Fujikawa Farm

Description:

Established in 1911 by the Fujikawa family, the farm was operated until 1942 when all, but one family member was evacuated from their home during World War II. The 9-acre farm was bordered by what is now McLean Street, Donatelli Avenue, Gaglardi Street, and the Clark property.  The original farm site is divided into five properties:  three private residences on Gaglardi Street, Silverdale Park (29780 Donatelli Avenue), and Silverdale Community Hall (8760 McLean Street).

History:

Tsurukichi Fujikawa was the ninth Japanese Canadian to settle in the Mission area. In 1911, he purchased 5.2 acres of land in Silverdale from Mrs. Jennie Clark for $25.00 with the help of business partner, Mr. Eitaro Nishisawa.  The following year Tsurukichi’s wife, Riwo, joined him in Silverdale July 10 and together they had 9 children.

The merchantable timber on the property had already been logged but plenty of maples and other deciduous trees needed to be cleared. With no horse or mechanical equipment, Mr. and Mrs. Fujikawa cleared the land by hand using a crosscut saw.  In 1919, Tsurukichi bought an additional 3.83 acres from Mrs. Clark for $185.00 and 6 to 8 years later, he bought Mr. Nishisawa’s share in the property.  

Strawberries and raspberries were the primary crops produced by the Fujikawa farm, and rhubarb was also grown in a cellar under the farmhouse. However, when the market for berries dropped substantially during the Great Depression years, the farm stopped producing commercial crops in 1935.  

After the bombing of Pearl Harbour in December of 1941, everyone of Japanese heritage within 100 miles of the coastline was forced to evacuate their homes under the War Measures Act.  Properties were confiscated soon afterward.  However, the Fujikawa family did not lose their farm in Silverdale. A friend from Vancouver came and warned them the week that the evacuation began in Vancouver.  Property ownership was kept in the family through a title transfer to George Broomfield who had recently married Tsurukichi’s and Riwo’s daughter, Shigeno. The Fujikawa’s were among the very few Japanese who managed to hold on to their property during the war.  

After the war, several family members returned to Silverdale from various parts of Ontario. The Fujikawa family sold the lower field to the Silverdale Community Centre Society in February 1949 for $700. The middle section was sold to the District of Mission in April 1964 for $2,300.00, and the remaining land was divided into three residential properties. Riwo, Violet, Tom and his family continued to live in Silverdale for several more years.  Their homes were eventually sold with Tom being the last to move in 1989.  

The Fujikawa lands stayed in the family for nearly 80 years – a very rare achievement for Japanese Canadians in BC during the 20th Century.

People Associated with the Site:

Tsurukichi (1877–1934) Fujikawa immigrated to Canada from Hikone in Shiga-ken, Japan circa 1900, and Tsurukichi’s wife Riwo (1879–1967) joined him in Silverdale in 1912. They belonged to the Pacific Co-operative Union (est. 1932) and United Farmers of Canada Co-op. 

Tsurukichi and Riwo had nine children in total. Their names were Suyekichi “Joe” (1899-1973), Okimi (1900-1991), Chiyo (1907-1986), Shigeno (1913-1989), Koazi (1914-2001), Tom (1915-1996), Tetsuo (1918-1939), Violet Yoshiko (1921-2012), and Doris Hisae (1922-2011).  Shigeno Fujikawa and George Alexander Broomfield were married on January 5, 1942, and it was through George that Mrs. Fujikawa was able to avoid losing the farm by transferring the land title in his name. From 1942 to 1945, George was stationed overseas with the army where Shigeno was given an exemption from evacuation because of her marriage.  She continued to live in Silverdale during the war to take care of the farm. 

The Fujikawa family was an integral part of the communities of Silverdale and nearby Silverhill.  They were the only Japanese Canadians to settle in Silverdale.  Isolated for the most part from the Japanese Canadian community in Mission, the Fujikawa children grew up alongside many other immigrant families, primarily from Italy and Sweden. Fujikawa descendants still live in Mission; and maintain friendships with other descendants of Silverdale pioneers to this day.

Architectural Features:

The first house on the Fujikawa property was a small shack located approximately where the Silverdale Community Hall is today.  A second home was built on the north side of the property opposite Manzer Street during the 1920s.  Described as the “long house”, it was a seven-room two story building with a water well in the kitchen and a greenhouse in the cellar to grow rhubarb.  Mr. Fujikawa also built a traditional Japanese bath house. The capped well remains on the site, and three additional smaller homes were built just before and after the evacuation period. All these homes are still in use today.

Landscape:

The Fujikawa land has a gentle slope with two small streams running down from the hillside to the east.  

The 3-acre parcel of land bought by the District of Mission in 1964 became a soccer field in what is now Silverdale Park. The field was converted to a cricket pitch in 2024. The Fujikawa Garden is located at the northwest corner of Silverdale Park, which was officially completed in 2024 to commemorate the Fujikawa family.  

Approximately 60% of the old farmland is open playing fields with a small hill bisecting the fields between Silverdale Park and Silverdale Community Hall land. The Fujikawa Garden overlooks the fields that were once planted in berries, and a memorial dogwood tree, mixed flower bed, engraved boulder and flagstones, custom made curved bench, and an interpretive story panel with historic photographs are at the garden site.

Additional Information