It is winter after the New Year for the Wright family in Agassiz, British Columbia. Continuing their story from New Year in Canada, 1897, these letters show how daily routines, winter labour, and community life resumed as January turned into February.
This post explores This post explores how daily life continued for the Wright family in Agassiz, British Columbia, during late January and February 1897, as winter routines, community obligations, and regional pressures shaped their experiences after the New Year.
Winter Life in Agassiz, British Columbia
By late January 1897, winter life in Agassiz had settled into a demanding rhythm shaped by cold weather, transportation limits, and economic uncertainty across the Fraser Valley. The Wright family’s letters show how closely everyday life was tied the regional infrastructure and seasonal pressures.
Train 97 on the Maria Slough Trestle Pulling Into Agassiz, British Columbia in 1905
Railway Fires and Winter Hazards in Agassiz, British Columbia
As the Wright family lives close to the train tracks, one of the most immediate dangers comes from fires sparked by the trains. May describes two fires that spread quickly and threatened their barn. Her quick-moving brothers were able to burn fire guards around the barn to stop the flames, but the damage still happened. Such fires were an ongoing risk to small inter-connected communities where these sparks could cause large fires with little warning.
Train Going Through Snow During Winter. Mount Woodside in Agassiz, British Columbia
Winter Travel Disruptions and Transportation Challenges in the Fraser Valley
Always dependent on the trains, Harold recounts the cancelled performances and delayed arrivals caused by landslides and bridge failures along the railway lines and how that is just a part of winter life in Agassiz. Mail and passengers were routinely delayed or turned back altogether and short journeys required flexibility. One could end up stuck for days or need to venture out on the tracks to complete their journey.
Canadian Pacific Railway Train 2702 Circa 1886-1936
Gold Mining, River Prospecting, and Survey Work Near Yale and Harrison Lake
At the same time, the region was being shaped by ongoing mining surveys and speculation. Harold’s visit to Yale brought him in contact with miners working along the riverbanks for gold, earning modest but steading incomes. May’s letters mention Captain Jemmett’s survey work up Harrison Lake, reflecting on the continued interest in new mining sites and commercial opportunities.
Hay Shortages, Farming Pressures, and Agricultural Life in Winter 1897
Finally the letters highlight the agricultural stress caused by regional hay shortages. With minimal hay available up-country, cattle were moved into Agassiz area, and Cecil was tasked with sourcing and storing hay for a fellow farmer.
Winter Life in Agassiz
Haying at Howick Farm in Agassiz, British Columbia
Letters
Harold’s Letter to Mother-January 27th , 1897
In Harold’s letter he apologizes for not writing often and tells his mother about his recent trip up to Yale where he stayed with Reverend Croucher. He often shares about the garnets he was given during his trip and how he made new friends.
Hazeley Agassiz Saturday 27th
Dear Mother,
I know I have been very bad about writing but there seems as if there was nothing to write about just the same thing day after day, it is time since the snow has come it has been better.
About two weeks ago I and May went up to Yale to stay with Mr. Croucher, May only stopped from Saturday till Tuesday and I stopped on for ten days. I had a very jolly time there Mr. Croucher is a splendid host, he allows you to do just as you like, I spent most of my time wandering about by the river.
There were a lot of Chinamen up there washing for gold they do not make fortunes at it but them make very fair wages about 1$ to 2$ a day. I met one very nice chinaman who I made great friends with (with the help of my cigarette case) he showed me some nuggets he had found, he was very proud of this as gold is generally only found there in dust. Just before I came away he gave me a lot of small garnets he told me he could get them by the pail full, I am send some I found myself to you though I am afraid though they are not worth cutting.
When I got back here there were large placards up all over the place advertising an opera company was to perform the next day, but the next day we heard thar there had been land slips up the line and bridges had given way down the line so they could not get here but they would come the next day and so we were told till last night when they turned up in the middle of the night with the leading lady very unwell so they cannot act and they do not know when they will be able to.
I have been spending most of my time the last few days making a banket for my favourite horse Prince and I am glad to say I finished it to-night and he look very nice in it. There is nothing more to say so Good bye with heaps of love
From Harold.
