Royal Agricultural and Industrial Society Exhibition
by Thomas Machin
The Royal Agricultural & Industrial Society’s Provincial Exhibition, New Westminster 1869-1929
The idea of an agricultural fair in the lower mainland is associated these days with the summer fair at the PNE in Burnaby, but before 1929 the province’s foremost gathering took place in Queen’s Park in New Westminster. The Royal Agricultural and Industrial Society hosted the Provincial Exhibition. It was a showcase of agriculture, industry and people. The Provincial Exhibition was held in New Westminster from 1890 until the exhibition’s destruction in 1929.
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History
Agricultural fairs in New Westminster had a humble beginning. The first exhibition was held in New Westminster in 1867. It was a modest showing for the fledgling city, with the exhibit consisting of seven animals: a bull, a cow, two pigs, two sheep and a goat. The produce showing was similarly sparse, described by W. H. Keary, former manager and secretary for the exhibition, as “a few apple and potatoes; cabbages; turnips and garden products.”
1890 saw the formation of the Royal Agricultural & Industrial Society of BC, who were tasked with running the new Provincial Exhibition. 1890 also saw the construction of the Provincial Exhibition building in Queen’s park. Designed by architect G.W. Grant in what has been described as a “spectacular tribute to the Queen Anne revival style,” it was also a showcase of the usability of British Columbian lumber. It provided 15,000 square feet of display space, could hold up to 5000 visitors, and overlooked the new athletic fields and the racetrack.
As time went by, the New Westminster provincial exhibition increased in popularity and reputation. In 1905, the Royal Agricultural & Industrial society was awarded the hosting of the Canadian National Exhibition. This came with a $50,000 grant to construct new exhibition buildings, creating the Women’s Building and the Industrial building. By 1914 the New Westminster Arena was added to Queen’s park. Though initially intended for horse events, it was later converted to an ice hockey rink. The provincial exhibition was at this said to “compare favorably” with the more important fairs of Eastern Canada.
In 1919, the New Westminster Local council of Women brought the Better Babies contest to the Provincial Exhibition. Hosted in the newly built Women’s building, the contests proved to be a popular attraction. The first contest was such as success that the contest quarters could not hold the crowds of people who had come to see the babies. On the surface, the contest judged the fitness of babies similar to the judging of livestock and produce that was taking place elsewhere at the exhibition. Babies as young as six months old, and possibly younger, were judged out of 100 percent. The fittest babies were declared “100 percent babies” and celebrated in newspapers. The judging included a wide range of criteria, and judged attributes such as head shape, intelligence, general symmetry, abdominal viscera, and genitalia, among others. Though the contest was billed as educational, it strongly linked to the ideas of eugenics. The contest was supervised by Dr. McKay, a eugenicist who been a leading campaigner for a provincial sterilization act for the feebleminded.
The Prince of Wales visited in 1919, and the exhibition drew in 90,000 visitors over the week. However, despite record attendances, the New Westminster Exhibition was headed for trouble.
1890 saw the formation of the Royal Agricultural & Industrial Society of BC, who were tasked with running the new Provincial Exhibition. 1890 also saw the construction of the Provincial Exhibition building in Queen’s park. Designed by architect G.W. Grant in what has been described as a “spectacular tribute to the Queen Anne revival style,” it was also a showcase of the usability of British Columbian lumber. It provided 15,000 square feet of display space, could hold up to 5000 visitors, and overlooked the new athletic fields and the racetrack.
As time went by, the New Westminster provincial exhibition increased in popularity and reputation. In 1905, the Royal Agricultural & Industrial society was awarded the hosting of the Canadian National Exhibition. This came with a $50,000 grant to construct new exhibition buildings, creating the Women’s Building and the Industrial building. By 1914 the New Westminster Arena was added to Queen’s park. Though initially intended for horse events, it was later converted to an ice hockey rink. The provincial exhibition was at this said to “compare favorably” with the more important fairs of Eastern Canada.
In 1919, the New Westminster Local council of Women brought the Better Babies contest to the Provincial Exhibition. Hosted in the newly built Women’s building, the contests proved to be a popular attraction. The first contest was such as success that the contest quarters could not hold the crowds of people who had come to see the babies. On the surface, the contest judged the fitness of babies similar to the judging of livestock and produce that was taking place elsewhere at the exhibition. Babies as young as six months old, and possibly younger, were judged out of 100 percent. The fittest babies were declared “100 percent babies” and celebrated in newspapers. The judging included a wide range of criteria, and judged attributes such as head shape, intelligence, general symmetry, abdominal viscera, and genitalia, among others. Though the contest was billed as educational, it strongly linked to the ideas of eugenics. The contest was supervised by Dr. McKay, a eugenicist who been a leading campaigner for a provincial sterilization act for the feebleminded.
The Prince of Wales visited in 1919, and the exhibition drew in 90,000 visitors over the week. However, despite record attendances, the New Westminster Exhibition was headed for trouble.
The Provincial exhibition in New Westminster came to an end in 1929. At six in the morning on July 14th, fire crews received word that the exhibition buildings were on fire. Though there was a fire hall in Queen’s park, constructed in 1901, the blaze could not be contained. Within an hour and a half, the fire had burned almost all of the exhibition buildings to the ground. The only structures that survived were a cattle shed, a banquet hall, and an administrative building. Low water pressure from hydrants and exhaustion from fighting a large blaze the day before were seen to have hampered the fire crew’s efforts.
