Events for December of interest to BC Collectors

*Check back regularly for any additional inserts

to  Jan 2nd -   Free admission

  Burnaby Heritage Village Museum

on Canada Way, Sprott Street exit from Hwy 1,  Burnaby

Hours:  to Dec 12th  1 to 5:30 pm on weekdays, 1 to 5 pm Sat/Sun

then daily 1 - 9pm   * closed Dec  24/25

Dec 6th Sat - 6:30pm       

   In the Land of Headhunters  

 at Cinamatheque Theatre  1151 Howe Street  Vamcouver.

A restored 1914 film on the Kwakwaka  BC First Nations (AlertBay- Bella Coola region) directed by legendary photographer Edward S. Curtis. First North American feature film with First Nations cast.

Dec 7th Sun - 10am - 3-pm

   Retro Design & Antiques Fair

at Croatian Cultural Centre  Victoria Drive Vancouver

Dec 11th  Thurs 

   Fraser Valley Antiques & Collectables Club 

 at Queensboroough Community Centre in New Westminster

Dec 21st  Sun

  Vancouver Postcard Club

at Hasting Community Centre in Vancouver

The Vancouver Peace Medal - 1919

Nov 6th, 1919 ----from The Colonist, Victoria

courtesy of University of Victoria

            

This is one of the medals as referenced above:

The copper medallion  is part of the Museum of Vancouver  collection, as donated by Audrey Ward, who had received it as a schoolchild in 1919.

For Lease: Brewery in New Westminster and othe random December 4th BC historical news items...

1883  -  from the Colonist, Victoria
courtesy of University of Victoria

Chance to have your own brewery 

and some other stories from the past few days' dates:

Dec 1st, 1892  -  from the Daily World,  Vancouver

courtesy of  www. newspapers. com

Stamp collecting excitement

Dec 1st, 1900  - from The Leader,  Moyie

courtesy of  UBC Special Collection Department

Mean pranks in the old saloon

 December 2nd, 1892  -  from Kootenay Mail,  Revelstoke

courtesy of  UBC Special Collections Department

Dress warm for this!

December 3rd, 1884  -  from  Mainland Guardian,  New Westminster

courtesy of  Google Newspaper Archive

Hold onto your horse...

December 4, 1954  -  Chinatown News,  Vancouver

courtesy  Simon Fraser University Library

A great Christmas gift suggestion

November 30th today in BC historical news....

Random BC news articles for this day way back in...

1900 ...from the  Salt Lake City Herald

       Courtesy of US Library of Congress:

1899 ...from the Victoria Colonist

         Courtesy of University of Victoria:

Friday November 28th posting.....

Been pretty busy with other projects and obligations lately folks, but to let you know some more stuff will be posted here from time to time so check regularly if you like what you've seen so far.  This is a new endeavor on my part and learning as I go so it becomes a real quality offering.

At some point will be some more in depth collectables and their stories but in the meantime I can perhaps at least post up some random historical news stories.

Thanks for your interest, and patience!  --BEM


  TRUE CRIME STORIES OF BC

--from the  Cariboo Sentinel 
 on November 27th, 1869
 Courtesy UBC Special Collections department

THERE'S  WHISKY IN THE BARREL, RIGHT?

--from the Hot Springs Journal,  Ainsworth 
 on November 28th, 1891

 Courtesy UBC Special Collections department

November 11th Remembrance Day

"...guys don't die like they do in the John Wayne movies"

This was said by a Canadian veteran describing the moment his buddy get picked off by a sniper in World War Two.  He said it took one bullet, and it was over. The story was one in late British Columbia author Barry Broadfoot's "Six War Years 1939 -1945" published in the early 1970s as part of a series of oral history books. Really, this book is required reading.

This morning on the news I heard something I hadn't known before, about a 25 year old soldier named George Price from the Maritimes, who met the same fate, just minutes before hostilities ceased as armistice took effect on this day in World War One. Ironically, the locale was at Mons on the notorious Western Front where the first battles of the conflict occurred. He was the last Canadian soldier killed in World War One and is buried there. Buried nearby are the first and last British soldiers to be killed. 

