The Long Road to Rannie (1909 to 1997)
Driving to Pitt Lake you will travel much of the distance on “Rannie” Road but if you made this trip in the decades before 1997 you would have motored along “Rennie” Road, and we owe the name change to Mary Jo Pearson who battled city hall for six years to ensure her great uncle was remembered accurately in the community.
On area maps from 1914 through the 1960’s the Road was clearly spelled “Rannie”, but by the late 1970’s it was appearing on maps and street signs as “Rennie”. Was this simply a “typo” that took hold?
“Skookum” or “Big Bill” Rannie was a larger than life entrepreneur. Born in Campbellford, Ontario around 1863 he worked his way west with the C.P.R. settling on the Coast in 1887 where he and a partner established the contracting firm of Campbell, Rannie and Ironside, and participated in some of the largest construction projects in the area in the early 20th century including the construction of the Coquitlam to Buntzen Lake tunnel and the B.C. Electric’s New Westminster to Chilliwack line. 1909 brought a new venture for Rannie when he formed the Pitt Meadows Land Company in order to purchase and reclaim 1679 acres of land in dyking district one north of the Lillooet (now Alouette) River. The land had returned to the Dominion Government after the B.C.D.D. Company had gone under in their attempt to reclaim it, but Rannie felt he could succeed where they had failed if he could get the land for a good price. He did secure it for the “nominal amount” of a $1.50 per acre on the condition he reclaim it and have it operating by May 1913. Upon completion he expected to sell plots for as much as $200.00 per acre.
By the few accounts we have, we know Rannie took the venture of reclaiming the land to heart. In a 1915 article in “The World” newspaper he claimed over $200,000.00 in improvements had been made and his project was essentially finished with: 12 1\/2 miles of 10 foot high dykes; an electrified pumping plant with 25,000 gallons per minute capacity; flood gates; 70 miles of drainage ditches; and good roads completed. Further, Rannie’s Ranch at the crossing of Sturgeon Slough had many buildings including a massive barn, hay storage, chicken coups and a blacksmith’s shop. But, as with earlier attempts, it was all for naught as the dykes eventually gave way and the pumping station proved inadequate. By the end of WWI Rannie’s company was defunct and his holdings returned to the Crown. William Rannie died on the 20th of June 1927, his body interred at Mountain View Cemetery in Vancouver. Seventy years later, in the summer of 1997, Mrs. Pearson won her battle and the Municipality changed the sign so that the road would once again be known as “Rannie”.","SEO_LINK":"rannie-rd","VIDEO_LINK":"","SOUNDCLOUD_LINK":"","IMG1":"1522958302_main_1rannie-rd.jpg","IMG2":"1522960062_main_2rannie-rd.jpg","IMG3":"","IMG4":"","IMG5":"","IMG6":"","IMG7":"","IMG1_THUMB":"","IMG2_THUMB":"","IMG3_THUMB":"","IMG4_THUMB":"","IMG5_THUMB":"","IMG6_THUMB":"","IMG7_THUMB":""}X
Rannie Rd
The following has been taken from the Pitt Poulder Exhibit found at the Pitt Meadows Museum.
The Long Road to Rannie (1909 to 1997)
Driving to Pitt Lake you will travel much of the distance on “Rannie” Road but if you made this trip in the decades before 1997 you would have motored along “Rennie” Road, and we owe the name change to Mary Jo Pearson who battled city hall for six years to ensure her great uncle was remembered accurately in the community.
On area maps from 1914 through the 1960’s the Road was clearly spelled “Rannie”, but by the late 1970’s it was appearing on maps and street signs as “Rennie”. Was this simply a “typo” that took hold?
“Skookum” or “Big Bill” Rannie was a larger than life entrepreneur. Born in Campbellford, Ontario around 1863 he worked his way west with the C.P.R. settling on the Coast in 1887 where he and a partner established the contracting firm of Campbell, Rannie and Ironside, and participated in some of the largest construction projects in the area in the early 20th century including the construction of the Coquitlam to Buntzen Lake tunnel and the B.C. Electric’s New Westminster to Chilliwack line. 1909 brought a new venture for Rannie when he formed the Pitt Meadows Land Company in order to purchase and reclaim 1679 acres of land in dyking district one north of the Lillooet (now Alouette) River. The land had returned to the Dominion Government after the B.C.D.D. Company had gone under in their attempt to reclaim it, but Rannie felt he could succeed where they had failed if he could get the land for a good price. He did secure it for the “nominal amount” of a $1.50 per acre on the condition he reclaim it and have it operating by May 1913. Upon completion he expected to sell plots for as much as $200.00 per acre.
By the few accounts we have, we know Rannie took the venture of reclaiming the land to heart. In a 1915 article in “The World” newspaper he claimed over $200,000.00 in improvements had been made and his project was essentially finished with: 12 1/2 miles of 10 foot high dykes; an electrified pumping plant with 25,000 gallons per minute capacity; flood gates; 70 miles of drainage ditches; and good roads completed. Further, Rannie’s Ranch at the crossing of Sturgeon Slough had many buildings including a massive barn, hay storage, chicken coups and a blacksmith’s shop. But, as with earlier attempts, it was all for naught as the dykes eventually gave way and the pumping station proved inadequate. By the end of WWI Rannie’s company was defunct and his holdings returned to the Crown. William Rannie died on the 20th of June 1927, his body interred at Mountain View Cemetery in Vancouver. Seventy years later, in the summer of 1997, Mrs. Pearson won her battle and the Municipality changed the sign so that the road would once again be known as “Rannie”.
Details:
Latitude: 49.2947130058333
Longitude: -122.64446965462
Direct Link: https://www.pittmeadowsmuseum.com/locations/rannie-rd
