimination, he returned to India in 1912. Several years later Tara returned to Canada joining Kapoor at a logging mill on Vancouver Island. Lesser shares of the mill were held by Tara and other family members. Tara and his wife, Beant Siddoo lived at Barnet between 1943 and 1945, with their family of five sons, Lakhbeer, Gurdeb, Gurcharn, Baldev, Hardev and three daughters, Harjeet (Sangha), Runjeet (Basi) and Buckshish (Sarai). One of Tara’s responsibilities was to oversee the logging camp and ensure that the logs arrived regularly from Cowichan Bay near Duncan to the Barnet logging mill.
- Names
- Kapoor Sawmills Limited
- Geographic Access
- Burrard Inlet
- Barnet Marine Park
- Accession Code
- BV019.32.11
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- May be restricted by third party rights
- Date
- [194-] (date of original), copied 2004
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Barnet (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Mountain Area
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- See page 62 in book "In the Shadow by the Sea - recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village". Caption with photograph reads: "The fleet of Kapoor Sawmill trucks, c. 1940s"
Images
![Fleet of Kapoor Sawmills trucks, [194-] (date of original), copied 2004 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2019/2019_0032_0011_001.jpg)
![Ross carrier with load, [194-] (date of original), copied 2004 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2019/2019_0032_0015_001.jpg?width=280)
Ross carrier with load
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15194
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [194-] (date of original), copied 2004
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a Ross straddle carrier transporting umber in the mill yard of Kapoor Sawmills Limited. Stacks of lumber stand next to the carrier and company lodgings can be seen on higher ground in the distance.
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a Ross straddle carrier transporting umber in the mill yard of Kapoor Sawmills Limited. Stacks of lumber stand next to the carrier and company lodgings can be seen on higher ground in the distance.
- History
- Kapoor Singh Siddoo was born in 1885 in the Punjab village of Kharaudi, India. Kapoor was one of the pioneer South Asian Canadian Sikhs who immigrated to America in 1906 and onto Canada in 1912. Kapoor first arrived in San Francisco in 1906, along with twenty uneducated men from the Province of Punjab, India. Kapoor was the only one among these men who was educated so acted as their interpreter, manager and accountant. They worked along the Southern Pacific Railway line near Marysville, California, toward Reno and Nevada. Kapoor heard about the beauty of British Columbia and decided to travel to the west coast but times were tough with discrimination against all South Asians in British Columbia. With this information, Kapoor traveled east to Northern Ontario where he tried homesteading for a year but the extreme winter conditions didn’t appeal to him. Kapoor returned to British Columbia after receiving word from South Asian Canadians that they were in need of an educated accountant/manager for a sawmill. In 1923, with the change in immigration laws, Kapoor arranged for his wife, Besant Kaur to emigrate from India. Besant came to Canada accompanied by Kapoor’s older brother. Kapoor and Besant had two daughters, both born in Duncan B.C. Jagdis Kaur Siddoo was born in 1925 and Sarjit Kaur Siddoo was born in 1926. Both of their daughters graduated as doctors from University of Toronto medical school. His career in B.C. began as a lumberman for a large lumber mill on Vancouver Island until 1935. Following this, Kapoor established the Kapoor Lumber Company Limited and operated a mill at Shawnigan Lake before eventually purchasing 45 acres in 1939 of the eastern section of the former Barnet Mill site in Burnaby. He purchased the site from the Municipality of Burnaby under the name of Modern Sawmills Limited since there was a restriction on selling this piece of a property to a non-white person. Eventually the name was changed to Kapoor Sawmills Limited. Kapoor’s company was a financial success but was tragically razed on January 14, 1947 due to a devastating fire. A smaller mill was rebuilt on the site and Kapoor maintained a successful financial operation until 1959. In 1959, Kapoor Siddoo was considered one of Vancouver’s most influential men in the South Asian Community. In this same year, the family set up the Kapoor Singh Siddoo Foundation and with help from his wife and daughters opened a hospital in the Punjab village of Aur. In 1964, Kapoor died in India at the age of 79 years. Kapoor’s younger brother, Tara Singh Siddoo came to Canada from India in 1906 but after suffering discrimination, he returned to India in 1912. Several years later Tara returned to Canada joining Kapoor at a logging mill on Vancouver Island. Lesser shares of the mill were held by Tara and other family members. Tara and his wife, Beant Siddoo lived at Barnet between 1943 and 1945, with their family of five sons, Lakhbeer, Gurdeb, Gurcharn, Baldev, Hardev and three daughters, Harjeet (Sangha), Runjeet (Basi) and Buckshish (Sarai). One of Tara’s responsibilities was to oversee the logging camp and ensure that the logs arrived regularly from Cowichan Bay near Duncan to the Barnet logging mill.
