Just 20 miles from Prince Rupert is the village of Port Edward.  Now home to 544 people, but for the prior century it was home to several thriving fish canneries which provided thousands of jobs to a multicultural work force.  The area’s history lives on at the North Pacific Cannery National Historic Site – a collection of wooden, tin-roofed buildings spread along a tidal river bank connected by a series of boardwalks.  A guided tour here is well worth the money to learn the cannery’s history.  G’s pictures can give a good flavor of the site – –

The North Pacific Cannery – now a historical museum.

Some of the contents were both historically and photographically interesting.

G loves taking pictures of old, colorful stuff.

Each Ethnic group had their own net loft.  This was the First Nations.

Based on the condition of many of the parts and much of the equipment, it is hard to believe this cannery was actually utilized until the mid-1980’s – –

Spare cables, ropes and machinery parts were everywhere.

While the workforce was multicultural, as was typical of the early to mid 1900’s, the ethnic groups were separated and there was a definite hierarchy.  The First Nations people came seasonally to work and brought their families.  Each individual worked – including the young children.  Each family was housed in a small square (approximately 10’x10′) single room ‘box’ with a hole in the corner to act as a toilet.  While a couple of these ‘rooms’ have been reconstructed – the picture below indicates how the row looked in the early 1900’s – –

Quarters provided the workers from the First Nation tribes. Small and cramped.

The European men came – not with families – and had significantly different types of living quarters.  They also had a mess hall and store on their side of the grounds.

European workers ‘spacious’ quarters a short walk to the ‘European only’ mess hall.

The fuel pump house – separate from the main cannery to eliminate potential fires.

Many of the original pier structures are still visible on the site.

The last day in Prince Rupert was spent on the golf course.  It was quite interesting to be playing in a north coast rain forest;-)

The Prince Rupert Golf Course – located in a rain forest.

Several of the holes had blind shots to the green requiring veeerrrry tall flag poles.

The Waterside Restaurant at the Crest Hotel provided a wonderful last night supper in Prince Rupert – with a fabulous view of the harbor.  We spent the entire time of our meal watching an eagle enjoy their fish dinner;-)

Our dinner table view of the Prince Rupert Harbor.

Price Rupert provided a wonderful three days, but it was time to hit the road again.

E & G heading on up the Cassiar Highway