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YOUR HISTORY: A picture of early Port Coquitlam tells the story

In the Port Coquitlam city archives, there are a number of interesting photographs of the city's early history that we are scanning and cataloguing to our data base.

In the Port Coquitlam city archives, there are a number of interesting photographs of the city's early history that we are scanning and cataloguing to our data base. The objective is to digitalize all our archival holdings in order to make them more accessible to the public. As part of our upcoming Heritage Display theme "Taking care of business in Port Coquitlam" beginning in early February, we have been enlarging and reproducing images of some of the city's early businesses and researching their history. This photo is one of my favourites, it is a moment seemingly frozen in time, a snapshot of life in a bustling small town in the summer of 1916. By the look of the patriotic flags and bunting, it must be close to Dominion Day July 1st. The picture doesn't have a name, so we'll call it " Where's Waldo (and who's Myrtle?)"

It's a great morning to do business downtown on Dewdney Trunk Road in the recently-incorporated city of Port Coquitlam. By the look of the sun's shadow, it must be about 9 a.m. The well-dressed man outside the Myrtle Hotel might possibly be Mr. N.J. Pappas, proprietor of the establishment that offers "meals at all hours" and "tables for ladies"( more on them later). Just off to the side is the office of Charles Davies: Building contractor, responsible for many of the city's finest homes and buildings. That fancy new all-brick and stone monument to local politics way over on Shaughnessy St. called City Hall was one of Charlie's finest. He even got to serve as mayor in his own building, but that's not for another 30 years! The three men in the foreground may be planning a business deal or a robbery, or possibly discussing the latest Allied Offensive in World War One that just began July 1st, called the Battle of the Somme.

Next we come to Tom Lee Bros. Coquitlam Café, offering candies, cigars, tobacco and fruits to the public. Tom was a very successful Chinese merchant who owned and rented out five stores along Dewdney during this time. Two of these were tailor WW. Stewart (1914) and barber M.J. Baumgartner (1916), who were still doing business side-by-side in the old Cement Block well into the 1960's. The Winchester Arcade and Pool Room seems to be beckoning the young lad in the baggy shorts and tweed cap to spend his allowance there, note today's fashion of hat-on-backwards has not yet caught on. And while we're on the subject of hats, it seems like everyone in town has one on, be it a bowler, straw boater or fedora: Is this one of those quaint Edwardian-Age fads or what?

To dress in the style of the times, you could go to the Seaborne Brothers Toggery, owned by brothers Fred and Benjamin, located in the Railhaven Building just down the way. The word toggery comes from the British term for "a particular outfit of clothes, or togs". Unfortunately Fred's brother Benjamin can't help out as he is off fighting with the Canadian Expeditionary Force in France and will be killed in action later that year at the Somme on Nov. 11th 1916, one of 24,000 Canadians killed or wounded there.

As we look down the busy street there are horse and wagon teams hauling goods to and from the CPR freight shed located by the station, with the inevitable dust cloud and even a few mangy street-mutts looking for a handout. There does seems to be something (or someone) missing from this picture of "taking care of business" in the good old days, and that would be "the ladies." The "movers and shakers" of big business in early Port Coquitlam appear to be predominately men by the looks of it, with not a member of the "fair sex" in sight, or is there?

If you look closely, just in front of the Royal Bakery sign, above the Galer Shoe Store, is a man and woman gazing out the window. This couple quite possibly could be Roger Galer and his wife Christina (nee Marshall), who lived above their store at this time, after twins John and Ethyl were born the year before in 1915. Christina and her 11 brothers and sisters were part of the large Matt Marshall Sr. family, who`s names can be found throughout PoCo's early history.

We've found our " Waldo", but whoever Myrtle was remains a mystery to this day. The Myrtle Hotel was washed down the Coquitlam River and destroyed in the flood of October 1921, leaving nothing behind but this amazing picture of life in a small town, a moment frozen in time.

Be sure to visit the City Archives at the Outlet in Leigh Square to see our 24 x 36 inch enlargement of old Myrtle on display.

Your History is a column in which, once a month, representatives of the Tri-Cities' three heritage groups writes about local history. This article was submitted by Bryan Ness of the Port Coquitlam Heritage Society.