BULMANS CANNERY A leading industry in the Okanagan
Fire, a major hazard in British Columbia’s past, made a dent in the economy of Vernon, in the North Okanagan, on the morning of Wednesday, 24 October 1928. In two hours, fire destroyed the plant, building, most of the machinery, and stock of Bulmans Limited, an important processor of fruits and vegetables. Little was saved from the flames. The financial losses were estimated at $105,000 (over $1.5 million today), less than half of which were covered by insurance.1 Some 100 people immediately lost their jobs.2
Bulmans Limited, originally Thomas Bulman & Son, had its beginnings in 1916 at the Cloverdale Ranch, near Kelowna. Its founder, Thomas Bulman, came to the Okanagan from Winnipeg in 1907 and purchased land in the Ellison district the following year. He was dismayed by the scale of food waste when abundant crops from the region could not be used quickly and were consequently left to rot. His initial solution was based on the use of an evaporator to process surplus apples.3 In 1926 the firm’s operations were moved to Vernon, where a modern dehydrator was installed. The site was a block of land on what was then Gore Street East (later 37th Avenue), adjacent to a rail line—essential to the company’s business. The company was thriving. A Vernon News article from September 27, 1927 reported “apples are pouring in by wagon, truck and car load, and after being processed the neat packages of dehydrated fruit are being shipped. The first car lot to be shipped to Edmonton, Alta., is being loaded today.”
Bulmans moved to rebuild after the October 1928 fire, but not independently. Acknowledging the importance of Bulmans to the local economy, estimated at $100,000 per year, the city of Vernon launched a campaign to approve the guarantee of a bond of $25,000 (about $370,650 today) for rebuilding the company’s dehydrator. The City unanimously passed an enabling bylaw, which subsequently received widespread public support. Strikingly, in a full-page advertisement—this was most unusual—200 successful businessmen and prominent taxpayers endorsed the financial commitment. The Board of Trade also weighed in It was felt that this vigorous campaign was crucial to shaping public opinion.
