Williams Lake was incorporated as a village on March 15, 1929.
To celebrate its 96th anniversary of incorporation, the Museum of Cariboo Chilcotin is hosting a tea party on Friday, March 14 from 2 to 4 p.m.
The first commissioner chairman for the village was John Dexter Smedley, who held the position from 1929 to 1930.
According to the Tribune archives, Smedley was instrumental in having the village incorporated. He was also one of the first directors and vice-chairman of the hospital board. A civil engineer and architect, Smedley designed St. Peter's Anglican Church, which is the oldest church still standing in Williams Lake.
Smedley was born in Yokohama, Japan on Nov. 6, 1879 and moved to B.C. in 1907. In 1921 a friend, W.C. Sharpe, convinced Smedley to move to Williams Lake and the two men went into business together. Smedley died in Williams Lake in 1954.
There were several businesses operating in Williams Lake in 1929 as indicated in a list compiled by Ralph Woodland and printed in the Tribune on March 16, 2004.
They included:
Grand Central Hotel, which became the Maple Leaf Hotel
The Log Cabin Hotel
Lakeview Hotel, Mackenzies Ltd. general merchants
T.A. Moore & Co. general merchants
W.A. Rife druggist
Elliott's Meat Market
Fox Barber Shop
Mac Johnson's Pool Room and Barber Shop
Sin Tooie Café
Caverly's Garage
Hillier's Garage
Huston's Garage
Bank of Montreal
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
Sam Marwick Blacksmith
Caverly's Bake Shop
Gosman's Second Hand Shop
Williams Lake Times, under R. Carver, Tribune established in 1930
Oliver Theatre
Smedley & Sharp Hardware and Building Supply
Havers Insurance
Stanley Hewitt Barrister and Solicitor
Dodwell Realty
Dodwell Photography
Hodgson Truck Line and Livery Stable
Claude Pigeon Livery Stable
Dr. Agnew physician
Alex Clark undertaker
Atkins Meat Market
B. Boe plumber
Telephone office - Claude Barber operator
