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Scope and Content: Series consists of business records collected and created by Cecil Lee while he was employed as a Produce Buyer for Kelly Douglas Limited and Western Commodities Limited and responsible for the import of Chinese mandarin oranges. Records include correspondence, photographs, documentation regarding …

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Julie Lee and Cecil Lee family fonds

Series: Cecil Lee business records series

Description Level: Series

Physical Description: 12 cm of textual records + 1 photograph : b&w + 6 photographs : col.

Scope and Content: Series consists of business records collected and created by Cecil Lee while he was employed as a Produce Buyer for Kelly Douglas Limited and Western Commodities Limited and responsible for the import of Chinese mandarin oranges. Records include correspondence, photographs, documentation regarding travel within China along with export and import information, contracts, financial reports, credit applications, Chinese trade fair information and ephemera.

History: Kelly Douglas and Company Limited was founded in 1896 as a wholesale grocery business. In 1946, its headquarters moved from Vancouver to Burnaby and a manufacturing plant and warehouse were built on the site at 4700 Kingsway. During the nineteen seventies, Kelly Douglas and Company Limited and the Produce Department of Western Commodities Limited were located on this site. In 1986, the building was demolished and the produce department of Kelly Douglas was relocated to 6451 Telford Burnaby and the head office to 808 Nelson Street, Vancouver. In the nineteen seventies, Cecil Lee worked as a produce buyer for Kelly Douglas & Company Ltd.and Western Commodities. In the mid-1970s, Lee was asked to oversee the import of Chinese mandarin oranges into Canada. Until that time, mandarin oranges had come from Japan and were sold in the winter, especially at Christmas. When the Japanese market could no longer keep up with demand, Kelly Douglas & Company looked to China. The company relied on Lee’s cultural knowledge to build this very profitable part of their business. Cecil Lee designed the cardboard Chinese mandarin orange box to replace wooden container

Subjects: Foods; Agriculture - Fruit and Berries

Names: Kelly Douglas and Company Limited; Western Commodities Limited

Accession Code: BV019.6

Access Restriction: Subject to FIPPA

Reproduction Restriction: Reproductions subject to FIPPA

Date: 1970-1980, predominant 1970-1979

Media Type: Textual Record; Photograph

Notes: Title based on contents of series; A large portion of these records are subject to FIPPA, contact Burnaby Village Museum for access

Early farm life

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumlibrary855

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Author: Gunby, Lise, 1959-

Publication Date: c1983

Call Number: 630 GUN

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection: Reference Collection

Material Type: Book

ISBN: 0865050279; 9780865050273; 0865050260; 9780865050266

Call Number: 630 GUN

Author: Gunby, Lise, 1959-

Place of Publication: Toronto

Publisher: Crabtree Pub.

Publication Date: c1983

Series: The Early settler life series

Physical Description: 80 p. : ill. ; 29 cm.

Inscription: "HERITAGE VILLAGE MUSEUM / 4900 DEER LAKE AVENUE / BURNABY, B.C. V5G 3T6", stamped on inside of front cover.

Library Subject (LOC): Agriculture; Farm life; Juvenile literature

Subjects: Agriculture

Notes: Text, photographs, and etchings describe the many chores, activities, and hardships involved in pioneer farming. Includes glossary.; Includes index.

Interview with Honourable Raj Chouhan

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19349

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [1957-2022] (interview content), interviewed 2 Dec. 2022

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 sound recording (wav) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (49 min., 21 sec.)

Scope and Content: Item consists of an oral history interview with Honourable Raj Chouhan conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Assistant Curator, Kate Petrusa. Raj Chouhan shares his ancestral background and personal experiences immigrating to Canada from India in 1973 and living and working in Canada as an immigrant…

1 document 1 audio

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Series: Museum Oral Histories series

Subseries: South Asian Canadian Interviews subseries

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 sound recording (wav) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (49 min., 21 sec.)