- Names
- Kapoor Sawmills Limited
- Geographic Access
- Burrard Inlet
- Barnet Marine Park
- Accession Code
- BV019.32.15
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- May be restricted by third party rights
- Date
- [194-] (date of original), copied 2004
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Barnet (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Mountain Area
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- See page 62 of book "In the Shadow by the Sea - Recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village". Caption with photograph reads: "a Ross Carrier moving lumber in the mill yard. These carriers replaced the horse drawn wagons that were used by the earlier mills, c.1940s"
Images
![Ross carrier with load, [194-] (date of original), copied 2004 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2019/2019_0032_0015_001.jpg)
![Boom man with logs, [194-] (date of original), copied 2004 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2019/2019_0032_0016_001.jpg?width=280)
Boom man with logs
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15195
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [194-] (date of original), copied 2004
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of an unidentified South Asian Sikh boom man standing on a log with a steel pointed pike pole directing logs within a log boom. The log boom was located in Burrard Inlet at the Kapoor Sawmills Limited.
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of an unidentified South Asian Sikh boom man standing on a log with a steel pointed pike pole directing logs within a log boom. The log boom was located in Burrard Inlet at the Kapoor Sawmills Limited.
- History
- Kapoor Singh Siddoo was born in 1885 in the Punjab village of Kharaudi, India. Kapoor was one of the pioneer South Asian Canadian Sikhs who immigrated to America in 1906 and onto Canada in 1912. Kapoor first arrived in San Francisco in 1906, along with twenty uneducated men from the Province of Punjab, India. Kapoor was the only one among these men who was educated so acted as their interpreter, manager and accountant. They worked along the Southern Pacific Railway line near Marysville, California, toward Reno and Nevada. Kapoor heard about the beauty of British Columbia and decided to travel to the west coast but times were tough with discrimination against all South Asians in British Columbia. With this information, Kapoor traveled east to Northern Ontario where he tried homesteading for a year but the extreme winter conditions didn’t appeal to him. Kapoor returned to British Columbia after receiving word from South Asian Canadians that they were in need of an educated accountant/manager for a sawmill. In 1923, with the change in immigration laws, Kapoor arranged for his wife, Besant Kaur to emigrate from India. Besant came to Canada accompanied by Kapoor’s older brother. Kapoor and Besant had two daughters, both born in Duncan B.C. Jagdis Kaur Siddoo was born in 1925 and Sarjit Kaur Siddoo was born in 1926. Both of their daughters graduated as doctors from University of Toronto medical school. His career in B.C. began as a lumberman for a large lumber mill on Vancouver Island until 1935. Following this, Kapoor established the Kapoor Lumber Company Limited and operated a mill at Shawnigan Lake before eventually purchasing 45 acres in 1939 of the eastern section of the former Barnet Mill site in Burnaby. He purchased the site from the Municipality of Burnaby under the name of Modern Sawmills Limited since there was a restriction on selling this piece of a property to a non-white person. Eventually the name was changed to Kapoor Sawmills Limited. Kapoor’s company was a financial success but was tragically razed on January 14, 1947 due to a devastating fire. A smaller mill was rebuilt on the site and Kapoor maintained a successful financial operation until 1959. In 1959, Kapoor Siddoo was considered one of Vancouver’s most influential men in the South Asian Community. In this same year, the family set up the Kapoor Singh Siddoo Foundation and with help from his wife and daughters opened a hospital in the Punjab village of Aur. In 1964, Kapoor died in India at the age of 79 years. Kapoor’s younger brother, Tara Singh Siddoo came to Canada from India in 1906 but after suffering discrimination, he returned to India in 1912. Several years later Tara returned to Canada joining Kapoor at a logging mill on Vancouver Island. Lesser shares of the mill were held by Tara and other family members. Tara and his wife, Beant Siddoo lived at Barnet between 1943 and 1945, with their family of five sons, Lakhbeer, Gurdeb, Gurcharn, Baldev, Hardev and three daughters, Harjeet (Sangha), Runjeet (Basi) and Buckshish (Sarai). One of Tara’s responsibilities was to oversee the logging camp and ensure that the logs arrived regularly from Cowichan Bay near Duncan to the Barnet logging mill.
- Names
- Kapoor Sawmills Limited
- Geographic Access
- Burrard Inlet
- Barnet Marine Park
- Accession Code
- BV019.32.16
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- May be restricted by third party rights
- Date
- [194-] (date of original), copied 2004
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Barnet (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Mountain Area
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- See page 61 of book "In the Shadow by the Sea - Recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village". Caption with photograph reads: "A boom man needed to be nimble on his feet to select and move logs to the log slip where they could be haulde up into the mill."
Images
![Boom man with logs, [194-] (date of original), copied 2004 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2019/2019_0032_0016_001.jpg)
![Sikh man on green chain, [194-] (date of original), copied 2004 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2019/2019_0032_0017_001.jpg?width=280)
Sikh man on green chain
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15196
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [194-] (date of original), copied 2004
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of an unidentified South Asian Sikh man sorting freshly sawn lumber on the green chain at Kapoor Sawmills Limited.
