British Columbia / B.C. Postal History - 1 March 1931 - HORSEFLY, B.C. ( split ring / broken circle cancel / postmark) to Vancouver, B.C.

Horsefly (1) / Harper's Camp / Horsefly (2) - The listing is confusing because some of the mining companies listed under "Horsefly" were located at "Harper's Camp". Both "towns" are included in the list because at the time there were two post offices. The Horsefly Post Office was at the Hobson Mine, 5 miles downriver. The Harper's Camp Post Office was at the Walters' Horsefly Hotel, in the center of what is now Horsefly. The post office at the Horsefly Mine (1 / first opening) closed in 1908. The townspeople voted about 1930, to change the name of Harper's Camp to Horsefly (2 / second opening), by which name it has been known ever since. LINK to this article - www.harperscamp.ca/textual/families.html

- from 1908 "Lovell's Gazetteer of the Dominion of Canada" - HARPER'S CAMP, a post office in Cariboo District, B.C. 170 miles from Ashcroft on the main line of the C.P.R., in Yale District, 203 miles east of Vancouver.

(from - Wrigley's 1918 British Columbia Directory) - HARPER'S CAMP - a post office and farming district on Horsefly River in Cariboo Provincial Electoral District, reached by stage from Lac la Hache on the Cariboo Road. Has telegraph office and population of 175 (in 1918). Local resources: Farming, mining and trapping.

Originally called Harper's Camp after Thaddeus Harper, pioneer rancher and miner. The present name of the village, lake and river comes from the fact that every summer this country is infested with horseflies. The name was originally given to the river and lake because of the prevalence of horseflies in the district. Horsefly Mining Company's post office closed 1908. Settlers drew lots in 1920 for a new post office name; all but one entry favoured Horsefly'.

Harper's Camp Post Office was opened - 1 July 1897. Renamed Horsefly Post Office (second opening) - 1 July 1921.

LINK - to a list of all the Postmasters who served at the HORSEFLY Post Office - www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/postal-heritage-philately/...;

sent from - / HORSEFLY / MR 1 / 31 / B.C. / - split ring cancel from the second opening - this split ring hammer (A-1) was proofed - 2 June 1921 - (RF B).

- sent by: C. Bell / General Merchant / Horse Fly, B.C.

Chesley Bell
(b. 1852 in the USA - d. 1936 in British Columbia)

His sister: Lena Bell
(b. 1862 in the USA - d. 19 August 1943 at age 80 in Williams Lake, B.C.)

They both immigrated to Canada around 1894 ...

Chesley Bell and his sister Lena arrived in Horsefly from Texas about 1896. Mr. Bell, 20 years older than his sister, dreamed of coming West to be a cowboy and apparently realized his dream as he was one of the first men to travel over the Chisholm Trail, from Texas to Kansas to the railroad. In his early days, he also fought against Geronimo, the famous Apache chief. Mr. Bell was a rancher and homesteaded at various locations - Fish Lake, near Miocene, and later near Gravel Creek. At one time, the Bells lived at the dam across Moffat Creek where Mr. Bell acted as "water man" - the one who turned water into a ditch for sluicing at the Hobson Mine 10 miles away. In 1913, they opened a store in one room of the Walters' hotel. Later they rented a house which had been built by A.B. Campbell in the center of Horsefly. After this, the Bells bought a large bunkhouse from the Hobson Mine and moved it into Horsefly on land they purchased from Ed West, where they operated a store. Mr. Bell is buried in the Horsefly Cemetery. Mrs. Bell sold the property after Chesley's death in 1936, and moved to Williams Lake in 1936 and moved to Williams Lake, where she died in 1943. LINK to the complete article - www.harperscamp.ca/textual/families.html

Addressed to: Swift Canadian Co. / Vancouver, B.C.
LINK to a photo - Swift Canadian Co. display of meat and dairy products - searcharchives.vancouver.ca/uploads/r/null/b/1/b1f0f54f2e...

The Swift Canadian Packing House and Office Building is a six storey plus basement reinforced concrete and brick structure occupying its entire lot, with a six storey main block and a two storey addition to the east side. It is located on Maple Tree Square on the north side of Water Street, at the convergence of Alexander, Powell, Carroll and Water Streets in the historic district of Gastown. The original 1912 building was designed by the Swift and Company's Construction Department as a four storey meat warehouse and packing plant, with two storeys added in 1925. The massive cubic form, high density, large clear-span floor-plate and notable height of this structure are a clear indication of the extent and prosperity of wholesale trade during this period. Additional office spaces were required for the expanding business, and the two storey addition to the east, which also included loading bays, was constructed in 1918.

Taken on: July 17, 2020

Tags:

Circular Date Stamp

Postal Way Office

post office

British Columbia

postal history

Brit Col.

B.C.

County

split ring

broken circle

split circle

postmark

cancel

cancellation

marking

SON

mail

letter

stamp

Canada

British Columbia Postal History

Canada Post

Horsefly

Harper's Camp

Vancouver

Swift Canadian Company

Chesley Bell

Lena Bell « less

Sets appears in: • British Columbia / B.C. / Postal History - Split Ring Cancels / Postmarks Etc.

Groups appears in: • Postmarks • Postage Stamps and Postmarks more » • Post/mail/stamps related postcards • Postal History • Stamps - First Day Covers - Stamps • Stamps from around the world • STAMPS OF THE WORLD AND SPAIN « less

Stats: 2,471 views / 2 comments

go back