Britannia Boat Builders Teacher’s Guide Explore one of the last surviving shipyard communities in BC, and discover how Britannia’s residents adapted after the greatest ecological disaster on the Fraser River. Students will see how people lived and worked on site, and then build hand-held wooden boats to take home. Recommended for Grades K - 7 Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site 5180 Westwater Drive Richmond BC, V7E 6P3 Phone: 604-238-8037 Fax:604-718-8040 Email: [email protected]
Transcript
Britannia Boat Builders Teacher’s Guide
Explore one of the last surviving shipyard communities in BC, and discover how Britannia’s residents adapted after the greatest ecological disaster on the Fraser River. Students will see how people lived and worked on site, and then build hand-held wooden boats to take home.
Recommended for Grades K - 7
Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site 5180 Westwater Drive Richmond BC, V7E 6P3 Phone: 604-238-8037 Fax:604-718-8040 Email: [email protected]
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Table of Contents
Program Outline 1. Program Description…………………………………………………….3 2. Program Outline…………………………………………………………4 3. Learning Objectives……………………………………………………..4 4. Curriculum connections (by grade)………...……………………….5-7
General Information……………………………………………………………..8
Sample Name Tags……………………………………………………………..9
Setting the Context for the Field Trip 1. Background Information. ………………..………………………..10-12 2. Britannia Shipyard Timeline……………….………………...……13-14
3. Useful References……………………………………………………..15
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Program Description
Britannia Boat Builders is a 90-minute program that encourages students to explore and experience what life was like for the people who lived and worked at Britannia Shipyards 100 years ago. The program is based on the lives of fisherman and boat builders who once lived at Britannia and in the Murakami House.
The Britannia Shipyard was originally a salmon cannery, built in 1889 by the Britannia Packing Company. It would become one of the 49 canneries located along the Fraser River in the late 1800’ and early 1900’s. Collectively the canneries were known as “cannery row”. In 1917 this cannery closed due to the Hell’s Gate Landslide of 1912, which prevented spawning sockeye to return to their traditional spawning pools. In 1918, the building was converted into a shipyard, to repair boats for the fishing and packing companies that continued fishing further away from shore. The shipyard closed in 1979. Today it serves as one of our focal points for the Britannia site, an educational facility for the public, and as a site for refurbishing vessels for future historic displays.
Many of the buildings on site date back to 1885 and tell the stories of multi-ethnic residents and workers at the Britannia Cannery and Britannia Shipyard: First Nations, Chinese, Anglo-Canadian, European, and Japanese.
The Murakami House was built in 1885 on piles over the marsh. Mr. And Mrs. Murakami and their ten children lived in this residence from 1929 to 1942. The refurbished home and boat works opened in May 1998 as the official Murakami Visitors Centre.
Otokichi Murakami constructed the Murakami Boatworks, shortly after he leased the neighbouring house from the Phoenix Cannery in 1929. Otokichi and his sons built 1 –2 gillnet fishing boats per winter in this small building, and they fished during the summer. At launching time, temporary tracks were placed over the boardwalk to roll the boat out. A hand-operated capstan moved the cradle on these tracks that are called “the ways”. In 1942, the Murakami families were Interned and the house and boatworks became a storage house for fishing net. In 1992, these buildings became part of Britannia Shipyard for the public to share and learn from.
This collection of buildings is of national value and was designated as a National Historic Site in 1992 by the National Historic Sites and Monuments Board.
Program Outline
Teacher and students are introduced to the Program Facilitator.
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The Britannia site, Fraser River and tidal marshland are introduced and the historical context is discussed through questions and answers.
Students tour Britannia Shipyards and learn about the multiple functions of The building, while sitting in a Fraser River Skiff boat and discuss the Hell’s Gate environmental disaster of 1912. Students will discover the roles of a variety tradesman as they explore the carpentry, machinist and blacksmith shops inside the Shipyard.
Students explore the Murakami House and learn about the history of Japanese immigration and the life of the Murakami boat building family.
Students build a toy gillnet wooden fishing boat in the original Murakami Boat Works to take home.
Learning Objectives
To understand the maritime culture of boat building and salmon fishing, unique to the Steveston area of Richmond.