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of an unidentified South Asian Sikh man sorting freshly sawn lumber on the green chain at Kapoor Sawmills Limited.
- History
- Kapoor Singh Siddoo was born in 1885 in the Punjab village of Kharaudi, India. Kapoor was one of the pioneer South Asian Canadian Sikhs who immigrated to America in 1906 and onto Canada in 1912. Kapoor first arrived in San Francisco in 1906, along with twenty uneducated men from the Province of Punjab, India. Kapoor was the only one among these men who was educated so acted as their interpreter, manager and accountant. They worked along the Southern Pacific Railway line near Marysville, California, toward Reno and Nevada. Kapoor heard about the beauty of British Columbia and decided to travel to the west coast but times were tough with discrimination against all South Asians in British Columbia. With this information, Kapoor traveled east to Northern Ontario where he tried homesteading for a year but the extreme winter conditions didn’t appeal to him. Kapoor returned to British Columbia after receiving word from South Asian Canadians that they were in need of an educated accountant/manager for a sawmill. In 1923, with the change in immigration laws, Kapoor arranged for his wife, Besant Kaur to emigrate from India. Besant came to Canada accompanied by Kapoor’s older brother. Kapoor and Besant had two daughters, both born in Duncan B.C. Jagdis Kaur Siddoo was born in 1925 and Sarjit Kaur Siddoo was born in 1926. Both of their daughters graduated as doctors from University of Toronto medical school. His career in B.C. began as a lumberman for a large lumber mill on Vancouver Island until 1935. Following this, Kapoor established the Kapoor Lumber Company Limited and operated a mill at Shawnigan Lake before eventually purchasing 45 acres in 1939 of the eastern section of the former Barnet Mill site in Burnaby. He purchased the site from the Municipality of Burnaby under the name of Modern Sawmills Limited since there was a restriction on selling this piece of a property to a non-white person. Eventually the name was changed to Kapoor Sawmills Limited. Kapoor’s company was a financial success but was tragically razed on January 14, 1947 due to a devastating fire. A smaller mill was rebuilt on the site and Kapoor maintained a successful financial operation until 1959. In 1959, Kapoor Siddoo was considered one of Vancouver’s most influential men in the South Asian Community. In this same year, the family set up the Kapoor Singh Siddoo Foundation and with help from his wife and daughters opened a hospital in the Punjab village of Aur. In 1964, Kapoor died in India at the age of 79 years. Kapoor’s younger brother, Tara Singh Siddoo came to Canada from India in 1906 but after suffering discrimination, he returned to India in 1912. Several years later Tara returned to Canada joining Kapoor at a logging mill on Vancouver Island. Lesser shares of the mill were held by Tara and other family members. Tara and his wife, Beant Siddoo lived at Barnet between 1943 and 1945, with their family of five sons, Lakhbeer, Gurdeb, Gurcharn, Baldev, Hardev and three daughters, Harjeet (Sangha), Runjeet (Basi) and Buckshish (Sarai). One of Tara’s responsibilities was to oversee the logging camp and ensure that the logs arrived regularly from Cowichan Bay near Duncan to the Barnet logging mill.
- Names
- Kapoor Sawmills Limited
- Geographic Access
- Burrard Inlet
- Barnet Marine Park
- Accession Code
- BV019.32.17
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- May be restricted by third party rights
- Date
- [194-] (date of original), copied 2004
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Barnet (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Mountain Area
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- See page 63 of book "In the Shadow by the Sea - Recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village". Caption with photograph reads: "A workman sorting freshly sawn lumber on the "green chain", c. 1940s"
Images
![Sikh man on green chain, [194-] (date of original), copied 2004 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2019/2019_0032_0017_001.jpg)
![Millwright sharpens saw blade, [194-] (date of original), copied 2004 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2019/2019_0032_0020_001.jpg?width=280)
Millwright sharpens saw blade
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15199
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [194-] (date of original), copied 2004
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a millwright (identified as Mr. Hawkin's nephew) sharpening a large circular saw blade of a saw at Kapoor Sawmills Limited.
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a millwright (identified as Mr. Hawkin's nephew) sharpening a large circular saw blade of a saw at Kapoor Sawmills Limited.
