Winter was  much different in the Township of 91原创 when Hugh Davis鈥檚 grandfather first purchased a 121-acre farm at a Hudson鈥檚 Bay Company auction more than 100 years ago.

Heat would have come from wood or coal-burning stoves and fireplaces. Most people would likely chop their own fuel 鈥� for heat and for cooking 鈥� from the plentiful trees that were all around them.

There were no smart phones, MP3 players, iPads or TVs; no computers of any kind, nor Internet. There wasn鈥檛 even radio back in 1882. Horses and horse-powered wagons and carriages were still the main modes of transportation for local residents, other than by foot or by train 鈥� a fabulous new invention that was generally used to travel longer distances. B.C. did not have any rail line connections to other parts of Canada or North America at that time.

Today, after a winter storm, the snow-covered fields of the Davis farm likely don鈥檛 look much different from what they looked like in 1882, but much else has changed.

Hugh, who was born in 1924 in the same room in the same house as his father Henry Davis (who was born on the farm in 1895), remembers milking a cow with an automated milking machine for the very first time in 1930. Prior to that, milking was done by hand, but he remembers how automation revolutionized the dairy farming business.

In 1933, Hugh 鈥� who is now 87 鈥� witnessed the arrival of electricity in his rural Milner neighbourhood near 216 Street and Glover Road.

鈥淲e watched electricity come up the road,鈥� the octogenarian said, his smile coming easily and often.

鈥淲e watched the lights come on, one by one. It was quite the thing.鈥�

Hugh still prefers the heat from the wood stove in his living room (as well as electric heat) and takes the time to interact with one of his grandchildren, Gavin 鈥� he has three children, seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild 鈥� who is visiting with daughter-in-law Nicole (Nicole is married to Hugh鈥檚 son David Davis, who was elected to Township council in November).

鈥淭his is the fifth generation to live on the farm,鈥� she said, referring to Hugh鈥檚 grandchildren.

Although parts of the Davis farm, which has a sign letting guests know 鈥淭his is Davis Country鈥� when they arrive, were sold over the years, Hugh spent time buying much of the original farm back in five-acre parcels. The Davis dairy farm is now 100 acres; the family actually farms 300 acres in the Milner Valley, leasing other land for such things as grass silage and corn silage.

Hugh has many fascinating memories and family tales, and living for 87 years has not diminished any of them; his mind and wit are clear and sharp and he recalls intimate stories from years ago with amazing clarity and detail.

There was the time the Mufford boys took the car out (when they didn鈥檛 have permission), for example. This was at a time when there was only one other motorized vehicle in 91原创 鈥� the police car, Hugh noted.

鈥淪o they took it out and managed to hit the one other car around 鈥� the police car,鈥� he remembered with a laugh.

Hugh noted that there wouldn鈥檛 even be a Milner Chapel 鈥� the heritage church founded by his grandfather 鈥� if his grandparents hadn鈥檛 married.

鈥淢y great-grandmother wouldn鈥檛 let my grandma come here unless there was a church to worship at,鈥� he said.

So Hugh鈥檚 grandfather rode around on horseback to raise money from the farmers in the area to build Milner Chapel, a church that still stands (but was recently moved to its current location on 216 Street and completely refurbished).

Hugh remembers urging his Dad to get a tractor (instead of still using horses) a few years back, and also recalled the rationing and blackout blinds during the Second World War.

鈥淚 was called in the last days of Second World War, but then it was over,鈥� Hugh said, of how close he came to serving in that historical event.

He remembers seeing Austin Cotterell Taylor, who owned the land that is now known as the Wall farm (part of it borders on part of the Davis farm) driving around in a big Lincoln 鈥� or two, or three.

For someone whose first car was a Model A Ford, Hugh remembers watching those shiny, beautiful Lincolns with envious eyes.

Taylor was one of the province鈥檚 wealthiest people. In the 1930s, he was an owner of the Bralorne gold mine and raised race horses at the 91原创 farm 鈥� the most powerful stable in Western Canada during the 1930s, according to the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.

Taylor鈥檚 horse, Indian Broom, placed third in the Kentucky Derby in 1936 and other stars such as Special Agent and Whichcee won their fair share of races. Whichcee came in third in the 1940 Santa Anita Handicap behind first-place Seabiscuit, a well-known racing horse of the era.

The Wall family, well-known because of Peter Wall and his real estate developments in and around Vancouver, bought the Taylor property in 1966. Taylor died at the end of 1965.

There have been many rumours over the years that Dan Blocker of the Bonanza TV series may have once been interested in that property, but neither Hugh nor Nicole could confirm that.

鈥淗e may have come and looked at (the property),鈥� Nicole conceded.

Hugh said the Walls lived on the farm when they first bought it in 1966, but as the children grew older, they seemed to use it more as a weekend retreat.

Currently, there is a proposal before council to rezone a 13.5-acre portion of the property known as the Wall farm, in order to allow a 67-lot residential subdivision that will also allow 21 coach or carriage homes, which are intended to offer affordable housing to Trinity Western University students.

At public hearings on Jan. 16 and Jan. 23, many local residents spoke against the proposal.

Citing traffic and environmental concerns and the dangers of developing more Agricultural Land Reserve land (rather than saving ALR land for farming), several Township residents argued against the rezoning and development.

With such memories of the area, Hugh and Nicole don鈥檛 really want to lose a piece of local heritage and history to new development.

Hugh candidly admits he would love to see the Davis farm stay in his family.

鈥淭he whole urban-rural conflict just concerns me,鈥� Hugh said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a nice piece of property. It would be a shame to take (parts of it) out of the ALR.鈥�

Nicole agreed.

鈥淭he line has been drawn, and we need to respect that line,鈥� she said.

鈥淲e need to think about future generations. People are realizing we need to be able to sustain ourselves.鈥�

Hugh, in the meantime, helps his family and neighbours hearken back to a quieter, slower and perhaps, gentler time, simply by sharing his memories.

Such as the time he was listening to a sermon at Milner Chapel, when his father served as the church鈥檚 treasurer.

Hugh remembers one Sunday when the preacher 鈥渕ade a funny face鈥� all of a sudden 鈥� but his Dad noticed the partially open church window and the pea shooter held (and aimed) by a neighbour boy from outside.

鈥淢y Dad told him to get lost and go home,鈥� Hugh recalls with a chuckle.

鈥淚 talked to the fellow who shot the pea shooter on his 101st birthday ... he had a big smile when I reminded him. He remembered.鈥