Letters from Hazeley Ranch: Daily Life in 1896 Agassiz and Harrison Lake

 

Have you ever wondered what life was really like for British settlers in British Columbia during the 1890s? These letters give us a rare, personal look at the daily life in the Fraser Valley. During the most transformative period in Canadian settler history. These letters have been persevered through generations and are now part of the Agassiz-Harrison Museum collection. They reveal how farming families manage their homes, sold butter. They Built churches from scratch and fell in love with the natural beauty around them in the valley. Through May and Cecil’s word, we glimpse not only historical facts, but the lived experiences: train delays, rivers rising and flood concerns and social call.

This post looks at the Wright family’s letters from May 1896.
In them, they share about pioneer life in Agassiz, British Columbia, and the landscape of Harrison Lake. They also describe early tourism, cream production, and how settlers built both community and identity in 19th-century British Columbia.

Letters Home

May’s Letter to Mother- May 17, 1896

Hazeley Ranch, Posted May 21th
Rec’d June 8th Agassiz,
British Columbia
May 17th, 1896

My dearest mother,

So far to-day is a perfect day, sunny & warm so I hope it won’t turn to rain before night, we are going into the station after dinner, Jack went to to see the Agassiz’s, I to see Mrs. Jemmett, & Cecil to see I don’t know who.

On Thursday afternoon Jack and I started with the wagon to take the butter in, when we had got about half way we met Mrs. Brown & Nellie Agassiz coming out to call so I came back with them & Jack went on. They stopped about half an hour & had tea with me. When Mr. Brown goes away one of the Agassiz’s goes to stay with Mrs. Brown. She is the youngest but I like her very much.

I haven’t been up to the Springs yet, but we intend to go soon as we can manage it. I believe Mr. Hamersley came up last night, but we haven’t seen him yet, there was a concert happening last night. On Friday evening, Jack & I went down to the river, it has risen a great deal. There is a great difference of opinion as to whether there will be a flood, it is a very late spring, though.

Last Sunday the train was three & a half hours late & we didn’t have the service till the afternoon at three. Mrs. Jemmett was a little late & they thought she was not coming & I asked me to take the organ & as I had began she asked me to play all thorough & I did. I don’t know whether I shall take it all together or no, I’m afraid I could not get in to practice. The Daily Graphic has come every week & we have had two numbers of the English Illustrated & one of Atlanta.

Jack had a letter from Marien Heard a few days ago, Rose is leaving Morley, I don’t know who they have got in her place. I must go & wash milk tins as I like to leave everything tidy when I go out & it is nearly dinner time, time does fly so here. Minnie & Edith Agassiz came over on Monday & stopped to tea, they brought me some beautiful forget-me-nots & pansies; & Mrs. Gibson gave me two lovely narcissus the other day, so I have some nice flowers.

With very much love,

Your affectionate daughter.

May Wright.

Exploring Harrison Lake and the Hot Springs in 1896

May was right – Harrison Lake and Harrison Hot Springs truly are beautiful and a favourite of mine. In her May letters, she wrote about the breathtaking views and peaceful surroundings, and I can confirm hat hasn’t changed. I have visited both many times and they remain absolutely beautiful and peaceful.

My favourite beach is at Green Point, where the water is crystal clear, warm in the summer, and surrounded by lush forested hills. When you go, get there early and stake your claim at spot on the beach. Most people who go to Harrison go to the beach and lagoon at the entrance of lake. But take it from a local, and go to Green Point.

Harrison Lake is one of the largest lakes in southwestern British Columbia and offers a place to relax, swim, launch a boat, or hop on a harbour cruise. Both are located 130 km east of Vancouver, British Columbia. Despite its popularity,  town of Harrison has luckily maintained it’s small size so the focus remains on the surroundings. Here are some images from Tourism Harrison. Check out their website to plan your own trip to see what May saw.

