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

Barnet school class

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15184
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
[between 1941 and 1942] (date of original), copied 2004
Collection/Fonds
In the Shadow by the Sea collection
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
Scope and Content
Photograph of Barnet School elementary class, 1941-1942. The group of students are arranged outside in three rows with trees behind them. Students are identified from left to right as; front row: Kenny Marshall, unknown, Lakhbeer Siddoo, Gurdeb Siddoo, Bobby Karppinen, unknown, Hardev Siddoo; middl…
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Collection/Fonds
In the Shadow by the Sea collection
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
Scope and Content
Photograph of Barnet School elementary class, 1941-1942. The group of students are arranged outside in three rows with trees behind them. Students are identified from left to right as; front row: Kenny Marshall, unknown, Lakhbeer Siddoo, Gurdeb Siddoo, Bobby Karppinen, unknown, Hardev Siddoo; middle row: Moyra Foort, Rose Johnston, Doreen Karppinen, Dierdre Davidson, Freda Hall, Joan Lynch, Sheila Carey, Catherine La Favor, Beatrice Woolsey and Goglin; back row: Bobby Goglin, Jackie Marshall, Ken Murray, Gurmeet Gurdell, Florence La Favor, Diljeet Teja, Colin Simmons, Ronny Johnson.
Subjects
Persons - Students
Persons - Children
Persons - South Asian Canadians
Buildings - Schools
Names
Barnet School
Marshall, Kenny
Siddoo, Hardev
Siddoo, Lakhbeer
Siddoo, Gurdeb
Karppinen, Robert "Bobby"
Foort, Moyra
Johnston, Rose
Karppinen, Doreen
Davidson, Dierdre
Hall, Freda
Lynch, Joan
Carey, Sheila
La Favor, Cathryn Bernice
McMillan, Beatrice Woolsey
Goglin, Robert "Bobby"
Marshall, Jack Darrel "Jackie"
Murray, Ken
Gurdell, Gurmeet
La Favor, Florence Alice
Teja, Diljeet
Simmons, Colin
Johnson, Ron "Ronny"
Accession Code
BV019.32.5
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
May be restricted by third party rights
Date
[between 1941 and 1942] (date of original), copied 2004
Media Type
Photograph
Historic Neighbourhood
Barnet (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Burnaby Mountain Area
Notes
Title based on contents of photograph
see page 235 in the book "In the Shadow by the Sea - recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village". Caption with photograph reads: "Barnet School / Class 1941-1942 / Back Row:..."
Images
Less detail

Barnet School class

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15225
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
1937 (date of original), copied 2004
Collection/Fonds
In the Shadow by the Sea collection
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
Scope and Content
Photograph students at Barnet School. Students are gathered together on the school grounds and are identified from left to right; back row: Algot Peters, June Marshall, Fred Peters and Frank McDonald; middle row: Hugh Carey, Edith Bedore, Cecilia McDonald, Louise Irwin, Ella Neimi, Irene La Favor;…
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Collection/Fonds
In the Shadow by the Sea collection
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
Scope and Content
Photograph students at Barnet School. Students are gathered together on the school grounds and are identified from left to right; back row: Algot Peters, June Marshall, Fred Peters and Frank McDonald; middle row: Hugh Carey, Edith Bedore, Cecilia McDonald, Louise Irwin, Ella Neimi, Irene La Favor; front row: Jimmy Bedore, Billy Woytowicz, Tommy Keys, Clyde La Favor, Dallas La Favor and Jack Kask.
Subjects
Buildings - Schools
Persons - Children
Persons - Students
Names
Barnet School
Peters, Algot
Marshall, June
Peters, Fred
McDonald, Frank
Carey, Hugh
Bedore, Edith
McDonald, Cecilia
Irwin, Louise
Neimi, Ella
La Favor, Louise
Bedore, Jimmy
Woytowicz, Billy
Keys, Thomas "Tommy"
La Favor, Clyde
La Favor, Dallas
Kask, John "Jack"
Geographic Access
Burrard Inlet
Accession Code
BV019.32.45
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Date
1937 (date of original), copied 2004
Media Type
Photograph
Historic Neighbourhood
Barnet (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Burnaby Mountain Area
Notes
Title based on contents of photograph
Names of students taken from verso of photograph
see page 234, Chapter Three in the book "In the Shadow by the Sea - Recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village". Caption with photograph reads: "Barnet School / Class 1936-1937 / BACK ROW: Algot Peters, June / Marshall, Fred Peters: Frank / McDonald"
Images
Less detail