- History
- Kapoor Singh Siddoo was born in 1885 in the Punjab village of Kharaudi, India. Kapoor was one of the pioneer South Asian Canadian Sikhs who immigrated to America in 1906 and onto Canada in 1912. Kapoor first arrived in San Francisco in 1906, along with twenty uneducated men from the Province of Punjab, India. Kapoor was the only one among these men who was educated so acted as their interpreter, manager and accountant. They worked along the Southern Pacific Railway line near Marysville, California, toward Reno and Nevada. Kapoor heard about the beauty of British Columbia and decided to travel to the west coast but times were tough with discrimination against all South Asians in British Columbia. With this information, Kapoor traveled east to Northern Ontario where he tried homesteading for a year but the extreme winter conditions didn’t appeal to him. Kapoor returned to British Columbia after receiving word from South Asian Canadians that they were in need of an educated accountant/manager for a sawmill. In 1923, with the change in immigration laws, Kapoor arranged for his wife, Besant Kaur to emigrate from India. Besant came to Canada accompanied by Kapoor’s older brother. Kapoor and Besant had two daughters, both born in Duncan B.C. Jagdis Kaur Siddoo was born in 1925 and Sarjit Kaur Siddoo was born in 1926. Both of their daughters graduated as doctors from University of Toronto medical school. His career in B.C. began as a lumberman for a large lumber mill on Vancouver Island until 1935. Following this, Kapoor established the Kapoor Lumber Company Limited and operated a mill at Shawnigan Lake before eventually purchasing 45 acres in 1939 of the eastern section of the former Barnet Mill site in Burnaby. He purchased the site from the Municipality of Burnaby under the name of Modern Sawmills Limited since there was a restriction on selling this piece of a property to a non-white person. Eventually the name was changed to Kapoor Sawmills Limited. Kapoor’s company was a financial success but was tragically razed on January 14, 1947 due to a devastating fire. A smaller mill was rebuilt on the site and Kapoor maintained a successful financial operation until 1959. In 1959, Kapoor Siddoo was considered one of Vancouver’s most influential men in the South Asian Community. In this same year, the family set up the Kapoor Singh Siddoo Foundation and with help from his wife and daughters opened a hospital in the Punjab village of Aur. In 1964, Kapoor died in India at the age of 79 years. Kapoor’s younger brother, Tara Singh Siddoo came to Canada from India in 1906 but after suffering discrimination, he returned to India in 1912. Several years later Tara returned to Canada joining Kapoor at a logging mill on Vancouver Island. Lesser shares of the mill were held by Tara and other family members. Tara and his wife, Beant Siddoo lived at Barnet between 1943 and 1945, with their family of five sons, Lakhbeer, Gurdeb, Gurcharn, Baldev, Hardev and three daughters, Harjeet (Sangha), Runjeet (Basi) and Buckshish (Sarai). One of Tara’s responsibilities was to oversee the logging camp and ensure that the logs arrived regularly from Cowichan Bay near Duncan to the Barnet logging mill.
- Names
- Kapoor Sawmills Limited
- Geographic Access
- Burrard Inlet
- Barnet Marine Park
- Accession Code
- BV019.32.20
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- May be restricted by third party rights
- Date
- [194-] (date of original), copied 2004
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Barnet (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Mountain Area
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- See page 63 of book "In the Shadow by the Sea - Recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village". Caption with photograph reads: "A "millwright" sharpens the saw on the massive circular blade c. 1940s"
Images
![Millwright sharpens saw blade, [194-] (date of original), copied 2004 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2019/2019_0032_0020_001.jpg)
![Men on green chain, [194-] (date of original), copied 2004 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2019/2019_0032_0022_001.jpg?width=280)
Men on green chain
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15201
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [194-] (date of original), copied 2004
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of two unidentified men working on the green chain at Kapoor Sawmills Limited. One of the men is Sikh.
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of two unidentified men working on the green chain at Kapoor Sawmills Limited. One of the men is Sikh.
- History
- Kapoor Singh Siddoo was born in 1885 in the Punjab village of Kharaudi, India. Kapoor was one of the pioneer South Asian Canadian Sikhs who immigrated to America in 1906 and onto Canada in 1912. Kapoor first arrived in San Francisco in 1906, along with twenty uneducated men from the Province of Punjab, India. Kapoor was the only one among these men who was educated so acted as their interpreter, manager and accountant. They worked along the Southern Pacific Railway line near Marysville, California, toward Reno and Nevada. Kapoor heard about the beauty of British Columbia and decided to travel to the west coast but times were tough with discrimination against all South Asians in British Columbia. With this information, Kapoor traveled east to Northern Ontario where he tried homesteading for a year but the extreme winter conditions didn’t appeal to him. Kapoor returned to British Columbia after receiving word from South Asian Canadians that they were in need of an educated accountant/manager for a sawmill. In 1923, with the change in immigration laws, Kapoor arranged for his wife, Besant Kaur to emigrate from India. Besant came to Canada accompanied by Kapoor’s older brother. Kapoor and Besant had two daughters, both born in Duncan B.C. Jagdis Kaur Siddoo was born in 1925 and Sarjit Kaur Siddoo was born in 1926. Both of their daughters graduated as doctors from University of Toronto medical school. His career in B.C. began as a lumberman for a large lumber mill on Vancouver Island until 1935. Following this, Kapoor established the Kapoor Lumber Company Limited and operated a mill at Shawnigan Lake before eventually purchasing 45 acres in 1939 of the eastern section of the former Barnet Mill site in Burnaby. He purchased the site from the Municipality of Burnaby under the name of Modern Sawmills Limited since there was a restriction on selling this piece of a property to a non-white person. Eventually the name was changed to Kapoor Sawmills Limited. Kapoor’s company was a financial success but was tragically razed on January 14, 1947 due to a devastating fire. A smaller mill was rebuilt on the site and Kapoor maintained a successful financial operation until 1959. In 1959, Kapoor Siddoo was considered one of Vancouver’s most influential men in the South Asian Community. In this same year, the family set up the Kapoor Singh Siddoo Foundation and with help from his wife and daughters opened a hospital in the Punjab village of Aur. In 1964, Kapoor died in India at the age of 79 years. Kapoor’s younger brother, Tara Singh Siddoo came to Canada from India in 1906 but after suffering discrimination, he returned to India in 1912. Several years later Tara returned to Canada joining Kapoor at a logging mill on Vancouver Island. Lesser shares of the mill were held by Tara and other family members. Tara and his wife, Beant Siddoo lived at Barnet between 1943 and 1945, with their family of five sons, Lakhbeer, Gurdeb, Gurcharn, Baldev, Hardev and three daughters, Harjeet (Sangha), Runjeet (Basi) and Buckshish (Sarai). One of Tara’s responsibilities was to oversee the logging camp and ensure that the logs arrived regularly from Cowichan Bay near Duncan to the Barnet logging mill.
