Oil drillers were back to work in the Abbotsford area 100 years ago and that activity made front- page headlines in the May 19, 2023 edition of the Abbotsford, Sumas and Matsqui News.
The story stated that it was the first drilling in the area since the collapse of the Home Oil company about two years prior.
Geologist Sir William Dawson originally reported the Abbotsford area to be promising for oil in the early-1890s. A location was then selected in 1914 but the First World War halted all work.
The drilling company added that they would be conservative and economical and would publish short official reports in The News as work progressed. They also said the general public was always welcome to visit site operations.
The Abbotsford Theatre scheduled to air The Old Swimming Hole on Wednesday of that week and The Ghost Breaker on Saturday.
A story on page two stated that farmers from Iowa and Nebraska had their eyes on relocating to western Canada. The article said the skilled farmers would be considered a good type of settler because they had more money and better equipment and were superior farmers.
World news on page three shared that Lieut. Lester Maitland of Dayton, Ohio established a new flying record of 238 miles an hour flying over a three-kilometre course.
Women smokers were blamed for a higher rate of fires in the United States in a story on page six. General tobacco use by women had increased, and the story stated that women usually lit their smokes with matches. Fire damage due to matches and smoking had increased from $16 million in 1918 to almost $26 million in 1922.
A national story on page 11 argued the importance of Canada’s national parks. Tourist traffic to the parks generated about $20 million in 1922 compared to a cost to maintain them of about $1 million. The article stated that more areas should be designated as national parks to promote more Canadian tourism.
A world brief on page 11 stated that Sir Matthew Nathan, the governor of Queensland (Australia), in a speech referred to the need for more white immigrants and was concerned about too many Japanese coming to the area.
To view the archives, visit ufv.arcabc.ca/asmn.
abbotsfordhistory