Barnet School class

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15228
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
[between 1931 and 1932] (date of original), copied 2004
Collection/Fonds
In the Shadow by the Sea collection
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
Scope and Content
Photograph students at Barnet School. Students are gathered together on wooden bleechers on the school grounds and are identified from left to right; back row: Jack Hood; Fred Proteau, Bob Johnston, John Stelioff, Billy Warner and Neil Carey; third row from bottom: Lloyd Lendgren, Joan Rutherford,…
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Collection/Fonds
In the Shadow by the Sea collection
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
Scope and Content
Photograph students at Barnet School. Students are gathered together on wooden bleechers on the school grounds and are identified from left to right; back row: Jack Hood; Fred Proteau, Bob Johnston, John Stelioff, Billy Warner and Neil Carey; third row from bottom: Lloyd Lendgren, Joan Rutherford, Kathleen Cole, Patricia Longley, Annie Strelioff, Marie Galbraith and Billy Rutherford; second row from bottom: Jean Wallace, Eva Grace Hood, Kerthq's cousin, Kerthq, Maureen Johnston, Marie Swanson, Eleanor Irwin; front row at bottom: John Taranoff, John Jacobsen, Lewis La Favor, Jack Rutherford, Andrew Strelioff and Sheldon Rowell.
Subjects
Buildings - Schools
Persons - Children
Persons - Students
Names
Barnet School
Yasui, Harding
Hood, Jack
Proteau, Frederick "Freddy"
Stride Avenue School
Johnston, Bob
Strelioff, John
Strelioff, Annie
Warner, William "Billy"
Carey, Neil
Lendgren, Lloyd
Rutherford, Joan
Cole, Kathleen
Longley, Patricia
Galbraith, Marie
Rutherford, William "Billy"
Wallace, Jean
Hood, Grace
Kerthq
Johnston, Maureen
Swanson, Marie
Nelson, Eleanor Irwin
Taranoff, John
Jacobsen, John
La Favor, Lewis
Rutherford, Jack S.
Strelioff, Andrew
Sheldon, Rowell
Geographic Access
Burrard Inlet
Accession Code
BV019.32.48
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Date
[between 1931 and 1932] (date of original), copied 2004
Media Type
Photograph
Historic Neighbourhood
Barnet (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Burnaby Mountain Area
Notes
Title based on contents of photograph
Names of students taken from verso of photograph -see photograph BV019.32.47
see page 234, Chapter Three in the book "In the Shadow by the Sea - Recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village". Caption with photograph reads: "Barnet School / Class 1931-1932 / BACK ROW: Harding Yasui, Jack Hood, Fred Proteau, Bob Johnston, John Strelioff, Billy Warner, Neil Carey / THIRD ROW: ..."
Images
Less detail

