If there was a family name befitting the word “pioneer” in Chilliwack, it would have to be Wells.
The lineage stretches back to 1866, however the influence can still be felt today.
For many new to Chilliwack, the name may only remind them of Wells Road, or even the grocery store on the corner of Wells and Evans roads.
But the family’s roots run much deeper than that. After an unsuccessful attempt at gold mining in B.C.’s interior, Allen Casey Wells moved to Chilliwack in 1866 and established what would become one of the most important dairy farms in the province.
Eventually christened “Eden Bank” by Well’s daughter, Lillie, the farm would cover 450 acres and stretch from Stevenson Road to Knight Road, and west to Evans Road.
Innovation was at its heart, perhaps best characterized by the massive barn that soon rose on the property. The structure included progressive ventilation systems, the first upright silo in Western Canada, and would house 100 head of cattle.
Agriculture, not gold, was where British Columbia’s true prosperity would lie, the Wells believed. And for the next five generations, Edenbank was at the centre of the province’s growing dairy and cattle industry.
In 1892, Wells brought Ayrshire cattle from eastern Canada into Chilliwack, beginning a relationship with the animals that would last for decades. Eventually the herd would be named the best Ayrshire herd in Canada, and the Wells family would be at the fore of Ayshire breeding in Canada.
A.C. Wells was a man of many talents. He established the first creamery and cheese factory in Chilliwack. In addition to his farm duties, he acted as the local dentist, a Justice of the Peace and township reeve.
Although Lillie Wells believed the property was the closest thing to Eden that she had ever seen, it was A.C. Wells’ son Edwin Wells who is credited with initial transformation into one of the prettiest spots in all of Chilliwack. Following a trip to England, he returned with a deep appreciation for landscape and natural spaces. He also had built the majestic home that still stands on the property.
That passion was passed on to Oliver Wells, Edwin’s son. It was he who created the Edenbank Wildlife Sanctuary which is still maintained just off Vedder Road.
But that wasn’t his only passion. As an amateur ethnographer, he is credited with capturing the stories and memories of his Sto:lo neighbours. In the 1950s he set out to record the voices of local elders, often in their own Halq’emeylem language. Those tapes have since been transcribed by Marie Weeden (Oliver Wells’ daughter) and Ralph Maud, and English professor at SFU. They were published in the book The Chilliwacks and their Neighbours in 1987.
His efforts are credited with helping save the Halq’emeylem language from extinction at a time when First Nations culture was at its most vulnerable. He also helped resurrect the ancient craft of Salish weaving.
The relationship he had with the Sto:lo earned him a rare opportunity to attend special events, like “spiritual” or power dances.
Said Richard Malloway, hereditary chief of the Yakweakwioose First Nation, speaking at special feast honouring Oliver Wells following his death in 1970: “We are very careful who we invite to spiritual dances, but we invited Mr. Wells because we could trust him as a true friend.”
Oliver Wells’ interest in history extended beyond the Sto:lo. He helped establish and became the first president of the Chilliwack Historical Society.
The Wells family left a rich historical legacy of pioneer life in the Fraser Valley (including the book edited by Richard and Marie Weeden, Edenbank: The History of a Pioneer Canadian Farm).
What could not be preserved, however, was the farm itself. Despite efforts to have Edenbank declared a Heritage Site, it was eventually sold and subdivided – the barn torn down before it collapsed.
The old farmhouse still stands, serving as the clubhouse for the adult-oriented development that grew up around it.
But more importantly, the efforts by successive Wells families have helped document, preserve and protect an important part of First Nations life and pioneer growth in Chilliwack.
