The Automobile Saga of British Columbia 1864-1914

David Mattison is a librarian with the B.C. Provincial Archives and
Records Services Library.

Geoffrey W. Taylor, the author of three previous books of British Columbia industrial history, has taken on the fascinating topic of mechanized land transport within a relatively short time frame. As with his last book, Builders of British Columbia (Morriss, 1982), this volume is meant for a general readership. The present title is, of course, misleading, as the first automobile did not appear in the province until 1899.

The first half of the book covers steam locomotion on the Cariboo Wagon Road, the so-called “bicycle fever” (recently disputed as nothing more than clever marketing by the manufacturers), and the first mass transit system, the streetcars of Vancouver, Victoria, and Nelson. There is no introduction to clarify the scope of the book or explain why the author felt it was necessary to cover topics only peripherally related to his major topic. The street railway history was covered in Builders in British Columbia, but Taylor has amplified the information and provided new details.

The introduction of the automobile is followed geographically in three chapters, which look at early automobiling in the interior of the province, in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, and on Vancouver Island. The rise of automobile clubs and their efforts to have better roads built is covered; the book concludes with a brief outline of early government regulations pertaining to automobiles. Two sections of black-and-white photographs provide ample illustrations of the types of automobiles and road conditions up to 1914.

The chapters on the introduction of the automobiles are by far the weakest, as they are little more than a recitation of names and dates of pioneer owners. There is little analysis in comparison to the chapters on the bicycles and the streetcars. Nevertheless, the information is valuable since the author has examined numerous sources and compiled his text to provide a historic overview of firsts. The fact that certain individuals owned certain makes of cars, however, seems about as significant as two people owning the same kind of watch. Taylor attempts to place significance on ownership through such devices as class distinction or business interests that made automobile ownership a matter of status or necessity. Taylor surveys not only private ownership but also public ownership by fire and police departments. Ambulance services, if they were operational before 1914, appear not to be dealt with.

There are no footnotes, and all source material is referred to in a chapter curiously titled “Addendum: General Sources.” The index is adequate but not detailed: no mention of service stations, Major J. S. Matthews, or paving, all items in the text. As a survey the book is excellent and reflects Taylor’s combined talents as a journalist and accountant.