Besant Kaur Siddoo at her kitchen stove

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15181
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
[194-] (date of original), copied 2004
Collection/Fonds
In the Shadow by the Sea collection
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
Scope and Content
Photograph of Besant Kaur Siddoo (spouse of Kapoor Singh Siddoo) tending the sawdust burner at her kitchen stove. A large galvanized hopper which fed the sawdust to the fire box of the stove is to her left.
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Collection/Fonds
In the Shadow by the Sea collection
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
Scope and Content
Photograph of Besant Kaur Siddoo (spouse of Kapoor Singh Siddoo) tending the sawdust burner at her kitchen stove. A large galvanized hopper which fed the sawdust to the fire box of the stove is to her left.
History
Kapoor Singh Siddoo was born in 1885 in the Punjab village of Kharaudi, India. Kapoor was one of the pioneer South Asian Canadian Sikhs who immigrated to America in 1906 and onto Canada in 1912. Kapoor first arrived in San Francisco in 1906, along with twenty uneducated men from the Province of Punjab, India. Kapoor was the only one among these men who was educated so acted as their interpreter, manager and accountant. They worked along the Southern Pacific Railway line near Marysville, California, toward Reno and Nevada. Kapoor heard about the beauty of British Columbia and decided to travel to the west coast but times were tough with discrimination against all South Asians in British Columbia. With this information, Kapoor traveled east to Northern Ontario where he tried homesteading for a year but the extreme winter conditions didn’t appeal to him. Kapoor returned to British Columbia after receiving word from South Asian Canadians that they were in need of an educated accountant/manager for a sawmill. In 1923, with the change in immigration laws, Kapoor arranged for his wife, Besant Kaur to emigrate from India. Besant came to Canada accompanied by Kapoor’s older brother. Kapoor and Besant had two daughters, both born in Duncan B.C. Jagdis Kaur Siddoo was born in 1925 and Sarjit Kaur Siddoo was born in 1926. Both of their daughters graduated as doctors from University of Toronto medical school. His career in B.C. began as a lumberman for a large lumber mill on Vancouver Island until 1935. Following this, Kapoor established the Kapoor Lumber Company Limited and operated a mill at Shawnigan Lake before eventually purchasing 45 acres in 1939 of the eastern section of the former Barnet Mill site in Burnaby. He purchased the site from the Municipality of Burnaby under the name of Modern Sawmills Limited since there was a restriction on selling this piece of a property to a non-white person. Eventually the name was changed to Kapoor Sawmills Limited. Kapoor’s company was a financial success but was tragically razed on January 14, 1947 due to a devastating fire. A smaller mill was rebuilt on the site and Kapoor maintained a successful financial operation until 1959. In 1959, Kapoor Siddoo was considered one of Vancouver’s most influential men in the South Asian Community. In this same year, the family set up the Kapoor Singh Siddoo Foundation and with help from his wife and daughters opened a hospital in the Punjab village of Aur. In 1964, Kapoor died in India at the age of 79 years. Kapoor’s younger brother, Tara Singh Siddoo came to Canada from India in 1906 but after suffering discrimination, he returned to India in 1912. Several years later Tara returned to Canada joining Kapoor at a logging mill on Vancouver Island. Lesser shares of the mill were held by Tara and other family members. Tara and his wife, Beant Siddoo lived at Barnet between 1943 and 1945, with their family of five sons, Lakhbeer, Gurdeb, Gurcharn, Baldev, Hardev and three daughters, Harjeet (Sangha), Runjeet (Basi) and Buckshish (Sarai). One of Tara’s responsibilities was to oversee the logging camp and ensure that the logs arrived regularly from Cowichan Bay near Duncan to the Barnet logging mill.
Subjects
Persons - South Asian Canadians
Names
Kapoor Sawmills Limited
Siddoo, Besant Kaur
Accession Code
BV019.32.2
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
May be restricted by third party rights
Date
[194-] (date of original), copied 2004
Media Type
Photograph
Historic Neighbourhood
Barnet (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Burnaby Mountain Area
Notes
Title based on contents of photograph
see page 63 in the book "In the Shadow by the Sea - recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village". Caption with photograph reads: "Mrs. Kapoor Siddoo tending the sawdust burner at her kitchen stove. Note the hopper which fed the sawdust to the fire box of the stove. c. 1940s"
Images
Less detail

