From Tides to Tins traces the fascinating history of British Columbia's cannery life

An online opportunity to explore some of the history of British Columbia's iconic Cannery life is creating a bit of buzz these days, with the project From Tides to Tins providing a glimpse into the once thriving industry and how it changed the history of the province. 

The online elements include a timeline of the development of Canneries along the British Columbia coast and includes a glimpse of the many, many canneries, some familiar names others perhaps not as well known to younger  generations, which once played a role in the fishery of the North  and Central Coasts and Haida Gwaii.

The area of focus for the North Coast provides for an excellent resource for local educators or just those with an interest in history to learn more about the legendary days of the fishery.

It makes for a welcome review towards how much of an importance the canneries were not only to the economic prosperity for the region, but for the impact it had on communities. 

Many of which are now but entries in a history book, the canneries long since consumed by the rivers or ocean front where they were placed.

Exploring the map of the Tides and Tins website takes you
on a journey to many of the canneries of BC including
a large number of those on the North Coast, Central Coast
and Haida Gwaii

A click on the map here, takes you to a short overview of each of the cannery locations.

The impressive historical exercise also features a section which provides a look at the work of the line at the Canneries with a fairly extensive overview of the jobs that made for cannery life and the eventual impact of modernization and mechanization on those who worked the lines.

The project wraps up with an interactive experience for those exploring the site, with an opportunity through he Cannery Game to create a cannery, run the cannery and navigate the many challenges that were faced by the industry through the decades.

You can choose a northern or southern location, along with two options for eras of the cannery evolution.

To play the Cannery Game check out this link.

The initiative is the creation of the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historical site, which is located in Richmond, an experience that is similar to our own North Pacific Cannery.

Learn more about the entire project starting here.

Notes on the Fishery of our current era can be explored through our archive page.