A quarterly newsletter with updates on museum going-ons and history tidbits!
A New Year
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Welcome to a new year at the qathet Museum and Archives. Our team has prepared a host of new and engaging programs and exhibits for you to enjoy. The Collection Project in the Centennial Building is still ongoing but we continue to move forward.
Our Annual Report has been published and is available on our website to view here: https://qathetmuseum.ca/news-reports/.
To stay up to date, follow us @qathetMuseum on
From Bunkhouses to Church Corner: The Early Churches of Powell River
by Devan Gillard, Reception and Administrative Assistant
The Early Days
Before the mill and the town that grew up around it, logging operations began to take hold in the Powell River area. As construction camps were established, missionaries traveling from Vancouver began to arrive. Reverend McAuley of Van Anda, Texada Island, was the first to hold regular church services, commuting by boat from the small island. Lay preacher Tom Morrison soon followed, setting up services in a bunkhouse. Around this time, Powell River’s first church board was organized.
In the early years, church services were held in various locations, including a pool hall and the Central Building. By the early 20th century, there was a growing push for a dedicated church building.
Church Corner
In 1911, Powell River’s first church, St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, was constructed in the Townsite. This building was a long single-floor building. Two years later, in 1913, St. John’s Church was built across the street. Initially non-denominational, St. John’s became part of the United Church of Canada in 1951. Three years after St. John’s was completed, St. Joseph’s was
St. John’s in 1916| 1967.1.419 was demolished and rebuilt. While the Powell River Company did not directly involve itself in the town’s faith life at the time, it made significant donations toward both church constructions. Anglican worship in Powell River also began early, with services held in spaces until 1920, when the Powell River Company offered the upstairs of the library to the St. Paul’s Anglican Church (Sycamore St). In 1955, St. Paul’s moved to the town’s first fire hall, located beside St. John’s. The three churches St. John’s, St. Paul’s, and St. Jospeh’s
were in close proximity, forming what is known today as Church Corner.
St Joseph's Catholic church, 1949 | 2007.50.N08071-3
St. Paul’s in 1955 |1967.1.3337
Across the Region
After the establishment of the first few churches, more followed, expanding out from Townsite. The Cranberry United Church was formed in 1925, and in 1933, the Westview United Church Hall opened. In 1971, the St. John’sWestview United Church had the honor of hosting the Queen for an Ecumenical Service during her visit to Powell River.
Over time, many other churches appeared in Powell River and the surrounding areas.
The title of the oldest church in the region goes to tišosəm (Tishosem). The Tla’amin community’s first church dates back to the 1860s. It was rebuilt in 1901, destroyed by fire in 1918, and rebuilt once again.
Article Sources
Powell River News, Feb 1948
Powell River News, Feb 1948
Powell River News, Feb 1948
Powell River News, Feb 1948
Powell River News, Feb 1948
House Histories Vol I page 61
House Histories Vol II page 385
House Histories Vol II page 389
House Histories Vol I page 63
Powell River Company Digester July 25 1925
Powell River News, Oct 26 1933
Powell River News, May 6th 1971
Sacred Heart Catholic Church rebuilt after 1918 fire| 1967 1 4572
Website Spotlight
by Devan Gillard, Administrative Assistant
Powell River Digesters
In 1922, the Powell River district had a population of about 2,100, with the Powell River Company employing around 500 people. By September 1922, the Company’s paper mill was running four machines and producing 5,700 tons of newsprint per month. That same year, Powell River became the first BC community with dial telephones, though access was limited. With news arriving through Vancouver newspapers and via ferry or floatplane and radio still a future development, the need for a local news source arose, leading to the creation of the Digester.
The first issue of the Digester was published on September 18, 1922. For the next five years, it was the sole local news outlet, covering updates from the Powell River Company, the Mill, and the surrounding area, along with entertainment, gossip, and historical content. Initially published biweekly, it switched to monthly starting in January 1923.
The Digester ran until December 1965, with a hiatus from March 1932 to December 1936 due to the Great Depression.
The magazine’s issues, including those from the 1920s, are now available on our website.
Books you won’t find anywhere else
Old Time Stories
Barbara Lambert
Hulks
The Breakwater Ships of Powell River
John A Campbell
$16.95
This book documents the histories of the 19 ships that have formed the famous floating breakwater at Powell River, BC. Long the objects of curiosity and misinformation, their stories are collected here for the first time. From the big canoes, the first steel U.S. Navy warships to be anchored offshore, to the ten peculiar concrete vessels that form the breakwater today, the Hulks are a diverse collection of vessels that fate brought together to form the largest floating breakwater in the world.
$26.00
Old-Time Stories is a collection of tales from Powell River, with some set in Alberta and Saskatchewan. The stories, mostly from the early 20th century, highlight colorful characters who shaped local history. The book's lead story centers on the mysterious hermit, Billy-Goat Smith, a figure surrounded by rumors of crime. The author also explores Smith’s possible connection to the 1906 Stanford White murder. Other stories include Squirrel Soup Jones, Dippie Dippie, a 40year tent-dwelling artist, and anecdotes about old-time dancing, Christmas traditions in Powell River, and family farm life in Alberta and Powell River.
qMAS | Winter 2024 | Page 6
A Poem from the Archives . . .
1993.48.1
Poem found in Poems and Thoughts Written by W.W. Johnson in the 1950s.
“Beautiful British Columbia”
“Beautiful British Columbia
The land of beauty and romance, I think God planned it
As a garden of Eden.
With all its beauty of all nature
With its wonderful mountains Its forests and rivers, Its cataracts and Its many waterfalls. They all abound with God’s gifts to man.
There is wealth untold In its earth that Man has not discovered.
The wealth that has been taken Has but scratched the surface Of this beautiful Province.
Nature has blessed it in many ways Its growth of trees beautiful to behold, Its fertile valleys Are blesses [sic] with many kinds of fruits Which no other province can provide. Its lakes abound with lovely fish Take advantage of them all.
The sunsets are beautiful to behold Painting the sky with vivid colour. It is indeed the Paradise of the west.”
Exhibit Spotlight: Copper Currents
In Fall 2024 we held our first MiniCurators program. Over the course of 13 weeks, local youth researched and developed their own exhibit. They chose to focus on the history of mining on Texada and the sinking of the S.S. Cheslakee.
The exhibit will be up at the museum until May 3rd so stop by and visit the museum to learn what it was like to be a miner on Texada, about the tools and equipment they used, and the last sailing of the Cheslakee.
Also check out our new community exhibit on the history of music in the area. The exhibit can be found in the mall just outside the entrance to Save-onFoods.
Collection Project Update
By Museum Manager, Ava Hansen
Moving into the Next Phase
Autumn 2024 saw significant progress on the Collection Project. As a recap, since August 2023 staff have been engaged in a largescale collection project with the end goal of installing new mobile shelving. The space-saver shelving was installed in May 2024, and by November 2024 all artifacts had been re-shelved.
Now we’re entering Phase 3: Refining where and how artifacts are stored. Think Marie Kondo for museums. With the help of a Community Forest Grant we will be making designated “homes” for artifacts in acid-free storage boxes or with custom-made mounts.
All these measures help to elongate artifact lifespans by protecting them from the ten agents of deterioration: water1. fire2. physical force 3. light4. pests5. pollutants6. dissociation7. incorrect temperature 8. incorrect humidity 9. theft and vandalism 10.
An important part of creating permanent homes for each artifact is logging the home location. This will make it easier for us to keep the Collections Room organized and to retrieve artifacts for exhibits.