This reminded me of a friend of mine , the late Danny Mancktelow who was an Australian veteran in World War Two, later with Canada in the Korean War.  In the occupation of Japan he was assigned to Hiroshima where he met a Japanese woman and married her, eventually immigrating to Canada --and not without difficulties from the government due to being in a mixed marriage.  He wrote a self published book on his life called "Atsuko and the Aussie". His opening chapter began with: 

    

   "I will always remember the morning of August 14th, 1945--the morning that peace was announced. We were in the front line and the day before we had been ambushed by a machine gun nest while on patrol. Two of our men had been killed--two who had seen action all through the Middle East, had been in the Battle of Tobruk, and were members of the famous Rats of Tobruk. We decided to attack the nest at dawn on the morning of August 14.

    "Our usual procedure was to cut a pack of cards to see who would go ahead as a forward scout. I drew the two of spades that morning and my buddies all offered to change places with me. This offer was always made but rarely accepted.

    "We were just about to move when word came through of peace. I will never know what my fate might have been on that morning in Wewick, New Guinea".

The majority of service personnel killed are young people, who nowadays we still label as "kids" even when they are in their twenties. But they grew up and old very fast by their fate, without experiencing so many joys of regular youthful life.  Then there are the civilians too, the massive sacrifices of war discriminate against no one.  It is very tragic too, the mental toll upon many surviving vets.

When it comes to collecting, the Patriotic theme is just so visible for those of us pursuing our objects of desire from over 100 years ago.  " For Queen & King and Country" were the mottos of the day.. Canadian companies used the Beaver and Maple Leaf in trademarks and advertising, with loyalty to the Mother Country & the British Empire so prevalent.  The arms race of the day centered on the buildup of navies and this was reflected in product graphics; examples are shown by these BC salmon labels:

---courtesy of Vancouver Maritime Museum

---courtesy of Province of British Columbia Archives

In Ontario the city of Berlin had been named in recognition of the large number of German immigrants to the region in the 1800s. They changed the name to Kitchener in early World War One as a patriotic gesture, Lord Kitchener being a British general.   The J.M. Schneider meat products company did something similar to profess their loyalty to the Crown.  Look at these ads and notice the change:

Despite the massive casualties suffered in "The Great War"  patriotism and use of military theme continued here in the early 1920s and noticably dropped off in use of graphics by the 1930s, though lots of companies promoted slogans such as "Buy British" and "Empire".

1921 ads for Westminster Brewery,  New Westminster BC

found in the Daily World , Vancouver BC

courtesy of www.newspapers.com

One of the showpieces in my own collection is this general store 18" x 30" calendar calendar issued by Purity Flour with its allegory of a soldier kneeling before "Canadiana".  It was found many years ago in an abandoned farmhouse in southern Manitoba by the fellow I purchased it from. 

This is for the year 1920 and you'll notice the date of the war as 1914 - 1919,  it recognizes that further activity took place as the Allies attempted briefly  to support anti-Boshevik forces in the newly declared Soviet Union.

And to share another item,  here is a recruiting poster for the Royal Canadian Navy from May, 1945.  It is a 11" x 21" placard ad salvaged by someone many years ago from the interior of a BC Electric Company streetcar in Vancouver. To join up you'd go to HMS Discovery, the station at Deadman Island in Coal Harbour at Stanley Park:

Going through my postcards, I found this one from Kamloops in World War I.  Don't know if this is a common view or what.  Anyhow, lots of postcards were done at departure days for the troops.  This is a pretty early one maybe given the date being August 28th, the war not even a month old yet.  Then a friend shared another by same company; perhaps there were several taken at the same time:

These cards were issued by A.G. Taylor who is shown in the Jeffries Directory for Kamloops as having a stationery store at 341 Victoria Street,  with a store in Vancouver and residence is shown as Vancouver.  

Novermber 9th random news items in BC history...

1905...from Vancouver Daily World,
courtesy of  www.newspapers.com

1902...from  New Denver Ledge,
courtesy of  BC Historical Newspapers Online
UBC Special Collections department

British Columbia history collectables for a rainy day

BC 150  Virtual Museum by Emily Carr Art & Design School, Vancouver.

This is a decade by decade look at artifacts and relics, ephemera and collectables from each decade of British Columbia since 1858.

If you did't catch this the first time, why not on this wet day outside grab yourself a tea or coffee and then check it out now. 

Highlight this web address and right click to access:

http://bc150.ecuad.ca/museum.html

 Once you go to the home page click on the decade links on left side to view dozens of amazing items.  Enjoy!

