Photograph of Eleanor Irwin Nelson (left), Louise Irwin (in front), Harvey Stanley Irwin and his mother in law, Elizabeth (Shephard) Taylor in the garden of the manager's residence at the Barnet mill.
Photograph of Eleanor Irwin Nelson (left), Louise Irwin (in front), Harvey Stanley Irwin and his mother in law, Elizabeth (Shephard) Taylor in the garden of the manager's residence at the Barnet mill.
See page 47 of book "In the Shadow by the Sea: Recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village" with caption "...Left to Right: Eleanor Irwin, Louise Irwin, Mr. Irwin and Grandmother Irwin, 1929"
Photograph of young Louise Irwin running down a wooden sidewalk at the Barnet mill. The home of the Barnet Lumber Company manager, Mr. Reid and his wife is visible in the distance. An unidentified person is riding bicycle behind Louise.
Photograph of young Louise Irwin running down a wooden sidewalk at the Barnet mill. The home of the Barnet Lumber Company manager, Mr. Reid and his wife is visible in the distance. An unidentified person is riding bicycle behind Louise.
Photograph of Eleanor Irwin (Nelson) and Louise Irwin on a tricycle with their Aunt Mary Beale standing behind. Eleanor is peddling while Louise is standing behind and holding onto her her sister's waist. The group is in the yard of the Irwin family home on the site of the Barnet Lumber Mill. The m…
Photograph of Eleanor Irwin (Nelson) and Louise Irwin on a tricycle with their Aunt Mary Beale standing behind. Eleanor is peddling while Louise is standing behind and holding onto her her sister's waist. The group is in the yard of the Irwin family home on the site of the Barnet Lumber Mill. The manager's house where Mr. and Mrs. Reid lived is visible in the distance.
Photograph of Grandma Irwin with her granddaughters Eleanor and Louise Irwin. Eleanor is riding a tricycle and Louise Irwin is tanding on a wooden walkway pointing up to the sky. The group outside of the yard of the Irwin family home on the site of the Barnet Lumber Mill.
Photograph of Grandma Irwin with her granddaughters Eleanor and Louise Irwin. Eleanor is riding a tricycle and Louise Irwin is tanding on a wooden walkway pointing up to the sky. The group outside of the yard of the Irwin family home on the site of the Barnet Lumber Mill.
Photograph of Henry Stanley Irwin at the driver's seat of his Dodge automobile. The automobile is parked alongside a picket fence, outside of the manager's residence where Henry and his family resided at the Barnet Lumber Mill.A row of trees runs alongside the fence with cherry trees in bloom.
Photograph of Henry Stanley Irwin at the driver's seat of his Dodge automobile. The automobile is parked alongside a picket fence, outside of the manager's residence where Henry and his family resided at the Barnet Lumber Mill.A row of trees runs alongside the fence with cherry trees in bloom.
Photograph of Elsie May (Taylor) Irwin (left), the Beales and young Louise Irwin. The group are gathered on the grounds of the Irwin family home at the Barnet Lumber Mill.Young Louise Irwin is holding on to a chair.
Photograph of Elsie May (Taylor) Irwin (left), the Beales and young Louise Irwin. The group are gathered on the grounds of the Irwin family home at the Barnet Lumber Mill.Young Louise Irwin is holding on to a chair.
Photograph of Eleanor Irwin (Nelson) and Louise Irwin with their uncle, Fred Taylor. The group are standing in the snow in the yard of the Irwin family home at the Barnet Lumber Mill.Eleanor is holding a doll and Fred Taylor is holding Louise.
Photograph of Eleanor Irwin (Nelson) and Louise Irwin with their uncle, Fred Taylor. The group are standing in the snow in the yard of the Irwin family home at the Barnet Lumber Mill.Eleanor is holding a doll and Fred Taylor is holding Louise.
Photograph of grandmother, Elizabeth Taylor seated on a swing and holding baby Louise Irwin while young Eleanor Irwin is standing behind and pushing. The swing is hanging from a tree in a yard.
Photograph of grandmother, Elizabeth Taylor seated on a swing and holding baby Louise Irwin while young Eleanor Irwin is standing behind and pushing. The swing is hanging from a tree in a yard.
