Downer, Fred

Identity area

Type of entity

Person

Authorized form of name

Downer, Fred

Parallel form(s) of name

Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules

Other form(s) of name

Identifiers for corporate bodies

Description area

Dates of existence

March 7, 1884 - May 26, 1983

History

Born in Chilchester, Sussex, Fred came to Canada in 1904 to Barrier (Ontario) to join a friend who had emigrated earlier. He was an apprentice to a photographer, worked on a farm, worked for Grand Trunk Railway out of Brarier, harvested wheat in the Winnipeg area, and worked for the Canadian Northern Railway. He also went to North Dakota.

He went to Moose Jaw and then to a grading camp east of Medicine Hat. Then he worked in Fort McLeod loading coal for the CPR. Fred also spent two years in Moyie (west of Crabbrook) working as an electrician's helper. He latser worked for the Canadian National Railway in Ontario. After his brother came from England, he built a houseboat with him.

Fred arrived in Squamish on May 1, 1910 to work for teh railway. He had come from the Rainy River division of the Canadian Northern where he was a fireman. He drove the "One-Spot" as the first engineer for the Howe Sound and Pemberton Valley Northern Railway. He was also an engineer for teh "Two-Spot" (now in Clarke Park) when the HS&PVN railway became the Pacific Great Eastern. He later left Squamish to work as an engineer in North Vancouver.

In 1912 Fred married a native girl in North Vancouver. They had 7 children, 4 boys and 3 girls. They lived on a float house in the Blind Channel in Squamish. During this time he fought fires in Upper Squamish.

In 1929 Fred quit when he was told that he would have to upgrade his skills in order to operate a work train instead of a logging train.

His wife died in 1933. His son Buzz died on November 6, 1972. He was survived by his wife Hazel and children Don, Maureen, and Richard.

In 1973 Fred moved to the Cedars. He passed away on May 26, 1983 in his 99th year.

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Functions, occupations and activities

Fred also worked for the fisheries reporting on the sockeye salmon runs along Lillooet / Harrison Lake Country. He used his ability to speak Chinook.

On November 3, 1967 he was the special guest at the ceremony of the presentation of the "2 Spot" to Squamish.

Mandates/sources of authority

Pioneers. Squamish: Squamish Public Library, 1983.

Internal structures/genealogy

General context

Relationships area

Related entity

Downer, Buzz

Identifier of related entity

BD05

Category of relationship

family

Dates of relationship

Description of relationship

Fred Downer is Buzz Downer's father.

Related entity

Downer, Henry

Identifier of related entity

HD01

Category of relationship

family

Dates of relationship

Description of relationship

Related entity

Downer, Ruth

Identifier of related entity

RD01

Category of relationship

family

Dates of relationship

Description of relationship

Access points area

Subject access points

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Occupations

Control area

Authority record identifier

FD01

Institution identifier

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