Photograph Restoration - PoCo Heritage

Over time photographs fade, rip, crease, or become victims to spills and small insects. Besides making the photograph less appealing to look at, this can obscure the details of the picture that gave us insight into its story.

Fortunately our talented volunteer Damani Jordan was able to digitally restore these photographs to give us a glimpse into what that photo would have looked like at the time it was taken. By doing this restoration digitally it allows us to preserve the original photograph in its current state without potentially harming the photo through chemical or mechanical procedures.

Scroll though our digital exhibit below to see the stunning restorations and take a peak into the history of Port Coquitlam!

Before
After

1 2

May Day Festival

The City of Port Coquitlam recently celebrated its 98th official May Day! The first community May Day celebration was held in 1923, but May Day celebrations in PoCo were actually started in 1916 by the principal of James Park Elementary School, Enid Cox. The first May Days were held in the school yard as a small celebration for her pupils. Later, Port Coquitlam’s Women’s Institute would take over organizing the festival and the Institute’s president, Christine (Mars) Routley, became known as the “Mother of May Day.” In reality it might be fair to say that May Day in PoCo really has two “Mothers”: Christine Routley and Enid Cox

This photograph showcases an early official May Day celebration after it was taken over by the Women’s Institute.

LaFrance Fire Truck

In 1912, one year before the incorporation of Port Coquitlam, the Coquitlam Municipal Council, the Ratepayers Association and the Board of Trade held a meeting to propose the creation of an official fire department. The department was approved and the Municipal Building, aka Kelly Hall, was transformed into a fire station. R.J. Edwards was appointed the first Fire Chief. Pictured here is the city’s first fire truck which was procured in the same year.

In 1913 T.B. Thomas became the new Fire Chief and Chief of Police. He and his assistants were quickly put to task when a forest fire encircled the city the following year. The fire raged for three days with the abundance of smoke making it impossible to distinguish day from night. Thanks to the hard work of the fire department and many volunteers the fire was extinguished with much property damage, but no loss of life.

Before
After

1 2

Before
After

1 2

Siberian Expeditionary Force

The Canadian Siberian Expeditionary Force (SEF) was part of a combined effort from the Allies to intervene in the Russian Civil War. After the Bolshevik revolutionaries deposed of the Romanov dynasty in 1917, they signed a peace agreement with Germany. In 1918 the SEF travelled to Vladivostok, Russia in order to regain Russia as an ally against Germany. Ultimately the SEF saw little action and returned to Canada in 1919 after an unsuccessful mission.

Although their intervention in Russia might not have had as large an impact on the Civil War as desired, their movement through our community brought with it lasting consequences. Before the SEF left for Russia their soldiers travelled by train from New Brunswick to the west coast. Unbeknownst to these troops the Spanish Flu came with them. Around the same time that the troops were leaving New Brunswick the first cases of the Spanish Flu occurred at their military camp. As the soldiers travelled west across the country they unknowingly spread the virus to the towns and cities they passed through along the way. Unfortunately, Port Coquitlam was no exception to this deadly trend. In October 1918 the SEF arrived in Port Coquitlam and so did the Flu. The troops were quickly placed under quarantine at the CPR yard and Aggie Hall was converted to a military hospital for infected soldiers. By the end of the epidemic more people had died of the Spanish Flu in the hospital of Port Coquitlam alone than SEF troops died during their mission in Russia.

Ship-Building Yards

In 1913 L.D. Shaftner, a shipbuilder from Nova Scotia, started the first shipyard in Port Coquitlam at the end of Pitt River Road. Unfortunately, the first ship he and his builders made, aptly named “Coquitlam City,” sank in her maiden voyage. Shaftner lost all his profits and promptly returned to Nova Scotia.

Fortunately, the Pacific Construction Co. ship building firm took over the ship yards and continued to provide a large employment opportunity for the people of Port Coquitlam. They built five ships for the Greek government and launched them between 1914-1918. However, as the first world war came to an end so did Port Coquitlam’s Shipyards. This photograph of a group of people standing in the shipbuilding yards, taken ca. 1918-1920, would be one of the last photos taken of the yards while they were active.

Before
After

1 2

Before
After

1 2

The Galer Family

This photograph of two Galer children standing next to Donnie Linehurst in the pram was taken on the first day of school in September, 1953. R.C. (Harry) Galer, grandfather to the boys in this photo, was the mayor of Port Coquitlam for 23 years. He also founded the Port Coquitlam Transfer Company in 1921, which was later renamed Port Coquitlam Building Supplies. His son, John Galer, was fire chief from 1941-1958 and served on city council. In 1962 he even won the Citizen of the Year Award. PoCo Building Supplies is still run by the Galer family today and this year they celebrate their 100th anniversary!

Myrtle Hotel

This photograph, taken in 1921, shows Amos (Slim Jim) Stretch, a maintenance foreman, and two others in front of the Myrtle Hotel on Dewdney Trunk Road. Little did they know at the time, but the Myrtle Hotel would soon meet a disastrous end. In October of this year the heavy rainfall and collected debris would cause the Coquitlam River to flood and quickly overtake the city. As water entered the lower level of the Myrtle Hotel it caused it to be lifted off of its foundation and drift down the river. One witness recalled the hotel looked “like an arc” as it sailed by.

Before
After

1 2

Before
After

1 2

Dewdney Trunk Road

Trunk road isn’t a phrase often heard anymore, but it used to be part of common speech. A trunk road refers to a route that crosses a large area of land and connects multiple towns or cities. The name is a reference to the trunk of a tree. Today we might liken a trunk road to a highway.

Dewdney Trunk Road, now called Kingsway Avenue, was first built in 1900. It initially only stretched from Pitt Meadows to the small town of Dewdney. The road was later expanded and came through Port Coquitlam. It became the city’s main road and home to many prominent shops and business, such as the Myrtle Hotel, the Bank of Vancouver and Sinclair’s Jewellers. It remained Port Coquitlam’s main road until the 1950s.

This photograph, taken in 1920, shows members of the Routley family standing on Dewdeny Trunk Road near its intersection with Shaughnessy Street. Harold Routley (left) served on city council from 1956-1968. He is responsible for the creation of the PoCo Traboulay Trail!