STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS WORKSHOP - MISSION COMMUNITY HERITAGE COMMISSION MARCH 3, 2021 - District of Mission
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MISSION COMMUNITY HERITAGE COMMISSION STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS WORKSHOP MARCH 3, 2021
MISSION COMMUNITY HERITAGE COMMISSION STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS WORKSHOP
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION 2
2. COMMUNITY HERITAGE PROJECTS 4
3. COMMUNITY PLANNING PROJECTS 12
3. COMMEMORATION & INTERPRETATION TECHNIQUES 15
ATTACHMENTS
§ Historical Chronology of Mission
§ Identifying Places of Heritage Value in Mission
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MISSION COMMUNITY HERITAGE COMMISSION STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS WORKSHOP
1. INTRODUCTION
This package provides background information for a workshop to be held on March 3rd, 2021
with the Mission Community Heritage Commission to determine strategic directions for short-
term initiatives that will engage the general public and demonstrate the community benefits of
conservation.
Included is a list of potential projects for discussion, that can be considered over the next two
years, with the following parameters:
• Projects should be cost effective to ensure funding has the most direct impact on
physical conservation work;
• Projects should be high profile enough that they will attract public attention and
stimulate local interest in heritage conservation; and
• Projects should be self-directed, considering there are limited Staff resources to monitor
and assist.
BACKGROUND
Heritage Sites currently listed on the Heritage Register:
• Fraser River Heritage Park
• Mission Memorial Centre
• Mission Museum
• Stave Falls Power House
• Xá:ytem
• Mission Fairground (SOS)
• Mission Post Office (SOS)
Attached to this report for reference are an ‘Historical Chronology of Mission’ and ‘Identifying Places
of Heritage Value in Mission.’
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WORKSHOP SUMMARY
COMMUNITY HERITAGE PROJECTS
• ‘Century Homes’
• Local Historic Churches
• Historic Schools or Previous School Sites
• Historic Commercial Buildings
• Local Cultural Communities
• Local Industries
• Company Towns [Stave Falls and Ruskin]
• Early Communities and Neighbourhoods
• War Veterans
• Early Cemeteries
• Sports and Recreation
• Historic Events
COMMUNITY PLANNING PROJECTS
• Downtown
• Waterfront Revitalization Masterplan
• Neighbourhood Community Plans
COMMEMORATION & INTERPRETATION TECHNIQUES
• Commemorative Plaques
• Interpretive Signs
• Storyboards
• Story Stones
• History Stones
• Monuments
• Interactive Technology
• Wayfinding
• Vinyl Wraps
• Street Banners
• Online Information
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2. COMMUNITY HERITAGE PROJECTS
‘CENTURY HOMES’
https://calgaryheritage.org/wp/century-homes-calgary2/
Example: Calgary Century Homes
The project saw an exceptional level of engagement centred
on Calgary’s historic houses. Hundreds of homeowners
participated by researching their homes, creating story signs,
and displaying signs and banners on their front lawns.
Volunteers were involved with guiding homeowners,
producing and distributing banners, and creating interactive
online maps and a database of stories and photographs for
participating homes. Calgarians were inspired to stroll through
historic inner-city communities to read the story signs, or to
interact electronically with the online maps and stories.
The project has ended but the engagement continues.
The Calgary Public Library is now home to the Century Homes
legacy database for the houses. Archival information
associated with the Century Homes Project now resides at the
City of Calgary Archives.
LOCAL HISTORIC CHURCHES
Collect information on the early churches of Mission,
existing or historic, including gathering existing church
histories and conduct further archival research. Can be
published online or as a driving tour pamphlet.
Left: Vancouver Daily World, December 12, 1901, p.3.
Below: Mission Methodist Church [BCA B-07903]
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HISTORIC SCHOOLS OR PREVIOUS SCHOOL SITES
Identify existing or
historic school sites,
and interpret using
signs or plaques.
Can be published
online or as a
driving tour
pamphlet.
Ferndale
Elementary School,
Mission, 1952 [BCA
I-22808]
Champion, Alberta
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HISTORIC COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS
Research and identify historic
commercial buildings, either
existing or historic. If existing,
provide archival images and
information for display in the
business. If no longer existing,
provide plaques, signs or online
information, or develop a walking
or driving tour.
Mission Meat Market, 1910. [BCA
B-07880]
31170 Dewdney Trunk Road, one of the last remaining village buildings from early Stave Falls.
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LOCAL CULTURAL COMMUNITIES
Research local cultural communities and settlers. Celebrate and commemorate through interpretation
or public art.
Japanese float in May Day parade, Mission, 1930s. [BCA B-01066]
LOCAL INDUSTRIES
Research, interpret and commemorate local historic industries, such as logging, agriculture, and power
generation.