Beverley Lauder with doll in carriage

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15300
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
[1943] (date of original), copied 2004
Collection/Fonds
In the Shadow by the Sea collection
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
Scope and Content
Photograph of Beverley Lauder (Mundreon) standing next to a toy baby carriage with a doll inside. A picket fence and wall of a building are visible behind her.
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Collection/Fonds
In the Shadow by the Sea collection
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
Scope and Content
Photograph of Beverley Lauder (Mundreon) standing next to a toy baby carriage with a doll inside. A picket fence and wall of a building are visible behind her.
History
Helen (Sukkua) Lauder (1910-1995) and Sidney Lauder (1913-1936) had two children, Beverely (Mundreon) (b. 1935) and Douglas (1937-2018). While the children were young the family first lived at Kask Lumber camp before moving to Barnet. While living in Barnet in the 1940s, both children attended Barnet School. While Sidney Lauder fought overseas during WWII, Helen worked as a cook at the mill.
Subjects
Persons - Children
Toys
Toys - Dolls
Names
Barnet Mill
Barnet Lumber Company
Mundreon, Beverley Lauder
Geographic Access
Burrard Inlet
Accession Code
BV019.32.108
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Date
[1943] (date of original), copied 2004
Media Type
Photograph
Historic Neighbourhood
Barnet (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Burnaby Mountain Area
Notes
Title based on contents of photograph
See page 150 in book "In the Shadow by the Sea: Recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village" with caption "...Four year old Beverely with her doll & buggy, 1942"
Date of photograph based on birth year of Beverley Lauder
Images
Less detail

Bobby and Maureen Johnston and Eleanor and Louise Irwin in swimsuits

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15284
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
[1933] (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) Bobby Johnston, Eleanor Irwin (Nelson), Maureen Johnston and Louise Irwin wearing swimsuits and standing in the yard of the Irwin family home on the site of the Barnet Lumber Mill.
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Collection/Fonds
In the Shadow by the Sea collection
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
Scope and Content
Photograph of (left to right) Bobby Johnston, Eleanor Irwin (Nelson), Maureen Johnston and Louise Irwin wearing swimsuits and standing in the yard of the Irwin family home on the site of the Barnet Lumber Mill.
History
Henry Stanley Irwin (1890-1966) started work at Barnet mill in 1924. Henry and his wife Elsie May Irwin (Taylor) Irwin (1894-1985) first lived with thier two daughters, Eleanor (Nelson) (1924-2005) and Louise (1927-) in a worker's cabin before moving to the Barnet Mill's managers' residence. The household included Elsie's mother, Elizabeth (Shephard) Taylor (1868-1950). The family resided at Barnet until they moved to Vancouver in September 1939. Louise and her older sister Eleanor attended Barnet School like other children in the Barnet area. After the mill closed in 1931, Henry was unemployed for two years, during this time, he hired a horse and driver and cut logs from the slopes of Burnaby Mountain to support his family.
Subjects
Persons - Children
Recreational Activities - Swimming
Recreational Activities - Sunbathing
Names
Barnet Mill
Barnet Lumber Company
Irwin, Louise
Irwin, Elsie May Taylor
Johnston, Bob
Johnston, Maureen
Geographic Access
Burrard Inlet
Accession Code
BV019.32.101
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Date
[1933] (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 42 of book "In the Shadow by the Sea: Recollection of Burnaby's Barnet Village" with caption "Bobby Johnston, Eleanor Irwin, Maureen Johnston, Louise Irwin pose in their swimsuits, c. 1928"
Date for description of photograph based on information provided in Johnston family image 8
Images
Less detail

