115 records – page 1 of 6.

The Kokuryos, Sukegoro Yasui and Louise Irwin

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15256
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
[1980-] (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) the Kokuryos, Sukegoro Yasui and Louise Irwin standing on the former site of the Barnet Mill. The north shore of Burrard Inlet is visible 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 (left to right) the Kokuryos, Sukegoro Yasui and Louise Irwin standing on the former site of the Barnet Mill. The north shore of Burrard Inlet is visible in the distance.
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 - Japanese Canadians
Names
Yasui, Sukegoro
Irwin, Louise
Kokuryo, Hideko
Geographic Access
Burrard Inlet
Accession Code
BV019.32.75
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Date
[1980-] (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
Images
Less detail

Pat Carey and Florence LaFavor in Barnet

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15309
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
[1953] (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 Pat Carey (left) standing with Florence LaFavor (right) along a dirt road in Barnet.
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 Pat Carey (left) standing with Florence LaFavor (right) along a dirt road in Barnet.
History
Pat Carey (1932-2004) is the daughter of Hugh Austin Carey (1892-1945) and mother (1902-1985). Hugh and Annie Agnes (nee McNeil) Carey had eight children; Neil, Hughie, Pat, Sheila, Francis, Ann, Dougal and Nola. The Carey family lived in the Village of Barnet from the 1903s until the 1950s. Florence LaFavor is the daughter of Orville Glen LaFavor and Cathryn Arlou "Kate" Lewis. Orville and Kate had five children who were all born in Barnet: Lewis in September 1925, Irene in December 1927, Clyde Martin in July 1930, Florence Alice in March 1933 and Cathryn Bernice on April 24, 1934.
Names
LaFavor, Florence
Carey, Pat
Geographic Access
Burrard Inlet
Accession Code
BV019.32.115
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Date
[1953] (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 166 in book "In the Shadow by the Sea: Recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village" with caption "4. Florence LaFavor and Pat Carey, c. 1953"
Images
Less detail

Booms and mill

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15187
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
[1950] (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 log boom pond of the Kapoor Sawmills Limited in Burrard Inlet.
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 log boom pond of the Kapoor Sawmills Limited in Burrard Inlet.
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
Industries - Logging/lumber
Names
Kapoor Sawmills Limited
Geographic Access
Burrard Inlet
Barnet Marine Park
Accession Code
BV019.32.8
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
May be restricted by third party rights
Date
[1950] (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 66 in book "In the Shadow by the Sea - recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village". Caption with photograph reads: "The vast log boom pond of Kapoor Sawmill, c. 1950"
Images
Less detail

Kapoor Sawmills Limited, cabins and log booms

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15188
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
[195-] (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
Panorama photograph of the Kapoor Sawmills Limited, cabins and log booms in Burrard Inlet. Cabins are located on the lower shore.
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
Panorama photograph of the Kapoor Sawmills Limited, cabins and log booms in Burrard Inlet. Cabins are located on the lower shore.
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
Industries - Logging/lumber
Persons - South Asian Canadians
Names
Kapoor Sawmills Limited
Geographic Access
Burrard Inlet
Barnet Marine Park
Accession Code
BV019.32.9
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
May be restricted by third party rights
Date
[195-] (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
Images
Less detail

Norm Northom, Jim LaFavor and Frank Laleune at Barnet

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15305
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
[1950] (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 Norm Northom (back), Jim LaFavor (middle) and Frank Laleune (front) seated together on the grass in a yard in Barnet. Fences, a building and the lower slope of Burnaby mountain 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 Norm Northom (back), Jim LaFavor (middle) and Frank Laleune (front) seated together on the grass in a yard in Barnet. Fences, a building and the lower slope of Burnaby mountain are visible behind them.
History
In 1936, Edward Laleune (1886-1955) and Pamela Fredette Laleune (1888-1962) moved their family of four boys from Winnipeg, Manitoba to the Village of Barnet. Edward and Pamela had six children; one daughter Marie Germaine (Nesbitt) (1914- 1992) and five sons; Victor Armond, Joseph Edward “George” (1923-1986), Leo Joseph, Eugene Theodore “Gene” (Lalonde), Joseph Francis “Frank” (1931-2014). Edward was an ironworker for Dominion Bridge Co. and worked on the Lion’s Gate Bridge. The family lived in a house in the Village of Barnet from 1936 until 1951 when Edward, Pamela and sons, Victor and Frank moved to Duthie Avenue, Burnaby.
Names
Laleune, Joseph Francis "Frank"
Northam, Norman
LaFavor, James "Jim"
Geographic Access
Burrard Inlet
Accession Code
BV019.32.111
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Date
[1950] (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
Images
Less detail