May’s Letter to Mother – January 30, 1897
May’s letter to mother she shares the continued fundraising activities which include a dance and a cancelled opera performance. Their hired man debates joining Captain Jemmett when he goes up Harrison Lake to survey new spots to accommodate the gold mining rush that is happening. She also recounts the two fires that occurred recently and her relief that everyone survived.
Rec’d Feb 18th
Hazeley Agassiz, B.C. January 30, 1897
My dearest Mother,
The boys are talking so it is difficult to write. We have been to lunch at the Agassiz’s to-day, the boys had a rehearsal & I had a choir practice, I came out of on the cord wood each with Mt. George, it is not an over comfortable thing to ride on.
Mr. George is thinking of going up the Lake this week with Captain Jemmett surveying, he will be away about a week, I don’t know what he is going to do this year, he can’t make up his mind whether to start a store at Harrison Lake, or go to — to Rossland; I think he is better than he was I have been giving him a tonic and he is much more cheerful; he will worry so about what he is going to do.
To-morrow is church Sunday, afternoon service. The next concert is on Thursday week, the rehearsals for the play seem to be a great meddle, both the boys are acting. Cecil & I went to call on Mrs. Smith on Wednesday, she seems a pleasant sort of girl, her people are Irish & live up country near Vernon.
One of Mr. Hamersley’s — died about a week ago, he was pretty old as Mr. Arthur Agassiz says he was first here in Agassiz.
We have had two pretty bad fires both started by freight trains and one was last Monday, there was a high wind & the fire spread very quickly. The boys thought at one time they would not be able to save the barns, they burnt fire guards & let the fire burn itself out, it was very pretty after dark but it soon went out as there was a white frost, the second was on Wednesday it did more damages as it burnt a long — fence worth about $50 the boys say; but we are not responsible for that according to the lease, fires burn very quickly here. There really is nothing to say this week.
With much love,
Your affectionate daughter,
May Wright.
May’s Letter to Mother – February 6, 1897
In this letter, May shares with her mother her an Cecil’s plans to give Harold more work so that Cecil can focus on the field work. Harold also receives the neighbours when May is out and is quite flustered by the experience but does well.
Hazeley Agassiz, B.C. February 6, 1897
My dearest Mother,
The winter seems almost over now, Cecil has been ploughing almost everyday this week, & we let out the stove in the sitting room after breakfast & I only light it in the evening; the boys ha e been cutting and drawing wood, they have got a pretty good supply now, of course they ought to cut up enough before the hard work begins to last all summer.
Harold is taking great interest in a farmer association they are starting here, he goes up to meetings about once a week, it doesn’t seem to be they do much, but it is a great opportunity for talking & they all take advantage of it. Harrold airs his opinions pretty freely, he makes us roar well with laughter when he tell us afterwards what he has been saying.
Our hens have been laying a little lately, we get about two eggs a day; Harold has been pruning fruit trees & raspberry cases, I only hope he will go on — the garden. I haven’t passing time to do much, & it helps out so with house keeping, we missed vegetables so last year, we want Harold to undertake the garden & dairy this year, but at present he says he can’t, then Cecil could go straight out to field work in the morning & work with & look after, the hired man all the time. it would really be hard work for Harold lest he can’t stand feeling he has got to do a thing if he won’t considerate it I don’t know how we shall manage the work; the dairy would take him about 2 1/2 hours in the morning & same at night & he would have to take cream to the station twice a week. The garden of course would take just as much time as he cared to give . Oh Iforgot the chicks, we want him to take them too, but he is so particular, he says he doesn’t care to do it —. He can start fresh with good birds etc.
Cecil is going to drive Nellie Agassiz to the Springs to-morrow. Mrs. Smith returned my call on Wednesday, I was out & Harold received them, he said he was in such a fluster he didn’t know whether he ought to talk to them or go & make the kettle boil for tea. After all the poor things had their long walk without tea; Nellie & Edie also came the same afternoon but Harold managed to serve them tea all right.
One day I had been out with Mr. George & didn’t get back till about seven o’clock and found the boys & Nellie & Edie in the middle of a very good tea that Harold had cooked for them. Mr. George has given Susan to me, I am very glad as I am very fond of her.