Boom man with logs

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15195
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
[194-] (date of original), copied 2004
Collection/Fonds
In the Shadow by the Sea collection
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
Scope and Content
Photograph of an unidentified South Asian Sikh boom man standing on a log with a steel pointed pike pole directing logs within a log boom. The log boom was located in Burrard Inlet at the Kapoor Sawmills Limited.
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Collection/Fonds
In the Shadow by the Sea collection
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
Scope and Content
Photograph of an unidentified South Asian Sikh boom man standing on a log with a steel pointed pike pole directing logs within a log boom. The log boom was located in Burrard Inlet at the Kapoor Sawmills Limited.
History
Kapoor Singh Siddoo was born in 1885 in the Punjab village of Kharaudi, India. Kapoor was one of the pioneer South Asian Canadian Sikhs who immigrated to America in 1906 and onto Canada in 1912. Kapoor first arrived in San Francisco in 1906, along with twenty uneducated men from the Province of Punjab, India. Kapoor was the only one among these men who was educated so acted as their interpreter, manager and accountant. They worked along the Southern Pacific Railway line near Marysville, California, toward Reno and Nevada. Kapoor heard about the beauty of British Columbia and decided to travel to the west coast but times were tough with discrimination against all South Asians in British Columbia. With this information, Kapoor traveled east to Northern Ontario where he tried homesteading for a year but the extreme winter conditions didn’t appeal to him. Kapoor returned to British Columbia after receiving word from South Asian Canadians that they were in need of an educated accountant/manager for a sawmill. In 1923, with the change in immigration laws, Kapoor arranged for his wife, Besant Kaur to emigrate from India. Besant came to Canada accompanied by Kapoor’s older brother. Kapoor and Besant had two daughters, both born in Duncan B.C. Jagdis Kaur Siddoo was born in 1925 and Sarjit Kaur Siddoo was born in 1926. Both of their daughters graduated as doctors from University of Toronto medical school. His career in B.C. began as a lumberman for a large lumber mill on Vancouver Island until 1935. Following this, Kapoor established the Kapoor Lumber Company Limited and operated a mill at Shawnigan Lake before eventually purchasing 45 acres in 1939 of the eastern section of the former Barnet Mill site in Burnaby. He purchased the site from the Municipality of Burnaby under the name of Modern Sawmills Limited since there was a restriction on selling this piece of a property to a non-white person. Eventually the name was changed to Kapoor Sawmills Limited. Kapoor’s company was a financial success but was tragically razed on January 14, 1947 due to a devastating fire. A smaller mill was rebuilt on the site and Kapoor maintained a successful financial operation until 1959. In 1959, Kapoor Siddoo was considered one of Vancouver’s most influential men in the South Asian Community. In this same year, the family set up the Kapoor Singh Siddoo Foundation and with help from his wife and daughters opened a hospital in the Punjab village of Aur. In 1964, Kapoor died in India at the age of 79 years. Kapoor’s younger brother, Tara Singh Siddoo came to Canada from India in 1906 but after suffering discrimination, he returned to India in 1912. Several years later Tara returned to Canada joining Kapoor at a logging mill on Vancouver Island. Lesser shares of the mill were held by Tara and other family members. Tara and his wife, Beant Siddoo lived at Barnet between 1943 and 1945, with their family of five sons, Lakhbeer, Gurdeb, Gurcharn, Baldev, Hardev and three daughters, Harjeet (Sangha), Runjeet (Basi) and Buckshish (Sarai). One of Tara’s responsibilities was to oversee the logging camp and ensure that the logs arrived regularly from Cowichan Bay near Duncan to the Barnet logging mill.
Subjects
Industries - Logging/lumber
Persons - South Asian Canadians
Occupations - Millworkers
Names
Kapoor Sawmills Limited
Geographic Access
Burrard Inlet
Barnet Marine Park
Accession Code
BV019.32.16
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
May be restricted by third party rights
Date
[194-] (date of original), copied 2004
Media Type
Photograph
Historic Neighbourhood
Barnet (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Burnaby Mountain Area
Notes
Title based on contents of photograph
See page 61 of book "In the Shadow by the Sea - Recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village". Caption with photograph reads: "A boom man needed to be nimble on his feet to select and move logs to the log slip where they could be haulde up into the mill."
Images
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