It was decided that despite the blaze, the provincial exhibition would proceed as planned for that September. Events were held under large tents, and the event was attended by Winston Churchill. The event saw record attendance, but it would be the last time the exhibition was held in New Westminster. |
The destruction of the exhibition during the great depression ensured that rebuilding it was not an option. Talk of amalgamation with the exhibition in Vancouver had started as early as 1925, and the loss of the buildings in Queen’s park settled any debates about where an amalgamated exhibition would take place. 1929 was the final year for the exhibition in New Westminster. With Queen’s park’s role usurped, it began to restructure itself as a community park. Insurance funds from the fire were used to construct the arena, which still stands today. |
The Role of Exhibitions in Canada
Agricultural exhibitions in Canada were designed to improve interest in farming. They were designed to make improve the fortunes of farmers and make them more proficient. They also served to unify farmers as political groups, and promote the importance of agriculture in Canadian society. The New Westminster Provincial exhibition promoted agriculture, as well as industry, and provided a spectacle for the public to enjoy. The success of the exhibition brought financial rewards to the city. Its reputation and scope brought many visitors to the city, and improved the fortunes of its shops and farmers. The funds raised during the exhibition were then reinvested in New Westminster, providing funds for continuous improvement of the grounds at Queen’s park among other things.
What Remains
Little is left on the landscape as a reminder of the Provincial exhibition. The rubble from the burned buildings was removed, and of the surviving buildings only the former administrative building remains. It now functions as the Vagabond playhouse. However, no mentions of its origins with the Provincial exhibition are present on the exterior. Indeed, there is no evidence to be found in the park that an exhibition was held there. The provincial exhibition was held for 60 years, but its role in the life of the Lower Mainland is little acknowledged today.
Further Readings
A brief history of New Westminster’s Queen’s park and the Provincial Exhibition
http://www.newwestpcr.ca/database/files/library/Queens_Park_History.pdf
The Royal Agricultural & Industrial Society of BC – Former hosts of the Provincial exhibition - as they exist today.
http://www.nwheritage.org/heritagesite/orgs/samson/RA&I%20page.htm
"A BABY SHOW MEANS WORK IN THE HARDEST SENSE": The Better Baby Contests of the Vancouver and New Westminster Local Councils of Women, 1919-1929 – By Gerald Thomson
A look into the links between the Vancouver and New Westminster baby shows and the Eugenics movement.
http://ojs.library.ubc.ca/index.php/bcstudies/article/view/1546/1589
Vancouver’s Fair - By David Breen and Kenneth Coates
A history of the Vancouver Exhibitions (The Vancouver Exhibition association and the Pacific National Exhibition)
http://www.amazon.ca/Vancouvers-Fair-Breen/dp/0774801611/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1364264633&sr=1-1
The Inglorious Arts of Peace: Exhibitions in Canadian Society during the Nineteenth Century -
By E.A. Heaman
A look at the development of exhibitions in Canada, primarily in Ontario and Quebec
http://www.amazon.ca/Inglorious-Arts-Peace-Exhibitions-Nineteenth/dp/0802042724/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364264519&sr=8-1
Agricultural exhibitions in Canada were designed to improve interest in farming. They were designed to make improve the fortunes of farmers and make them more proficient. They also served to unify farmers as political groups, and promote the importance of agriculture in Canadian society. The New Westminster Provincial exhibition promoted agriculture, as well as industry, and provided a spectacle for the public to enjoy. The success of the exhibition brought financial rewards to the city. Its reputation and scope brought many visitors to the city, and improved the fortunes of its shops and farmers. The funds raised during the exhibition were then reinvested in New Westminster, providing funds for continuous improvement of the grounds at Queen’s park among other things.
What Remains
Little is left on the landscape as a reminder of the Provincial exhibition. The rubble from the burned buildings was removed, and of the surviving buildings only the former administrative building remains. It now functions as the Vagabond playhouse. However, no mentions of its origins with the Provincial exhibition are present on the exterior. Indeed, there is no evidence to be found in the park that an exhibition was held there. The provincial exhibition was held for 60 years, but its role in the life of the Lower Mainland is little acknowledged today.
Further Readings
A brief history of New Westminster’s Queen’s park and the Provincial Exhibition
http://www.newwestpcr.ca/database/files/library/Queens_Park_History.pdf
The Royal Agricultural & Industrial Society of BC – Former hosts of the Provincial exhibition - as they exist today.
http://www.nwheritage.org/heritagesite/orgs/samson/RA&I%20page.htm
"A BABY SHOW MEANS WORK IN THE HARDEST SENSE": The Better Baby Contests of the Vancouver and New Westminster Local Councils of Women, 1919-1929 – By Gerald Thomson
A look into the links between the Vancouver and New Westminster baby shows and the Eugenics movement.
http://ojs.library.ubc.ca/index.php/bcstudies/article/view/1546/1589
Vancouver’s Fair - By David Breen and Kenneth Coates
A history of the Vancouver Exhibitions (The Vancouver Exhibition association and the Pacific National Exhibition)
http://www.amazon.ca/Vancouvers-Fair-Breen/dp/0774801611/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1364264633&sr=1-1
The Inglorious Arts of Peace: Exhibitions in Canadian Society during the Nineteenth Century -
By E.A. Heaman
A look at the development of exhibitions in Canada, primarily in Ontario and Quebec
http://www.amazon.ca/Inglorious-Arts-Peace-Exhibitions-Nineteenth/dp/0802042724/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364264519&sr=8-1