Jim LaFavor at Barnet

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15306
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
[1950] (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 Jim LaFavor standing shirtless on a dirt road in Barnet. Buildings of the Texaco site and the north shore of Burrard Inlet are visible behind him.
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 Jim LaFavor standing shirtless on a dirt road in Barnet. Buildings of the Texaco site and the north shore of Burrard Inlet are visible behind him.
Names
LaFavor, James "Jim"
Geographic Access
Burrard Inlet
Accession Code
BV019.32.112
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Date
[1950] (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
Images
Less detail

Frank Laleune and friends at Barnet

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15307
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
[1950] (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 (front to back) Frank Laleune, Beverley Lucas, Shirely Taylor, Norm Northam and Jim LaFavor seated together on the grass in a yard in Barnet. Fences, a building and the lower slope of Burnaby mountain 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 (front to back) Frank Laleune, Beverley Lucas, Shirely Taylor, Norm Northam and Jim LaFavor seated together on the grass in a yard in Barnet. Fences, a building and the lower slope of Burnaby mountain are visible behind them.
History
In 1936, Edward Laleune (1886-1955) and Pamela Fredette Laleune (1888-1962) moved their family of four boys from Winnipeg, Manitoba to the Village of Barnet. Edward and Pamela had six children; one daughter Marie Germaine (Nesbitt) (1914- 1992) and five sons; Victor Armond, Joseph Edward “George” (1923-1986), Leo Joseph, Eugene Theodore “Gene” (Lalonde), Joseph Francis “Frank” (1931-2014). Edward was an ironworker for Dominion Bridge Co. and worked on the Lion’s Gate Bridge. The family lived in a house in the Village of Barnet from 1936 until 1951 when Edward, Pamela and sons, Victor and Frank moved to Duthie Avenue, Burnaby.
Names
LaFavor, James "Jim"
Northam, Norman
Laleune, Joseph Francis "Frank"
Lucas, Beverley
Taylor, Shirley
Geographic Access
Burrard Inlet
Accession Code
BV019.32.113
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Date
[1950] (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
Images
Less detail

Frank Laleune and friends at Barnet

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15308
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
[1950] (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 Frank Laleune (front) with friends, Norm Northam (left), Jim LaFavor (right) and Shirley Taylor standing together in a yard in Barnet. Shirley Taylor is seated on the shoulders of Norm Northam and Jim LaFavor and Frank Laleune is squatting in front. Fences, a building and the lower 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 Frank Laleune (front) with friends, Norm Northam (left), Jim LaFavor (right) and Shirley Taylor standing together in a yard in Barnet. Shirley Taylor is seated on the shoulders of Norm Northam and Jim LaFavor and Frank Laleune is squatting in front. Fences, a building and the lower slope of Burnaby mountain are visible behind them.
History
In 1936, Edward Laleune (1886-1955) and Pamela Fredette Laleune (1888-1962) moved their family of four boys from Winnipeg, Manitoba to the Village of Barnet. Edward and Pamela had six children; one daughter Marie Germaine (Nesbitt) (1914- 1992) and five sons; Victor Armond, Joseph Edward “George” (1923-1986), Leo Joseph, Eugene Theodore “Gene” (Lalonde), Joseph Francis “Frank” (1931-2014). Edward was an ironworker for Dominion Bridge Co. and worked on the Lion’s Gate Bridge. The family lived in a house in the Village of Barnet from 1936 until 1951 when Edward, Pamela and sons, Victor and Frank moved to Duthie Avenue, Burnaby. The LaFavor family lived at Barnet and were neighbours to the Laleune family.
Names
LaFavor, James "Jim"
Northam, Norman
Laleune, Joseph Francis "Frank"
Lucas, Beverley
Taylor, Shirley
Geographic Access
Burrard Inlet
Accession Code
BV019.32.114
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Date
[1950] (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 164 in book "In the Shadow by the Sea: Recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village" with caption "Top: Shirley Taylor, Norman Northam, Victor Laleune and Jim LaFavor"
Images
Less detail

