a —

Restored

by Harriett Fjaagesund.

Looking for an interesting day
trip? Why not visit the North
Pacific Cannery & Museum in
Port Edward, just 20 minutes
outside of Prince Rupert. It’s a
step back in time to a way of life
that no longer exists.

Built in 1889 by John Alex-
ander Carthew, who purchased
183 acres through a crown Grant
for $32, the cannery is situated
along a seven-kilometre strip in
the Inverness Passage known as
Cannery Row. Carthew sald the
cannery to Henry Ogle Bell-
Irving in 1891.

It was sold again in 1892 to
the Anglo-British Columbia
Packing Company. North
Pacific was one of 223 remote
canneries that dotted the west
coast from Vancouver to the
Alaska Panhandle in the late
1800’s and early 1900’s. There
were 19 of these canneries
operating at the mouth of the
Skeena River. North Pacific is
the sole survivor of that era, the
others having long since burned
or rotted away.

Until the invention of the can,
fish had to be smoked and salt-
cured, sold locally and then ex-
ported to Europe. But the can
(orginially these had to be made
by hand) changed all that. The
Japanese were the first can-
makers at North Pacific, until
can-making machinery was in-
stalled in 1918.

Unlike today’s technological-
ly-advanced fish canneries that
are located in deeper waters and
close to transport centers, the
canneries of yesteryear were uni-
que in that they were self-
contained cannery villages.
Workers lived at the cannery for
three to five months of the year.

North Pacific employed and
housed up to 400 people in its
heyday. Much of the original
housing at the cannery is now
gone, but enough exists to give

you a good idea of what life was

like.

SUNDAY:

Regular

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Workers were segregated into
different communities. There
were natives, those of European
descent, Japanese and Chinese.
Each community in turn became
a tiny self-contained unit. Satur-
day night dances were held in the
net loft and were open to every-
one, even people from near-by
canneries.

The existing paved road to the
cannery is relatively modern.
When North Pacific was built
there was not road or railroad.
The Skeena River was the life-
line of the cannery — everything
and everyone came and went by
small boat, paddlewheeler or
steam ship. Groceries arrived
each Friday during fishing
season on a grocery boat.

North Pacific operated up un-
til 1968. In 1969 it was sold to
the Canadian Fishing Company.
One canning line was re-installed
in 1972 when the C.F.C. Plant in
Prince Rupert burned down. It
was sold again in 1980 to B.C.
Packers Ltd. But the cannery
had outlived its usefulness and
was closed for good in 1981. In
1985 it was declared a National
and Historic Site by the federal
and provincial governments.

Thanks to the Northcoast
Marine Museum Society, owner-
ship of North Pacific Cannery
was transferred from B.C.
Packers Ltd. to the village of
Port Edward on.July..7,.1987.
Restoration is an ongoing pro-
ject and is funded by all levels of
government, with contributions
from B.C. Packers Ltd. and
dozens of other companies and
individuals. And from you, the
public.

You can either take a guided
tour or wander through the
buildings on your own. You
can’t appreciate the actual size
of the cannery until you’re in-
side the building. It’s easy to
lose your bearings for a moment
or two. But don’t panic if you
happen to look up and realize
you don’t have the foggiest idea
where you are; there are arrows

c EVERYONE WELCOME! _
Lucky Dollar

(Age 14 years and up)

Terrace Athletics Association

MONDAY: Terrace Minor Hockey (First three Mondays of

every month)

Terrace Minor Baseball (Remaining Mondays of

every month)

TUESDAY: Kermode Friendship Society
WEDNESDAY: Terrace Blue Back Swim Club

Terrace Peaks Gymnastics

THURSDAY: Sponsoring Comm. to 747 Cadets

Order of the Royal Purple

EARLY FRIDAY: Canadian Paraplegic Association
LATE FRIDAY: Nisga’a Tribal Gouncil (Terrace Local)
- SATURDAY: Canadian Parents For French —- Morning
Terrace Soccer Association - (Alternate)
B.C. Paraplagic Foundation — Evening
LATE NIGHT: Kinsmen Club of Terrace
Terrace Figuré Skating Club - (Alternate)

+

Thank you! Have a Nice day!

4818 Highway 16 West
DOORS OPEN AT 4:30 P.M.

Terrace Review — Wednesday, August 15, 1990 B7

3

annery brings north coast history alive

The North Pacific Cannery and Museum, a community-based development project in Port Edward,
has retained the rustic fee! of the original site and combined it with modern museum facilities and
display techniques in an interpretive setting. Less than two hours’ drive from Terrace, it makes a
worthwhile visit for those interested in a significant aspect of regional history.

on the floor to guide you.

The old canning lines are in-
teresting; one machine has been
rated at 105 decibels. Ouch! One
entire room is devoted to dis-
plays of nets, fishing gear and
boats used by the coastal set-
tlers. There is a truly awesome
crab ina sea life display that will
make. your, mouth .water. if
you’re a crab fancier! - ;

The cannery store is another
interesting spot. As well as sell-
ing gifts and souvenirs, there is a
full display featuring the
‘original store’. Walk up to the
counter and you'll swear you
just stepped back a hundred
years. Close your eyes and you
can almost hear the distant rattl-
ing echo of machinery and
shouts of the workers.

On special days the cannery
becomes a “‘living museum”
where you can see ropemaking
and netmending. Or you can
rent a rod and tackle and try
angling for salmon, halibut and

Extra

Games

cod from the dock.

The amount of things to see
and do are endless. One word of
caution though: stay within
designated areas. Parts of the
cannery, including some areas of
the dock, are stili awaiting

restoration, and are roped off
and clearly designated as unsafe.
Don’t be tempted to wander into
them.

To truly appreciate the North
Pacific Cannery Village and
Museum, you must see it for

yourself. No amount of litera-
ture even comes close to the real
experience. Operating hours are
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a
week, from Victoria Day to
Labour Day. Off-season tours
by appointment. For more in-
formation, write to:

North Pacific
Cannery & Museum
1889 Skeena Drive
Port Edward, B.C. VOV 1G0
or phone 628-3538

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PRINCE RUPERT 624-5714
737 Fraser St., Prince Rupert, B.C. V8J 1R1

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