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The Powell River Company


The Powell River Company was built on traditional Tla'amin Nation land, called  tiskʷat, which was inhabited by the Tla'amin people long before European contact. Following the sale of Lot 450 and Governmental Surveys, the Tla'amin people were forced to relocate to the Sliammon Creek Village (IR#1). Read more on Lot 450 here. 

In 1885, Alfred Carmichael surveyed possible BC power sites for paper mills and in 1989, Powell River with its water potential (snow melt into Powell Lake) was recommended to the province of British Columbia as a site for a paper mill.

In 1901, the BC Government issued 21-year pulp leases to encourage industrial development in the province. The Canadian Industrial Company then purchased the Powell River leases.

In 1908, Dwight and Anson Brooks, with M.J. Scanlon, from Minnesota, purchased the leases held by the Canadian Industrial Company, A year later, they incorporated the Powell River Company and in 1912, the PR Co. No. 1 Paper Machine produced the first salable newsprint produced in BC. 

Excerpts from the Powell River Mill Story by Bill Thompson, 2001 

In 1908 a paper mill in B.C. was deemed a risky pioneering venture: the population was small; political conditions were unsettled; major markets were far away and there was no Panama Canal. But Dwight F. and Anson Brooks, with M.J. Scanlon, saw possibilities. Brooks and Scanlon had operated a large sawmill in Minnesota since 1901. They purchased the 134,551 acre leases held by the Canadian Industrial Company and, the following year, incorporated the Powell River Paper Company with an initial capital of $ 1 million. 

While the Brooks Scanlon interests were logging in the Stillwater area, 13 miles south of Powell River, Dr. Brooks and M.J. Scanlon recognized the potential of the Powell River and Powell Lake system as a power site. Loggers were already on the scene—the Michigan and Puget Sound Company’s railroad ran through what is now the Powell River Townsite.


Dr. Brooks and his associates secured power rights at Powell River in 1910. Late in that year, construction workers were on the job, clearing the stumps left by loggers and slashing away the thick growth of small timber on the proposed paper mill site. A portable sawmill was installed to cut the trees cleared from the mill site into lumber for construction.

The mill would be a first for B.C. Others had tried, but none had succeeded—not a single roll of newsprint had yet been produced in the province. Machinery and supplies had to be brought in. Thousands of tons of construction materials arrived, and the most urgent need was for a substantial wharf. Its construction was begun immediately and extended several times, being finally completed in 1913. Passengers and freight for the entire district arrived at that dock until the 1st of May 1946, when the Westview wharf was completed.

Throughout 1910 and 1911, and into the spring of 1912, the huge project at Powell River took form: the site was cleared; production buildings were erected; heavy machinery was imported and installed; a power dam was constructed. Powell River had a state-of-the-art newsprint mill.

As plant construction proceeded, the Company realized that the planned two-machine mill would not meet their needs, and the design was doubled. More financing was necessary and, in February 1910, the Powell River Company Limited, with $4 million capital, replaced the Powell River Paper Company. To ensure a constant supply of logs for the mill, the Company purchased extensive timber holdings on the mainland, on Vancouver Island and north to the Queen Charlotte Islands. Those reserves would be increased as the mill expanded.

A great deal of power is required to drive a paper mill. Development of the Powell Lake potential required building a dam across Powell River. The project would need to be completed in time to supply power when the first paper machine was ready for operation. There was a waterfall at the site. Alfred Carmichael had measured its height as 118.6 feet above sea level. The location, for hydro-electric development, was unusually favorable. The narrow-necked Powell River extended from the lake into the new Townsite. Natural rock formations at the narrow point made a perfect dam site. Construction of the dam began in 1910.

​The Company suffered two major disasters related to the hydro power development: In October 1911, No. 1 Penstock burst, damaging property and delaying construction; in March 1912, the concrete canal carrying water from the dam, which had been an expensive and major construction project, collapsed, causing suspension of all work. These two mishaps caused considerable damage to the mill. There were some who thought the Company should cut its losses and abandon the entire venture, but the management refused to quit. 

No. 1 Machine was ready for warming up in April 1912. It started at 604 feet per minute, faster than any other paper machine, anywhere, had ever started. Almost at the end of that month, one of the horses powering the mill’s narrow gauge railway hauled the first drag of Powell River newsprint to the wharf storage.