Everything is going much as usual. Love to everybody.
Your affectionate daughter,
May Wright.
May’s Letter to Mother- February 12, 1897
In May’s letter to her bother she discusses her plans to go away for a week to keep her friend happy, a missed opportunity for Mr. George, and frustration with the mail. There is a shortage in hay outside of Agassiz, so Cecil goes to procure some for a fellow farmer.
Hazeley Agassiz, B.C.
February 12, 1897
My dearest Mother,
The parcel you send out by Mr. Hamersley came to-day, the Chalice veil is very nice, I will write to Mr. Gordon; & thank you for the butter hands.
I have been out to the Springs to-day to see Mrs. Farwell, I started at about half past ten & I walked nearly there when a man who goes by the name of Andy overtook me & gave me a lift. Mr. Farwell drove me to the station & I walked back by the track; I am going out there next Fridayfor a week. The Doctor has gone to Ottawa for a month & Mrs. Farwell is alone. Captain Jemmett has gone up the Lake to survey these new mines, Mr. George was to have gone with him but he never got the letter about it til the day after they started, it was too bad of Mr. White as Harold was at the Post Office & asked for the mail & he didn’t give him Mr. Georges; but I think it was just as well he didn’t go as his tooth has been pretty bad again.
Captain Chilmendoly has written to the boys again about cattle, he says there is absolutely no hay up-country so the is going to bring his cattle here & wants Cecil to buy up hay for him & gave them in our barns. The grass is good enough to turn them on the prairie. Cecil has gone out this evening to see what Burkitt will sell his hay & he is going to meet the Captain at the station to-morrow to arrange matters. They will make a little by the arrangement I suppose.
I am painting the kitchen ceiling which was black with dirt, I have some paint left over from doing the sitting room last year, Mr. George did about half of it when I was out this afternoon.
It is snowing now, but it doesn’t look as if it would be much, we have had a fairly fine week, some rain.I have a choir practice to-morrow afternoon, if it is wet I think I will stop in till Sunday as it is morning service. Minnie wanted me to stop there to-night . The concert is next Tuesday, the play seems to be better than it was, there are two more rehearsals.
It is getting near bed time so I must stop,
With much love,
Your affectionate daughter,
May Wright.
Why Letters Like These Matter to British Columbia History
The Hazeley Letters offer a rare and unusually detailed record of everyday settler life in Agassiz during the late nineteenth century. Unlike official records, newspapers, or promotional literature, these private family letters capture how ordinary people experienced migration, work, weather, community, and celebration in real time.
The Wright family’s winter life in Agassiz in 1897 demonstrates the ongoing struggles particularly for women. These letters remind us that settler life was not defined solely by hardship or optimism, but by constant negotiation between familiarity and adaptation.
Importantly, the Wrights were not prominent figures. They were neither politicians nor major landowners. Their significance lies precisely in their ordinariness. Through descriptions of cancelled performances, trips to Yale, gold panning and handfuls of garnets, the letters illuminate how communities functioned at a human scale in the Fraser Valley.
Preserved today at the Agassiz-Harrison Museum & Archives, the Hazeley Letters survived only narrowly. Their survival allows historians like myself to reconstruct aspects of local history that would otherwise remain invisible. By transcribing and contextualizing these letters, we gain insight not only into the Wright family’s experiences, but into the broader rhythms of settler life in British Columbia in 1897.
The letters reproduced in this post are transcribed verbatim from original manuscripts held at the Agassiz-Harrison Museum & Archives. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation have been preserved to maintain the integrity of the original documents. Editorial introductions and historical context have been added to assist modern readers and to situate the letters within the broader social and historical landscape of nineteenth-century British Columbia.
This post forms part of an ongoing research and transcription project examining the Hazeley Letters and the Wright family’s settlement in the Fraser Valley.
Jodie Foerster is a history student at the University of the Fraser Valley and a Museum Assistant and Researcher at the Agassiz-Harrison Museum and Archives. She specializes in British Columbia's settler history and archival storytelling. Learn more on the About page
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