To develop an awareness of the importance of the Fraser River and its impact on peoples lives throughout history.
To enhance fine motor skills through object-based manipulation and creation.
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Curriculum Connections
The “Britannia Boat Builders” program is based on the Ministry of Education’s Social Studies Integrated Resource Package (K-7 IRP) curriculum requirements. Kindergarten
Participate co-operatively in groups. Student’s will explore the shipyard area and co-operatively construct wooden gillnetter toy boats.
Identify similarities and differences among families. Students will discuss similarities and differences between their family and the experiences of the Japanese Murakami family.
Identify work done in their community. Students will gain an understanding of the different roles (jobs and lifestyles) within Britannia Shipyard and the community of the Steveston.
Identify characteristics of different local environments. Students will begin to understand the characteristics of a waterfront town and tidal marshland areas.
Grade 1
Participate co-operatively and productively in groups. Student’s will explore the shipyard area and co-operatively construct wooden gillnetter toy boats.
Explain how families can be similar and different in terms of characteristics such as composition, culture, traditions, and roles of various family members. Students will discuss similarities and differences between their family and the experiences of the Japanese Murakami family.
Identify types of work done by people in their community. Students will gain an understanding of the different roles (jobs and lifestyles) within Britannia Shipyard and the community of the Steveston.
Describe ways they use technologies. Students will gain a basic understanding of historic technology by viewing and interacting with the Fraser River Skiff and building their own wooden toy gillnetter boat.
Identify characteristics of different environments. Students will begin to understand the characteristics of a waterfront town and tidal marshland areas.
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Grade 2
Describe ways individuals contribute to a community. Students will gain an
understanding of the different roles (gender, jobs and socio-economic lifestyles) within Britannia Shipyard and the community of Steveston.
Identify significant language and cultural characteristics of Canadian
society. Students will explore the cultural make-up of Britannia Shipyard buildings, Murakami House and Boatworks.
Describe the purpose of money. Students will understand the type of work that
was required of the people who lived in Steveston, to meet their basic needs and wants. They will begin to understand the difference in dollar values from the past to the present.
Describe how the physical environment influences human activities.
Students will begin to understand the importance of the Fraser River to the people who lived in the Steveston area (for fishing, boat building, international trade, etc.).
Grade 3
Identify changes that can occur in communities over time. Students will have
the opportunity to witness the differences between how people lived in the past, and how they live today in the Steveston area.
Describe the importance of communities. Students willgain an understanding
of the experiences a Japanese family in Canada at this period of history. (In regards to the time period and the diverse ethnic groups of the area) by discussing the lives of the Murakami household.
Identify cultural similarities and differences. By exploring the history of the
Murakami Boatworks and the Britannia Shipyard buildings, students will begin to understand the dynamic cultural make-up of the Steveston area. Students are encouraged to make connections to their lives/families/communities to those of the past.
Identify characteristics of Canadian society. By exploring the history of the
salmon fishing and boatbuilding industries of the Fraser River, students will begin to understand the dynamic social and cultural life of the people who lived and worked at Britannia and the community of Steveston.
Compare ways in which needs and wants are met in communities. By
exploring the history of the area, students will understand the type of work that was required of the people who lived in Steveston, to meet their basic needs and wants.
Describe how the physical environment influenced early settlement in their
local community or another community studied. By exploring the history of
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the Fraser River and the salmon fishing industry (and mentioning the impact of the Hells’ Gate landslide in 1912 on the local fishing industry and community), students will begin to gain an understanding of the vital role the river has played in the Steveston community.
Grade 4
Identify effects of early contact between Aboriginal societies and European explorers and settlers. Students will be introduced to Aboriginal society’s traditional seasonal fishing territory and the transition to working in the cannery and shipyard with Anglo-Canadian, Chinese and Japanese workers.
Grade 5
Assess why immigrants came to Canada, the individual challenges they faced, and their contributions to Canada. Students will gain an understanding of the experiences Chinese, Japanese and European immigrants had during the development of the Steveston area, at the turn of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Analyze the relationship between the economic development of
communities and their available resources. Students will make connections between economic development and historical such as, the impact of the Hell’s Gate Landslide of 1912 on the cannery and commercial fishing industries.