Kaslo and Nelson BC 1896 on November 7th

  "Highs & Lows" you might say....

Some folks would do anything to get a drink...

During BC's  official Prohibition from 1917 to 1921 the only legal drinks one could get over the counter was "near beer" which a much weaker product than the regular stuff.  For those who desired stronger spirits, they had better be in good with their doctors as it could be obtained with a prescription on an official British Columbia government form:

But one fellow decided he wanted to speed things up, as evidenced in the following article printed on this day back in 1919, in The Colonist newspaper of Victoria:

---courtesy of  British Colonist Online  1858 - 1920

University of Victoria

Details of the Vancouver Brewery robbery November 5th, 1907

from The Colonist, Victoria
The British Colonist 1858 - 1920 Online
courtesy of University of Victoria

        1907 --Vancouver:

November 5th BC historical news articles from the past

Vintage signs, old bottles and news for today in BC's history....

Soda pop signs...

Here are a couple of soda pop signs spotted out at the little cafeteria at Heritage Village Museum in Burnaby. They are most likely reproductions but still very nice.

The Thorpe company was started in Vancouver in 1889. They added branches in Victoria and Nelson in the 1890s and remained in business until the mid-1920s. Their bottles and ginger beers are highly collectable Their flagship label was called Red Hand Brand.  

This bottle was salvaged during the demolition of the Pantages Theatre in Vancouver a couple of years ago, very scarce and maybe even that this version of label was ever known by collectors prior. There are some diamond shaped Thorpe labels which exist.  They ran quite a range of flavours.  We'll likely come back to Thorpe & Co. in future.

And here is the other sign at Heritage Village. Orange Crush was sold in Vancouver from near the end of World War One, with their plant or warehouse located in Gastown. Ads in the local newspapers up thru the 1930s featured Lemon Crush and Lime Rickey as well as the flagship Orange Crush. 

BC's old bottles, ginger beers & syphons...

If you love old bottles from British Columbia, then you really must check out these great sites (thanks you guys for putting them up!);   Just highlight and right click:

     1.  http://www.theouthouse.ca

     2.  http://members.shaw.ca/limebay/
     3.  http://oldstuff.ca/Antique_B.C.html


Now, some stuff from the old newspapers for today's date....

Today November 3rd in BC History news story...

...from Atlin and Sandon,
Courtesy of  BC Historical Newspapers online,
    UBC Special Collections department----

Today in BC history news story...

...courtesy of University of Victoria
British Colonist 1858 - 1920 online

Issue of November 2nd, 1907

Pioneer Series - David Hart

Courtesy of  British Colonist 1858 - 1920 Online,
                                                     from the University of Victoria,  issue of November 2nd, 1907:

Pioneer Series - William Ladner

Courtesy of University of Victoria British Colonist Online,
                                                                                                                   issue of November 2nd, 1907

Upcoming events for BC History & Collectables

*check regularly for additions

Currently ongoing --Spring 2015   1954 British Empire Games Special Exhibit 
10 am - 5pm daily   Admission $15  BC Sports Hall of Fame at BC Place Stadium, Gate A  in Vancouver
http://www.bcsportshalloffame.com/visit-us/museum-exhibitions-galleries/

5th  Wednesday -- Canadian Forestry and Railway troops in WWI Canadian Expeditionary Force in Western France
6:45pm  Free   Vancouver Public Library (Dunbar branch)
This talk by Peter Broznitsky will describe Canadians, many of our province, who did logging and construction of the railways in the Western Front areas of France.

6th  Thursday -- Curator's Talk - Artware: Northwest Coast Design & Everyday Objects
 7 pm  Admission $15   Museum of Vancouver in Vancouver

 http://www.museumofvancouver.ca/programs/calendar

9th  Sunday--  Antiques Show 
8:30 am - 5 pm    Admission $1.75  Vancouver Flea Market in Vancouver
http://vancouverfleamarket.com/

9th, 16th, 23rd, &30th  Design Sundays: Housing for a Connected City series
2:30 pm - 5:30 pm   Admission $15   Museum of Vancouver in Vancouver
 http://www.museumofvancouver.ca/programs/calendar

13th  Thursday--  Fraser Valley Anitques & Collectables Club monthly meeting
Queensborough Community Centre, 924 Ewen Avenue in New Westminster
7 pm - 9pm  Guests welcome. Buy & Sell, meetings often have a short talk on a theme.