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
Less detail

Reconstruction of Kapoor sawmills

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15185
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. The photograph was taken during the reconstruction of the Kapoor Sawmill Limited aft…
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. The photograph was taken during the reconstruction of the Kapoor Sawmill Limited after the fire that occurred in February 1947.
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
Construction
Industries - Logging/lumber
Names
Kapoor Sawmills Limited
Siddoo, Besant Kaur
Siddoo, Jagdis Kaur
Siddoo, Sarjit Kaur
Teja, Harbans Kaur
Sangha, Kartar Kaur
Accession Code
BV019.32.6
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 73 in the book "In the Shadow by the Sea - recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village". Caption with photograph reads: "Reconstruction of the new mill after the fire of 1946."
Incorrect spelling of the name "Sarjeet Siddoo" in the book "In the Shadow by the Sea" has been corrected to "Sarjit Kaur Siddoo"
Images
Less detail

Rebuilding the Kapoor Sawmills Limited

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15191
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 the reconstruction of the Kapoor Sawmills Limited following the fire in January 1947. Sawmill owner, Mr. Kapoor Singh Siddoo is visible standing on the roof.
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 reconstruction of the Kapoor Sawmills Limited following the fire in January 1947. Sawmill owner, Mr. Kapoor Singh Siddoo is visible standing on the roof.
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
Industries - Logging/lumber
Persons - South Asian Canadians
Names
Kapoor Sawmills Limited
Siddoo, Kapoor Singh
Geographic Access
Burrard Inlet
Barnet Marine Park
Accession Code
BV019.32.12
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
Images
Less detail

Barge at Kapoor Sawmills Ltd.

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15192
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 a barge filled with sawdust docked outside of the Kapoor Sawmills Limited in the Burrard Inlet. A loading conveyor is visible in front of the barge. Sawdust chips were transported from the sawmill to pulp mills.
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 barge filled with sawdust docked outside of the Kapoor Sawmills Limited in the Burrard Inlet. A loading conveyor is visible in front of the barge. Sawdust chips were transported from the sawmill to pulp mills.
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
Industries - Logging/lumber
Persons - South Asian Canadians
Names
Kapoor Sawmills Limited
Geographic Access
Burrard Inlet
Barnet Marine Park
Accession Code
BV019.32.13
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 62 in book "In the Shadow by the Sea - recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village". Caption with photograph reads: "The conveyor that loaded the sawdust chips on to a barge for transport to pulp mills, c. 1940s"
Images
Less detail

Fire at Kapoor Sawmills Ltd.

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15202
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
14 Jan. 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 a devasting fire that destroyed the Kapoor Sawmills Limited on January 14, 1947. The ground is covered with snow and smoke and flames are visible rising from the buildings.
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 devasting fire that destroyed the Kapoor Sawmills Limited on January 14, 1947. The ground is covered with snow and smoke and flames are visible rising from the buildings.
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
Industries - Logging/lumber
Natural Phenomena - Fires
Persons - South Asian Canadians
Names
Kapoor Sawmills Limited
Geographic Access
Burrard Inlet
Barnet Marine Park
Accession Code
BV019.32.23
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
May be restricted by third party rights
Date
14 Jan. 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
Information from page 6 of The Province newspaper-Jan. 15, 1947 confirms that the fire occurred on Tuesday, January 14, 1947
See page 67 of book "In the Shadow by the Sea - Recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village". Caption with photograph reads: "The February, 1947 Kapoor Sawmill fire. Maintenance workers were trying to thaw out frozen bearings on a machine with a blowtorch and inadvertently started a fire in oily shavings. all the water pipes were frozen preventing the workers from dousing the intital small flames. Finally, but toolate to prevent the mill's destruction, water was pumped in from the inlet by the Burnaby Fire Department."
Images
Less detail

Fire fighters battling fire at Kapoor Sawmills Ltd.