"Glenbrook Creamery", Mission City, 190-. [BCA B-07893]
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Ruskin Development. [BCA I-52897]
Elevated view of Ruskin dam and power plant construction,
August 2, 1930. [BCA I-52099]
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COMPANY TOWNS [STAVE FALLS AND RUSKIN]
Craftsman style house, 1924, 31145 Dewdney Trunk Road, near Stave Falls.
Ruskin Crescent
EARLY COMMUNITIES AND NEIGHBOURHOODS
Research, interpret and commemorate early communities and their history. Mark through interpretive
signage, monuments and plaques. Initiate social media pages.
COMMEMORATE WAR VETERANS
Research and commemorate local military service people. Identify and commemorate local burials of
veterans.
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EARLY CEMETERIES
Mission’s cemeteries include Hatzic Cemetery, the Oblates of Mary Immaculate cemetery and
Westminster Abbey Cemetery.
• Example: Maple Ridge Museum clean-up days and Cemetery Guidebook:
http://mapleridgemuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Cemetery-Guide-sm.pdf
SPORTS AND RECREATION
Identify historic sporting
activities and teams.
Locate historic playing fields,
and provide historic
interpretation or public art
that commemorates sporting
activity.
Mission Baseball Club, 1920
[City of Vancouver Archives
99-3243]
“Play Ball” public art in
Hammond Park, Maple Ridge.
Also includes vinyl wraps that
tell the history of local
baseball teams, including
archival images and historic
quotes.
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COMMEMORATE HISTORIC EVENTS
Floods 1894 Mission City B.C. [City of Vancouver Archives LP 248]
Commemorate and
celebrate historic
events through
interpretive signs,
vinyl wraps, etc.
“1 Million Bushels”
Champion, Alberta
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3. COMMUNITY PLANNING PROJECTS
PROJECTS TIED TO AREAS
• The Downtown and the Waterfront are key areas of City initiatives and could be a focus.
• Other initiatives could be tied to, and support, neighbourhood community plans
DOWNTOWN
• Identify and commemorate Legacy Businesses
• Undertake research about individual buildings and their history
• Provide archival images and information about commercial buildings that can be displayed in
storefronts.
• Identify opportunities for banners, signs on poles, vinyl wraps, other signs and plaques
• Can include wayfinding as well as interpretation
Mission Strawberry Festival Parade, 1949. [BCA I-27632]
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WATERFRONT REVITALIZATION MASTERPLAN
• Can interpret the Fraser River: history and industry
• Interpret First Nations: relationship to river / fishing
• Identify natural resources / ecosystem
• Identify broader opportunities for interpretation
• Can include wayfinding (including street naming) as well as interpretation
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NEIGHBOURHOOD COMMUNITY PLANS
• Identify historic resources in neighbourhoods, in advance of planning initiatives
• Identify other features such as First Nations trails and histories
• Identify broader opportunities for interpretation
• Can include wayfinding (including street naming) as well as interpretation
• Identify and mark historic road names
https://www.surreyhistory.ca/historicroadnames.html
e.g., Parr Neighbourhood Plan
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4. COMMEMORATION & INTERPRETATION TECHNIQUES
Commemoration and/or interpretation can be provided for historic sites or buildings. There are many
different methods of identifying heritage information. The following section presents some ideas of the
way in which historic sites can be identified and commemorated, and their stories told to the public. This
can be site-specific (dealing with an individual site) or apply to a group of sites or an area.
COMMEMORATIVE PLAQUES
Typical of many civic heritage programs, cast brass or bronze plaques are used to mark protected
buildings and can also convey basic historic information (usually no more than 200 characters). These
can be mounted on the building/structure itself or else on a separate stone, cairn or monument.
INTERPRETIVE SIGNS
Are the traditional method by which to convey the history of a site. Can be mounted at the site, and may
be fabricated from a variety of materials. Can include text and images. Can be mounted on poles, or as
freestanding panels.
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STORYBOARDS
Storyboards, placed in public spaces, are a great way to learn more about history.
Example: Port Moody.
https://www.portmoody.ca/en/arts-culture-and-heritage/storyboard.aspx
STORY STONES
Larger stones can be engraved with text and outline images through sandblasting to provide a
permanent and relatively vandal-proof method of conveying information. Example: Vancouver.
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HISTORY STONES
Example: Port Moody has placed several historical stone markers in locations around Port Moody to
commemorate people, places, and events that have played an important role in our history. Explore
community history through stone markers.
https://www.portmoody.ca/en/arts-culture-and-heritage/stone-markers.aspx
MONUMENTS
Interpretive cairns and monuments can explain site history.