13th  Thursday -- Surveying Southern British Columbia
7pm   Free   Vancouver Public Library (Central branch downtown)
Author Jay Sherwood will present his new book about early 1900s surveyor Frank Swannell's work.
http://caitlin-press.com/our-books/surveying-southern-british-columbia/

15th  Saturday--  Free historical talk: "The Wild McLean Gang and the Price Paid"
1pm  - 3 pm   Admission is free    Agassiz Museum in Agassiz
.The story of this gang of youths who terrorized the BC Interior with tragic consequences in the late 1870's is being told by local historian John Mitchell through 200 photos, short videos and oratory, with questions taken at the end of the presentation.
http://itsmysite.com/bchistory/

15th  Saturday & 16th  Sunday-- Historical Arms Collectos Society of B.C. show
8:30am - 1pm  Free admission  Operating Engineers Hall in Burnaby
http://www.hacsbc.ca/

16th  Sunday-- Sports Collectables Show
10am - 4pm  Bonsor Recreation Centre in Burnaby
http://www.bossashows.com/

16th  Sunday --The Main Street Vinyl Fair
11am - 5pm  admission $4   Heritage Hall  at 3102 Main Street in Vancouver
 www.vinylrecordfair.com

16th  Sunday--  21st Century Flea Market
7am Early Bird admission $20  10am general admission  $5   Croatian Cultural Centre in Vancovuer
http://www.21cpromotions.com/flea_market/index.html

16th  Sunday -- Historical advertising postcards of Vancovuer
Van couver Postcard Club monthly meeting topic
12 Noon at Hastings Community Centre in Vancouver  Guests are welcome free/
Neil Whaley will present a talk featuring many of his postcards with advertising in old Vancouver.
http://vancouverpostcardclub.ca/

16th Sunday-- Victoria Stamp & Coin Fair 
9 am - 5pm  Admission is free.  Comfort Inn Victoria Downtown
http://www.vicstamps.com/pdf_docs/stamp_directory.pdf

17th  Monday--British Columbia & The Great War
7:30pm  Free  Vancouver Public Library (Central branch downtown)
Some interesting stories of life with World War One going on, from Dr. James Wood

18th  Tuesday -- Canoe Crossings: Understanding the Craft that Shaped British Columbia
7pm  Free   Vancouver Public Library (West Point Grey branch)
From his recent book of same title, Sanford Osler  gives an illustrated talk on canoes & kayaks.

19th  Wednesday -- Life and Art of Harry & Jessie Webb
7pm  Free   Vancouver Public Library Central branch downtown
Presented by Adrienne Brown with a look at two prominent artists in the 1950s-60s bohemian art and poetry scene in Vancouver.   This talk is derived from her book of the same name  that is the seventh in a series of unheralded artists of British Columbia from Mothertongue Publishing, Saltspring Island.

21st  Friday -- Short films: A Community Remembers  and  We Have Stories
6:30pm   Free  Vancouver Public Library (Central branch downtown)
VPL's  Aboriginal Artist in Residence  Rosemary Georgeson shows her two recent films which the first describes the role aboriginal woman played in the fishing industry of British Columbia, the second being about aboriginal youth today.  In collaboration with research film maker Jessica Hallenback and Dory Nelson, associate professor UBC.


22nd  Saturday-- Historical Fashion Show: "From Rationing to Ravishing: Vancouver Women's Clothes during the 1940s & 50s
7pm   Admission $15   Museum of Vancouver in Vancouver
 http://www.museumofvancouver.ca/programs/calendar

27th  Thursday--   French Canadians in British Columbia
7 pm  Admission is free, Museum of Vancouver in Vancouver
Jean Barman will trace the history of French Canadians in BC from the fur trade day to present.
 http://www.vancouver-historical-society.ca/events.htm

28th & 29th -- Vernon Collectors Club Show/Sale
Friday  3pm -  8 pm  Saturday  10am - 4pm   Vernon Recreation Centre in Vernon
sumas@shaw.ca

December 5/6  --  Vancouver Stamp Fair
Friday 11am -6pm  Saturday 10am -4pm  PNE  Holiday Inn Express Hotel in Vancouver
http://www.vicstamps.com/pdf_docs/stamp_directory.pdf

Local  eBay item a couple days ago!
United Distillers Vancouver BC whisky keg.

