Vancouver British Columbia - With the completion of two murals last week, the Burnaby Village Museum has added more depth to its replica of a tram community a century ago.
 
The murals, painted by museum exhibit preparator Carly Bouwman, are part of an overall facelift given to the museum site this summer, along with fresh coats of paint and new roofs on the buildings.
 
Getting the restored Interurban No. 1223 tram back on-site was a perfect excuse to consider sights tram passengers would see at each stop, said Burnaby Village Museum curator Lisa Codd.
 
Trams ran through B.C. from the late-18th century to the 1950s when they were replaced by buses.
 
A replica of a 1926 advertisement for electricity by tram operator and electricity vendor B.C. Electric Company Ltd. is painted on the side of the real estate building.
 
"It's not a coincidence that it's on the side of the real estate office because the trams led to a lot of real estate development," Codd added.
 
Another, for a former Vancouver-based company called Almonds Ice Cream, appears, fittingly, on the side of the ice cream parlour.
 
Codd said they reflect the beginning of large-scale advertising a century ago.
 
"The 1920s was a time when billboard advertising began to pop up."
 
Not only do the murals reflect trends of the era, but also add another dimension to the village, besides the tram, carousel, heritage, and replica buildings and staff in period costume.
 
The murals also show what was once history can become current again.
 
Two trends of the time that are coming back into vogue, are rail travel - with some groups currently pushing for a commuter rail line from the Fraser Valley - and the eating local movement.
 
"Interurban trains helped the 100-mile diet," says Codd.
 
"Interurban trains were bringing milk from the Fraser Valley, bringing cans to Steveston, and the cans of salmon were then distributed elsewhere," said Codd.
 
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