Historic memories

I was pleased to read the article “A resilient community by the sea” by Hans Tammemagi (December 2020-January 2021).

I was head of National Historic Sites for the western region of Canada back in the 1970s and negotiated with the owners of the Steveston Cannery to acquire their unused old building and to develop it as a place to commemorate the importance of the fishing industry in Canada’s history. We then stopped at all of the abandoned canneries to gather up any nets, tools, or artifacts that could be used in the proposed interpretive displays. I hired a Japanese-Canadian man (who liked to speak about his “holiday in the mountains during the war”) to care for the building and its newly salvaged treasures.

It is very rewarding to hear of the appreciative results of those early efforts.

Harry A. Tatro via email