Lumberton is a ghost town in the East Kootenay part of British Columbia. The town is situated south of Cranbrook. Lumberton was once known as Watts or Wattsburg after A.E. Watts. Watts was in charge of the town after the turn of the century. Watts was the owner and founder of a lumber mill. Later, he sold his mill to B.C. Spruce Mills Ltd., who rebuilt the mill and updated it. Around that time Lumberton was born with a population of 225. Lumberton contained a post office and general store. Three dozen company houses were on the townsite. When the area became barren of timber, the town of Lumberton became deserted. In 1973 the cement walls of the mill could be seen as well as abandoned homes.
(from – Wrigley’s 1918 British Columbia directory) – WATTSBURG – a post office and station on the C. P. Railway, Crow’s Nest line, 8 miles southwest of Cranbrook, one mile north of Swansea Station, in Cranbrook Provincial Electoral District on Palmers Bar Lake. Has planing mill, few houses, but no stores.
The Wattsburg Post Office was established – 1 November 1903 – it became Lumberton – 1 April 1922 and closed – 30 April 1941.
sent from – / CRANBROOK / DE 13 / 10 / B.C. / – duplex cancel – this duplex hammer was not listed in the Proof Book. – (DBC-73) (23 mm).
Message on postcard reads: Unable to get through Business today. Home tomorrow. L.H. (Louis Hilton)
Addressed to. Mrs. L. Hilton / Wattsburg, B.C.
Arrived at – / WATTSBURG / DE 13 / 10 / B.C. / – split ring arrival backstamp – this split ring hammer was not listed in the Proof Book – (A1 – RF E now is a RF D).
Louis / Lewis Hilton was a blacksmith living in Wattsburg, B.C.
(Pte) Louis Hilton:
Birth – 4 Apr 1874 in Wigan, Manchester, England
Death – 27 Jan 1951 (aged 76) in Kimberley, British Columbia
Burial – Cranbrook Old General Cemetery, Cranbrook, B.C.
Link to his – Personnel Records from the First World War – www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-wo…
His wife – Rebecca "Dean" Hilton:
Birth – 23 Oct 1874 in Ince in Makerfield, Wigan, Manchester, England
Death – 3 Jan 1941 (aged 66) in Cranbrook, British Columbia
Burial – Cranbrook Old General Cemetery
The Hilton family immigrated to Canada in 1905/06. On the 1911 Canadian census Louis Hilton was living in Wattsburg, B.C. with his wife Rebecca and their three children (James, Florence & Leonard). He was working in the S & D factory as a woodworker with his son James. On his 1916 – records from the First World War – his occupation is listed as "mill hand" and his signature matches perfectly with the signature on this postcard.
Posted by Treasures from the Past on 2019-12-16 19:28:43
Tagged: , Circular Date Stamp , Postal Way Office , Postmaster , post office , British Columbia , postal history , B.C. , County , split ring , broken circle , split circle , postmark , cancel , cancellation , marking , SON , mail , letter , stamp , Canada , British Columbia Postal History , Canada Post , Wattsburg , Cranbrook , Louis Hilton , Lewis Hilton , Rebecca Hilton , Sawmill
