Company
towns often have unique features that set them apart from other town
developments. For example, architecture is uniform and similar from
building to building. The home of the company manager is usually more
imposing and prominently located. There is a focal point around which
the town is centered - typically a community hall or school. In the
case of Wells it was the community hall.
Finally,
company towns are dominated by a single business, and in the case of
Wells, it was mining. The houses of Wells were painted in bright pastel
colours, popular during the 1930s - torquoise blue, green, pink, and
creme yellow. Warm brown-coloured softwood covered the floors and wood
furnaces were placed in basements to provide heat with hot air forced
through large grates installed in the floors. A gas
range was basically the only kitchen appliance; refrigerators consisted
of an outdoor pantry cupboard. Essentially,
all the conveniences of a large city were quickly provided to the people
pouring in to Wells, a company made town.
![Company Buildings](images/buildings.gif)
The following
is a brief description of main buildings constructed by The Wells Townsite
Company...
The Hospital
was constructed in the summer of 1937 by Northey Construction Company.
Well's hospital was three storeys high with room for eight beds, one
operating room, and suites for matrons and nurses.
|
Second Schoolhouse in Wells
|
The school
consisted of one room constructed by Northey Construction Company. Around
seventy students attended in 1936. A second school was built in the
40s. This was made up of four rooms with additions added later on.
|
Pooley
Street in Wells, WPH404
|
The large
three storey hall was constructed on Sanders Street by the Garvin Dezell
Company in the Summer of 1937. The floor was 50' x 66' with a large
stage at one end. There was seating for 400 people on each side with
a cloak room and space for gym equipment on the main floor. A reading
room and billiard room were upstairs. In
the basement were men's and women's lounges, banquet room, kitchen,
club room, men's and women's showers, rifle range, furnace room, and
janitor's room. This building was heavily insulated for the visitors
and heated to 70 degrees inside, even if it was 40 degrees below outside.
The Anglican
and United churches were built in 1934. The United Church was used as
the community hall until the new one was built in 1937.
Learn
about two merchants....C.D. Hoy & The
Hongs
Company
Towns | Features of
a Town | Home | Meet
the Team | Site Map