Cannery Row – The Middle Arm Canneries

Posted on April 24, 2025 by richmondarchives

The salmon canning industry in Steveston is well known and documented, with several books written detailing the history of Steveston’s Cannery Row and the more than twenty canneries which were built along the one and one half mile waterfront of the South Arm of the Fraser River to its mouth. There was, however, a lesser known stretch of canneries in Richmond. These canneries along the Middle Arm of the Fraser, while being fewer and farther removed from the boom town of Steveston, provided work and accommodation for people working in the fishing industry. Here are some of their stories.

This aerial view of the Middle Arm of the Fraser River (ca. 1929) shows the south-west shore of Sea Island and, looking closely, six of the Middle Arm Canneries. On the Sea Island shore the Fraser River, Vancouver and Acme Canneries are visible. On Swishwash Island where a channel cuts through, the pilings and a building from the Sea Island Cannery can be seen. Across the river on Lulu Island is the Terra Nova Cannery and away in the distance on the tip of Dinsmore Island the roofline of the Dinsmore Cannery can just be made out. City of Richmond Archives photograph 1985 166 5.

South-west Sea Island

Three canneries stood along the south-west shore of Sea Island, and a fourth just across the channel from them. The Fraser River, Vancouver, Acme and Sea Island Canneries were all built in the 1890s. Company-owned housing for cannery workers, fishermen and their families was built along both sides of the dyke running through the cannery properties. Boarding houses for single migrant workers were provided and often temporary villages, built on the dyke close to the cannery, were established by seasonal Indigenous workers. This group of canneries became home to a large, tight knit community of mostly Japanese Canadian workers and fishermen who settled in the cannery housing and utilized the cannery docks and facilities even after salmon canning stopped in those locations. The Sea Island Japanese School, was established at Vancouver Cannery for the children of workers and resulting in community spirit, sports teams and social groups. Boat builders plied their trade and other industries connected to the fishing industry flourished. The forced relocation of Japanese Canadians in 1942 marked the end of the community and most of the buildings were razed.

Fraser River Cannery

The Fraser River Cannery was located on the south west shore of Sea Island and was the closest of the Middle Arm canneries to the mouth of the river. Built in 1896 or 1897 by McPherson & Hickey, the cannery had a sockeye pack of 3500 cases for 1898, according to a report by the Vancouver Province newspaper. It was sold to the Canadian Canning Company in 1899 and was then subsequently purchased by Gosse-Millerd Packing Company (Vancouver Cannery Limited) in 1914. The facility was equipped with machinery for manufacturing cans and was capable of supplying all five of the company’s plants, located at Sea Island, Rivers Inlet, Bella Bella, Skeena River and the west coast of Vancouver Island. Having been absorbed into Vancouver Cannery Limited, the Fraser River Cannery lost its separate identity, becoming part of the Vancouver Cannery complex.

Vancouver Cannery

The Vancouver Cannery was erected in 1896 by the Canadian Canning Company. It was purchased by Vancouver Cannery Limited in 1914, owned by R.C. Gosse and F. Millerd who had also purchased the Fraser River Cannery just to the west. It was subsequently owned by several incarnations of the Gosse – Millerd partnership until 1928 when it was absorbed into British Columbia Packers. The plant stopped operating as a cannery in 1930, but still existed as a fish camp for the Imperial Plant. The cannery equipment was dismantled in 1935-36.

This map from the 1936 Waterworks Atlas shows the locations of buildings at the Vancouver Cannery site, including the Sea Island Japanese School. City of Richmond Archives 1997 15 6.

Class picture of Division 2, Sea Island Japanese School in 1929. City of Richmond Archives photograph 1985 39 65.

Acme Cannery

The Acme Cannery was erected in 1899 by the Acme Canning Company Limited, owned by Jane R. Cassidy and Allan Cameron. In 1902 it was purchased by the British Columbia Packers Association and subsequently by the British Columbia Fishing and Packing Company Ltd. (1914) and British Columbia Packers Ltd (1928) as the company reorganized. Acme operated as a cannery until 1918 when the machinery was removed from the plant. It operated as a Fraser River Camp for the Vancouver Cannery until 1930 and as a fish camp for the Imperial Cannery afterward. It was also the location of Thomas Goulding’s cork mill, the only commercial supplier of cedar fish net floats on the West Coast. In 1946 it was sold to D. Matheson.

Sea Island Cannery – Bon Accord

The Sea Island Cannery on Swishwash Island is shown here, ca. 1900. A temporary camp of tents and shacks for workers is set up on the low lying island. City of Richmond Archives photograph 1993 3 1.