Analyze environmental effects of settlement in early BC and Canada.
Students will explore the environmental impacts of the 1912 Hell’s Gate Landslide.
Grade 6
Describe the importance of trade for BC and Canada. Students will learn
about Steveston as the salmon capitol of the world at the dawn of the 20th century.
Grade 7
Apply critical thinking skills – including comparing, classifying, inferring, imagining, verifying, using analogies, identifying relationships, summarizing, and drawing conclusions – to a range of problems and issues. Students will apply critical thinking skills throughout the program as they interact and have discussions with the Program Facilitator, handle objects, and experience place-based learning.
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General Information Location Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site 5180 Westwater Drive, Richmond [east of Steveston Village along the Fraser River] Directions From Richmond: Follow Railway Avenue south until you reach the Britannia Shipyard. From outside Richmond: From Highway 99, take the Steveston Highway exit (north end of George Massey Tunnel). Continue west on Steveston Highway. Turn left on Railway Avenue and follow signs to the Britannia Shipyard. Length and Time Programs are 90 minutes and can accommodate a single class of a maximum of 30 students. Please confirm the day and time of your program a week before your scheduled visit. Parking Two free lots are available. Paved lot west of the Shipyard and a gravel lot to the east of the Shipyard.
Cost $4.00 per student including tax. Please arrive 10 minutes before the start of your program to process payment. Cheques should be made payable to the City of Richmond. A receipt will be mailed within a week of your visit. Preparing for your visit Please arrange with the School Programs Coordinator if you would like to visit the site before the day of the fieldtrip. Cooperative learning is an important part of the program. Pre-arranging your class into FOUR GROUPS is greatly appreciated. Supervision We encourage a minimum ratio of 1 adult chaperone for every 5 students. Adults are encouraged to help supervise the group and participate in the program as needed. Adult chaperones do not need to pay. Photographs We may take photographs for promotional purposes and ask parents to sign a waiver in advance. Please advise the programmer if any students cannot have their photographs taken and make sure they are identifiable. Cancellation Policy Cancellations require two weeks’ notice for a full refund. We will charge 50% of the fee for cancellations made under two weeks & 100% of the fee for failure to attend the program without notice.
Britannia Shipyards is located along the north arm of the Fraser River. This area is the traditional fishing territory of the First Nations peoples and has undergone many transformations throughout its history. However, one characteristic has remained the same; it is a community where cultures meet and live together. In the 1800’s many cultures from all around the world immigrated to the area and fishing became commercialized. The landscape of tidal marshland was tamed and developed into a 19th century industrial site for canneries and shipyards. Britannia itself was a cannery from 1890 until 1918, when it was converted into a shipyard. By 1980, the shipyard was closed and stripped empty, facing a future of decay. This was all changed in 1991 when Britannia Shipyard assumed a new identity, becoming a designated B.C. Heritage Landmark. Then, in 1992, Britannia received National Historic Site designation. As a heritage site the buildings have been restored, the landscape preserved. Britannia has taken on its final role, as a historical landmark and educational site. As mentioned above, Britannia began its life as a salmon cannery, in the fledging days of the B.C. fishing industry. The original market for salmon, canned or salted in barrels, was entirely an export market. Ships sailed from the shores and inlets of British Columbia laden with crates of canned salmon, destined for England and Europe. Canadian people, at the time, did not show an interest in the commercially canned product as they were use to fresh, smoked, salted and home canned salmon. Marshal English began construction of the first cannery in the Steveston area in 1882. It was named the Phoenix Cannery, and would stand next to the site of the future Britannia Cannery (which began construction in 1889). Two years after its completion in 1890, the Britannia Cannery was sold to the ABC Co. (Anglo British Columbia Packing Co.), owned by the Bell-Irving family. This transaction took place for only $1.00! The canneries at this time had a human landscape dominated by First Nations peoples working as fishermen and cannery workers. By the end of the 19th century, thousands of Chinese men, no longer needed for railway construction, moved into the cannery jobs, and the social dynamic of Steveston began to change. By 1900, salmon became B.C.’s second most valuable trade product and Steveston was recognized as a salmon capitol of the world. This was largely due to the refinement of canning technology as the world modernized, and a growing demand for canned food products in Europe. Under the ownership of ABC, Britannia was converted into a shipyard in 1918, to maintain and repair the fishing fleets, working for the ABC canneries. With Britannia’s large, covered roof it was an ideal choice for a shipyard in the area, as it could prevent inclement weather from affecting the repair work on the boats
