This building is one of the oldest remaining in our city. Prefabricated in New Westminster, it was shipped by train and reconstructed on First Avenue in 1907 as the area's initial Bank of Commerce. Moved to its present site in 1947, it served as the city's library until becoming a museum in 1972. Recently restored to its original appearance, it stands -- with its wooden frame and imposing steps and columns -- as a small town and west coast version of traditional banking architecture.

The Legacy of Anthony Taulbut: Many museum collections begin with the efforts of an amateur historian to amass and preserve objects from the past. The collection of Tony Taulbut, which includes artifacts from nearby and abroad, is now part of the museum's holdings.

A Man with a Mission: The Legacy of James Welton Horne: As a land developer and businessman J.W. Horne had erected the city of Brandon by a railway junction on the Manitoba prairie. Successful in that endeavor, he considered the importance of the Mission junction and invested money to develop the downtown area of what he believed would be another future metropolis. At a much-advertised "Great Land Sale", he invited settlers to buy into his dream. The auction was less successful than anticipated, but Horne -- through a series of clever transactions with a New York company -- managed to come out on top.

The Fickle Fraser: Before the completion of good roads, the Fraser River served as a main transportation route. With paddle wheelers stopping here on their way between Vancouver and Yale, early Mission residents benefited from their proximity to the river. Living close to the Fraser also brought problems, however. More than once, flooding devastated the area , destroying homes and crops and killing livestock. At the time of the 1894 flood most of Mission was built on flat land. After this disaster, most settlers moved up on the hill, but Chinese residents reclaimed the abandoned flats. Many of them had come as workers on the railroad and remained in the area earning lower wages than other residents. A thriving Chinese community developed with stores, boarding houses, a hotel and apparently even a brothel until a fire destroyed almost everything in the 1920's

Mission's Annual Soap Box Derby: In 1946, Mission became one of two soap box derby competition towns in Canada. Young competitors came from as far away as the prairies to test the speed of their homemade cars, which the rules stated had to be built completely by the boy without adult assistance. The Mission derby remained a popular event until its demise in 1974.

The 1920's Kitchen and Parlor: Arranged for practicality and convenience, the 1920's Kitchen had a vast assortment of Kitchen gadgets. Most of the gadgets were made of lightweight, easy to clean materials that became available and popular during these years. The advent of electricity also introduced new appliances such as toasters and irons. The kitchen was the focal point for families in most homes. The Mantel and Fire Place in the Parlor came from the house of Anthony Taulbut, the Museum's greatest benefactor. These two permanent exhibits are an attempt to show what life would have looked like years ago.

Lumber Industry in Early Mission: In the early 1880's most of the area's logging operators were located within reach of local rivers and produced ties and sleepers for the railroad. In 1898, E. H. Heaps & Sons took over operation of the failed sawmill operation of John Ruskin on the Stave River. In 1892 John B. Cade had a steam powered tie mill in the Ferndale area. George Taggert produced ties and dressed lumber at his mill in Silverdale from 1893-1896. In 1916 two new operations were established: Stoltz Shingle Mill at Ruskin and Jesse James Logging Co. at Steelhead near Stave Falls. From that time forward, the shake and shingle industry became very significant to the economy of Mission.

Life on the Farm: Many homesteaders grew their own fruits and vegetables and kept a cow and horse for their family needs; but Mission's fertile land soon attracted commercial farming ventures. Many of the most successful farmers were Japanese settlers who harvested strawberries on Mission's steep hills. When the Japanese were interred during the Second World War, Mission's reputation as "Strawberry Capital of the World" slowly went into decline.

Archive images courtesy of the Mission Community Archives

About the Museum - Soap Box Derby - General Tour
Local History - Teachers Corner