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INTERACTIVE TECHNOLOGY
In some recent examples, interpretive panels have begun to incorporate digital and web-based
technologies, thereby enhancing the traditional read-only format. Interpretive boards can become part
of public art when they are made new and creative through innovative imagery and technology. More
than simply telling the history of a place, interpretive public art boards can create an atmosphere and
convey the true story and meaning of a place. Websites, phone applications, and downloads are
progressive, interactive and artistic ways to express the history and heritage value of a place. Easily
accessible by anyone with an internet connection, these media allow people to experience a site
without having to physically be there. Web-based art allows artists to reach a wider audience and offers
the possibility of collaboration and community building. Web-based material is easy to update and
change and can evolve along with the site and community.
WAYFINDING
Is an interactive and visual way of incorporating the history of an area into the everyday physical fabric
of the community. This can include special street signs, street furnishings and complementary street
works, that visually communicate to a resident or visitor that they are entering an identifiable, unique
area. Community branding can incorporate the development of logos, the creation of unique, place-
specific street furnishings or signs, and can incorporate the use of public art (symbols, flags, street
ornaments, bike racks, garbage containers, sculptures) to convey the ‘feel’ of the area. Historic photos,
activities and logos can be used as inspiration for the creation of community branding.
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VINYL WRAPS
Can be used to display archival images and historical information.
• Example: BC Hydro’s decorative wrap program:
https://www.bchydro.com/news/conservation/2017/wraps-resist-graffiti.html
STREET BANNERS
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ONLINE INFORMATION
Websites can provide extensive historical information and can be easily updated. They can also be
interactive, and can solicit information from the public, including nominations of potential heritage sites.
Social media (e.g. Maple Ridge Community FaceBook pages.
• Example: surrey History, Heritage Burnaby websites.
https://www.surreyhistory.ca/index.html
https://heritageburnaby.ca/
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APPENDIX B: HISTORICAL CHRONOLOGY OF MISSION
A brief chronological history of Mission describes some of the main events that shaped its development.
Area inhabited by the Skayuk tribe (now extinct) of the Sto:lo Nation
1808 Explorer Simon Fraser discovers and names the Fraser River, passing near Mission
1820s Europeans arrive in the Fraser Valley
1841 First arrival of Catholic priest in the area
1858 Fraser River area becomes a staging post for the Caribou Gold Rush
1860 250 homesteading families settle in the Fraser Valley
1861 Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) establish residential school for native boys
1868 Sisters of St. Anne start a residential school for native girls in conjunction with above
1870s French Canadian Catholics are encouraged by the Oblates to settle at Durieu
1871 British Columbia joins the Confederation of Canada, telegraph service comes to Mission
1884 Oblates register a map of the townsite of St. Mary’s Mission in New Westminster
1885 Canadian Pacific Railway mainline opens for local traffic
1887 Transcontinental service begins with regularly scheduled passenger service
A railway station is built at St. Mary’s landing
1891 The townsite of Mission is laid out and construction underway in advance of the auction
of lots on May 19, 1891 by Horne
The CPR Station is relocated to the west side of Mission City
1892 Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes shrine is built
Corporation of the Municipality of Mission is established
1893 Board of Trade founded to promote Mission; first of its kind in BC
1894 First annual Agricultural Fair is held in Mission, hosted by the Board of Trade and
touted as the longest running fair in BC
Fraser River floods, devastating the town; the town relocates up hill
Washington Street, the main street, is first serviced with electric street lighting
1900 Road west connects Mission to Stave Lake, a logging camp and saw mill are
constructed
1890s Commune founded at Ruskin on the Stave River, only lasts three years. E. J. Heaps &
Sons purchase the sawmill and commence operations
1900 Growth of the dairy farming industry in the northern Fraser Valley
1907 Telephone service arrives in Mission
The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce is built on First AvenueD i s t r i c t o f M i s s i o n H e r i t a g e C o n t e x t P l a n | 59
1908 Fraser Valley Record newspaper is established bringing news to Mission
1909 Drinking water is piped downhill using a basic waterworks system
1910 CPR rail bridge is converted from wood to steel construction
BCER electric line is completed on the south side of the Fraser River
1913 Western Power Company Stave Falls dam is completed bringing electric power to the