- Names
- Kapoor Sawmills Limited
- Geographic Access
- Burrard Inlet
- Barnet Marine Park
- Accession Code
- BV019.32.22
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- May be restricted by third party rights
- Date
- [194-] (date of original), copied 2004
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Barnet (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Mountain Area
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- See page 64 of book "In the Shadow by the Sea - Recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village". Caption with photograph reads: "Men at work on the greeen chain, c. 1940s"
Images
![Men on green chain, [194-] (date of original), copied 2004 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2019/2019_0032_0022_001.jpg)
![Siddoo and Teja Families, [194-] (date of original), copied 2004 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2019/2019_0032_0030_001.jpg?width=280)
Siddoo and Teja Families
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15210
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [194-] (date of original), copied 2004
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of members of the Teja and Siddoo families at the Kapoor Sawmills Limited. Family members are identified from left to right, front row: Hardev Siddoo and Harjeet Teja Sangara; middle row: Diljeet Teja, Lakhbeer Siddoo, Gurdeb Siddoo, Baldev Siddoo and Gurmeet Teja; back row: Gurdial Sing…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of members of the Teja and Siddoo families at the Kapoor Sawmills Limited. Family members are identified from left to right, front row: Hardev Siddoo and Harjeet Teja Sangara; middle row: Diljeet Teja, Lakhbeer Siddoo, Gurdeb Siddoo, Baldev Siddoo and Gurmeet Teja; back row: Gurdial Singh Teja, Tara Siddoo and Kashmir Siddoo.
- History
- Kapoor Singh Siddoo was born in 1885 in the Punjab village of Kharaudi, India. Kapoor was one of the pioneer South Asian Canadian Sikhs who immigrated to America in 1906 and onto Canada in 1912. Kapoor first arrived in San Francisco in 1906, along with twenty uneducated men from the Province of Punjab, India. Kapoor was the only one among these men who was educated so acted as their interpreter, manager and accountant. They worked along the Southern Pacific Railway line near Marysville, California, toward Reno and Nevada. Kapoor heard about the beauty of British Columbia and decided to travel to the west coast but times were tough with discrimination against all South Asians in British Columbia. With this information, Kapoor traveled east to Northern Ontario where he tried homesteading for a year but the extreme winter conditions didn’t appeal to him. Kapoor returned to British Columbia after receiving word from South Asian Canadians that they were in need of an educated accountant/manager for a sawmill. In 1923, with the change in immigration laws, Kapoor arranged for his wife, Besant Kaur to emigrate from India. Besant came to Canada accompanied by Kapoor’s older brother. Kapoor and Besant had two daughters, both born in Duncan B.C. Jagdis Kaur Siddoo was born in 1925 and Sarjit Kaur Siddoo was born in 1926. Both of their daughters graduated as doctors from University of Toronto medical school. His career in B.C. began as a lumberman for a large lumber mill on Vancouver Island until 1935. Following this, Kapoor established the Kapoor Lumber Company Limited and operated a mill at Shawnigan Lake before eventually purchasing 45 acres in 1939 of the eastern section of the former Barnet Mill site in Burnaby. He purchased the site from the Municipality of Burnaby under the name of Modern Sawmills Limited since there was a restriction on selling this piece of a property to a non-white person. Eventually the name was changed to Kapoor Sawmills Limited. Kapoor’s company was a financial success but was tragically razed on January 14, 1947 due to a devastating fire. A smaller mill was rebuilt on the site and Kapoor maintained a successful financial operation until 1959. In 1959, Kapoor Siddoo was considered one of Vancouver’s most influential men in the South Asian Community. In this same year, the family set up the Kapoor Singh Siddoo Foundation and with help from his wife and daughters opened a hospital in the Punjab village of Aur. In 1964, Kapoor died in India at the age of 79 years. Kapoor’s younger brother, Tara Singh Siddoo came to Canada from India in 1906 but after suffering discrimination, he returned to India in 1912. Several years later Tara returned to Canada joining Kapoor at a logging mill on Vancouver Island. Lesser shares of the mill were held by Tara and other