Community Heritage Commission Special Project fonds

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription74546
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
1994-2012
Collection/Fonds
Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
Description Level
Fonds
Physical Description
79 photograph (jpeg) : col., 300ppi ; 43 photograph (tiff) : col., 600ppi ; 48 interviews (wav) : digital sound files.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of project records created by Burnaby's Community Heritage Commission as part of their initiative and mandate.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
1994-2012
Collection/Fonds
Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
Physical Description
79 photograph (jpeg) : col., 300ppi ; 43 photograph (tiff) : col., 600ppi ; 48 interviews (wav) : digital sound files.
Description Level
Fonds
Access Restriction
Open access
Accession Number
2012-07
2009-10
2012-30
2016-04
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of project records created by Burnaby's Community Heritage Commission as part of their initiative and mandate.
History
The History and Heritage Committee was established in 1992 under Burnaby's Centennial Committee. When the Centennial Committee was disbanded on December 31, 1992, the History and Heritage Committee was made a part of the Burnaby Heritage Advisory Committee. It proceeded under its authority until 1995 when it was renamed The Community Heritage Commission (CHC) as a municipal heritage advisory committee by the Burnaby City Council under section 15 of the Heritage Conservation Act. The commission endeavours to provide comprehensive community heritage and history projects and programs to bring together the personal history of citizens and facilitate a wider understanding and appreciation of Burnaby's collective memory. Projects undertaken by Burnaby's Community Heritage Commission include: Burnaby Centennial Anthology: Stories of Early Burnaby; In the Shadow by the Sea: Recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village; the Heritage Burnaby website (www.heritageburnaby.ca); Charting Change: An Interactive Atlas; and various oral history projects. These projects fall under the Community Heritage Commission's mandate to provide the citizens of Burnaby and the wider public with access to information about the city and its unique history through publications and online finding aids.
Media Type
Photograph
Textual Record
Sound Recording
Creator
Community Heritage Commission
Notes
Title based on contents of fonds
PC 615, PC 503, MSS198, MSS171, MSS196, and PC 549
Less detail

Doug Lauder with toy sailboat

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15299
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
[1942] (date of original), copied 2004
Collection/Fonds
In the Shadow by the Sea collection
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
Scope and Content
Photograph of Douglas Lauder holding a toy sailboat. Doug is standing in front a picket fence and wall of a building on the site of the Barnet Lumber Mill.
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Collection/Fonds
In the Shadow by the Sea collection
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
Scope and Content
Photograph of Douglas Lauder holding a toy sailboat. Doug is standing in front a picket fence and wall of a building on the site of the Barnet Lumber Mill.
History
Helen (Sukkua) Lauder (1910-1995) and Sidney Lauder (1913-1936) had two children, Beverely (Mundreon) (b. 1935) and Douglas (1937-2018). While the children were young the family first lived at Kask Lumber camp before moving to Barnet. While living in Barnet in the 1940s, both children attended Barnet School. While Sidney Lauder fought overseas during WWII, Helen worked as a cook at the mill.
Subjects
Persons - Children
Toys
Names
Barnet Mill
Barnet Lumber Company
Lauder, Douglas
Geographic Access
Burrard Inlet
Accession Code
BV019.32.107
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Date
[1942] (date of original), copied 2004
Media Type
Photograph
Historic Neighbourhood
Barnet (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Burnaby Mountain Area
Notes
Title based on contents of photograph
See page 150 in book "In the Shadow by the Sea: Recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village" with caption "...Six year old Doug and sail boat, 1942"
Images
Less detail