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throughout the winters. Its boat cradles could hold two 80’ boats at a time, making it the largest shipyard in the area. Many canneries began to close at this time due to the devastating impact of the Hell’s Gate landslide in 1912, which closed off a vital gorge along the Fraser River, preventing salmon from reaching their spawning pools. With salmon populations decimated by the event, fishermen began to seek their catch further away from shore, requiring more boats and more repair work. The profile of the fishermen and boat builders changed as the immigration of Japanese people throughout the 1910’s, 20’s and 30’s increased. Becoming plentiful among the fishermen, and predominant among the boat builders, the Japanese remained in these positions until the Second World War, when Internment forced them away. The fishing industry experienced a new boom and the resulting vacuum was quickly filled with fisherman and boat builders of European decent. The war ended but things did not return to the same as before. Some Japanese people returned to their hometowns and former occupations, others never returned. As the salmon fishing industry grew in early 20th century here in B.C., a variety of fishing techniques and boats were adopted to maximize production. Learning from local indigenous peoples, and combining that knowledge with modern European fishing techniques, gave rise to Steveston’s reputation as the salmon capitol of the world. Here at Britannia, there were three main varieties of boats and techniques used and these were (or, are): gillnetting, trolling, and seining.
Gillnetting Gillnet fishing has a long history in British Columbia. It is the oldest form of industrial salmon fishing on the Northwest coast. First Nations fishermen were the first to practice this technique. Gillnetting works by stringing a net out in a water source, such as an estuary or an ocean, blocking the salmon's path.
When Europeans began gillnet fishing, their boats were oar-powered and up to 26 feet in length. Many of these earlier gillnet boats were also powered by small sails, and were often referred to as "row-sail" boats. By the beginning of the 1900s, larger steam-powered ships would tow the gillnet boats out to their fishing holes and retrieve them at the end of the day. In 1900, the Easthope family in Vancouver built the first gas-powered engine and attached it to a First Nations dugout canoe, which became the first gas-powered boat in the area. These
engines became widespread throughout BC. Furthermore, the canneries converted all their row-sail boats to motor power and revolutionized the fishing industry. By the 1930s gas-powered boats were the norm, and the diesel engine was making its appearance on the scene.
Trolling
Trolling is another method used to catch salmon along the British Columbia coast. Trolling with a hand-held fishing line is sometimes called handlining. First Nations people were the first to use this method to catch salmon here on the coast. Coho and Springs were the
only two types of salmon usually caught using this fishing technique because they are the species that most often rises to bait. First Nations fishermen trolled for salmon from dugout canoes using a fishing line and hook. The hook and line was especially effective in bays and inlets where salmon grouped together before going up river to spawn.
In contrast, the larger trolling boats had more gear and lines on them. By the 1960s refrigeration units on board became so advanced that boats could stay out to sea for up to a month at a time. With high-speed diesel engines, hydraulic gurdies,
and multi-strand stainless steel fishing lines, these boats could catch more fish per hour than ever before. These innovations allowed trollers to compete in the offshore and inshore pink and sockeye fisheries as well as in more
traditional fisheries.
Seining
Seining is a fishing technique that has been used in British Columbia for centuries. It is done in areas where there are large schools or groups of fish. The net used has weights on the bottom and buoys on the top to keep it afloat. These weights and floats enable the net to stand up in the water and entrap the fish. The net is set to encircle a school of fish, and is then closed off to trap them. The earliest form of seining was drag netting or beach seining.
Drawing of a fisherman handlining for salmon from a canoe.
After the 1920s, important labour saving changes to the machinery of seine boats was introduced. Gas engines and vessel size were increased, and shortly there after diesel engines became available.