Material Details: Interviewer: Kate Petrusa Interviewee: Honourable Raj Chouhan Location of Interview: Residence of Honourable Raj Chouhan Interview Date: December 2, 2022 Total Number of tracks: 1 Total Length of all Tracks: (00:49:21) Digital master recording (wav) was converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby

Scope and Content: Item consists of an oral history interview with Honourable Raj Chouhan conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Assistant Curator, Kate Petrusa. Raj Chouhan shares his ancestral background and personal experiences immigrating to Canada from India in 1973 and living and working in Canada as an immigrant and the organizations that he became involved with. Honourable Raj Chouhan recalls how he arrived in Burnaby with his family in 1973 and that his family worked in farming. Chouhan imparts his first hand experiences as a new immigrant working as a labourer in the farming industry and describes the unsafe and unfair working conditions that he and migrant workers faced. Chouhan conveys how this experience lead him to become an activist for better working conditions for migrant workers. This lead Chouhan and others to form the Canadian Farm Workers Union in 1980. Chouhan recollects his experiences flying from India to Canada with his wife, his first impressions after arriving in Vancouver and driving to Burnaby and what he brought with him. Chouhan explains his connections to Burnaby. Members of Chouhan's wife's family immgrated to Canada in 1957 and his wife and her three brothers joined them in 1970. Chouhan's father in law, Hardial Singh Grewal immigrated in 1957 and became president of the Sikh temple in New Westminster. Hardial Singh Grewal worked in a lumber mill in Vancouver and eventually bought a house in Burnaby. Chouhan married to his wife at the Sikh temple in New Westminster and lived in Burnaby for a period before moving to New Westminster where they could find more affordable housing. Chouhan shares that he first worked as a farm labourer in Abbotsford and then found a job in the sawmill which paid more. Chouhan describes the extreme racism and discrimination that he and other immigrants faced which lead to the formation of the British Columbia Organization to Fight Racism under the leadership of Dr. Hari Prakash Sharma. Chouhan describes this organization that he was a part of and the Canadian Farm Workers Union that were both formed in Burnaby. Chouhan shares that he moved to Victoria in 1988 to serve on the Hospital Employee's Union and moved back to the mainland in 1993 and returned to Burnaby in 2001. Chouhan reflects on the history of South Asian immigration in Canada, how many of the migrants settled in the lower mainland including Burnaby, New Westminster and Vancouver establishing temples in Vancouver and New Westminster which became the centre for the South Asian community. He conveys how earlier occupations were limited to farming and millwork and how over time employment opportunities and education have broadened but there is still work to do. He imparts how second generation Canadians’ experiences differ from first generations providing examples of his own daughters’ and the occupations that they are working in. Chouhan provides his insights into the South Asian Canadian experience imparting “We make history every day and that history needs to be recorded and learned from.."... “People from different communities, different backgrounds who lived in Burnaby have contributed so much and South Asians are just like another community and participated in all aspects of social life, cultural, religious, economy. I'm so proud of our community, our forefathers who had that vision to fight for our rights. I'm inspired by people who struggled so much to gain basic rights, like the right to vote". Chouhan refers to these first immigrants as “Gadri Babbas” “revolutionary old people” who were also the main motivation that lead to India becoming a free country in 1947 and for fighting for basic rights here in Canada and how they made their contributions for future generations. Chouhan expresses what he imparts to students “Do not forget your past... if you remember your past then you are much more knowledgeable. Then we know what we need for the future. If we don't know the past, we don't know what the future is going to be like. To make a better future, you have to learn from the past and improve".

History: Interviewee biography: Honourable Raj Chouhan was born in the city of Ludhiana in the Province of Punjab in India and immigrated to Canada in 1973. After arriving in Canada, Raj's family settled in Burnaby. Raj grew up in Burnaby and attended schoool. Honourable Raj Chouhan was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia as the MLA for Burnaby-Edmonds in 2005 and was re-elected in 2009, 2013, 2017 and 2020. He was elected Speaker of the Legislative Assembly on December 7, 2020. Honourable Chouhan is the founding president of the Canadian Farmworkers Union and the British Columbia Organization to Fight Racism and has served as a director of the Hospital Employees' Union, the Labour Relations Board of B.C. and the Arbitration Bureau of B.C. Honourable Chouhan has also served as the Vice President of B.C. Human Rights Defenders since 2003 and has taught courses in Human Rights, the B.C. Labour Code and Collective Bargaining since 1987. Interviewer biography: Kate Petrusa is the Assistant Curator at the Burnaby Village Museum. In her role, she manages all aspects of the collection – including caring for physical artifacts and making their digital counterpart accessible. Before coming to Burnaby Village Museum in 2019, Kate has worked at several Museums around the Lower Mainland as a Curator and contractor since 2013.

