Shaver's Bench - East Trail, BC - British Columbia Heritage Markers on Waymarking.com

This marker was placed in 2014, at the southern edge of Shaver's Bench, part way up the Fifth Avenue Hill, which delineates the southern edge of the community. It is on the south side of Fifth Avenue, by the bus stop near the stairs which lead upward and downward from Fifth Avenue.

Shaver's Bench

This area was named after John Samuel Shaver, a real estate developer from the Rock Creek area.

Shaver created the East Trail Waterworks Company in the late 1920s and had water licenses on Randall, McKelvey and McQuarrie creeks. He used flumes and concrete reservoirs to supply water to his newly developed lots on the Bench and the west-end of Glenmerry.

In 1945, a hall was built by the Shaver's Bench Improvement Association at Pople Park. The park was named after Ken Pople who was an active volunteer for the Association. The hall had a seating capacity of 200 and was used for concerts, dinners, meetings and dances while the park was used for minor baseball and soccer. The S.B.I.A. was also in charge of building an air raid patrol building and worked closely with the Trail District Recreational Projects Society.

`The Bench Builder' was a monthly newspaper printed by Andy Andrews and Fred Stainton for the residents of Shaver's Bench.

Sand storms were quite common on the bench with many gardens being destroyed. Residents recall how the landscape resembled a desert after many of these storms.

The Department of Nation[al] Defence Armoury at the end of 7th Avenue was constructed in 1953 with the official opening on May 9th by Major-General C. Vokes. The building cost $330,000.00 to build and was a modern facility that housed a large fleet of light and heavy equipment for members of the two reserve army units. The two Trail units were the 24th Heavy Ack-Ack Regiment with a roll of 90 men and the 44th Field Squadron of Army Engineers with a roll of 32. Most of the men were Cominco employees.

Today, the armouries are home to the 44th Field Squadron of Engineers and the sea and air cadets who do their training here. The facility is also used for various community events and functions.

The majority of streets in Shaver's Bench are named after Premiers of British Columbia. This area and Glenmerry were incorporated with the City of Trail in 1950.
From the marker

Type of Marker: Cultural Type of Sign: Historic Site or Building Marker Describe the parking that is available nearby: Street parking What Agency placed the marker?: Trail Historical Society

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