Preserving BC Hydro's History

The Power Pioneer History Group and webmasters have been working to bring you stories and photographs on the history of BC Hydro.

By selecting an Era of Historical Significance in the menu at the left you will be able to browse a selection of stories, photographs and a chronology of events that took place during that time period.

Please check back often, as we will be regularly adding new stories and photographs.

If you have any article of memorabilia such as pictures, letters, awards, magazine articles, manuals, or any hardware that has any connection to BC Electric, BC Power Commission, or BC Hydro, please contact either:

Mike Morris at 250-753-1547, email patnmike@shaw.ca
Phil Horton at 604-431-8774, email phorton@direct.ca

If you are able to help us identify any of the photographs, provide us with missing information, or help us with correcting existing information, please contact Phil Horton (above) or one of the webmasters at:

Enjoy your tour of the History Section!

Displaying Our History

Maintaining our company's history is an important part of BC Hydro's culture.  The company has a proud past in this province, and many employees worked tirelessly to install power lines and cables around B.C. to ensure that its residents would have safe and reliable sources of power.  As time has passed, a number of former and current Hydro sites have served as museums and visitor centres to educate people about the company's past work and operations in the province, including the Jingle Pot Substation, Stave Falls Visitor's Centre, and Qualicum Beach "Power House".  All three of these facilities help to preserve company artifacts and memorabilia from the past.

The "Power House" in Qualicum Beach was the first museum dedicated to BC Hydro and their predecessors. It began in 1994, when retiree and former BC Hydro C.E.O. Norm Olsen presented the Qualicum Beach Museum Society with a cheque for $20,000 from BC Hydro’s Corporate Donations department, along with a few pieces of his own personal memorabilia at the official opening of the Power House Museum.

It still houses a Vivian diesel generator similar to the one that generated power to the community of Qualicum, along with other electricity-oriented artifacts gathered from across Vancouver Island. Many of the artifacts were on loan from BC Hydro’s Victoria office, with the assistance of retired district manager Pat McGuire.

Most of the artifacts once displayed at the Power House are now at Stave Falls. The only remaining hydro artifacts at the site are ones unique to Qualicum Beach, and were donated by previous Hydro employees in the area. Some of the most treasured artifacts are carvings by former line supervisor Ed McMillan, depicting a line crew setting a pole using pike poles. Each carving consists of the actual men who worked with Ed, and they are each named as part of the display.

The Jingle Pot Substation, near Nanaimo, is now also a museum of BC Hydro memorabilia. When the Jingle Pot Substation was opened by the Power Pioneers, it was to be used as their headquarters and a meeting facility for Hydro personnel. Over the years, Power Pioneers and staff have been actively collecting memorabilia from a number of locations, thanks to the organizational skills of Mike Morris, a retired line supervisor from Nanaimo.

Location of Jingle Pot Museum

Gaslights to Gigawatts

A Human History of BC Hydro and its Predecessors as told by the Power Pioneers.

All proceeds from the sales of this book go to BC's Children's Hospital through the BC Hydro Power  Pioneer legacy project.

Gaslights to Gigawatts is a human history that tells the story of BC Hydro and its predecessors through  the memories and memoirs of the people who lived it. That story begins in the1860s when gas lamps first illuminated the muddy streets of Victoria, and runs till the present era of billion-watt (gigawatt) power projects.

Through hundreds of interviews and written submissions, the book includes the stories of line workers, dam builders, sales reps, bus drivers and streetcar motormen, dietitians (someone had to teach customers how to cook on electric ovens), clerical staff, meter readers, labourers, managers and trade unionists. These are the countless people who dedicated their working lives to BC Hydro and, before it, to the BC Electric Company and the British Columbia Power Commission.

Gaslights to Gigawatts includes over 250 fascinating photographs and illustrations, many never before published. This 240 page hardcover  book is available from BC Hydro Power Pioneers at a cost of $35.00 (including all taxes), plus $5.00 shipping.  To order, call: 604 623-3768 or toll free 1 800 992-5616 or via email: lorilee.koltai@bchydro.com

Station Normal - The Power Of The Stave River

This exciting book documents the life and times of the people and power developments on the Stave River.  This 128 page book, generously illustrated with more than 100 photographs, pays homage to Stave Falls through the stories and memories of the people who knew it best.

Station Normal - The Power Of The Stave River is available from BC Hydro at a cost of $21.35 (including all taxes).  To order, call:

604 462-1222 or
email: sharon.vallance@bchydro.bc.ca