area, touted as the largest power plant west of Niagara Falls
Stave River shingle mill later becomes the largest shingle in BC
First movie theatre opens on Main Street
1917 Fraser Valley Milk Producers Association formed
1921 3,025 permanent residents live in the Mission municipality
1922 Mission settlement area exceeds 1,000 and it is granted the status of “Village”
Downtown street names are changed to reflect local character
1924 CPR introduces refrigerated railway to preserve produce during shipping
Chinatown in the Mission flats is razed by fire; the Matsqui Hotel burns down
1925 Construction of Mission’s first purpose-built hospital on 5th Avenue
Mission Golf and Country Club and Mission Court House are founded
1927 The CPR planks the rail bridge connecting vehicles to points south
1929 The Municipal Hall opens on First Avenue, shared with the Village of Mission
1931 Completion of the Ruskin Dam
1935 Mission Post Office is constructed at the corner of Second and Welton
Swimming Pool is constructed; mercury vapour street lights are introduced
1942 Federal government orders the evacuation of 550 Japanese-Canadians living in Mission
to internment camps, impacting the local berry growing industry
1945 Canadian Bank of Commerce donates its bank building for use as a lending library, later
to become the Mission Museum on Second Avenue
1946 The first Strawberry Festival is held in Mission
1947 Soap Box Derby event is first held in Mission and enjoys widespread success
1948 Banks of the Fraser River flood, a state of emergency is declared
1951 Mission’s population is 8,000; Abbotsford’s population is 14,000
1952 Eaton’s Department Store arrives in Mission
1953 Benedictine monks construct Westminster Abbey and Seminary Christ the King (opens
in 1957)
1955 A span of the CPR rail bridge collapses and takes 13 months to be repaired
Farmers Union of BC founded to represent Mission berry and dairy farmers
1957 Mission applies for status of Town, to be governed by a Mayor and CouncilD i s t r i c t o f M i s s i o n H e r i t a g e C o n t e x t P l a n | 60
1958 BC’s first municipal tree farm is created in Mission
1959 Mission Plaza Shopping Centre opens
1961 St. Mary’s Mission native residential school closes and buildings demolished
The E.B. Eddy Match Company, largest match manufacturer in the world, shuts down;
Mission’s population is 10,000; Abbotsford’s population is 20,000
1962 The Mission and Ferndale Correctional Institute opens
1965 Mission Memorial Hospital opens on Hurd Street
Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes is destroyed
1968 Mission Roller Rink opens
1969 Mission Town and District amalgamate into the District of Mission
1972 Mission Arts Council is formed and Museum opens in CIBC building
1973 A four lane highway connector and vehicular bridge is constructed over the Fraser
River
1974 Mission Municipal Hall opens on Stave Lake Street
Cancellation of Mission’s Soap Box Derby
1975 Eatons Department store relocates to Abbotsford’s Seven Oaks Mall
1977 Construction of the Mission Leisure Centre is underway on the Old Fairgrounds site
1979 Mission Loggers Days are cancelled
1986 Fraser River Heritage Park created on the St. Mary’s Indian Residential School site
1992 New Mission Raceway Park opens
1996 Reconstruction of the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes shrineIdentifying Places of Heritage Value in the District of Mission
All Saints Anglican Fraser River Railway Museum Building
Church Bridge Nurses Residents
Anglican Church Friendship Centre Ogle Park
Vicarage G. A. Abbott Plumridge’s General
Abbott Block Building Store
Abbot Farm House Grotto Plumridge House
Allanson Hardware Hayward Lake Trail Post Office Building
Bannister’s Theatre Hepstonstall Farm Powerhouse at Stave
Bellevue Hotel Historic downtown Falls
Bowie’s Bakery Hougen Block Prospector’s Trail
Building Indian friendship Routledge House
Butter-Inman Farm Centre Ruskin Powerhouse
Centennial Park Japanese School St. Andrews United
CIBC building (First Lane House (33026 Church
Avenue) Second Ave.) St. Anthony’s
City Hall (First Lawn Bowling Club Church
Avenue) Leisure Centre St. Joseph’s Catholic
Clarke’s Estate Grounds – Church (First
General Store Fairgrounds, Building 3295
Courthouse Strawberry Festival, Second Ave.)
Soapbox Derby, St. Mary’s
Crist block Logging Show, Boat Residential School
Eddy Match building Festival, Track &
Field, Military St. Mary’s Ukrainian
Elks Hall Training Grounds, Church
Ferncliffe Gardens May Day, Sporting Silverdale
Ferndale School Events elementary school
(First) McRae House Silverdale Hall
First Hospital Masonic Hall Silverhill Hall
First Legion Mission Arts Centre Silvermere Wetlands
Building, Mission City Record
Community Events, Soapbox Derby
Office Track
Dairy farmers’
conventions Mission Memorial The Olde Stove
Hospital (Present) Works
Fraser River
Mission Museum Tree farm
Fraser River (Bank of Commerce
Heritage Park, OMI
Building, First West Coast Express
lands, St. Mary’s, Westminster Abby
Library)
Pow Wow, Folk
Festival, Old Car Mission Raceway Windebank Building
Sunday, Henry Mission Sikh temple Xay:tem
Jacobsen Rose
Garden Mission WaterfrontYou can also read