See page 47 of book, "In the Shadow by the Sea: Recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village" with caption "Bottom: Left to Right: Louise Irwin, Grandmother Isabella Taylor, and Eleanor Irwin,1928"
Spelling of Grandmother Taylor's first name is taken from death certificate which reads "Elizabeth" (Shephard) Taylor"
Photograph of the first rental cabin at Kask's Camp. An additional 30 to 33 would be built. Note the piles of cord wood in the background and the outhouse to the left. The renters were mainly workers at the nearby Barnet Mill.
Photograph of the first rental cabin at Kask's Camp. An additional 30 to 33 would be built. Note the piles of cord wood in the background and the outhouse to the left. The renters were mainly workers at the nearby Barnet Mill.
Photograph of the official opening of the newly paved Hastings-Barnet Road which opened on Saturday December 10, 1927. In the foreground the Provincial Minister of Public Works Dr. W.H. Sutherland is opening a wooden gate, with a large crowd gathered around. The Barnet Lumber Company Ltd. building …
Photograph of the official opening of the newly paved Hastings-Barnet Road which opened on Saturday December 10, 1927. In the foreground the Provincial Minister of Public Works Dr. W.H. Sutherland is opening a wooden gate, with a large crowd gathered around. The Barnet Lumber Company Ltd. building on Hastings Street is in the background.
Photograph of a group of twenty-six men seated around a table set. The men (all unidentified) were lunch guests at the Barnet Mill during the official opening of the Hastings-Barnet Road.
Photograph of a group of twenty-six men seated around a table set. The men (all unidentified) were lunch guests at the Barnet Mill during the official opening of the Hastings-Barnet Road.
Aerial photographic postcard of Barnet Lumber Company's Mill. The handwritten caption on the lower left corner of the postcard reads: "Aeroplane view of the Barnet Lumber Co. Ltd./ Barnet BC." The handwritten caption on the lower right corner reads: "Copyright 1927/ Pacific Airway Ltd./ Vancouver …
Aerial photographic postcard of Barnet Lumber Company's Mill. The handwritten caption on the lower left corner of the postcard reads: "Aeroplane view of the Barnet Lumber Co. Ltd./ Barnet BC." The handwritten caption on the lower right corner reads: "Copyright 1927/ Pacific Airway Ltd./ Vancouver B.C.".
In 1925, William Kask Sr. and his family purchased land along the Barnet Road and built what became known as Kask's Camp, where cabins were rented out to families working at the Barnet Mill. The family - William Kask Jr., Dave and Jack - went on to expand their business into a lumber and concrete supply company and in 1936, the company was named the Kask Brothers Building Supply Company. A lumber office was established on Curtis Street and the concrete plant was built at the former site of the cabin camp. To a large degree, the camp catered to Immigrants from Nordic countries who were active in the lumber trade. Many Finns felt at home in the camp, as the Kasks spoke Finnish and there were steam baths available.
Photograph of two children standing at a gate of a picket fence and looking towards buildings and a four masted Japanese sailing ship docked next to the Barnet Mill in Burrard Inlet. Residences and buildings from Barnet are visible in the distance.
Photograph of two children standing at a gate of a picket fence and looking towards buildings and a four masted Japanese sailing ship docked next to the Barnet Mill in Burrard Inlet. Residences and buildings from Barnet are visible in the distance.
Photograph detail of two children standing at a gate of a picket fence and looking towards buildings and a four masted Japanese sailing ship docked next to the Barnet Mill in Burrard Inlet. Residences and buildings from Barnet are visible in the distance.
Photograph detail of two children standing at a gate of a picket fence and looking towards buildings and a four masted Japanese sailing ship docked next to the Barnet Mill in Burrard Inlet. Residences and buildings from Barnet are visible in the distance.
Series consists of copies of photographs pertaining to the Irwin family and the Barnet Lumber Company while Henry Stanley Irwin worked for the Barnet Lumber Company and the family lived on site. Many of these photographs were published in the book "In the Shadow by the Sea: Recollections of Burnaby…
Series consists of copies of photographs pertaining to the Irwin family and the Barnet Lumber Company while Henry Stanley Irwin worked for the Barnet Lumber Company and the family lived on site. Many of these photographs were published in the book "In the Shadow by the Sea: Recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village".