Creator: Burnaby Village Museum

Subjects: Persons - South Asian Canadians; Social Issues; Social Issues - Racism; Occupations - Agricultural Labourers; Migration; Organizations - Unions; Rights; Rights - Human Rights; Agriculture; Agriculture - Farms; Government - Provincial Government; Government

Names: Chouhan, Raj; British Columbia Organization to Fight Racism; Sharma, Dr. Hari Prakash; Grewal, Hardial Singh; Canadian Farmworkers Union; Hospital Employees Union; Khalsa Diwan Society

Responsibility: Petrusa, Kate

Accession Code: BV022.29.4

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: [1957-2022] (interview content), interviewed 2 Dec. 2022

Media Type: Sound Recording

Notes: Title based on contents of item; Transcription available on Heritage Burnaby

Documents

2022_0029_0004_003

Audio Tracks

Interview with Honourable Raj Chouhan, [1957-2022] (interview content), interviewed 2 Dec. 2022

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2022_0029_0004_002.mp3

Interview with Maureen Olofson by Kathy Bossort October 14, 2015 - Track 3

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory571

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date Range: 1942-1980

Length: 0:06:55

Summary: This portion of the interview is about Maureen Olofson’s description of the food sources on the farm including the garden, food animals, berry picking and bears. She also describes what her parents did after giving up the farm, opening sporting good stores on Hastings Street and then in North Vanco…

1 audio

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Summary: This portion of the interview is about Maureen Olofson’s description of the food sources on the farm including the garden, food animals, berry picking and bears. She also describes what her parents did after giving up the farm, opening sporting good stores on Hastings Street and then in North Vancouver.

Date Range: 1942-1980

Length: 0:06:55

Names: Olofson, Axel; GAK Fur Farm

Subjects: Agriculture; Animals - Livestock; Animals - Bears

Geographic Access: Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area

Historic Neighbourhood: Lochdale (Historic Neighbourhood)

Planning Study Area: Westridge Area; Lochdale 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

Series: Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project series

Media Type: Sound Recording

Audio Tracks

Track three of interview with Maureen Olofson

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-004/MSS196-004_Track_3.mp3

Agricultural Exhibit

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription34530

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [1909]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 20.4 x 25.2 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of Burnaby's Agricultural Exhibit at New Westminster showing a display of vegetables, fruit, flowers, plants, and trees inside of a building.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [1909]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Series: Community Archives Collection series

Subseries: Photographs subseries

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 20.4 x 25.2 cm

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 041-001

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Accession Number: BHS2007-04

Scope and Content: Photograph of Burnaby's Agricultural Exhibit at New Westminster showing a display of vegetables, fruit, flowers, plants, and trees inside of a building.

Subjects: Agriculture - Crops; Exhibitions - Agricultural; Agriculture - Fruit and Berries; Plants - Flowers

Media Type: Photograph

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph

Images

Elementary agriculture and nature study

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumlibrary4902

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Author: Brittain, John, 1849-1913

Publication Date: 1909

Call Number: 372.357 BRI Copy 1

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection: Special Collection

Material Type: Book

Accession Code: HV973.134.2

Call Number: 372.357 BRI Copy 1

Author: Brittain, John, 1849-1913

Place of Publication: Toronto, Ont.

Publisher: The Educational Book Co., Limited

Publication Date: 1909

Physical Description: viii, 298 p. : ill. ; 19 cm.

Inscription: "The property of the school district of Burnaby..." -- stickered on endpaper (front). "Annie Slight Moodie / East Burnaby / Number of book 24 / 29 (day) 8 (month) 10 (year)" -- handwritten in pen on sticker. "26" -- handwritten and crossed-out on sticker. "Annie Slight Moodie 17 Avenue 2 street, East Burnaby B.C" -- handwritten in pencil, coloured pencil, and ink on flyleaf.

Library Subject (LOC): Nature study; Agriculture

Subjects: Agriculture

Notes: "Prescribed for use in the Schools of British Columbia."; "The Physics of some common tools." by Carleton J. Lynde.; "Fruit Raising" by Martin Burrell.; "Irrigation" by H. W. E. Canavan.; Includes index.; Copy 1 of 2.

Annual Exhibition

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription1170

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: September 1908

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : sepia ; 11.5 x 15.5 cm mounted on card 20 x 25 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of fruit displays at the Central Park Annual Exhibition which took place from September 17 to 18, 1908. The fruits in crates or plates are displayed on tables. Also visible in other sections of the room are floral displays and baked goods. Some of the wooden crates on the table in the fo…

1 image

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : sepia ; 11.5 x 15.5 cm mounted on card 20 x 25 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of fruit displays at the Central Park Annual Exhibition which took place from September 17 to 18, 1908. The fruits in crates or plates are displayed on tables. Also visible in other sections of the room are floral displays and baked goods. Some of the wooden crates on the table in the foreground of the photograph include insignia: "Grown & Packed by F.R. Stewart & Co. Central Park B.C.".

