Powell River Firsts
Did you know? The following are some of the interesting firsts and claims to fame that makes Powell River so unique.
First Dial Phones in British Columbia & Radio-Telephone
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First Sick Benefit SocietyThe Charter of the Powell River Sick Benefit Society was granted under the Societies Act on August 9, 1920. The concept for the Society grew from the medical fund, which had been established by the Pulp-Sulphite Local 76 and the Papermakers Local 142, to financially aid members and their families when sickness occurred. During the first 16 years of operation, only Company employees were covered by Society benefits, not their dependents. This changed in 1936 thanks to a generous monthly grant from the Powell River Company that allowed dependents to be included in the benefit plan.
Under the original Benefit Plan, an employee would receive coverage for hospital and medical expenses as well as pharmaceutical supplies anywhere in Canada and the USA. The employee would also be entitled to $20 a week when off work due to sickness, whether in the hospital or not. This Benefit Plan at the time was considered among the most comprehensive and generous on the continent. Both the company and employees contributed to this plan. In order to reduce the enormous bills generated by the inclusion of dependents some of the benefits were altered. Under these changes employees and dependents were covered only for medical treatments obtained in Powell River, and consultation and travelling expenses for specialists in Vancouver. Employees continued to contribute a monthly amount to the fund and the company donated a specified percentage of its monthly payroll. For the first 24 years of its existence the Society operated a hospital, St. Luke's, as well as employed two doctors. Over the years every effort was made to expand and modernize the medical services offered. In 1942, a new, modern and fully equipped 64-bed hospital was erected at a cost of $160,000 by the Society. The Powell River Company and the British Columbia Government assisted the Society through grants. While a separate controlling organization went on to manage the new hospital, the Society, with assistance from the Powell River Company, constructed a clinic adjacent to the hospital where Society doctors C.R. Marlatt and J.A. Murison began operations in February of 1946. By 1960 the Sick Benefit Society had approximately 2100 members, with 4,000 dependents and 190 retired pensioners. |
First Permanent Forestry Lookout in Coastal British ColumbiaMount Pocahontas is the 3rd highest peak on Texada Island at 532 metres (1,745 feet) tall. In 1924 its lower ledge became home to the first permanent forest fire lookout in Canada. The tiny 12 x 12 foot cabin that once topped the lower peak (elevation of 488.6 meters or 1603 feet) provided rangers with a 360 degree views of the Strait of Georgia, Vancouver Island and the coastal mountains. The Pocahontas peak provided unlimited views of the coast from Parkesville to Mount Baker. The use of a “fire finder” (a map mounted on a rotating steel disc with attached brass sighting mechanisms) developed by William B. Osborne, Jr. of Rochester, New York, over the winter of 1910-1911, enabled rangers to ascertain the exact fire location and phone or radio ground fire crews.
As technology used to detect and track forest fires advanced the little lookout was eventually abandoned in the 1970’s. Youth groups continued to hike up Pocahontas for overnight camp-outs, but in 1990 the cabin was finally dismantled, although the original concrete anchor blocks can still be seen by those who hike to the peak to enjoy the view. |
First Credit Union in British ColumbiaIn 1932 Walter Cavanaugh, resident of Powell River, found himself unable to access affordable materials to build his own home, nor did he have the means to pay for them outright. In the 1930s personal loans did not exists, mortgages were hard to come by, and other financing options were far too expensive. This dream of building his own home would serve as the drive Cavanaugh needed to find a solution not only for himself but for others in the community as well.
In 1939, Father Leo Hobson and Walter Cavanaugh registered the Powell River Credit Union as the first chartered credit union in B.C., giving mill workers and local residents access to necessary loans and financial management that was not available to them before. A wonderful history of the First Credit Union was written in 2014 by Linda Wegner to mark the 75th anniversary of the institution. The book Start Small, Dream Big: The 75 Year History of BC's First Credit Union, chronicles the rise of what has become a recognized financial institution throughout British Columbia. |
Powell River Home of the Oldest Operating Theater
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Powell River Former Home of the Shortest River in the WorldNamed for Dr. Israel Wood Powell, along with Powell Lake, the Powell River was once believed to be the shortest river in the world. Since 1910 the landscape and geography of the river has been altered drastically with the construction of the Powell River Company dam.
Today the length of the river is often debated, some giving it as 500 metres long, and others arguing for a 1005 metre length. The former would make Powell River the shortest river in Canada, the latter makes it one of the shortest rivers in North America, and the second shortest in British Columbia after the Nautley River. No matter what side of the debate you fall on Powell River remains one of the most important waterways in the region, not just for power generation, but as a thoroughfare connecting the Townsite to a string of lakes – Powell, Goat, Windsor – that dominate the inland region. |
Powell River Home of the ZUNGAThe zunga. It is one thing that is uniquely 'Powell River'!
So what is it exactly? A zunga is a rope tied to a tree branch or attached to the roof in some indoor swimming pools. Commonly known as a rope swing, people swing on it and either just jump off into the water or do tricks or flips off it. Zungas are especially popular in Powell River, where the term originated. As Tom Parkin writes in his book West Coast Words: “How it came to be isn’t known, but for at least 40 years kids in Powell River have used this word to describe a Tarzan swing; a tree rope which hangs over a summer swimming hole. A great word; pity it hasn’t spread more widely” Powell River's own award-winning Townsite Brewery honors this local contribution to the English language with a summery golden ale of the same name. |