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15203
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
14 Jan. 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 firefighters from the Burnaby Fire Department battling the fire that destroyed the Kapoor Sawmills Limited in January 1947. Water was pumped from Burrard Inlet to fight the fire.
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 firefighters from the Burnaby Fire Department battling the fire that destroyed the Kapoor Sawmills Limited in January 1947. Water was pumped from Burrard Inlet to fight the fire.
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
Industries - Logging/lumber
Natural Phenomena - Fires
Occupations - Fire Fighters
Persons - South Asian Canadians
Names
Kapoor Sawmills Limited
Burnaby Fire Department
Geographic Access
Burrard Inlet
Barnet Marine Park
Accession Code
BV019.32.24
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
May be restricted by third party rights
Date
14 Jan. 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
Information from page 6 of The Province newspaper-Jan. 15, 1947 confirms that the fire occurred on January 14, 1947
See page 67 of book "In the Shadow by the Sea - Recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village". Caption with photograph reads: "The February, 1947 Kapoor Sawmill fire. Maintenance workers were trying to thaw out frozen bearings on a machine with a blowtorch and inadvertently started a fire in oily shavings. all the water pipes were frozen preventing the workers from dousing the intital small flames. Finally, but too late to prevent the mill's destruction, water was pumped in from the inlet by the Burnaby Fire Department."
Images
Less detail

Fire fighters battling fire at Kapoor Sawmills Ltd.

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15204
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
14 Jan. 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 firefighters from the Burnaby Fire Department battling the fire that destroyed the Kapoor Sawmills Limited in January 1947. Water was pumped from Burrard Inlet to fight the fire.
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 firefighters from the Burnaby Fire Department battling the fire that destroyed the Kapoor Sawmills Limited in January 1947. Water was pumped from Burrard Inlet to fight the fire.
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
Industries - Logging/lumber
Natural Phenomena - Fires
Occupations - Fire Fighters
Persons - South Asian Canadians
Names
Kapoor Sawmills Limited
Burnaby Fire Department
Geographic Access
Burrard Inlet
Barnet Marine Park
Accession Code
BV019.32.25
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
May be restricted by third party rights
Date
14 Jan. 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
Information from page 6 of The Province newspaper-Jan. 15, 1947 confirms that the fire occurred on January 14, 1947
See page 67 of book "In the Shadow by the Sea - Recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village". Caption with photograph reads: "The February, 1947 Kapoor Sawmill fire. Maintenance workers were trying to thaw out frozen bearings on a machine with a blowtorch and inadvertently started a fire in oily shavings. all the water pipes were frozen preventing the workers from dousing the intital small flames. Finally, but too late to prevent the mill's destruction, water was pumped in from the inlet by the Burnaby Fire Department."
Images
Less detail

Fire fighters battling fire at Kapoor Sawmills Ltd.

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15205
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
14 Jan. 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 firefighters from the Burnaby Fire Department battling the fire that destroyed the Kapoor Sawmills Limited in January 1947. Water was pumped from Burrard Inlet to fight the fire.
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 firefighters from the Burnaby Fire Department battling the fire that destroyed the Kapoor Sawmills Limited in January 1947. Water was pumped from Burrard Inlet to fight the fire.
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
Industries - Logging/lumber
Natural Phenomena - Fires
Occupations - Fire Fighters
Persons - South Asian Canadians
Names
Kapoor Sawmills Limited
Burnaby Fire Department
Geographic Access
Burrard Inlet
Barnet Marine Park
Accession Code
BV019.32.26
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
May be restricted by third party rights
Date
14 Jan. 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
Information from page 6 of The Province newspaper-Jan. 15, 1947 confirms that the fire occurred on January 14, 1947
See page 67 of book "In the Shadow by the Sea - Recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village". Caption with photograph reads: "The February, 1947 Kapoor Sawmill fire. Maintenance workers were trying to thaw out frozen bearings on a machine with a blowtorch and inadvertently started a fire in oily shavings. all the water pipes were frozen preventing the workers from dousing the intital small flames. Finally, but too late to prevent the mill's destruction, water was pumped in from the inlet by the Burnaby Fire Department."
Images
Less detail

Fire at Kapoor Sawmills Ltd.