Subjects: Agriculture - Fruit and Berries; Exhibitions - Agricultural

Names: Central Park Agricultural Association and Farmers' Institute; F R Stewart and Company Limited

Geographic Access: Central Park

Accession Code: BV993.45.2

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: September 1908

Media Type: Photograph

Related Material: For another print of the same image, see BV998.30.1

Scan Resolution: 600

Scan Date: 01-Jun-09

Scale: 100

Photographer: Bullen, Harry Elder

Notes: Continuation of title: "... CENTRAL PARK/ SEPT 17-18. '08."; Photographer's annotation reads: "BULLEN PHOTO"

Images

Annual Exhibition, September 1908 thumbnail

C.F. Sprott's house

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription34498

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: 1908

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : sepia ; 12.8 x 17.7 cm mounted on cardboard 14.8 x 19.7 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of C.F. Sprott's House at Douglas Road and Norland Avenue. A unidentified man is standing on the porch steps.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: 1908

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Series: Community Archives Collection series

Subseries: Photographs subseries

Physical Description: 1 photograph : sepia ; 12.8 x 17.7 cm mounted on cardboard 14.8 x 19.7 cm

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 022-001

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Accession Number: BHS2007-04

Scope and Content: Photograph of C.F. Sprott's House at Douglas Road and Norland Avenue. A unidentified man is standing on the porch steps.

Subjects: Agriculture - Farms; Buildings - Residential - Houses; Agriculture - Fruit and Berries

Media Type: Photograph

Photographer: Cooksley, William Thomas

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph; Annotation at bottom of photograph reads, "C.F. Sprott's Residence, Fruit Farm, Burnaby B.C."; Annotation underneath photograph reads, "W.T. Cooksley, New Westminster, B.C."

Geographic Access: Douglas Road; Norland Avenue

Historic Neighbourhood: Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)

Planning Study Area: Ardingley-Sprott Area

Images

Murdock and Lillian McMurray interview November 17, 1975 - Track 2

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory244

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date Range: 1906-1975

Length: 0:09:00

Summary: This portion of the recording pertains to Murdock McMurray's memories of riding the tram as a young man and briefly, of working for Ed Brown. Murdock mentions Reeve Byrne and the development of first water system in Burnaby. He also discusses Gilley Brother's Logging Company practices near his fath…

1 image 1 audio

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Summary: This portion of the recording pertains to Murdock McMurray's memories of riding the tram as a young man and briefly, of working for Ed Brown. Murdock mentions Reeve Byrne and the development of first water system in Burnaby. He also discusses Gilley Brother's Logging Company practices near his father's ranch of six acres, which grew mostly strawberries to sell in Vancouver.

Date Range: 1906-1975

Photo Info: Emerson Doran (left) and Murdoch McMurray, 1917. Item no. 229-004

Length: 0:09:00

Subjects: Agriculture - Fruit and Berries

Geographic Access: Imperial Street

Historic Neighbourhood: Edmonds (Historic Neighbourhood)

Planning Study Area: Kingsway-Beresford Area

Interviewer: McGeachie, Doreen “Pixie”

Interview Date: November 17, 1975

Scope and Content: Recording is of an interview with Murdock McMurray and his wife Lillian (Wray) McMurray conducted by Pixie McGeachie on November 17, 1975. Major themes discussed are: Burnaby's development, the Wray Shoe store and Murdock McMurray's cordwood delivery business.