Little more than a large sandbar, Swishwash Island was the location of the Sea Island Cannery. Originally built by Alexander Ewen and D.J. Munn in 1890 as the Bon Accord Cannery, its name was changed to avoid confusion with a hatchery of the same name at Port Mann. By all accounts this was a successful cannery, employing 225 workers and held licenses for 18 boats. In its first year of operation it packed 18,225 cases of fish. In 1898 the sockeye pack alone was 8500 cases. The Sea Island Cannery operated profitably for ten years until 1899 when it was severely damaged in a fire. In December 1901 a huge storm and flood caused massive damage to the remaining structures. The property was acquired by BC Packers who abandoned it and sold it off in 1902.

This aerial photograph, ca. 1950, gives a view of the Vancouver Airport, R.C.A.F. base and Burkeville. Pilings from the old Sea Island Cannery are visible on Swishwash Island in the foreground. City of Richmond Archives photograph 1997 5 9.

North-west Lulu Island

The north-west part of Lulu Island, known as Terra Nova, was home to three other canneries, the Labrador Cannery, the Alliance Cannery and the Terra Nova Cannery. All three of these canneries were subjected to the full force of a gale in December 1901 which caused a great deal of damage and, in one case, the complete destruction of the cannery.

Labrador Cannery

There is little information available about the Labrador Cannery. While listed as located at Terra Nova, its exact location and years of operation are not well documented. One of the smaller operations in Richmond, it reported a total pack of about 10,000 cases for the 1901 season. The Labrador Cannery was reported to have been completely destroyed in the early hours of December 26,1901, when gale force winds and extreme high tides breached the dykes along both sides of the North Arm and flooded large areas of Lulu and Sea Islands. The December 27, 1901 Vancouver Daily Province stated that, “The Labrador cannery at Terra Nova was entirely swept away.” “The buildings were smashed and piled up inside the dyke. Logs four feet thick which dashed against the buildings were also carried inside the dyke and leveled the embankment on the way. Nearly all the cannery boats were smashed and put out where dry land will appear when the tide goes out again.”

Alliance Cannery

Built in 1895 by R. Colquhoun’s Alliance Canning Company, the Alliance Cannery was sold to George Wilson in 1901. This cannery was severely damaged in the 1901 storm as well, although not so badly that it could not be restored. The water level rose enough to cover the floors of the cannery buildings, soaking the cans of salmon stored there but not ruining them. In 1902 the cannery was absorbed into the BC Packers Association, closed in 1903 and became part of the Terra Nova Cannery.

Terra Nova Cannery

The Terra Nova Cannery was built in 1892 by Duncan and John Rowan who formed the Terra Nova Canning Company. They operated the cannery until they sold to the BC Packers Association in 1902. During the December 1901 gale this cannery suffered less damage than the others at Terra Nova but the Japanese boarding house there collapsed trapping several men inside. They were rescued during the height of the storm by other workers and residents of the area with no loss of life. The cannery closed in 1928 but the buildings and docks continued to be used for net storage, moorage and as a fish camp for the Imperial Cannery. The cannery buildings were taken down in 1978.

The Eastern Middle Arm

The final three canneries were spread along the eastern part of the Middle Arm and into the North Arm, each on a different island.

Dinsmore Island Cannery

The Dinsmore Island Cannery was built on Dinsmore Island in 1894 by Richard E. Gosse for the Dinsmore Island Canning Company, run by Michael Brighouse Wilkinson and William McPherson. The Island was named for pioneer John Dinsmore, who farmed the island and was one of the owners of the cannery. The cannery was absorbed into the BC Packers Association in 1902 and operated until 1905, after which it operated every four years during dominant sockeye runs, closing after the 1913 season. The cannery equipment was removed and the property was sold in 1934. Dinsmore Island along with Pheasant Island were absorbed by Sea Island due to infilling with dredging spoils, remembered only in the name of the bridge which connects Gilbert Road to Russ Baker Way.

Provincial Cannery

The Provincial Cannery was built in 1896 on Lulu Island south of the bridge to Sea Island and was operated by the Provincial Packing Company of Norman MacLean, J.W. Sexsmith and R.W. Harris. In 1902 it was absorbed into the BC Packers Association who removed its equipment and sold the property in 1905. In 1906 the location became the home of the Easterbrook Flour mill.

The Richmond Cannery

The last cannery was not technically in the Middle Arm but was in Richmond. The Richmond Cannery was located on Richmond Island, between Sea Island and the Vancouver side of the North Arm. It was built by JH Todd and Sons in 1882. The Richmond Cannery operated from 1882 to 1905 when it was shut down. JH Todd renamed their Beaver Cannery in Steveston Richmond Cannery after the original was closed.