family members. Tara and his wife, Beant Siddoo lived at Barnet between 1943 and 1945, with their family of five sons, Lakhbeer, Gurdeb, Gurcharn, Baldev, Hardev and three daughters, Harjeet (Sangha), Runjeet (Basi) and Buckshish (Sarai). One of Tara’s responsibilities was to oversee the logging camp and ensure that the logs arrived regularly from Cowichan Bay near Duncan to the Barnet logging mill. Gurdial Singh Teja (1909-1972) and Harbans Kour Teja (1912-1972) were born in India and emigrated to British Columbia in the early 1930s. Gurdial and Harbans had three daughters, Diljeet, Gurmeet and Harjeet and one son, Hardev. Gurdial worked in sawmills on Vancouver Island until he moved the family to Barnet in 1938 to work at the Kapoor Sawmills Limited. The family lived on the site of the mill and the children attended Barnet school. While living at the mill, the Teja children took lessons in the teachings of Punjabi from Besant Kaur Siddoo. Following the fire in 1947, the Teja family moved to North Vancouver.
- Names
- Kapoor Sawmills Limited
- Siddoo, Lakhbeer
- Siddoo, Gurdeb
- Siddoo, Baldev
- Siddoo, Kashmir
- Siddoo, Tara
- Teja, Diljeet
- Teja, Gurdial Singh
- Siddoo, Hardev
- Sangara, Harjeet Teja
- Teja, Gurmeet
- Geographic Access
- Burrard Inlet
- Barnet Marine Park
- Accession Code
- BV019.32.30
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- May be restricted by third party rights
- Date
- [194-] (date of original), copied 2004
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Barnet (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Mountain Area
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- See page 70 of book "In the Shadow by the Sea - Recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village". Caption with photograph reads: "..Siddoo and Teja families at Kapoor sawmills, c. 1940s. Back: Gurdial Teja, Tara Siddoo, Kashmir Siddoo. Middle: Diljeet Teja, Lakhbeer Siddoo, Gurdev Siddoo, Baldev Siddoo, Gurmeet Teja. Front: Hardev Teja, Harjeet Teja.
- Photograph was mistaken in identifiying "Hardev Siddoo" as "Hardev Teja" (proper identification provided by family member)
Images
![Siddoo and Teja Families, [194-] (date of original), copied 2004 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2019/2019_0032_0030_001.jpg)
![Barnet school class, [between 1941 and 1942] (date of original), copied 2004 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2019/2019_0032_0005_001.jpg?width=280)
Barnet school class
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15184
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [between 1941 and 1942] (date of original), copied 2004
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Barnet School elementary class, 1941-1942. The group of students are arranged outside in three rows with trees behind them. Students are identified from left to right as; front row: Kenny Marshall, unknown, Lakhbeer Siddoo, Gurdeb Siddoo, Bobby Karppinen, unknown, Hardev Siddoo; middl…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Barnet School elementary class, 1941-1942. The group of students are arranged outside in three rows with trees behind them. Students are identified from left to right as; front row: Kenny Marshall, unknown, Lakhbeer Siddoo, Gurdeb Siddoo, Bobby Karppinen, unknown, Hardev Siddoo; middle row: Moyra Foort, Rose Johnston, Doreen Karppinen, Deirdre Davidson, Freda Hall, Joan Lynch, Sheila Carey, Catherine La Favor, Beatrice Woolsey and Goglin; back row: Bobby Goglin, Jackie Marshall, Ken Murray, Gurmeet Gurdell, Florence La Favor, Diljeet Teja, Colin Simmons, Ronny Johnson.
- Names
- Barnet School
- Marshall, Kenny
- Siddoo, Hardev
- Siddoo, Lakhbeer
- Siddoo, Gurdeb
- Karppinen, Robert "Bobby"
- Foort, Moyra
- Johnston, Rose
- Karppinen, Doreen
- Davidson, Dierdre
- Hall, Freda
- Lynch, Joan
- Carey, Sheila
- La Favor, Cathryn Bernice
- McMillan, Beatrice Woolsey
- Goglin, Robert "Bobby"
- Marshall, Jack Darrel "Jackie"
- Murray, Ken
- Gurdell, Gurmeet
- La Favor, Florence Alice
- Teja, Diljeet
- Simmons, Colin
- Johnson, Ron "Ronny"
- Accession Code
- BV019.32.5
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- May be restricted by third party rights
- Date
- [between 1941 and 1942] (date of original), copied 2004
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Barnet (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Mountain Area
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- see page 235 in the book "In the Shadow by the Sea - recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village". Caption with photograph reads: "Barnet School / Class 1941-1942 / Back Row:..."
