People uprooted from Hillcrest (112)

Hillcrest is primarily synonymous with the Hillcrest Lumber Company, which had three locations from 1910 to 1942. In 1910, the mill was south of Duncan on Doupe Road, near Fairbridge. With timber running low in the area, the mill moved to Sahtlam, west of Duncan, in 1917. After a brief closure in 1924, the mill continued operations until moving to Mesachie Lake in 1942.

Hillcrest Lumber employed many Japanese Canadians in the area as loggers and had one faller and bucker crew consisting only of Japanese Canadians for many years. The work was dangerous, and Japanese Canadians were among many logging workers who lost their lives in accidents. However, there were benefits: the company provided rent-free housing during periods when the mill was closed, and many workers were allowed to continue living in company housing after retirement. The Inouye family ran a general store in Hillcrest. The Mount Prevost Hillcrest school was built in 1932 and had two classrooms and teachers by 1934. When the Japanese Canadians were forcibly uprooted, the school downsized then closed when the mill moved.