Biographical Notes: Murdock McMurray was born in Vancouver in 1892 to Wilhelmina May and Robert William McMurray. Other children in the family included older siblings John “Jack” and Margaret Lillian, younger siblings Minnie May born May 4, 1895 and Hampton born June 8, 1902. Murdock’s father Robert worked for the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) but retired shortly after moving his family to Burnaby in 1906. He bought six acres of land of what had been previously the Gilley Ranch, the base of operations for Gilley Bros. Ltd. at 2519 Windsor Street (later renumbered and renamed to the 6400 block Imperial Street). Murdock McMurray quit school early to apprentice as a printer. By sixteen he had left the trade and gone into partnership with his older brother Jack. With a team of horses, harness and a wagon, the brothers helped to macadamize roads, haul building supplies for new homes, deliver cord wood for heating, clear land and excavate basements. When Jack McMurray set off to serve overseas during World War I as a driver in the engineer corps, Murdock bought his team of horses and continued working, mainly in the Deer Lake district. In 1916 Murdoch McMurray partnered with Emerson Doran, nephew of the owner of Doran's Mill to buy Edmonds Coal and Wood fuel yard. As everything was geared towards the war effort, Murdock and Emerson soon ran out of work and had to sell the business. Murdock sold off his horses and equipment and went to work at the ship yard on Pitt River. By 1919 Jack McMurray had returned home from overseas and was working as a fireman at the Shull Lumber and Shingle Mill on the Fraser River. In 1921, he and Murdock teamed up with Emerson Doran and repurchased the Edmonds Coal and Wood fuel yard which they ran together until 1947. Murdock McMurray married Lillian Wray on September 17, 1925. Lillian was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Wray, who came to settle in the Jubilee area of Burnaby in 1919. The family lived on Dow Road and Edward Wray operated Jubilee Shoe Store and Post Office. He was known throughout the district as "Wray - The Shoe Man." Mrs. Wray died in 1957 at the age of eight-six and Edward Wray died January 14, 1967 at age of ninety-three. Murdock and Lillian lived at Inverness Street (now Arcola) and raised three children together, Bob, Jack and Bessie. Murdock McMurray died in New Westminster on April 28, 1985 at the age of ninety-two. Lillian Ethel (Wray) McMurray died in Burnaby on February 28, 1986 at the age of eighty-seven.

Total Tracks: 7

Total Length: 0:58:55

Interviewee Name: McMurray, Lillian Wray; McMurray, Murdoch

Interviewer Bio: Doreen "Pixie" (Johnson) McGeachie was a resident of Burnaby for over sixty years. Pixie married John Aloysius "Jack" McGeachie and raised their children Kathi (Dunlop) and David McGeachie in the house the couple built themselves in 1947. Pixie served as the editor for the Burnaby Examiner newspaper and wrote a column entitled "Burnaby History" for The News. In 1974 she authored her first book titled "Bygones of Burnaby" which was one of the first to develop anecdotal stories about pioneer life in Burnaby. She authored "Burnaby - A Proud Century" in 1992 and in 2002 she wrote a biography of the city's namesake in the book "Land of Promise: Robert Burnaby's letters from Colonial B.C." She also contributed many hours of volunteering; helping to establish Burnaby's first museum Heritage Village in 1971, serving as President of the Burnaby Historical Society from 1991-1993. She served a six year term on Burnaby's Heritage Commission leading the charge to preserve many historic sites throughout the city, and during her twenty years as the Community Archives volunteer archivist for the historical society, she succeeded in gathering thousands of rare and valuable historic photographs and documents which now forms the core of the photograph collection on the Heritage Burnaby website (as these items were donated by the Society to the City Archives in 2007). The City of Burnaby awarded Pixie McGeachie the Kushiro Cup as Citizen of the year in 2002. In 2006 she received a Heritage BC project award for leading the Friends of Interurban 1223 project, and in 2008 Heritage BC recognised her again by presenting her with the Ruby Nobb Award. John Aloysius "Jack" McGeachie died October 12, 1981 at the age of sixty-seven. Doreen "Pixie" (Johnson) McGeachie died August 14, 2010 at the age of eighty-nine. On 24 September, 2011, the City of Burnaby dedicated the reading at the City Archives in honour of Pixie and formally named it the Pixie McGeachie Reading Room in recognition of her years of service to the community.

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Series: Community Archives Collection series

Subseries: Oral history subseries

Media Type: Sound Recording

Web Notes: Interview was digitized in 2010 allowing it to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council and the BC History Digitization Program of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, University of British Columbia. It was recognized by the Heritage Society of BC with an award in 2012.

Images

Emerson Doran (left) and Murdoch McMurray, 1917. Item no. 229-004 thumbnail

Audio Tracks

Track two of recording of interview with Lillian and Murdock McMurray

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS137-010/MSS137-010_Track_2.mp3

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…

1 audio

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

Names: Olofson, Axel; GAK Fur Farm; Skofteby, Gus; Ericksson, Karin

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

Series: Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project series

Media Type: Sound Recording

Audio Tracks

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

Dominion Exhibition

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription34523

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [1905]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 11.7 x 17.0 cm mounted on 20.0 x 25.2 cm cardboard

Scope and Content: Photograph of the Burnaby Exhibit at the Dominion Exhibition held in New Westminster. Fruits, vegetables, grains, and preserves are displayed inside a building. "Burnaby" is spelled out on an arch above the display.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [1905]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Series: Community Archives Collection series

Subseries: Photographs subseries

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 11.7 x 17.0 cm mounted on 20.0 x 25.2 cm cardboard

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 036-001

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No restrictions

Accession Number: BHS2007-04

Scope and Content: Photograph of the Burnaby Exhibit at the Dominion Exhibition held in New Westminster. Fruits, vegetables, grains, and preserves are displayed inside a building. "Burnaby" is spelled out on an arch above the display.