Images
![Barnet school class, [between 1941 and 1942] (date of original), copied 2004 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2019/2019_0032_0005_001.jpg)
![Doug Lauder with toy sailboat, [1942] (date of original), copied 2004 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2019/2019_0032_0107_001.jpg?width=280)
Doug Lauder with toy sailboat
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15299
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1942] (date of original), copied 2004
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Douglas Lauder holding a toy sailboat. Doug is standing in front a picket fence and wall of a building on the site of the Barnet Lumber Mill.
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Douglas Lauder holding a toy sailboat. Doug is standing in front a picket fence and wall of a building on the site of the Barnet Lumber Mill.
- History
- Helen (Sukkua) Lauder (1910-1995) and Sidney Lauder (1913-1936) had two children, Beverely (Mundreon) (b. 1935) and Douglas (1937-2018). While the children were young the family first lived at Kask Lumber camp before moving to Barnet. While living in Barnet in the 1940s, both children attended Barnet School. While Sidney Lauder fought overseas during WWII, Helen worked as a cook at the mill.
- Subjects
- Persons - Children
- Toys
- Geographic Access
- Burrard Inlet
- Accession Code
- BV019.32.107
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1942] (date of original), copied 2004
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Barnet (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Mountain Area
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- See page 150 in book "In the Shadow by the Sea: Recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village" with caption "...Six year old Doug and sail boat, 1942"
Images
![Doug Lauder with toy sailboat, [1942] (date of original), copied 2004 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2019/2019_0032_0107_001.jpg)
![Beverley Lauder with doll in carriage, [1943] (date of original), copied 2004 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2019/2019_0032_0108_001.jpg?width=280)
Beverley Lauder with doll in carriage
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15300
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1943] (date of original), copied 2004
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Beverley Lauder (Mundreon) standing next to a toy baby carriage with a doll inside. A picket fence and wall of a building are visible behind her.
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Beverley Lauder (Mundreon) standing next to a toy baby carriage with a doll inside. A picket fence and wall of a building are visible behind her.
- History
- Helen (Sukkua) Lauder (1910-1995) and Sidney Lauder (1913-1936) had two children, Beverely (Mundreon) (b. 1935) and Douglas (1937-2018). While the children were young the family first lived at Kask Lumber camp before moving to Barnet. While living in Barnet in the 1940s, both children attended Barnet School. While Sidney Lauder fought overseas during WWII, Helen worked as a cook at the mill.
- Subjects
- Persons - Children
- Toys
- Toys - Dolls
- Geographic Access
- Burrard Inlet
- Accession Code
- BV019.32.108
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1943] (date of original), copied 2004
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Barnet (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Mountain Area
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- See page 150 in book "In the Shadow by the Sea: Recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village" with caption "...Four year old Beverely with her doll & buggy, 1942"
- Date of photograph based on birth year of Beverley Lauder
Images
![Beverley Lauder with doll in carriage, [1943] (date of original), copied 2004 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2019/2019_0032_0108_001.jpg)
![Helen Lauder with Beverley and Douglas Lauder, [1943] (date of original), copied 2004 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2019/2019_0032_0109_001.jpg?width=280)
Helen Lauder with Beverley and Douglas Lauder
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15301
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1943] (date of original), copied 2004
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Mrs. Helen (Sukkau) Lauder standing with her children, Beverley (Mundreon) Lauder and Douglas Lauder in the yard of the family home at the Barnet Lumber Mill. A picket fence and wall of a house are visible behind them.
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Mrs. Helen (Sukkau) Lauder standing with her children, Beverley (Mundreon) Lauder and Douglas Lauder in the yard of the family home at the Barnet Lumber Mill. A picket fence and wall of a house are visible behind them.
- History
- Helen (Sukkua) Lauder (1910-1995) and Sidney Lauder (1913-1936) had two children, Beverely (Mundreon) (b. 1935) and Douglas (1937-2018). While the children were young the family first lived at Kask Lumber camp before moving to Barnet. While living in Barnet in the 1940s, both children attended Barnet School. While Sidney Lauder fought overseas during WWII, Helen worked as a cook at the mill.
