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Coquitlam Archives remembers the Great Flood of '48

What would it look like if the Fraser River swelled beyond its banks in Coquitlam? 
Janis Cleugh
Janis Cleugh

What would it look like if the Fraser River swelled beyond its banks? 

That’s what happened 73 years ago when the spring freshet spilled over its dikes and destroyed land and buildings in its way. 

The story of the “Great Flood” is told in an online exhibition called Rising Water, which Coquitlam Archives launched this week to coincide with the natural disaster that happened in May and June of 1948. 

Using images from the Chilliwack Museum and Archives, Vancouver Public Library, The Reach and its own collection, Coquitlam Archives shows scenes of a flooded Fraser Mills and Colony Farm — in some places, blanketed with eight feet of water.

It also includes quotes from the book Coquitlam 100 years: Reflections of the Past as well as information about modern-day flood mitigation from the Fraser Basin Council. 

For more information, you’re encouraged to visit the online exhibit page on the city of Coquitlam’s website.