Into the Toybox 1930 to 1949

1930 to 1949

The period from 1930 to 1949 was tumultuous. We were in the middle of the Depression and there were work projects to create jobs and wages for people (Lougheed Highway is an example of one of these projects). We also see the removal of Japanese Canadians from the Coast during the Second World War, which meant 238 Japanese Canadians from Pitt Meadows were interned. It was a time of loss and change, and for our littlest citizens, it was reflected in their childhood.

What did Pitt Meadows Look like during this time?

The population of Pitt Meadows by 1949 was just under 1,500 people. The completion of Lougheed Highway was done by 1931, construction of a new municipal and recreation hall (Heritage Hall) started in 1931, the Royal Oak was planted outside Heritage Hall in 1937 (commemorating King George VI),the library van started running and bringing books to people in the area in 1931, first and last May Day in 1937 (replaced by Pitt Meadows Day in 1938) the Athletic Association is established in 1938, the ARP Fire department was formed in 1942, Japanese Canadians were forced to leave our community in 1942 (none would return following the end of the war),the pool was built in the late 1940s sometime, we fought in World War Two with several of our citizens stepping up for the cause. In the spring of 1948, we had the worst flooding at the time, with the community coming together to help and rally behind each other.

Entertainment

Toys that were created during this time: Legos (1949),Plastic Soldiers (1938),View master (1939),Slinky (1943),Silly Putty (1949),Mr. Potato Head (1949),Magic Eight Ball (1946)

Although new toys were hitting the market during this time, the 1930s were very firmly planted in the Depression. This meant that most children would have played with toys they already had, or with handmade toys that still had a large focus on imagination (sticks can be many fun things if you use your imagination!).

By the 1940’s childhood changed again, as we plunged into war. Children were still able to play with their toys, but with rationing at a high, raw material needed to be used for the war effort and not a toy. Toys reflected the values of the time, boys would have gotten military-type toys (toy guns, toy soldiers) and girls would have played with toys that reflected their house (dolls, brooms, tea sets, ovens). Children would have played with their friends, but when living on a farm where the next house is kilometres away, it meant kids had to walk or ride a horse to go see their friends (or wait until their parents needed to be around each other).

If children had access to a radio during this time, they would have listened to popular radio shows. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation also comes alive at this time (1936) bringing new shows and programs to listeners.

Education

British Columbia

Standardized Report Cards were introduced in the 1938-39 school year. During this period, we also see a move to focus on experimental learning, where children would learn through experience and doing rather than memorizing facts. During the 1940s, we see the amalgamation of school districts, where smaller districts would be combined with other ones to create larger ones.

Pitt Meadows

In the 1930's the Superior School System was adopted in Pitt Meadows giving one principal responsibility over both schools as well as three additional buildings for a total of six classrooms encompassing grades one through ten. During the same decade, a second building was constructed on the Number One School site to house the senior elementary grades. High school students continued to attend classes in Maple Ridge. Also, around this time the basement of the Number One School was turned into a manual training shop. A Pitt Meadows Chapter of the Parent Teacher Association was formed in December 1944. Following the plan given in Maxwell Cameron's Report of 1944, the reorganization of School Districts was essential to equalize the school taxes, meet wage trends and modernization of school equipment. So, in 1945 when the Department of Education created new school districts, Pitt Meadows became part of the Maple Ridge School District #42. It then had a graded school with rooms in three locations and in four buildings. Grades 7-12 were sent to the main high school in Maple Ridge.

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Although this was a very tumultuous and challenging time, with the Great Depression and the Second World War, children still made time to be children. There is something magical about children’s ability to persevere through all that chaos and still have imagination and play in their hearts.

Back to the Toybox

Bicycle

Ice Skate

Toy Tractor

Toy delivery truck

Doll

Viewmaster

Side of a viewmaster

Viewmaster Reel

Wooden Toy Horse

Abacus back

Abacus

Magic Eight Ball

Slinky

Toy telephone