The Nikkei in Pre-War British Columbia
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Contributed by the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre.
Slides in this album |
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IntroductionClick the icon to read the introductory text. |
JCCC
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Fishing - Fishing boat, Steveston, B.C.Scores of Canneries were jammed along the mouth of the Fraser River of British Columbia because of the abundance of salmon during the 1800s and 1900s. Many Japanese migrated from Wakayama-ken to the village of Steveston, the centre of the Canneries. The Cannery owners welcomed the Japanese newcomers and offered … |
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Fishing - Gathering fish, Steveston, B.C.The Japanese were heavily involved in the fishing industry along the British Columbian coast in the early 1900s. Salmon and herring were the major catches. The Nikkei operated fish salteries and the fish were exported to Japan. Nanaimo on Vancouver Island was the centre of the herring industry during this … |
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Fishing - Mending nets, Steveston, B.C.Mending the fishing nets was a vital task for the fishermen. This was done during the off-season. |
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Fishing - Imperial Cannery, Steveston, B.C.For many women who came to Canada, often as picture brides, it was a harsh, dreary existence. They stood for hours in cold canneries, cleared and cultivated land or worked and cleaned for single men in bunk houses, taking time off only during pregnancies. |
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Fishing - Whaling, Rose Harbor, Queen Charlotte Islands, B.C.Until whaling was phased out, many Japanese were seasonally engaged at the whaling station at Rose Harbor in the Queen Charlotte Islands. Cutting up the large mammals was not a pleasant form of employment in the early 1900s. The men also worked at the Ikeda copper mine on the island.
Fishing - Whaling, Rose Harbor, Queen Charlotte Islands, B.C. |
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Logging - 1920's - Fraser Valley, B.C.The Fraser Valley along the Fraser River in British Columbia was a rich and fertile area. Logging and sawmills dotted the Valley until the depleted forests and depressed markets closed the mills. The Japanese who used to work in these industries decided to stay and farm as well as wanting … |
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Logging - Kagetsu Saw Mill, Interior of B.C.Eikichi Kagetsu came from Wakayama-ken to Canada in 1906. His vision was that lumber was the future and Canada with its vast forest was the source. The timber entrepreneur formed the Deep River Logging Company in 1929 to purchase 300 acres at Fanny Bay on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. He … |
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Farming - Nakano Strawberry Farm, Port Hammond, B.C.The Upper Fraser Valley was the heart of the berry industry in which the Japanese grew a range of crops and raised poultry. Strawberries became the domain of the Japanese. The shorter, more agile Japanese accustomed to stoop laboring in rice paddies, weeded, hoed and picked the fruit with relative …
Farming - Nakano Strawberry Farm, Port Hammond, B.C. |
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Farming - Hops, Shin Farm, Wharnock, B.C.When the strawberry market reached its saturation point, the farmers sought other crops. With the pick up of the economy due to the threat of war in Europe, the demand for fermented brew was soaring. Hops is the essential ingredient in the brewing of ale. Nikkei farmers were just beginning … |
Events at the JCCC
Life in the Canadian Internment and POW Camps
1942 - The Canadian Government's Policies of Mass Evacuation, Internment and Expropriation of Property
The Nikkei in Pre-War British Columbia
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