Subjects: Agriculture - Crops; Exhibitions - Agricultural; Agriculture - Fruit and Berries

Media Type: Photograph

Photographer: Cornish, New Westminster, BC

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph

Images

William Whiting's agricultural display

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription34524

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [1905]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 12.4 x 17.0 cm mounted on 19.8 x 24.8 cm cardboard

Scope and Content: Photograph of William Whiting's agricultural display at New Westminster. Vegetables, fruit, grains and preserves are displayed inside a building. "W. Whiting" is spelled out at the base of the display. A sign reads "Third Prize."

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [1905]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Series: Community Archives Collection series

Subseries: Photographs subseries

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 12.4 x 17.0 cm mounted on 19.8 x 24.8 cm cardboard

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 037-001

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No restrictions

Accession Number: BHS2007-04

Scope and Content: Photograph of William Whiting's agricultural display at New Westminster. Vegetables, fruit, grains and preserves are displayed inside a building. "W. Whiting" is spelled out at the base of the display. A sign reads "Third Prize."

Subjects: Agriculture - Crops; Exhibitions - Agricultural; Agriculture - Fruit and Berries

Media Type: Photograph

Photographer: Cornish, New Westminster, BC

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph; Annotation on back of photograph reads, "This exhibit was grown w. my garden at Burnaby Lake"

Images

William Whiting's agricultural display, [1905] thumbnail

Farm workers

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription38856

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [1905]

Collection/Fonds: Peers Family and Hill Family fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 6 x 10.5 cm on page 14 x 17.5 cm (pasted in album)

Scope and Content: Photograph of workers in the field picking crops on the farm belonging to F.J. Hart. The property was on the corner of Douglas Road (later Canada Way) and Sperling Avenue although the Hart House was located at 6664 Deer Lake Avenue.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [1905]

Collection/Fonds: Peers Family and Hill Family fonds

Series: Kitty Hill Peers family photograph series

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 6 x 10.5 cm on page 14 x 17.5 cm (pasted in album)

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 477-175

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Accession Number: 2007-12

Scope and Content: Photograph of workers in the field picking crops on the farm belonging to F.J. Hart. The property was on the corner of Douglas Road (later Canada Way) and Sperling Avenue although the Hart House was located at 6664 Deer Lake Avenue.

Subjects: Agriculture - Crops; Occupations - Agricultural Labourers; Agriculture - Farms; Agriculture - Fruit and Berries

Media Type: Photograph

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph

Geographic Access: Douglas Road; Sperling Avenue; Canada Way; Deer Lake Avenue

Historic Neighbourhood: Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)

Planning Study Area: Morley-Buckingham Area

Images

Lewis family

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription35698

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: 1903 (date of original), copied 1986

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 12.7 x 17.8 cm print

Scope and Content: Photograph of (left to right) Lillie Lewis (sister - later Lillie Porter), William Lewis (father), Evelyn Lewis (sister), and Ernest Lewis (brother) picking strawberries at the side of their house. Note the apple trees all around. The other people in the picture are unidentified hired help.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: 1903 (date of original), copied 1986

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Series: Community Archives Collection series

Subseries: Pioneer Tales subseries

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 12.7 x 17.8 cm print

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 204-556

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Accession Number: BHS1988-03

Scope and Content: Photograph of (left to right) Lillie Lewis (sister - later Lillie Porter), William Lewis (father), Evelyn Lewis (sister), and Ernest Lewis (brother) picking strawberries at the side of their house. Note the apple trees all around. The other people in the picture are unidentified hired help.