In May of the same year, No. 2 Machine was also making paper. It was somewhat larger than No. 1,  and produced a sheet 145 inches wide. It operated at the same speed as No. 1. At that time, the two machines were rated among the fastest in the world. They were not at full capacity, but they were making paper. In that same month of May, the first roll of newsprint produced in British Columbia was shipped from the Company wharf, carrying the Powell River Company label. Before the end of 1912, the Company entered the overseas market with a shipment of newsprint to the Western Pacific Herald, at Suva in the Fiji Islands.
Picture
Mill laborers pose with the first rolls of paper produced at the Powell River Company mill, 1912. (ID P04765)
Picture
Paper Machines No. 1 and No. 2 Crew, 1912. (ID PC000051)
Picture
Aerial view of the mill and Townsite looking north from out over the strait, 1927-30. (ID 1967.1.137)
Picture
Mill wharf, loading paper on ship, 1915. (ID 1967.1.201)
Trucking paper using a two wheel handcart on the Powell River Company wharf, 1915. (ID ND002059)
Loading rolls of paper for transport on the Powell River Company wharf, 1915. (ID ND002060)
View of the Powell River Company mill looking northeast from the ocean, 1916. (ID ND002066B)
Crane unloading lime rock at the Powell River Company wharf, 1916. (ID ND002179)
Steam plant construction including the chimney stack, 1923. (ID 1967.1.458)
Powell River Company wharf train loaded with paper, 1923. (ID 1967.1.508)
Grinder room, including views of the grinders, turbines, grinder block and flume, c. 1918. (ID 1967.1.575)
Powell River Company dam in the Townsite, 1923. (ID 1967.1.622)
Winter mill scene looking north west from Golf Course, 1930. (ID 1967.1.136)
Filing room floor in the Sawmill, 1924-1930. (ID 1967.1.159)
Construction of the Groundwood Blending Tanks, 1935. (ID 2007.50.01478)
Screen Room Building, 1946. (ID 2007.50.01542)
Guiding logs up to the Barker Mill building from the Log Pond, 1946. (ID 2007.50.01664)
Newly constructed Cafeteria. The Cafeteria had a modern design, equipped with oil burning stoves, steam stock pots, dish-washing machines and up to date refrigeration. The dining room was 30 ft by 70 ft with capacity for 208 people, 1945. (ID 2007.50.01783)
No. 7 and No. 8 Paper Machines, 1950. (ID 2007.50.02738)
View of the 'Mill Loop', 1951. (ID 2007.50.02861)
Construction of the parking lot roadway from Marine avenue to the office, 1954. (ID 2007.50.03752)
Construction of No. 5 and No. 6 Paper Machine Room, 1926. (ID 2007.50.04226)
Exterior of No. 5 and No. 6 Machine Room, 1926. (ID 2007.50.04257)
Powell River Company wharfs and waterfront, 1934. (ID ND000078)
Preparing rolls of paper for shipment in the Finishing Room including a wooden case and wire strapping, 1928. (ID P00126)
Two workers in the finishing room at the Powell River mill readying a roll of paper for body wrapping. Accurate checking and measurement of each reel of newsprint are golden rules for plant operators in Powell River, 1959. (ID P00149 )
Mill laborers pose with the first rolls of paper produced at the Powell River Company mill, 1912. (ID P04765)
Early construction of the Powell River Company mill site as seen from the water, 1910. (ID P04772)
View of the Powell River Company mill taken from the wharf, 1920-1926. (ID P04773)
Cars lined up in front of the Powell River Company garage on First Street (Arbutus Avenue) in Powell River's Townsite, 1923-1930. (ID P05619)
Paper Machines No. 1 and No. 2 crew, 1912. (ID PC000051)
Portrait of Anson S. Brooks one of the the founders of the Powell River Company, c. 1923. (ID PH000611)
Portrait of Dwight F. Brooks one of the the founders of the Powell River Company, c. 1923. (ID PH000613)
Portrait of Michael J. Scanlon one of the the founders of the Powell River Company, c. 1923. (ID PH000794)
Picture
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​4790 Marine Avenue, Powell River BC

© 2023 qathet Museum & Archives
​Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of material on this website. Dates and times are subject to change. 
Territorial Acknowledgement 
The qathet Museum & Archives is located on the traditional territories of the Tla’amin Nation. The Museum is committed to collaborating with all Indigenous peoples of this province including the Tla'amin Nation. We acknowledge the harms of the past, are committed to improving relationships in the spirit of reconciliation, and we extend our appreciation for the opportunity to live and learn on this territory. ​Emote!
  • Exhibits
    • Current Exhibits
    • Forestry Building
    • Virtual Exhibits >
      • Riveting Women
      • Symphonies of the Sunshine Coast
      • Capturing Mountains
      • Story of Cedar
      • Powell River Firsts
      • Rod LeMay Collection
  • Collections
    • Objects
    • Archives >
      • Research Requests
      • Indexes & Finding Aids
      • Archival Descriptions
      • Powell River Digester
      • Phone Books & Directories
      • Good Citizen
      • Record of Military Service
    • Local History Books
  • Programs
    • Public Programs Calendar >
      • Little Wonders
      • Spring Speaker Series
      • Fall Speaker Series
      • Mini-Curators
      • Papermaking
      • Summer Camps
      • Museum In the Park
      • Archaeology Day
    • School Programs >
      • Exhibit Visits
      • Outreach Kits
      • Portal to the Past
      • Educator's Survey
    • Virtual Programs >
      • Virtual Portal To the Past
      • A Taste of qathet's History
      • The Crafty Corner
      • Dive Into the Archives
    • Tours
    • Memoirs
  • Learn
    • Indigenous History
    • Place Names
    • Forestry History
    • Memories of the Mill
    • Community History
    • Blast from the Past
    • The Coast Memoirs
    • Heritage Stops
    • Blog
  • Support
    • Gift Shop
    • Membership
    • Volunteer
    • Donate
    • Careers
  • About
    • COVID-19 Updates
    • Name Change
    • Our Mandate
    • News & Reports
    • Staff & Board
    • Contact Us