The little electric company that illuminated a province.
"1899::G. Hinton & Co. at 911 Government Street in Victoria, British Columbia"
Photo: BC Archives (D-06762)
When electric company G. Hinton & Co. opened for business in 1897, British Columbia was still very much in the dark. Its owner, George C. Hinton, having already established himself as one of the best electrical contractors on the coast, quickly expanded his business beyond his first store at 911 Government Street, opening stores in Vancouver on the mainland and eventually in Prince Rupert on British Columbia's northern coast.
Within two years, the little electric company had successfully illuminated and electrified offices, worksites, and private residences throughout the rapidly growing province. Hinton had become a respected man in the industry and, with his gift of light and innovation, had changed how many businesses and households functioned.
"1905:: Hinton & Co Victoria Location at 911 Government Street"
Image Capture: Google Earth (2017)
Hinton trained many young men to be successful in the trade. At the turn of the century, however, one of his trusted employees disappeared from the city after having spent a large sum of company money on Victoria's illegal gambling tables. To everyone's surprise, Hinton quickly brushed off the incident. Riddled with guilt, the remorseful employee later wrote to his old boss from his hideout in California and arranged to pay it all back, but it was said that Hinton never saw the total loss returned.
"1901::The Hinton Electric Co. Advertisement"
Clip: Victoria Daily Times (1901)
At the turn of the century, the company changed its name to the Hinton Electric Company and landed its first big contract. Victoria's Dominion Hotel hired the company to light up its new Yates Street expansion and develop and install a new electrical bell service for its guests. This new advanced technology attracted a lot of attention. Guests and locals flocked to the Dominion Hotel's front desk to hear the new system's bells chirp and to watch the lights flash on its console embedded in Nootka marble.
After all that Hinton had accomplished, all the men he had taught, all the houses and businesses he had lit up, and all the projects he had pioneered, he voluntarily liquidated his company at the onset of war in 1914. Hinton died in 1932 at the age of 64.
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