Eleanor, Louise and Dorothy Irwin on front lawn of Irwin home

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15242
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
[1930] (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) Louise Irwin, cousin Dorothy Irwin and Eleanor Irwin (Nelson) seated on the front lawn in front of Irwin's home at Barnet (also known as the manager's residence). The large porch is screened in.
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) Louise Irwin, cousin Dorothy Irwin and Eleanor Irwin (Nelson) seated on the front lawn in front of Irwin's home at Barnet (also known as the manager's residence). The large porch is screened in.
History
Henry Stanley Irwin (1890-1966) started work at Barnet mill in 1924. Henry and his wife Elsie May Irwin (Taylor) Irwin (1894-1985) first lived with thier two daughters, Eleanor (Nelson) (1924-2005) and Louise (1927-) in a worker's cabin before moving to the Barnet Mill's managers' residence. The household included Elsie's mother, Elizabeth (Shephard) Taylor (1868-1950). The family resided at Barnet until they moved to Vancouver in September 1939. Louise and her older sister Eleanor attended Barnet School like other children in the Barnet area. After the mill closed in 1931, Henry was unemployed for two years, during this time, he hired a horse and driver and cut logs from the slopes of Burnaby Mountain to support his family.
Subjects
Persons - Children
Buildings - Residential - Houses
Names
Barnet Mill
Barnet Lumber Company
Irwin, Louise
Nelson, Eleanor Irwin
Irwin, Dorothy
Geographic Access
Burrard Inlet
Accession Code
BV019.32.61
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Date
[1930] (date of original), copied 2004
Media Type
Photograph
Historic Neighbourhood
Barnet (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Burnaby Mountain Area
Related Material
Duplicate photograph to BV019.32.77
Notes
Title based on contents of photograph
See page 53 of book, "In the Shadow by the Sea: Recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village" with caption "Louise Irwin, Cousin Dorothy and Eleanor Irwin seated on front lawn of their Barnet home. Note the screened porch where children slept outside in the summertime, c. 1930."
Images
Less detail

Eleanor, Louise, H.S. Irwin and grandmother Taylor at Barnet

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15246
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
[1929] (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 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.
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 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.
History
Henry Stanley Irwin (1890-1966) started work at Barnet mill in 1924. Henry and his wife Elsie May Irwin (Taylor) Irwin (1894-1985) first lived with thier two daughters, Eleanor (Nelson) (1924-2005) and Louise (1927-) in a worker's cabin before moving to the Barnet Mill's managers' residence. The household included Elsie's mother, Elizabeth (Shephard) Taylor (1868-1950). The family resided at Barnet until they moved to Vancouver in September 1939. Louise and her older sister Eleanor attended Barnet School like other children in the Barnet area. After the mill closed in 1931, Henry was unemployed for two years, during this time, he hired a horse and driver and cut logs from the slopes of Burnaby Mountain to support his family.
Names
Barnet Mill
Barnet Lumber Company
Nelson, Eleanor Irwin
Irwin, Louise
Irwin, Henry Stanley
Taylor, Elizabeth Shephard
Geographic Access
Burrard Inlet
Accession Code
BV019.32.65
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Date
[1929] (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 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"
Images
Less detail

Elsie May Irwin and Louise Irwin with Jerry the dog

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15285
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
[1933] (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 Elsie May Irwin standing with her daughter Louise Irwin and family dog named Jerry in the yard of the Irwin family home on the site of the Barnet Lumber Mill.
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Collection/Fonds
In the Shadow by the Sea collection
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
Scope and Content
Photograph of Elsie May Irwin standing with her daughter Louise Irwin and family dog named Jerry in the yard of the Irwin family home on the site of the Barnet Lumber Mill.
History
Henry Stanley Irwin (1890-1966) started work at Barnet mill in 1924. Henry and his wife Elsie May Irwin (Taylor) Irwin (1894-1985) first lived with thier two daughters, Eleanor (Nelson) (1924-2005) and Louise (1927-) in a worker's cabin before moving to the Barnet Mill's managers' residence. The household included Elsie's mother, Elizabeth (Shephard) Taylor (1868-1950). The family resided at Barnet until they moved to Vancouver in September 1939. Louise and her older sister Eleanor attended Barnet School like other children in the Barnet area. After the mill closed in 1931, Henry was unemployed for two years, during this time, he hired a horse and driver and cut logs from the slopes of Burnaby Mountain to support his family.
Subjects
Persons - Children
Animals - Dogs
Names
Barnet Mill
Barnet Lumber Company
Irwin, Louise
Irwin, Elsie May Taylor
Geographic Access
Burrard Inlet
Accession Code
BV019.32.102
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Date
[1933] (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 50 of book "In the Shadow by the Sea: Recollection of Burnaby's Barnet Village" with caption "Mrs. Elsie Irwin, Louise Irwin and pet dog Jerry, c. 1933"
Images
Less detail

