FIRST - Visit of a Canadian Governer General to British Columbia — New Westminster, BC - First of its Kind on Waymarking.com

The Dufferin Coach

The Dufferin Coach was built in 1876 by M.H. Black & Co. in San Francisco for the BC Express Company at a cost of $1200. The coach carried Lord and Lady Dufferin on their tour of British Columbia. Lord Dufferin was the Governor General of Canada and the first one to visit the province.

After the visit, the express company continued to use the coach on its routes. By 1924, it was abandoned by Bill Livingstone in a field near Cottonwood House between the towns of Quesnel and Barkerville.

The coach has been part of New Westminster celebrations since 1929 when it was displayed at the exhibition in Queen's Park. It was saved from the fire there and then conveyed the May Queen and other dignitaries to May Day celebrations until it was presented to the museum at Irving House in 1951. Four years later, Dave Pound, a 76-year-old veteran of the carriage business, restored the coach.

The coach, made of oak with iron tires, weighs approximately 1134 kg and is about 2.6 tall. The springe are made of 16-ply leather.
[NWMA IH1951.142.1]

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