Subjects: Occupations - Agricultural Labourers; Agriculture - Fruit and Berries; Occupations - Farmers; Buildings - Residential - Houses

Names: Lewis, Ernest; Lewis, Evelyn; Lewis, William; Porter, Lillie Lewis

Media Type: Photograph

Photographer: Cooksley, William Thomas

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph

Geographic Access: 4th Street; 18th Avenue

Historic Neighbourhood: East Burnaby (Historic Neighbourhood)

Planning Study Area: Second Street Area

Images

Lewis family, 1903 (date of original), copied 1986 thumbnail

Louis Claude Hill's Strawberry Farm, Burnaby BC

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription991

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: 1902

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : sepia ; 12.8 x 17.7 cm mounted on grey card 15.0 x 20.0 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of immigrant workers in the field picking strawberries on the farm belonging to Claude Hill. On the left, the Hill family home, Brookfield, can be seen. Claude Hill's daughter, Kitty Hill, is sitting on the steps of the house. The property is the current site of the Burnaby Village Muse…

2 images

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : sepia ; 12.8 x 17.7 cm mounted on grey card 15.0 x 20.0 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of immigrant workers in the field picking strawberries on the farm belonging to Claude Hill. On the left, the Hill family home, Brookfield, can be seen. Claude Hill's daughter, Kitty Hill, is sitting on the steps of the house. The property is the current site of the Burnaby Village Museum.

Subjects: Agriculture - Farms; Occupations - Agricultural Labourers; Agriculture - Fruit and Berries; Buildings - Residential - Houses; Persons - Chinese Canadians

Accession Code: HV973.40.5

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: 1902

Media Type: Photograph

Historic Neighbourhood: Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)

Planning Study Area: Morley-Buckingham Area

Scan Resolution: 600

Scan Date: 2023-05-09

Scale: 100

Photographer: Cooksley, William Thomas

Notes: Title based on caption accompanying photograph; Inscribed on the negative and (therefore) printed on recto of photograph reads: "L.C. Hill's Strawberry Farm, Burnaby, B.C." and "W.T. Cooksley, New Westminster, B.C."; Note written in red pencil on the card reads: "1902 - Grandview H.WAY"

Images

Louis Claude Hill's Strawberry Farm, Burnaby BC, 1902 thumbnail

Farmland

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription603

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [190-] (date of original), copied 1977

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 20.2 x 25.2 cm print

Scope and Content: Photograph of cultivated farmlands and rows of different kinds of crops. In the centre are low lying plants, possibly strawberries, and to the left, there are tall deciduous trees. To the right are waist high shrub-like trees. There are workers harvesting from this crop, that could possibly be r…

1 image

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 20.2 x 25.2 cm print

Scope and Content: Photograph of cultivated farmlands and rows of different kinds of crops. In the centre are low lying plants, possibly strawberries, and to the left, there are tall deciduous trees. To the right are waist high shrub-like trees. There are workers harvesting from this crop, that could possibly be rasberries. The property could belong to Bernard Hill, who owned 24 acres of farmland, mostly of strawberries.

Subjects: Agriculture - Fruit and Berries; Agriculture - Farms; Agriculture - Crops; Occupations - Agricultural Labourers

Accession Code: HV977.123.9

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: [190-] (date of original), copied 1977

Media Type: Photograph

Scan Resolution: 600

Scan Date: 2023-07-18

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph

Images

Farmland, [190-] (date of original), copied 1977 thumbnail

W.H. Lewis farm

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription34499

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [1900]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : sepia ; 12.6 x 17.7 cm mounted on cardboard 14.2 x 19.3 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of W.H. Lewis' fruit farm with a man, three women and five children kneeling in a strawberry field. "Pioneer Tales" identifies them as William Lewis (foreground), three of his children, and hired help. A house can be seen in the background. The Lewis house was located on 4th Street.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [1900]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Series: Community Archives Collection series

Subseries: Photographs subseries

Physical Description: 1 photograph : sepia ; 12.6 x 17.7 cm mounted on cardboard 14.2 x 19.3 cm

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 022-002

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Accession Number: BHS2007-04

Scope and Content: Photograph of W.H. Lewis' fruit farm with a man, three women and five children kneeling in a strawberry field. "Pioneer Tales" identifies them as William Lewis (foreground), three of his children, and hired help. A house can be seen in the background. The Lewis house was located on 4th Street.

Subjects: Agriculture - Farms; Buildings - Residential - Houses; Agriculture - Fruit and Berries

Media Type: Photograph

Photographer: Cooksley, William Thomas

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph; Annotation at bottom of photograph reads, "W.H. Lewis' Fruit Farm, Burnaby, B.C."