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 their 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.
The Barnet Lumber Company also known as the Barnet mill was in operation between 1925 and 1932. The mill was located on Burrard Inlet in the neighbourhood of Barnet and was one of the most successful local employers in Burnaby until the 1930s when the Great Depression resulted in a strike at the mill. The City of Burnaby eventually assumed control of the site including all of the homes when the company failed to pay it's taxes. The city then dismantled the mill and sold the property in two parts - the eastern section would become the Kapoor Sawmills Limited and the western portion, the McColl-Frontenac Oil Company.
Series consists of copies of photographs pertaining to the Yasui family while Sukegoro (Shoyen) Yasui worked for the Nichols Chemical Company and the family lived on the site of Barnet. These photographs were published in the book "In the Shadow by the Sea: Recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village…
Series consists of copies of photographs pertaining to the Yasui family while Sukegoro (Shoyen) Yasui worked for the Nichols Chemical Company and the family lived on the site of Barnet. These photographs were published in the book "In the Shadow by the Sea: Recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village".
History
Sukegoro (Shoyen) Yasui (1884-1972) and his wife Tane (Hirata) Yasui (d.1987) emigrated from Japan to Canada in 1919. Sukegoro and Tane had two children Yasue Margaret (Matsumura) (1921-2019) and Harding Yasui (1923-2008). Sukegoro worked as a burner operator for the Nichols Chemical Company of Barnet B.C. The family lived on the site with five other families in a bunkhouse including the three Kokuryo brothers and their families and the Kojima family. The children attended Barnet School for three years before the family moved to Surrey in 1934 after purchasing farm land. Sukegoro and Tane Yasui grew strawberries and raised chickens on the farm and Sukegoro continued to work shift work at the Nichols plant. In 1942, the Yasui family were interned and sent to work on a sugar beet farm near Lethbridge, Alberta. While living in Picture Butte, Alberta,Yasue married Matsuo Matsumura. Following the war, the whole family moved to Kingston, Ontario where Harding completed his senior year of high school. A few years later, Harding moved to Montreal and his parents joined him.
The Barnet Lumber Company also known as the Barnet mill was in operation between 1925 and 1932. The mill was located on Burrard Inlet in the neighbourhood of Barnet and was one of the most successful local employers in Burnaby until the 1930s when the Great Depression resulted in a strike at the mill. The City of Burnaby eventually assumed control of the site including all of the homes when the company failed to pay it's taxes. The city then dismantled the mill and sold the property in two parts - the eastern section would become the Kapoor Sawmills Limited and the western portion, the McColl-Frontenac Oil Company.
This portion of the interview pertains to Florence Strachan's early years, her move to Burnaby and her husband's employment at the Barnet Mill.
Date Range
1899-1931
Length
0:09:59
Interviewer
McLeod, Ross S.
Bradbury, Dr. Bettina
Interview Date
June 20, 1975
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Florence Strachan by Ross S. McLeod and Bettina Bradbury, June 20, 1975. Major theme discussed is: The Depression. To view "Narrow By" terms for each track expand this description and see "Notes".
Biographical Notes
Florence Strachan was born in Aberdeen, Scotland in 1899. She met and married her husband in Scotland before coming to Atlantic Canada by ship in 1922, then from Quebec to Vancouver by train.
When Florence’s husband got a job at Barnet Mills in 1924, the couple moved to Burnaby and rented a house at 2551 East Hastings Street. In 1926, the Strachans bought a house at 290 Ellesmere Avenue and concentrated on paying it off as quickly as possible.
By 1931 the Mill had shut down, leaving Florence’s husband out of work, and forced to go on Relief. By this time the couple had two children, one born in 1928, and the other in 1930. Florence and her husband marched and picketed with the unemployed throughout the Depression.
Bettina Bradbury teaches history and women's studies at York University. She is the author of Wife to Widow. Lives, Laws and Politics in Nineteenth-century Montreal. (Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, June 2011), 520p; Working Families. Age, Gender and Daily Survival in Industrializing Montreal. (Toronto: Canadian Social History Series, McClelland and Stewart, 1993); (Republished Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1996) (3rd edition, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2007). These interviews were undertaken after she completed her MA at Simon Fraser University in 1975 with the support of an LIP grant.
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.