The canning of fish at the Middle Arm canneries did not last as long as the industry in the South Arm. Built during the rush to exploit the seemingly endless supply of fish during the late 19th Century the realities of the limits of the resource and fierce competition for it resulted in the closure of the canning operations at those locations. However, the maintenance of the facilities at Terra Nova and especially at the Vancouver and Acme Canneries resulted in the growth of a vibrant community which has added to the character of Richmond’s history.

For more about the Japanese Canadian community on Sea Island see https://richmondarchives.ca/2015/01/06/japanese-canadians-on-sea-island/

To learn about Thomas Goulding’s cork mill see https://richmondarchives.ca/2024/02/01/keeping-an-industry-afloat-thomas-gouldings-cork-mill/

Western Exposures – The BC Packers Photographs by Gar Lunney

Posted on February 19, 2020 by richmondarchives

The fishing industry has been a mainstay of the industrial and social life of Richmond throughout its history and British Columbia Packers has been at the centre of this industry since the earliest days. In 2001 the company generously donated the contents of its archives to the City of Richmond Archives.

Gar Lunney in 1980. City of Richmond Archives photo.

In this collection are a wealth of photographic images documenting the company’s history, including a group of photographs by Gar Lunney, (1920 – 2016), one of Canada’s eminent photographers.

In the background seiners wait to set their nets during the San Juan salmon fishery. In the foreground the boat begins to retrieve its net and the salmon in it. Crews make it all work despite the crowded conditions and poor visibility in the fog. City of Richmond Archives photograph – BC Packers Fonds Series 9.

Gar Lunney began his career with the Winnipeg Tribune before serving with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War.

Women at the “Sliming Table” in the BC Packers Imperial Plant in Steveston, washing fish. City of Richmond Archives photograph – BC Packers Fonds Series 9.

After the War, he joined the Still Photography Division of the National Film Board where he documented Royal tours, took portraits of famous Canadians,and photographed landscapes, industries and people in their everyday lives from every corner of the country.

A deckhand stands on the stern watching a herring net being pursed and hauled back to the boat. City of Richmond Archives photograph – BC Packers Fonds Series 9.

In 1970 he left Ottawa and moved to Vancouver beginning a career as a freelance photographer specializing in photojournalism and annual reports, thus making a connection with BC Packers Limited.

A crewman aboard the Western Investor brails herring out of the net. City of Richmond Archives photograph – BC Packers Fonds Series 9.

The photos taken by Lunney capture an era when fishing was still booming, parking lots at the processing plants were full, and it seemed as if the fishing would never end.

The last sun of the day lights up the wet net. City of Richmond Archives photograph – BC Packers Fonds Series 9.

While the heyday of commercial fishing and processing in Richmond is over, the history of its time is preserved for future generations at the City of Richmond Archives.

The BC Packers K-5 Camp was the company’s main operations centre for the Juan de Fuca fishery. Anchored in San Juan Harbour near Port Renfrew, it housed offices, a store and refueling facilities. The gillnetters Silver Mate and Kor-Wes are tied to the camp. City of Richmond Archives photograph – BC Packers Fonds Series 9.

Registered Trademark – Commercial Art from the B.C. Packers Collection

Posted on August 13, 2015 by richmondarchives

The City of Richmond Archives acquired a large number of records of British Columbia Packers Ltd. at the time of the closure of its head office in Steveston. Among the records transferred to the Archives were an extensive series of files relating to the application for, registration, and maintenance of trademarks used and administered by the company and its predecessor and related companies. The records include trademark registrations, correspondence, product packaging, and hundreds of different labels that were in use from 1890 to 1999. Shown in this posting are a few of the trademarked labels owned by BC Packers which illustrate some of the themes used in marketing salmon.

Alexander Ewen was a pioneer in the canning industry on the Fraser River. In 1902 he became the president and largest shareholder of a new firm, The British Columbia Packers’ Association. Shown here is an Ewen Brand Sockeye Salmon label from that era.

From the earliest years of salmon canning, the graphics used on the labels tended to be colourful and eye-grabbing to attract the consumer. Some of the earliest labels were printed in Victoria by the Colonist.

An 1891 Excelsior Brand salmon label. The cannery using this label was at Ladner’s Landing, owned by E.A. Wadhams. The company shipped its product through its agents in San Francisco, D.L. Beck & Sons.

Labels were sometimes printed and applied closer to the final market of the product, the cans being shipped “bright”, ie. without labels.

