The 撸奶社区Historical Society is on the hunt for secrets 鈥� Woodfibre secrets.聽
On Friday, Sept. 26, the non-profit organization is opening an exhibit regarding the former milltown鈥檚 history. The show will be on display at the Britannia Mine Museum. But before it鈥檚 unveiled, the group wants residents鈥� help, society president Bianca Peters said.聽
鈥淲e鈥檙e looking for stories people don鈥檛 know about,鈥� Peters said, adding photographs, memorabilia and artifacts are all welcome.
The mill site at the base of Mill Creek has more than 100 years of history. Originally constructed in 1912, the townsite of Woodfibre is only accessible by boat. Until the 1960s, families lived and worked at the site. In 2006, Western Forest Products closed the mill.聽
Woodfibre was once called West Britannia, with Britannia Beach claiming the title of East Britannia. Before World War II, it was home to one of the largest Japanese populations in B.C.聽
The historical society has gathered a lot of information on the site, but the true experts are those who lived there, Peters said.聽
鈥淲e want this to be a collaborative effort,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e are not experts on Woodfibre.鈥�
A proposal to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant at Woodfibre has thrust it into the spotlight recently. Society members thought it was a prime time to let people know about the area鈥檚 past. Woodfibre was a vibrant community, complete with its own public swimming pool, Peters said, noting some residents don鈥檛 realize that Woodfibre functioned as its own stand-alone town.
鈥淵ou have got to remember where we were before you look at the future,鈥� she said.聽
The society aims to gather 10 unknown stories about Woodfibre. Entries will be placed into a draw to win a two-day package for a deluxe suite at Executive Suites Hotel and Resort.聽
People can vote on their favourite photo, story and artifact on the historical society鈥檚 Facebook site. Entries must be submitted before Aug. 30. Email entries to [email protected].