Historical British Columbia Tourism in Action

Below is a clipping from Vancouver Sun dated July 25, 1896, advertising a Canadian Pacific Railway excursion to Agassiz. While it’s a bit fuzzy, but it shows you the early tourism in British Columbia. It’s fascinating to see how places like Agassiz and Harrison were already become destinations in the late 19th century.

 

Cecil’s Letter to Father-May 21, 1896

Received June 8th
Dear Father,

I am sending you a copy of the valuation list and an account of the money spent on furniture in Vancouver. Harold went down to Vancouver last Monday. One of us had to go & as Harold had not been & had his ticket we thought it best for him to go. One of us had to go to see the creamery men (Major & Eldridge) about taking our cream as we can’t sell any more butter up here. We have up till now been selling in to Inkman the grocer for groceries. But he can’t take any more as he has a ton & a half on his hands. We shall have to buy a separator as they won’t take the cream unless you buy one it will cost $45. I think in some ways it will be a good thing as it will save May a lot of work. Harold came back to-night he seems to have made satisfactory arrangements about the cream. He also went down to Vancouver and saw the Welch Bros & they told him they would take all the grains he could send them In the fall.

With much love to all
I remain your aff. son
Cecil

 

Pioneer Farming and Cream Production in 1890s British Columbia

Dairy farming in 1890s in British Columbia, specifically in the Fraser Valley where the Wrights were staying was going strong- it still is in 2025. Back in the 1890s they had the challenge of not only producing the cream and butter but being able to store it since refrigeration wasn’t an option yet. Cecil faced a common challenge of having too much butter and not being able to store it or sell it. The cream separator that was mentioned was a mechanical device that used centrifugal force to separate cream from the milk. It was a big deal in 1896 because it improved efficiency, required less labour (especially for women like May) and resulted in a better quality product.

Cecil mentions spending $45 dollars on the separator which is the equivalent of $1,600- $1,700 CAD today. It was an investment that was necessary to continue with their creamery. Here is an advertisement in the Vancouver Sun in June 1896. This is likely the same one that the Wrights purchased for their farm.

 

Have you made butter before? If you visit the Kilby Historic Site, they frequently have demonstrations where you can learn to make your own butter. Take a look at their website to see what other demonstrations they have and try it out for yourself.

May’s Letter to Father – May 23, 1896

Received June 11th

Hazeley 
Agassiz
British Columbia
May, 23, 1896

My dearest Father,

Thank you very much for the money which arrived nearly a week ago, the photograph has not come yet, but parcels always take long than letters & it is sure to come next week.
I did not know that a few days ago, when I talked to them about it, Cecil had never written to you about the furniture, he told me he wanted to do it & so I left it to him; he gave me $250 out of which I got all the household items & a good supply of groceries, & I have paid for meat & fresh food service & hope to for some time longer.

Mother thought we might be short curtains, there are just enough of the yellow ones for the sitting room, and the dark blue pair for my room, then I want the boys shelf cut in half for their window & have bought curtains for Jack’s room, his is a really pretty little room, & the Agassiz’s admire mine.

The church is to be built at once Cecil is going to give a days work  (himself & two horses) hauling lumber , when it comes up from New Westminster. It was expected to-day, but has not come yet; Cecil went in to the station this afternoon & the Agassiz girls sent me out a lovely bunch of lilac for my birthday.

On Thursday, Jack & I drove up to the Hot Springs, it was a most perfect day; we went in a boat on the lake with Nellie & Edith Agassiz, it certainly is a most wonderful lake, we went a little way up the Harrison River, which is I think even more beautiful than the lake.

When Cecil has put in the garden he intends to make a drive in front of the house, there is a gate at one end & the garden at the end.  He intends to make a path at the other end. He will get  some loads of gravel to make it dry & nice. He has a great idea & making the place pretty, he says if he stays here he wants to plant two rows of trees right across the field to the the gate into the road, & then gravel the piece between them to make a good drive; there is a large flat piece of ground in front of the house, inside the fence, that I want to sow with grass next year, it would make a beautiful lawn.

