R. J. Haney Heritage Park ~ Buildings ~ Filling Station

meek2.jpg (139195 bytes)

Alf Westerberg built this service station for A.D. Meek in 1927 on the Video Express property, south of the TransCanada Highway in Salmon Arm. Called the "Flea on the Fly" by R.J. Haney, Meek ran several business concurrently. He operated an orchard and packing house, opened Salmon Arm's first trucking and hauling business, and ran the Union Oil Bulk Plant. He also delivered gas to Salmon Arm, Sicamous, Sorrento and the North Shore.

According to Meek's daughter, Daphne Tate, a variety of people managed the
service station including Peter Stokes, Earl Reid, Bill Harrington, Dick Richards and Phil Calvert. Meek extended the operation and built a garage, later operated by Dearborn Motors. Daphne Tate remembers driving her toy peddle car up to the gas pumps and a manager pretending to fill her "tank" with gas.

gas.jpg (74313 bytes)
photo by Trevor Opalinski

Meek dismantled the log building in 1935 and moved it to Paradise Point, where family and friends used it as a summer cabin until 1944. Dick Richards purchased the lake property and it remained in his family for over forty years. Richard's daughters, Pam and Esme, gave the building to Haney Heritage Park and the Shuswap Chapter of the Vintage Car Club, as part of a commitment to our community, restored it for public enjoyment.