McRae Bros. & Smith - Phoenix
Source : Bank of Canada
Description
The McRae family came from Scotland, first to Montreal, then to Mooretown, Ontario. Father John McRae owned a woollen mill which he later turned into a grist mill. Four of his sons came to B. C.: Duncan Cunningham, John, James and Alex.
Duncan was a school teacher in the U. S. before coming to B. C. He first worked for the stationery firm of Wallace & Co. in Rossland, B. C. then moved to Greenwood where in association with William James Smith they opened Smith & McRae, a book, stationery, tobacco and wall-paper store in 1897.
In mid-August 1899 it was reported that Duncan Cunningham McRae had returned from a business trip to Spokane and that he was accompanied by his brother who was spending a few days in the city. A month later Smith & McRae were said to have purchased a lot in Phoenix and planned on opening a branch stationery store there. By October they were erecting a building on Dominion Avenue in Phoenix’s lower town subdivision. Both John and James McRae, who had previously been engaged in trade in Idaho and Montana, arrived in Phoenix by the fall of 1899. At the end of 1899 the firm bought a two story building on Copper Street from George McKague.
In Phoenix the firm composed of the three McRae brothers and W.F. Smith became known as McRae Bros. & Smith with John and James being the resident partners. Both Duncan McRae and W.F. Smith continued to live in Greenwood and operate the Smith & McRae business.
McRae Bros. & Smith moved to a new location in the Graves-William block in October 1900. In October 1901 they moved into a new building on Knob Hill Avenue in upper town Phoenix next to Boyle’s Drug Store. In November the firm added cameras and photographic supplies to their stock with James in charge of the photographic side of the business. Soon after the company offered photographic views of Phoenix and Christmas cards with views of Phoenix.
In June of 1904 Alex McRae accepted a position with Smith & McRae of Greenwood, having recently arrived from Duluth. Alex opened a stationery store in lower town Phoenix in August 1904.
On Feb. 13, 1906, the firm of McRae Bros. & Smith Ltd. was incor - porated with W.F. Smith as president, John McRae as secretary- treasurer and Alex, James, John and Duncan McRae and W.F. Smith as directors. The company had taken over the operations of McRae Bros & Smith and had stores in Phoenix and Midway. John and Alexander McRae were living in Phoenix, James McRae in Midway and Duncan McRae and W.F. Smith in Greenwood.
At the end of August 1906 W.F. Smith sold his interests in Smith & McRae, Greenwood, and in McRae Bros. & Smith Ltd., Phoenix and Midway. Within two weeks the McRae’s discontinued their Midway branch and James moved to Greenwood.
James died on June 21, 1921 in Prince Rupert. Duncan (Sr.) died in Duncan on December 21, 1950. John died November 25, 1935 in Terrace.
Source : Vancouver Postcard Club
Specifications
- Issuer: McRae Bros. & Smith
- Issuing date : 1899 - 1920
- Composition: Aluminum
- Weight: 0.9 grams
- Diameter: 22.4 mm
- Edge: Smooth
- Gr #: P3910b
- Lh #: P3910b
Last update : Friday, July 12, 2013