Sometime, I intend to go to the experimental farm soon, as everybody says that if I make myself pleasant to Mr. Sharp he would give me a great many plants for the garden. 
Captain Hamersley is staying at the Bella Vista with his wife now, I met him at Captain Jemmett’s last Sunday, he has nearly decided to settle in the valley.

I really want to go to bed, as to-morrow is Church Sunday and I must be up early to get my work done,
With much love,

Your affectionate daughter,

May Wright

May 26th – The photograph has just arrived. I think it is very good & such a lovely frame too, thank you very much for it & please thank Aunt Hester very much for the book. I am sure I shall like it.

Building Community: Churches, Garden’s, and Settler Identity in 1890s Agassiz

Churches played a vital role in settler communities, serving not only as places of worship but also as a social and civic hub and Agassiz was no exception. The earliest advocate for church construction in the area was Mrs. Agassiz, who championed the building of the churches in Agassiz. It was a communal effort to build the churches, as May’s letters mentioned, Cecil donates his and his horses time to building the new church. There were logical challenges to build the church because they had to wait for the lumber to arrive from New Westminster by train.

Although Harrison Mills, a short distance away, had timber and sawmills, the lumber for the church was sourced from New Westminster, which by the 1890s had become  a major commercial and shipping hub. New Westminster had the advantage of its direct connection via the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Fraser River steamboats, which made it easier to ship the processed lumber. Churches needed milled lumber that was more readily available in New Westminster instead of rural mills such as Harrison Mills.  You can visit the same station that Cecil and others did to pick up the lumber. The Agassiz-Harrison Museum is inside the original CPR station house although it has been moved to the opposite site of the train tracks. Check it out here.

This collaboration of community labour, resource coordination, and logistical planning reflects how settlers worked together to transform a rugged landscape into a lasting home. In the same letter, May also describes her plans for the garden, lawns, and tree-lined drives, showing how settlers weren’t just focused on survival in a new place, but on the beauty of their new homes. These touches were a way of importing British ideals of domesticity and landscape in an unfamiliar land.

Together the churches and gardens represented more than physical structures- they were symbols of belonging, stability, and identify in an development settler society. May even planned to visit the Experimental Farm in hopes of receiving plants, reflecting the importance of gardens, not just for food but for community pride and personal expression.

Behind the Scenes

Do you wonder why I only post pictures of some of the letters?

Yes, some are beautifully written like the one above and are easy to follow. Others are written on thin paper and use heavy black ink on both sides that bleeds through. Transcription of these ones are much harder and so I don’t post them on here. Below is the first page of May’s letter to her Mother on XXXX. You can see how much harder it is to read. Reading and writing cursive is becoming a lost art and letters like this make it more even more challenging.

May tends to write a lot more in her letters than her brothers. Her writing is very visual and helps us see how she views her surroundings. She helps us see how her home is set up and the beauty that is Harrison Lake and Harrison River. Her brothers’ letters that are shorter and more direct in reporting the events, although more emotional letters are coming soon.

 

Why These Letters Matter

These letters were nearly destroyed as they were passed through multiple sets of people to tell the story of the Wright family. After arriving at the Agassiz Harrison Museum, it was clear that these letters were rich in local history and captured the early years of the town with great specificity, and offered a peek into the family and settler life in 1896. Letters like these humanize the settler experience. They show the daily lives of the people who lived during this time and make it more relevant to people today.

Through transcription and research of these letters, new insights into settler life and the town have been discovered.

Related Posts From the Hazeley Letter Project

• Inside the Life of May: Ongoing Research and Revelations

• WWI Soldier Spotlight: The Story of 2nd Lieutenant Harold Purton Wright

• Life in 1896 Agassiz: Mining Hopes, Farming Plans, and the Mysterious Sister Francis

• 1896 Letters from British Settlers: The Wright Siblings Begin Their Journey to Canada

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