Britannia Shipyard Timeline Pre 1870’s The area is First Nations traditional fishing territory. c. 1878 Marshall M. English and family build a fish camp near a native
village on the southwest corner of Lulu Island to serve his cannery at Brownsville (built 1877) in New Westminster.
1882 English’s cannery, the Phoenix Cannery, is built in what is now the
area immediately south of the Murakami Boatworks building. c. 1885 The First Nations Bunkhouse and Murakami house are built. 1889 Construction of Britannia Cannery begins, by W.A. Duncan, J.
Batchelor and Eli Harrison. The tea clipper “Titania” docks in Steveston Harbour before her voyage to Britain. This is the first time that canned salmon was shipped overseas and marked Steveston number one in the salmon industry.
1890 Britannia Cannery construction finished. 1892 Britannia Cannery is purchased by Anglo-British Columbia Packing
Company Ltd. (ABC Packing Co.), owned by the Bell-Irving family. 1895 Expansion of the Britannia Cannery. Production increases. 1897 Most canneries at this time were producing 500,000 cases (24
million cans) annually. 1901 Height of the canning industry on the Fraser River: 15 canneries in
Steveston, 49 in total along the Fraser River. 1912 Hell’s Gate gorge obstruction: railway blasting rock debris changed
the flow pattern of the river, decimating Fraser River salmon spawning stocks.
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1913 Major run of salmon affected. 1914 Hell’s gate rockslide on east bank was further devastation to the
cycle of the sockeye salmon); many canneries close down and convert to other uses.
1918-19 Conversion of the Britannia Cannery into a Shipyard under the
ownership of the ABC Packing Co. to serve as a winter housing and repair facility for ABC Packing Co. fishing fleet. Many private vessels are repaired here as well.
1929 The Murakami Boatworks is built by Otokichi Murakami on Phoenix
Cannery property. Otokichi and his sons construct “Gillnetter” boats here until 1942, when the Murakami family is removed due to internment by the Canadian government.
1969 Britannia Shipyard and Phoenix Cannery are purchased by the
Canadian Fishing Company (CanFisCo) from ABC Packing Company Ltd., and the Phoenix cannery closes.
1979 BC Packers purchases the Britannia Shipyard and Phoenix
Cannery from CanFisCo. They then start to close the facility, beginning dismantling operations.
1980 BC Packers officially closes the Britannia Shipyard. 1989 Triple “R” purchases Britannia site from BC Packers and Richmond
Council appoints Britannia Steering Committee. 1990 100th Anniversary celebration. Triple “R” Lands Corporation
transfers title of the 8.14 acre Britannia site to the City of Richmond. 1991 B.C. Heritage Trust Landmark Program funding is announced and
the Britannia Heritage Shipyard Society is formed. Two Fraser River fishing skiffs are built.
1992 Britannia Heritage Shipyard is declared a National Historic Site.
Park master plan begins. Shipyard substructure replaced. “Iona” collector boat restoration begins.
1994 Site services are installed. Shipyard entrance and Park Road are completed. Park plan is approved.
1995 Murakami buildings and First Nations Bunkhouse are raised in
preparation for stabilization. The Blue Heron (skiff) is completed. The bulkhead and boardwalk are rebuilt. Landscaping is completed. Park Grand Opening Celebration.
~This chronology ends at 1995
Useful References Books: Steambox, boardwalks, belts and ways: stories from Britannia. Compiled & edited by Marie Bannister & Marilyn Clayton. Richmond: Employment & Immigration Canada; Dept. of Parks & Leisure: Britannia Heritage Shipyard Society, 1992. Stewart, H. (1982). Indian fishing: Early methods on the northwest coast. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre. Videos: Obachan’s Garden, National Film Board, 2001. Internet: Chinese Canadian Stories: Uncommon Histories from a Common Past. University of British Columbia http://chinesecanadian.ubc.ca/ Pacific Coast Salmon Fisheries. Canada's Digital Collections Program, Industry Canada. http://bcheritage.ca/pacificfisheries/main.html StevestonVillage.com A Community Portal for Steveston, B.C., Canada http://www.stevestonivillage.com/asayomurakami.html Steveston Recollections: The History of a Village. Virtual Museum of Canada. http://www.virtualmuseum.ca