This label, also from 1891, was printed by the Canada Bank Note Co. in Montreal and included handling instructions in English and in French.

Trademarks had to be registered with the appropriate government department, in the case of Flagship Brand, the Department of Agriculture, Trade Mark and Copyright Branch in Ottawa. The registration document included a complete description of the label as shown below.

The trademark registration document for Flagship Brand Salmon, 1893.

The Flagship Brand label was enticing on a number of levels. The “Flagship of modern pattern” and the Ensign and Union Jack made a patriotic connection to the British Motherland. The beautiful, wild British Columbia scenery showed the beauty of the land where the fish was caught, a wilderness tamed by the modern steam train on the right, all surrounded by a bright, eye-catching orange.

Flagship Brand, 1893.

The majority of the BC fishery’s output was shipped for sale in Britain and nations of the British Empire, and as such, labels often carried some reference to the Monarchy or the Empire to encourage sale to patriotic shoppers. This could be done symbolically, as in Rex Brand, or directly with the words “British Empire Product” on the label, or in both ways.

Rex Brand Salmon’s trademark, ca. 1906, showed a salmon leaping through a crown. The brand was registered in Australia and New Zealand starting in 1905.

Dominion Brand Salmon labels bore the image of the British Lion with “British Empire Product” written in a banner below. This image was seen on many BC Packers labels.

Emblem Brand, first registered in 1903, also bore the British Empire Lion Logo, as well as a Union Jack and the floral emblems of the United Kingdom. Emblem Brand was registered in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India and France.

Products sold in other countries often had distinct labeling. Rex Pearl was a brand registered in Australia.

An Australian label for Rex Pearl Choice Canadian Salmon.

Trademarks had to be registered in all the countries where the products were sold. Cascade Brand was a registered trade mark in many countries, including the Netherlands, as shown below.

A Dutch Trademark Registration Certificate for Cascade Brand Salmon, 1927

Labels were often thematic, trying to reach the consumer by appealing to their aesthetics. Many gave colourful representations of the magnificent scenery of British Columbia, sure to catch the discerning housewife’s eye as she did her shopping.

Sunset Brand Chum Salmon, Trademark first registered in 1907, showing beautiful British Columbia scenery.

Canyon Brand Canadian Red Salmon, from the 1930s.

Arbutus Brand White Spring salmon. Arbutus was first registered in 1906.

Occasionally, Canadian stereotypes were used to sell salmon. Nansen Brand in particular used scenes of ice and snow to represent the wild country that the fish came from. The brand was registered in Australia, New Zealand and Canada starting around 1918.

Nansen Brand with a polar bear on an ice floe.

Nansen Brand with snowy scenery and a dog sled and trapper on skis.

Some labels attempted to evoke feelings of hearth and home and good times with friends. Examples include Dinner Bell, Household and Table Talk brands.

Dinner Bell Brand Fancy Pink Canadian Salmon. Dinner Bell was registered in New Zealand from 1938 to 1951.

Household Brand Fancy Canadian Red Salmon, registered in Canada from 1919 to 1969.

Table Talk Brand Choice Red Cutlets.

Others used sports and other popular modern activities to promote the sales of their products.

Derby brand for the horse racing fan, first registered in 1906.

Lacrosse brand.

Aviator Brand.

Of all the labels used to market salmon, the one with the longest history must be Clover Leaf. One of the best known brands, it was originally registered by a New York company in 1890, being transferred to the British Columbia Packers Association around 1908. The Brand was used on many varieties of canned goods such as vegetables and soups as well as the seafood products that it is best known for. The brand is still in use today, passed on from BC Packers, and can be seen in just about any supermarket.

The Clover Leaf Brand is perhaps one of the best known and longest used trademarks from BC Packers.

So, while BC Packers has gone and most of the trademarks controlled by it have vanished, one at least remains to remind us of the company’s long history of quality seafood production and its long connection to Richmond.

Japanese Canadians on Sea Island

Posted on January 6, 2015 by richmondarchives

Cannery workers and their families at Vancouver Cannery, Sea Island, on the occasion of the visit by the Japanese Consul, 1912

Cannery workers and their families at Vancouver Cannery, Sea Island, on the occasion of the visit by the Japanese Consul and his wife, 1912. City of Richmond Archives Photograph RCF 185

Many people are surprised to learn of the significant presence of Japanese Canadians on Sea Island prior to World War II.

