The 153 Mile House is one of the last surviving roadhouses built along British Columbia’s historic Cariboo Waggon Road. During the Cariboo Gold Rush, thousands of miners, freight teams, and travellers passed through the region in hopes of striking it rich. They stopped at the houses at the…
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 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…
Family tension was high as not everyone was pulling their own weight to make their farm run smoothly. The Wright letters from Agassiz April 1897 show us what life was like for those settling in the Fraser Valley. This post examines a series of letters written in April…
In May’s letters from December 1896, she shares how settlers in Agassiz, British Columbia gathered for the Odd Fellows Ball: an all-night social event that offered warmth, music, and connection during a long Fraser Valley winter. In two letters home, May Wright describes dancing until dawn, winter travel…
Follow along the journey of the famous Bride Ship – the SS Tynemouth – as it sailed from England to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. This post is all about the journey of the men and women of the SS Tynemouth in 1862. Among them a man who would…
Follow along with the British Columbian settlers, Wright siblings, as they build a new life in Canada while farming on the land their parents had rented. Each week, they write back to their parents in England, updating them on how farming is going and everyday lifein Agassiz, British…
As the first signs of spring begin to emerge and the soil becomes warmer, the planting season officially begins. It is a time of new growth, fresh opportunities, and deep-rooted traditions. For farmers, it marks the start of a long days in the fields and hope for a…