A visit to an old cannery

We woke to a dense fog this morning at the port in Prince Rupert, British Columbia. Our excursion was for 8:30 so the fog was fairly thick when we left the port for an old cannery located about 25 minutes away, near the tiny town of Port Edward, BC. By the time we arrived, most of the fog was burned away and the weather was again just perfect to be out and about.

 

in port, Prince Rupert, British Columbia

 

bus window photo on our way to Port Edward

convenient to railroad

 

cannery built at mouth of Skeena River 

 

remains of cannery workers home at low tide

 

national historic site

 

Founded in 1889, North Pacific Cannery is British Columbia’s oldest and longest-running salmon cannery. Not operational since 1968, it is now a National Historic Site and Museum. Walking through was like stepping back in time, considering the modernized methods of canneries today.

Our guide walked us through the different areas and we saw where the unloading, transporting into the cannery, sorting, butchering, cleaning, slicing, filling and packing, weighing, capping, clinching and sealing of the cans took place. 

 

administrative desk

board lifts to check tide or use bathroom

nets sized to catch salmon

fishing nets and buoys

net storage and repair area

 

rusted tin cans

our guide explaining how the different machinery worked

tools of the trade

historic photo inside cannery

working the nets

After the tour, we had ample time to wander around on our own and walk through some of the small houses that still remain a part of the cannery village. 

Because the area was so isolated and could only be reached by boat or train, it was necessary to provide lodging for their seasonal workers. The labor and housing was divided by race and culture. The Japanese fished and mended the nets while the indigenous people (Indians, now referred to as “First Nation” people) fished and worked the cannery line. The Chinese worked on the cannery line and did the cooking while the Europeans fished and worked in management. Apparently this was characteristic of the early north coast canneries. We were able to walk inside some of the still intact homes, as well as the store where workers could purchase goods and carry out business transactions.

 

some worker houses still remain intact

inside the company store (re-created)

vintage cash register

union workers striking for more pay

because I'm a sucker for vintage advertisements

 

If anyone is interested, here is their website that contains much more information along with many historical photos https://northpacificcannery.ca/ and a timeline of its history is laid out at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Pacific_Cannery_National_Historic_Site.