Family History of Greenwood-Midway I My Hometown, My Furusato

My Hometown, My Furusato

By Chuck Tasaka

Greenwood and Midway experienced a revival when WWII broke out. Greenwood was founded by Franciscan Sisters and Friars on Powell Street and in Steveston with the help of Bishop Martin Johnson in Nelson, British Columbia. Mayor W.E. McArthur was willing to accept the Japanese who were in the process of being removed from the coast under the War Measures Act. Thus, Greenwood became the first internment center in B.C. When the Kaslo Internment Camp closed, about a dozen families were relocated to Midway and some to Greenwood. Stories of their journey to Greenwood and Midway are told by the Nikkei families. In this book, there is a very good cross-section of families involved in ranching, of owning a sawmill, labouring in the smelter, and running small enterprises. This is the story of everyday people and their struggles.