Vancouver and Acme (top) Canneries on Sea Island, ca. 1932. City of Richmond Archives Don Gordon collection

Acme Cannery (top) and Vancouver Cannery (bottom) on Sea Island, ca. 1932. City of Richmond Archives Photograph 1985 166 10

Beginning in the early years of the last century, a number of Japanese moved to Richmond to work as fishermen and cannery workers for Vancouver Cannery and Acme Cannery, both located on the southwest corner of Sea Island.

List of families in cannery-owned housing, 1936. City of Richmond Archives MR 6, File 603-3

The majority of the workers and their families lived in company-owned housing in close proximity to the canneries themselves.

The houses were built on both sides of the dyke running through the cannery properties.

A school, the Sea Island Japanese School, was established at Vancouver Cannery for the sons and daughters of workers of both canneries.

Sea Island Japanese School, Div. 2, 1929. City of Richmond Archives Photograph 1985 39 65

Sea Island Hurricanes, ca. 1938. City of Richmond Archives Photograph 2004 2 1

A sense of identity and a spirit of cooperation and self-sufficiency developed. Sports teams like the Sea Island Hurricanes (aka North Arm Hurricanes) played against lacrosse teams from Steveston and other communities, while groups like the Sea Island Young People’s Society organized a variety of social activities.

Sea Island Young People’s Society on New Year’s Day, 1939. City of Richmond Archives Photograph 2013 8 1

World War II, however, marked the end of the community on Sea Island, with the evacuation of Japanese Canadians in 1942 to camps in the interior of BC or to farms in Alberta.

The canneries were closed and the cannery-owned housing was destroyed.

The burning of cannery-owned houses at Acme Cannery. City of Richmond Archives Photograph 2000 15 2

The burning of Japanese-Canadian houses at Acme Cannery. City of Richmond Archives Photograph 2000 15 2

When Japanese Canadians were allowed to return to the BC coast in 1949, a number of former Sea Island residents made their way back to Richmond and settled in the Steveston area, where they resumed work in the fishing industry.

Program for the 1983 Reunion. City of Richmond Archives Accession 2014 4

In 1983, a reunion was held for former Japanese-Canadian residents of Sea Island, as well as for those who had lived and worked at nearby Terra Nova and Celtic Canneries. The success of the celebration demonstrated how the spirit of community developed in the pre-war years had never been lost.

From the Archives Kitchen – Clover Leaf Salmon Bread Pie

Posted on December 11, 2014 by richmondarchives

Various products sold under the Clover Leaf brand, ca. 1955. City of Richmond Archives RL258

British Columbia Packers Limited was at one time the largest and most diverse fishing company in Canada. For many years, the company operated out of headquarters in Steveston, a major centre for the British Columbia fishing industry for much of the last century.

Renewal of Clover Leaf trade mark, 1915. City of Richmond Archives, BC Packers fonds, Series 5 , Sub-series 1, File 17

Of the many brand names and trademarks owned by BC Packers, “Clover Leaf” was one of its most well established.

The trademark was first registered in 1890 by a New York City company before being transferred to the British Columbia Packers Association, the forerunner to British Columbia Packers Limited.

The brand was registered to be used for a wide-range of canned products, including fruits, vegetables, soups and fish. The Clover Leaf brand over time, however, became synonymous with quality seafood canned in Steveston and at other BC Packers canneries up and down the BC coast.

Clover Leaf Sockeye Salmon, by appointment to the Governor General and the Lady Tweedsmuir, 1939

Clover Leaf Salmon, By Appointment to their Excellencies the Governor General and the Lady Tweedsmuir, 1939. City of Richmond Archives, BC Packers fonds, Series 5, Sub-series 1, File 17

Clover Leaf Display, 1954. City of Richmond Archives Photograph 2001 34 9-93

BC Packers marketed its “Clover Leaf” salmon locally, throughout the British Empire, and around the world. In the 1950s, its marketing campaigns often included displays at various exhibitions and shopping outlets, radio advertisements with catchy jingles, and the publication of pamphlets containing recipes for easy-to-make meals.

“Sea Food Recipes”, ca. 1955. City of Richmond Archives RL258

One pamphlet produced by BC Packers around 1955, “Sea Food Recipes”, was recently consulted at the Archives in the course of historical research on food preparation. In the interest of accurate research, we thought we should try one of the recipes, the “Salmon Bread Pie,” a kind of poor man’s Salmon Wellington.

Recipe for Salmon Bread Pie in “Sea Food Recipes”, City of Richmond Archives RL 258

The surprisingly tasty result of our research , thanks to professional chef and Friends of the Richmond Archives’ Board Director Precilla Huang. (Bill Purver photograph)

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Tag Archives: fishing industry