24
Village of Harrison Mills with Kilby General Store on Right20th Century, Circa 1920
Kilby Historic Site, Harrison Mills, British Columbia, Canada
Credits:Fraser Heritage Society
25
October 3, 1910- The BC Electric line opened between Chilliwack and New Westminster. This caused further decline for the businesses in Harrison Mills as the people in Chilliwack no longer had to cross the river to catch the train to Vancouver west bound. Much of Eliza Kilby's hotel business was lost.
October 10, 1910
- Eliza Kilby notified the public that she would be closing the Manchester House Hotel; She continued to operate it as a boarding house, taking in schoolteachers and other paying guests.
1911
- After only two seasons, the Rat Portage Lumber mill closed down and never reopened. It had been a financial failure. Watchmen guarded the mill for many years and all the town's people believed that some day it would reopen.
1912
- Thomas purchased a large adjacent acreage to begin a dairy farm.
1914-1918
- The outbreak of the First World War delayed any chance of recovery for the town for several years.
26
Canadian Pacific Railway Station in Harrison Mills20th Century, Circa 1910
Kilby Historic Site, Harrison Mills, British Columbia, Canada
Credits:Fraser Heritage Society
27
1914- The Rat Portage sold the stock of the company store to the Kilby's, who became the soul suppliers to the Rat Portage logging camps around Harrison Lake.
1915
- The Canadian Northern Railway was completed. The railway passed through Chilliwack and ran parallel with the CPR on the south side of the Fraser River. Crossing the river to catch the train eastbound was now unnecessary. The role of Harrison Mills as a traffic junction had come to an end. With the closing of the mills and new transportation options, the town of Harrison Mills began its decline and the town emptied.
1917
- The general economic recession and the war in Europe furthered the decline, which eventually forced the closure of the Kilby's General Store from 1917 until 1920.
1920
- Thomas reopened the store and the building was raised up and extensively refurbished.
28
The "Shamrock" Boat Taking People on Tour of Harrison River20th Century
Kilby Historic Site, Harrison Mills, British Columbia, Canada
Credits:Fraser Heritage Society
29
1921- The Rat Portage Co. began to make plans to reopen the mill. They made an offer to Thomas Kilby to purchase 100 acres of his waterfront property. Reportedly, Thomas Kilby offered to sell them all of his land holdings including the store, yet the deal never materialized.
1922
- Due to his father's failing health, Acton Kilby returned from Merritt in February. He would take over the management of the farm and Thomas and Eliza would retire. A cottage, which once belonged to the Martin Family, was moved up from the beach by means of the capstan, ropes and a horse. This would be Thomas and Eliza's home. Jessie and Acton remained in the living quarters arranged above and to the back of the store.
-A school road was built and the new Harrison River school building was relocated to a 2-acre site to the east.
1923
- Kilby Road was built.
- The Rat Portage Lumber Company sold the mill machinery.
1926
- The first dyke was built in Harrison Mills by the local farmers. It stretched from the base of Mount Woodside near the entrance of Batson's Slough, and around the peninsula to the railway embankment.
1928
- Thomas Kilby passed away. Acton Kilby was appointed Postmaster after his father died and carried on the duties for the next 40 years. Jessie, Acton's wife, acted as Postmistress during Acton's frequent absences on business.
30
Churns and Cream Separators at Kilby General Store20th Century, Circa 1970
Kilby Historic Site, Harrison Mills, British Columbia, Canada
Credits:Fraser Heritage Society
31
1930- The Rat Portage mill burned to the ground along with the railway station and 200 yards of CPR tracks lay twisted and unusable from the heat.
1933
- Mrs. Jessie Kilby purchased what remained of the Rat Portage Company houses and property. She then rented them to the people of the community for $10 each for front row houses and $8 each for back row houses. Renters were given discounts on the purchase of milk from the Kilby's dairy farm.
- Fires and floods took their toll over the years and the last house was destroyed by a fire in April 1980.
32
School House in Harrison Mills during 1948 Fraser River Flood20th Century, Circa 1948
Kilby Historic Site, Harrison Mills, British Columbia, Canada
Credits:Fraser Heritage Society
33
1948- The Flood of '48 was the most talked about flood as it affected the entire community. The dykes had not been well maintained and the river broke through in many places causing millions of dollars in damage to homes, roads, and railways. The Kilby store and Post Office remained open, though many people couldn't get there. The house was flooded out and the family moved into the rooms above the store where they remained for two years while repairs were made to the house. The boardwalks and the oil shed were destroyed. The warehouse was damaged and the horse barn was knocked off its foundation and later torn down. The dairy or cow barn suffered a lot of damage as it sat on foundation logs which were probably in bad shape even before the flood, and was dismantled around 1950 or 1951.
1958
- The mail train service to Harrison Mills was discontinued and regular mail truck delivery took over.
1968
- The Harrison Mills post office was closed, and Acton Kilby was forced to retire as Postmaster at the age of 77. The post office was moved to the Country Café on Harrison Bay, a building owned by Charles Pretty. Acton decided to organize the old General Store as a Museum. In 2006, the post office is located on School Road, a fifteen minute walk from the Kilby Historic Site.
34
Harrison Mills Community during 1948 Flood - General Store in Background20th Century, Circa 1948
Kilby Historic Site, Harrison Mills, British Columbia, Canada
Credits:Fraser Heritage Society
35
Basement Exhibit at Kilby General Store20th Century, Circa 1970
Kilby Historic Site, Harrison Mills, British Columbia, Canada
Credits:Fraser Heritage Society
36
Young Women Going Up the Ramp to Shop at the Store20th Century, Circa 1940
Kilby Historic Site, Harrison Mills, British Columbia, Canada
Credits:Fraser Heritage Society
37
Celebration of the British Columbia Government Purchasing the Kilby General Store20th Century, Circa 1976
Kilby Historic Site, Harrison Mills, British Columbia, Canada
Credits:Fraser Heritage Society
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