- Subjects
- Persons - Children
- Names
- Barnet Mill
- Barnet Lumber Company
- Mundreon, Beverley Lauder
- Lauder, Helen Sukkua
- Lauder, Sidney
- Geographic Access
- Burrard Inlet
- Accession Code
- BV019.32.109
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1943] (date of original), copied 2004
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Barnet (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Mountain Area
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- See page 150 in book "In the Shadow by the Sea: Recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village" with caption "Mrs. Helen Lauder, Beverley and Douglas, c. 1938"
- Date of photograph based on information from original photograph
Images
![Helen Lauder with Beverley and Douglas Lauder, [1943] (date of original), copied 2004 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2019/2019_0032_0109_001.jpg)
Jagdis, Sarjit and Besant Kaur Siddoo with Harbans Kaur Teja and Kartar Kaur Sangha
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15183
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 1947 (date of original), copied 2004
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of (left to right) Jagdis Kaur Siddoo, Sarjit Kaur Siddoo and Besant Kaur Siddoo standing next to Harbans Kaur Teja with baby and Kartar Kaur Sangha (company cook) on the site of Kapoor Sawmills Limited.
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- In the Shadow by the Sea collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of (left to right) Jagdis Kaur Siddoo, Sarjit Kaur Siddoo and Besant Kaur Siddoo standing next to Harbans Kaur Teja with baby and Kartar Kaur Sangha (company cook) on the site of Kapoor Sawmills Limited.
- History
- Kapoor Singh Siddoo was born in 1885 in the Punjab village of Kharaudi, India. Kapoor was one of the pioneer South Asian Canadian Sikhs who immigrated to America in 1906 and onto Canada in 1912. Kapoor first arrived in San Francisco in 1906, along with twenty uneducated men from the Province of Punjab, India. Kapoor was the only one among these men who was educated so acted as their interpreter, manager and accountant. They worked along the Southern Pacific Railway line near Marysville, California, toward Reno and Nevada. Kapoor heard about the beauty of British Columbia and decided to travel to the west coast but times were tough with discrimination against all South Asians in British Columbia. With this information, Kapoor traveled east to Northern Ontario where he tried homesteading for a year but the extreme winter conditions didn’t appeal to him. Kapoor returned to British Columbia after receiving word from South Asian Canadians that they were in need of an educated accountant/manager for a sawmill. In 1923, with the change in immigration laws, Kapoor arranged for his wife, Besant Kaur to emigrate from India. Besant came to Canada accompanied by Kapoor’s older brother. Kapoor and Besant had two daughters, both born in Duncan B.C. Jagdis Kaur Siddoo was born in 1925 and Sarjit Kaur Siddoo was born in 1926. Both of their daughters graduated as doctors from University of Toronto medical school. His career in B.C. began as a lumberman for a large lumber mill on Vancouver Island until 1935. Following this, Kapoor established the Kapoor Lumber Company Limited and operated a mill at Shawnigan Lake before eventually purchasing 45 acres in 1939 of the eastern section of the former Barnet Mill site in Burnaby. He purchased the site from the Municipality of Burnaby under the name of Modern Sawmills Limited since there was a restriction on selling this piece of a property to a non-white person. Eventually the name was changed to Kapoor Sawmills Limited. Kapoor’s company was a financial success but was tragically razed on January 14, 1947 due to a devastating fire. A smaller mill was rebuilt on the site and Kapoor maintained a successful financial operation until 1959. In 1959, Kapoor Siddoo was considered one of Vancouver’s most influential men in the South Asian Community. In this same year, the family set up the Kapoor Singh Siddoo Foundation and with help from his wife and daughters opened a hospital in the Punjab village of Aur. In 1964, Kapoor died in India at the age of 79 years. Kapoor’s younger brother, Tara Singh Siddoo came to Canada from India in 1906 but after suffering discrimination, he returned to India in 1912. Several years later Tara returned to Canada joining Kapoor at a logging mill on Vancouver Island. Lesser shares of the mill were held by Tara and other family members. Tara and his wife, Beant Siddoo lived at Barnet between 1943 and 1945, with their family of five sons, Lakhbeer, Gurdeb, Gurcharn, Baldev, Hardev and three daughters, Harjeet (Sangha), Runjeet (Basi) and Buckshish (Sarai). One of Tara’s responsibilities was to oversee the logging camp and ensure that the logs arrived regularly from Cowichan Bay near Duncan to the Barnet logging mill.
- Subjects
- Persons - South Asian Canadians
- Names
- Kapoor Sawmills Limited
- Siddoo, Besant Kaur
- Siddoo, Jagdis Kaur
- Siddoo, Sarjit Kaur
- Teja, Harbans Kaur
- Sangha, Kartar Kaur
- Accession Code
- BV019.32.4
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- May be restricted by third party rights
- Date
- 1947 (date of original), copied 2004
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Barnet (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Mountain Area
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- see page 64 in the book "In the Shadow by the Sea - recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village". Caption with photograph reads: "Standing in front of the new mill under construction are Jagdis, Sarjeet and Mrs. Kapoor Siddoo, Harbans Koor Teja with baby and Kartar K. Sangha (company cook), 1947"
- Incorrect spelling of the name "Sarjeet Siddoo" in the book "In the Shadow by the Sea" has been corrected to "Sarjit Kaur Siddoo"
Images
