Beedie Living is now redeveloping the area where Fraser Mills once stood.
But the land in southern Coquitlam that was previously home to the largest sawmill in the British Empire also has a unique history — and one that the city’s archivist is telling in a new online exhibit.
On Monday (Dec. 5), Jamie Sanford unveiled some archival records on the Corporation of the District of Fraser Mills, a 390-acre municipality that existed from 1913 to 1971.
City staff recently processed about three metres of fonds — housed in their original Shannon Files — that shed light on Fraser Mills' finances, as well as its governance and healthcare system.
There are also several letters to and from the reeves of Fraser Mills, including a 1929 letter from B.C.'s attorney general to Reeve F.G. Wrightson warning about baseball being played on Sundays and admission being charged to spectators.
Sanford refers to the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre, and Landscapes of Injustice for context.
To view the online display, you can go to the Fraser Mills page of the City of Coquitlam's website.
To make a donation of original documents and photos to Coquitlam Archives, email [email protected].