Date unknown but between 1922 and 1950s.
Sold for $96 Canadian plus another $48 for shipping.

 For the definitive history of United Distillers check out this article by Jason Vanderhill:
http://vancouverisawesome.com/2012/07/22/illustrated-vancouver-vol-26-united-distillers/

:* will be posting the occasional auction item from time to time when I spot a good B.C. item. --EM

Firecrackers Redux...

Good Things come in threes, 
           plus a bonus track since it's Halloween !

Some real crazy stuff on YouTube about firecrackers. Check out these three videos.
Highlight then right click...

Goofy!
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppl4Jos0weM

Even goofier!
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UectM7IU0dM

Goofiest of all !
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOBiuXII4X0

Goofier than Goofiest of all, LOL !
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQOKvaYmPFQ

Let's start this blog site off with a bang, why don't we !

 Just heard a couple of firecrackers.....
     Halloween is kicking in now that it is 6pm and getting dark...

Not like the old days back in the 1960s & 70s here in North Vancouver BC  though,  when it was really something as that that sulphur smell filled the air and everything. 

 Firecrackers got banned years ago but still somehow some find a way to get them today.  Now you can't even have regular fireworks in City of North Van though up in the District and in Vancouver you are allowed with a permit. Only firecrackers allowed in Canada now are by permit for use in Chinatown New Year festivities.

In the early 70s when firecrackers weren't allowed here anymore, you could still get them out in Port Moody and beyond.  All the little Chinese corner stores with those cool pop signs all over them used to clear out their little deli counters and cram them full of bricks of firecrackers. 

I know this because my best friend's Dad had bought a property out near Stave Falls and we;d go out there on the weekends when his Dad was going to work on his family retirement cabin.

So we got the chance to buy firecrackers along the way.  Then. back in town, we would sell them here to our school buddies and with the profits be able to afford to buy bricks for our ownselves in the following weeks.

The first one we'd stop in at was Eddie's Market in downtown Port Moody, then I recall there was the Mary Hill Market in PoCo, and the Webster's Corner General Store then Iron Mountain Store & Gas Station almost out to my friend's property which was run by a younger fellow named Dick who was just the nicest, friendliest guy with a big smile and always had time to talk with us.

A couple places I remember that had firecrackers for sale in those days: Lions Gate Market on Marine Drive by Bowser,  the Windmill Hobby Shop at Park Royal, and at Jim's Market at 25th & Lonsdale at the sw corner of the Trans Canada Highway--at that place you had to say a certain code word know just for them to decide to sell them to you. There were a couple of stores up in Lynn Valley that sold them too, the Jack and Jill Market and maybe Mountain Highway Martket at Frederick. Not sure if the ones at the top of Lynn Valley Road or the Allan Road stores had them, it wouldn't surprise me though.

I guess the last time I bought firecrackers  here in North Van was probably at Halloween time 1973 . I heard from a girl in my art class who lived down at the Squamish Nation Reserve that a little cigarette shop called The Tomahawk,  next to St. Paul's Catholic Church on the Mission Reserve was getting them in off the ships in the harbour.  I told a couple neighbour friends a couple years older then me who had cars so we went down there.  There was a lineup at the cigarette shack but we had got there early. Word was that it would be about another half hour maybe at that point.

The lineup kept building up and then it started getting rowdy. A lot of pushing and shoving around and you had to just stand up to it.  Finally this station wagon pulled up and everyone cheered as boxes of bricks of firecrackers were being passed through the door.  Tons of them. My friends and I got what we could with the money we brought and had a great time.

A guy I knew who was the last guy to run Queensbury Market at the bottom of the Boulevard in North Van who is about my age (mid-50s) told me they used to sell firecrackers at his store too.  He remembers going with his Dad and Uncle over to east Hastings Street to a big place that was a big seller of them. I forget the name of it but I remember going by on the bus in those days and seeing the giant banners advertising firecrackers.  Gary the guy from Queensbury Market remembers it was a massive warehouse full of them.

From my collection --a couple of letterheads from a Vancouver fireworks & firecrackers firm:

Though I remember the odd other brand around, these are the  labels were the most common that I remember in the early 70s  

  *and by way you can see hundreds more firecracker labels with their great art at

Highlight and right click:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mrbricklabel/sets/72157629314898477/

OK folks that is it for now, going to get out and see the Trick or Treatin' kids out there !