The NOW COQUITLAM, PORT COQUITLAM, PORT MOODY, ANMORE AND BELCARRA
In THE NOW Opinion: A Coquitlam resident writes about “monster homes” in Ranch Park.8
Friday, September 30, 2011
News
A3
editorial@thenownews.com
Ioco townsite comes back to life
Ghost Town Days, set for Saturday and Sunday, feature antique cars, costumed actors
Arts: From the Tri-Cities to head of the Vancouver Academy of Music. . . 12
Parenting: Columnist Kathy Lynn explores the benefits of walking to school. . . . 16
Sports: Charles Best launches another soccer season without BC hopes.. . . 33
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NOW photos by Paul vanPeenen
Mary Anne Cooper, 96, works to preserve the Ioco townsite.
Although Ioco is visible on a map to anyone who scans over the Tri-Cities editorial@thenownews.com area, many people, especially newcomers, are not familiar with the interesting history that Cooper has made a ary Anne Cooper walks across mission of protecting. what, 90 years ago, used to be Origins of the town route back a lawn bowling green. She refto 1913, when site clearing for the erences how things used to be in 1919 Imperial Oil refinery at Ioco began. Ioco, and how things have changed Installation of the crude oil processing from the days of small remote comequipment followed in 1914, and the munities that preceded today’s sprawlrefinery began operating Metro Vancouver. ing in January 1915. She isn’t actually The site was incredfrom the area, but has ibly isolated, with no taken on the preser“Today we may not connecting it vation of its history know our neighbours; roads to other society. The with a fervour, and everyone then did New Delta ferry had at 96 years old, she a scheduled run from stands strongly behind know their Vancouver, which keeping the times neighbours, and stopped at Dollarton, alive from an era she helped each other.” Barnet and Ioco on its remembers first-hand. “It’s the kind of Mary Anne Cooper way to Port Moody. However, the long thing we dream about. Ioco Ghost Town Days commute gave rise to Today we may not many workmen, and know our neighbours; their families, who everyone then did chose to remain near the worksite, and know their neighbours, and helped from this a “tent town” sprung up. each other,” Cooper reminisced. When more manpower was needed Across the road from the grassy at the refinery, the tent town transspace that still bears markers of when formed into a “shack town,” and by it hosted lawn bowlers, sits the old 1917, around 200 people had permaPresbyterian church (now a United nently located to the area. Church) and the schoolhouse, along In 1920, the bulk of what Cooper with several of the town houses. has advocated to be preserved was Cooper applauds the efforts of the built. Imperial Oil had in the previous Port Moody Heritage Society, while couple of years built 15 cottages and a she herself has worked tirelessly on large boarding house on the refinery several successful campaigns: the City site. of Port Moody designated the area as After buying a large plot of land, a heritage site, and against what many considered to be small odds, city coun- Imperial Oil built 83 houses to sell to cil passed a bylaw to protect the site in employees, and all with indoor flush toilets — a luxury uncommon to any 2002. Without these official declaracommunity at the time. tions, construction and urban growth That year, 1920, the company also had threatened to demolish many of built the Ioco grocery store and the the remaining Ioco town structures.
Eva Cohen
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Joshua Manimtim, left, Angela Brown and Daniel Parker are some of the actors who will be in period costume for Ioco Ghost Town Days. Ioco community hall. Later, a tennis court and the lawn bowling green were set aside for leisure time, and two churches were erected, Anglican and Presbyterian. Ten years ago, to celebrate the passing of the bylaw that protects the land and the remains of a community that characterizes a chapter in Canadian industrial and communal history, Cooper began Ioco Ghost Town Days. Created as a fun and free family event, Ioco Ghost Town Days serves in exactly the capacity that preserving the area should do: it shares Ioco’s history with a new generation. Last year, Cooper passed the event on to the Port Moody Heritage Society, but she remains involved in an advisory role. For the 10th anniversary of Ioco Ghost Town Days, the society has organized a two-day event that show-
cases an impressive array of activities that hone in on not a simpler time, but an age where enjoyment was found elsewhere before television and wireless internet. On Saturday, Oct. 1, Ioco residents will reunite at the old lawn bowling green. The following day, Oct. 2, 10 different performing acts will run, along with tours of the town in antique cars, artisan displays, pony rides, kids’ crafts and other interactive treats. While the young may more appreciate the hands-on arts and crafts, car lovers may gravitate toward the meticulously preserved and serviced Model A and Model T cars available for the driving tours. It’s the sort of Canadian history that would wake students up from their naps in the CONT. ON PAGE 4, see ‘WE THINK.’
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