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Ioco: Life in a Company Town
Port Moody Station Museum
Port Moody , British Columbia

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   The Imperial Oil Company
built an oil refinery in 1914
on the north shore of Burrard
Inlet, across the way from
Port Moody, BC. It was
isolated from Port Moody by
road, but “Shift Ferries”
brought workers to and from
work by boat. The Company
began construction of the

Ioco Townsite – an
abbreviation of Imperial Oil
Company – in 1921, adjacent
to the refinery.
   
   Before the Townsite was
built, some refinery workers
lived in tents or shacks. By
the late 1920s, Ioco had
developed into a thriving

community consisting of 89
structures including 83
homes, 2 churches, a
community hall, a lawn
bowling green, a baseball
diamond, a tennis courts, and
a horseshoe pitch. The people
of Ioco were active in their
community, participating in
parades and May Day

celebrations, holding regular
community picnics and dances,
and participating in sports
or community service clubs.
   Things began to change
after WWII. The Company no
longer wanted to be a
landlord, and people began to
move away. Houses were also
moved. By 1975, the Company

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