Geographic Access: 4th Street; 18th Avenue

Historic Neighbourhood: East Burnaby (Historic Neighbourhood)

Planning Study Area: Second Street Area

Images

Jesse Love's Fruit Farm, Burnaby, BC

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription34501

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [1900]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : sepia ; 12.8 x 17.8 cm mounted on cardboard 14.7 x 19.8 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of members of the Love family kneeling in a strawberry field. Left to right: Jesse Love (father), Leonard, Phoebe, Martha, Minnie, Martha Love (mother), and Sarah. The small building at the extreme left of the picture was George Love's (oldest of the Love's children) first sash and doo…

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [1900]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Series: Community Archives Collection series

Subseries: Photographs subseries

Physical Description: 1 photograph : sepia ; 12.8 x 17.8 cm mounted on cardboard 14.7 x 19.8 cm

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 022-004

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Accession Number: BHS2007-04

Scope and Content: Photograph of members of the Love family kneeling in a strawberry field. Left to right: Jesse Love (father), Leonard, Phoebe, Martha, Minnie, Martha Love (mother), and Sarah. The small building at the extreme left of the picture was George Love's (oldest of the Love's children) first sash and door outlet. He later built Love's Sash and Door Factory on the south side of Edmonds Street just west of 6th Street. The original farm was located in East Burnaby, on Cumberland Road. In 1988, this house was moved to the site of the Burnaby Village Museum at Deer Lake Avenue.

Subjects: Agriculture - Farms; Agriculture - Fruit and Berries; Occupations - Farmers

Names: Love, Jesse, 1849-1928; Love, Leonard; Brandrith, Martha Dorothy “Dot” Love; Love, Martha Leonard, 1858-1920; McKenzie, Edith Minnie Love; Feedham, Phoebe Leonard Love; Parker, Sarah Maria Love

Media Type: Photograph

Photographer: Cooksley, William Thomas

Notes: Annotation bottom of the photograph reads, "Jesse Love's Fruit Farm, Burnaby, BC"

Geographic Access: Cumberland Street

Street Address: 6501 Deer Lake Avenue

Historic Neighbourhood: East Burnaby (Historic Neighbourhood)

Planning Study Area: Cariboo-Armstrong Area

Images

Jesse Love's Fruit Farm, Burnaby, BC, [1900] thumbnail

Edna Bateman Corner family home

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription1788

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [190-] (date of original), copied 1979

Collection/Fonds: E.W. Bateman family fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 8.5 x 12.4 cm print

Scope and Content: Photograph of the family home of Edna Bateman Corner and Raymond Corner at Glenmore, B.C. which is now a part of Kelowna. View of orchard on hill side. There are two houses visible among the fields and fruit trees. Rows of tilled soil and wooden stakes can be seen in the foreground and by the foo…

1 image

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: E.W. Bateman family fonds

Series: Bateman family photographs series

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 8.5 x 12.4 cm print

Scope and Content: Photograph of the family home of Edna Bateman Corner and Raymond Corner at Glenmore, B.C. which is now a part of Kelowna. View of orchard on hill side. There are two houses visible among the fields and fruit trees. Rows of tilled soil and wooden stakes can be seen in the foreground and by the foot of the hill.

History: Edna Bateman is the oldest daughter of Edwin W. Bateman.

Subjects: Agriculture - Farms; Agriculture - Fruit and Berries

Accession Code: HV979.32.14

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: May be restricted by third party rights

Date: [190-] (date of original), copied 1979

Media Type: Photograph

Scan Resolution: 600

Scan Date: 2023-09-05

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph; An annotation on the back of the photo reads: "Edna Bateman Corner family home / Glenmore BC, now a part of Kelowna BC / Many years ago." Printed on the original negative and inscribed on the photo, bottom front: "Fruit farm, Kelowna, B.C. / 561."

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Proceedings of the 1987 annual meeting, June 21-25, 1987, Ann Arbor and Dearborn, Michigan

Cecil Lee business records series

Early farm life

Interview with Honourable Raj Chouhan

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Interview with Maureen Olofson by Kathy Bossort October 14, 2015 - Track 3

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Agricultural Exhibit

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Elementary agriculture and nature study

Annual Exhibition

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Murdock and Lillian McMurray interview November 17, 1975 - Track 2

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Interview with Maureen Olofson by Kathy Bossort October 14, 2015 - Track 1

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Dominion Exhibition

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William Whiting's agricultural display

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Farm workers

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Lewis family

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Louis Claude Hill's Strawberry Farm, Burnaby BC

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Farmland

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W.H. Lewis farm

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Jesse Love's Fruit Farm, Burnaby, BC

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Edna Bateman Corner family home

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