History : Newnes the Blacksmith Family Traditional Cache
History : Newnes the Blacksmith Family
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The R.J. Haney Heritage Village is great location for visitors and locals alike, providing a vision into the past. I hope that geocachers can take a brief respite from the hunt. The village is run by a local non-profit historical society. When I took my friend to double check these coordinates he nearly walked into a building staring at the GPS, please explore the little village and take the opportunity to learn about local history.
This cache is located near a historical Chinese Cookhouse, upon reassembling the cookhouse, volunteers found Chinese newspapers in the walls. The Chinese were a key element to the creation of railway and thus the confederation of Canada.
Feel free to take take the opportunity to wander over to the Blacksmith Shop, a replica of the essential business to early Salmon Arm development.
Some historical information :
Newnes is a historical family name in Salmon Arm, the Newnes family created an international production line of forestry equipment. The friendly Haney House Archivist: Deborah Chapman, sent me over some information from local historian Denis Marshall.
Newnes started from humble beginnings William Newnes headed from Wales at 18, after working as a fireman in Toronto, he headed to the wild wealthy west. In 1912, Bill started a two man blacksmith shop in Salmon Arm.
In the 1920's Newnes expanded from horseshoes and metal repairs to buy a Massey Farming Equipment distributor. Bill Newnes became the Salmon Arm mayor from 1922 - 1927. As the depression years began Newnes struggled to stay afloat. The stress weighing William Newnes down brought about his unfortunate death in 1939.
Ray Newnes the fifteen year old successor took over the business with Bill's former assistant Bert Green. During the WWII the forest industry became mechanized with the boom of technology development. Ray jumped to the opportunity to expand the business. In 1959 Ray incorporated Newnes Ironworks and Machinery, modernizing the Blacksmith shop.
Newnes gradually developed into Newnes Machine Ltd. taken over by Ray's sons Doug and Bill. The machine manufacturer became a major employer in the region.
Source: Denis Marshall. Fleeting Images (Salmon Arm, B.C: Okanagan Historical Society, Salmon Arm Branch, 1998.)
The Blacksmith shop, donated by the Newnes family who still lives in the region. It is often said that lessons can be learned from history: maybe this lesson is that with hard work and innovation you can create a regional enterprise.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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