Agassiz, British Columbia is a farming community near Harrison Hot Springs and where the hop industry began in the 1890’s when A. St. George Hamersley converted over 300 acres into the first commercial hop yard in British Columbia. Because of this, Agassiz is often recognized as the birthplace…
These letters from William McRae, a Royal Flying Corps pilot from Agassiz, British Columbia, offer a glimpse into his daily life during wartime training. Writing to his mother, he shares moments that are both routine and show the uncertainty of miliary life. Written in February and March 1917,…
William McRae’s WWI letters home to his parents describe his journey across Canada as he heads to England to finish his aero training and join the Royal Flying Corps. These letters from William McRae, a Royal Flying Corps pilot from Agassiz, British Columbia, offer a glimpse into his…
In 1916, William McRae made the decision to combine his passion for flying with his duty as a soldier. He left his family’s farm in Agassiz, British Columbia, and travelled to Vancouver to begin his military training. These letters from William McRae, a Royal Flying Corps pilot from…
This post concludes the Hazeley Letter series, a collection of family correspondence between 1896 and 1897 by the Wright family while living in Agassiz, British Columbia. Over the course of this series, these letters have allowed us a rare and personal glimpse into early colonial life in the…
A handwritten account of a Mount Cheam hike isn’t something you expect to find on official government letterhead, but that’s exactly what I came across in the archive at the Agassiz-Harrison Museum. At first it seemed to be a simple story of a hike of Mount Cheam, however,…
This post continues the Hazeley Letter series, a collection of family correspondence written in 1896-1897 by the Wright family living in Agassiz, British Columbia, Canada. These letters provide a rare look into everyday settler life in the Fraser Valley during the early days of the community. By June…
This post explores the early history of Harrison Hot Springs and the families whose ambition and enterprise helped establish it in British Columbia’s formative years. In the early days of Harrison Hot Springs, life revolved around the lake, the new hotel that promised healing benefits, and the potential…
Travelling from Vancouver to Victoria in 1897 In May 1897, travel between Vancouver and Victoria meant boarding a coastal steamer and crossing the Strait of Georgia. In her letter written from James Bay, Victoria, May Wright briefly mentions crossing “on the Charmer,” giving us a small but meaningful…
This post traces the early days of Harrison Hot Springs and the families whose ambition and enterprise helped establish it in British Columbia’s formative years. Introduction The early history of Harrison Hot Springs is inseparable from the Brown and Agassiz families: names deeply rooted in the settlement and…