COQUITLAM, B.C., Dec. 5, 2022 – Many residents may not be aware that Fraser Mills – the former sawmill site and up-and-coming neighbourhood in south Coquitlam – was once an independent municipality with its own elections, taxes and a multicultural community.
City Archives staff have pieced together fascinating insights into life in the Corporation of the District of Fraser Mills – which existed from 1913 to 1971 – after arranging and describing about three metres’ worth of the District’s original records (known as fonds). These important stories enhance our understanding of Coquitlam history and are featured in the Archives’ newest online exhibit, The Corporation of the District of Fraser Mills Fonds, posted at www.coquitlam.ca/frasermills.
Multicultural Community Revealed
Citing economic reasons, Fraser Mills broke away from Coquitlam in 1913, taking 390 acres of land. At the time, it was home to Western Canadian Lumber Company, one of the largest lumbering operations in the world, and a population of more than 800. The two governments amalgamated almost 60 years later, making Fraser Mills a rare example of a municipality that no longer exists, and its records a precious commodity for archivists and historians.
Digging through financial accounts, hospital invoices, letters and other documents, Archives staff found evidence of the District’s day-to-day work as well as a multicultural community that included not only people of Francophone and European heritage – but also people with Japanese, South Asian and other backgrounds.
For example, a 1935 Royal Columbian Hospital invoice unlocked the story of Kiichi Maruyama, a naturalized Canadian born in 1896 who worked as a latheman at the mill. During a dark chapter in Canada’s history, Maruyama, his wife and six children were, tragically, removed from their Fraser Mills home and sent to a Kaslo internment camp in May 1942.
Indicators of a well-established South Asian community at Fraser Mills – with its own Sikh Temple, or Gurdwara – were also found among hospital records and other documents.
District election records listing eligible voters – most of the names European, election after election – also provide a glimpse of life in that era for people of non-British backgrounds.
These and other discoveries detailed in the new online exhibit help fill in the blanks about life at Fraser Mills, and reflects a commitment to ensuring the City Archives document the lives, perspectives and contributions of all residents – including the stories of marginalized individuals who may not have held traditional positions of power.
Explore Online Exhibits
The City of Coquitlam Archives webpage of www.coquitlam.ca/onlineexhibit features 20 online exhibits on a variety of topics. Archives staff produce a new exhibit each quarter, mining the Archives for insightful and sometimes quirky stories about Coquitlam’s past. Some exhibits also share information about new acquisitions and highlight upcoming events.
Each online exhibit marries engaging text with scans of documents, maps and photos to bring the subjects to life. For example, online visitors can spend time learning about the local business that was Canada’s first plywood producer, Coquitlam’s First World War soldiers, early scrapbooking efforts, Colony Farm’s Holstein herd, the Westwood racing circuit, psychiatric nursing at Essondale, the 1981 B.C. Summer Games and more.
About the City of Coquitlam Archives
The City of Coquitlam Archives serves a dual purpose: to preserve and to make accessible. Since the inception of the archives program, the Archives has been raising its profile to encourage people to use its services and discover the trove of records in the collection.
For more information about the City of Coquitlam Archives and to view its collection of online exhibits on various topics, visit www.coquitlam.ca/cityarchives.
Media contact:
Jamie Sanford
City Archivist
604-927-3900
archives@coquitlam.ca