Elsie May Irwin practising golf swing

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15274
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
[193-] (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 Elsie May (Taylor) Irwin practising her golf swing in the yard of the Irwin family home at the Barnet Lumber Mill.
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Collection/Fonds
In the Shadow by the Sea collection
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph (tiff) : 300 dpi
Scope and Content
Photograph of Elsie May (Taylor) Irwin practising her golf swing in the yard of the Irwin family home at the Barnet Lumber Mill.
History
Henry Stanley Irwin (1890-1966) started work at Barnet mill in 1924. Henry and his wife Elsie May Irwin (Taylor) Irwin (1894-1985) first lived with thier two daughters, Eleanor (Nelson) (1924-2005) and Louise (1927-) in a worker's cabin before moving to the Barnet Mill's managers' residence. The household included Elsie's mother, Elizabeth (Shephard) Taylor (1868-1950). The family resided at Barnet until they moved to Vancouver in September 1939. Louise and her older sister Eleanor attended Barnet School like other children in the Barnet area. After the mill closed in 1931, Henry was unemployed for two years, during this time, he hired a horse and driver and cut logs from the slopes of Burnaby Mountain to support his family.
Subjects
Recreational Activities - Golf
Names
Barnet Mill
Barnet Lumber Company
Irwin, Elsie May Taylor
Geographic Access
Burrard Inlet
Accession Code
BV019.32.92
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Date
[193-] (date of original), copied 2004
Media Type
Photograph
Historic Neighbourhood
Barnet (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Burnaby Mountain Area
Notes
Title based on contents of photograph
see page 49 of book "In the Shadow by the Sea: Recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village" with caption "...Mrs. Irwin practicing her golf swing at Barnet, c. 1930s"
Images
Less detail

Elsie May Irwin with her mother and daughters

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15293
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
[1930] (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 Elsie May Irwin (standing) with her mother, Elizabeth "Isabella" Taylor (seated) and her daugthers Eleanor and Louise Irwin. The group is gathered in the yard of the Irwin family home on the site of the Barnet Lumber Mill. The outside wall of the house is visible behind them. Grandmot…
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 Elsie May Irwin (standing) with her mother, Elizabeth "Isabella" Taylor (seated) and her daugthers Eleanor and Louise Irwin. The group is gathered in the yard of the Irwin family home on the site of the Barnet Lumber Mill. The outside wall of the house is visible behind them. Grandmother Taylor is holding her granddaughter Louise on her lap and has her arm around Eleanor.
History
Henry Stanley Irwin (1890-1966) started work at Barnet mill in 1924. Henry and his wife Elsie May Irwin (Taylor) Irwin (1894-1985) first lived with thier two daughters, Eleanor (Nelson) (1924-2005) and Louise (1927-) in a worker's cabin before moving to the Barnet Mill's managers' residence. The household included Elsie's mother, Elizabeth (Shephard) Taylor (1868-1950). The family resided at Barnet until they moved to Vancouver in September 1939. Louise and her older sister Eleanor attended Barnet School like other children in the Barnet area. After the mill closed in 1931, Henry was unemployed for two years, during this time, he hired a horse and driver and cut logs from the slopes of Burnaby Mountain to support his family.
Subjects
Persons - Children
Names
Barnet Mill
Barnet Lumber Company
Nelson, Eleanor Irwin
Irwin, Elsie May Taylor
Irwin, Louise
Taylor, Elizabeth Shephard
Geographic Access
Burrard Inlet
Accession Code
BV019.32.46
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Date
[1930] (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 50 in book "In the Shadow by the Sea: Recollection of Burnaby's Barnet Village" with caption "Standing: Mrs Irwin; Seated: Grandmother Isabella Taylor holding Eleanor Irwin in her lap and Louise Erwin, c. 1930"
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 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 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