With Daylight Savings Time upon us, Addison Oberg from the Trail Museum and Archives highlights a time when streetlights were a rarity in downtown Trail.
Back in 1898, around 40 local businesses petitioned the Trail Electric Light Company to install seven arc lights along Bay Avenue and other prominent spots in Trail Creek Landing.
“Arc lights are aptly named because the light that emits from them is literally from the current of electricity ‘arcing’ to the other conduit, producing a bright light,” Oberg explains.
Each business pledged $1 a month to help cover the cost of these lamps.
Among the petition signers were Trail’s Founding Fathers, E.S. Topping and Frank Hanna.
“In fact, Topping’s own stationery was used for the petition,” adds Oberg.
The campaign proved successful, with eight arc lights ultimately installed.
The Dec. 9, 1898, edition of Trail Creek News proudly reported under the headline, “Trail’s Arc Lights: This is the Best Lighted Town in the Province,” noting the installation of lights on Smelter Hill and the completion of a downtown circuit of 2,000-candlepower arc lights.
The article highlights the strategic placement of each light: “suspended in the middle of the cross streets, so that the rays are not obstructed,” while detailing each lamp’s location.
“Interestingly,” Oberg adds, “a final note attached to the Dec. 9 article also mentions the need for a ninth lamp at the toboggan, likely referencing the local toboggan hill.”
Daylight saving time (DST) in Canada began in 1908 in Thunder Bay, Ontario, when residents first turned their clocks forward to make better use of daylight.
The practice spread over the years, and during World War I, in 1918, Canada standardized the practice across the country as a wartime measure to conserve fuel by reducing the need for artificial lighting in the evening.
After the war, the practice continued, but adoption varied across provinces and regions.
Canada further aligned DST practices with the United States in 1966 when the U.S. standardized DST nationwide with the Uniform Time Act.
The 2005 Energy Policy Act in the U.S. also impacted Canada, leading most regions to extend DST by starting on the second Sunday in March and ending on the first Sunday in November.
The main reason behind DST was always to make better use of daylight during waking hours, aiming to reduce energy consumption and enhance productivity.
However, research has shown mixed effects on energy savings, health, and productivity, leading to ongoing debates and discussions about ending DST in some provinces.