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15206
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
14 Jan. 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 a fire at Kapoor Sawmills Limited in January 1947.
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 fire at Kapoor Sawmills Limited in January 1947.
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
Industries - Logging/lumber
Natural Phenomena - Fires
Occupations - Fire Fighters
Persons - South Asian Canadians
Names
Kapoor Sawmills Limited
Burnaby Fire Department
Geographic Access
Burrard Inlet
Barnet Marine Park
Accession Code
BV019.32.27
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
May be restricted by third party rights
Date
14 Jan. 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
Information from page 6 of The Province newspaper-Jan. 15, 1947 confirms that the fire occurred on January 14, 1947
See page 67 of book "In the Shadow by the Sea - Recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village". Caption with photograph reads: "The February, 1947 Kapoor Sawmill fire. Maintenance workers were trying to thaw out frozen bearings on a machine with a blowtorch and inadvertently started a fire in oily shavings. all the water pipes were frozen preventing the workers from dousing the intital small flames. Finally, but too late to prevent the mill's destruction, water was pumped in from the inlet by the Burnaby Fire Department."
Images
Less detail

Fire at Kapoor Sawmills Ltd.

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15207
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
14 Jan.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 a fire that destroyed the Kapoor Sawmills Limited in January 1947. A group of bystanders are looking on while firefighters from the Burnaby Fire Department fight the blaze.
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 fire that destroyed the Kapoor Sawmills Limited in January 1947. A group of bystanders are looking on while firefighters from the Burnaby Fire Department fight the blaze.
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
Industries - Logging/lumber
Natural Phenomena - Fires
Occupations - Fire Fighters
Persons - South Asian Canadians
Names
Kapoor Sawmills Limited
Burnaby Fire Department
Geographic Access
Burrard Inlet
Barnet Marine Park
Accession Code
BV019.32.28
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
May be restricted by third party rights
Date
14 Jan.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
Information from page 6 of The Province newspaper-Jan. 15, 1947 confirms that the fire occurred on Tuesday January 14, 1947
See page 67 of book "In the Shadow by the Sea - Recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village". Caption with photograph reads: "The February, 1947 Kapoor Sawmill fire. Maintenance workers were trying to thaw out frozen bearings on a machine with a blowtorch and inadvertently started a fire in oily shavings. all the water pipes were frozen preventing the workers from dousing the intital small flames. Finally, but too late to prevent the mill's destruction, water was pumped in from the inlet by the Burnaby Fire Department."
Images
Less detail

Fire at Kapoor Sawmills Ltd.

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15209
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
14 Jan.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 a fire at the Kapoor Sawmills Limited on January 14, 1947. Mill buildings are engulfed in flames. There is snow on the ground.
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 fire at the Kapoor Sawmills Limited on January 14, 1947. Mill buildings are engulfed in flames. There is snow on the ground.
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
Industries - Logging/lumber
Natural Phenomena - Fires
Persons - South Asian Canadians
Names
Kapoor Sawmills Limited
Burnaby Fire Department
Geographic Access
Burrard Inlet
Barnet Marine Park
Accession Code
BV019.32.29
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
May be restricted by third party rights
Date
14 Jan.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
Information from page 6 of The Province newspaper-Jan. 15, 1947 confirms that the fire occurred on Tuesday January 14, 1947
Images
Less detail

Kapoor Sawmills on fire

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15211
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
14 Jan. 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 the Kapoor sawmill on fire on January 14, 1947. Photograph is taken from the shore looking west up Burrard Inlet. There is snow covering the ground.
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 Kapoor sawmill on fire on January 14, 1947. Photograph is taken from the shore looking west up Burrard Inlet. There is snow covering the ground.
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
Industries - Logging/lumber
Natural Phenomena - Fires
Natural Phenomena - Snow
Persons - South Asian Canadians
Names
Kapoor Sawmills Limited
Geographic Access
Burrard Inlet
Barnet Marine Park
Accession Code
BV019.32.31
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
May be restricted by third party rights
Date
14 Jan. 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
Images
Less detail

115 records – page 1 of 6.