Steveston, British Columbia
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Steveston was originally a small town near Vancouver, British Columbia, but has since been absorbed into the city of Richmond, British Columbia, a community in the Greater Vancouver Regional District.
Steveston village is a historic salmon canning centre at the mouth of the south arm of the Fraser River, just two miles west of Finn Slough. It is located on the southwest tip of Lulu island, the large majority of which is within the boundaries of the city of Richmond. The most southwestern tip of this southwestern suburb contains Garry Point Park, one of few parks in the area with suitable wind and space for kites to be flown. Garry Point Park also contains the Steveston Fisherman's Memorial.
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[edit] History
[edit] Beginnings
The village is named for Manoah Steves, who arrived with his family around 1877-1878 from Moncton, New Brunswick via Chatham, Ontario. Born Manoah Steeves, a second cousin of William Henry Steeves, he dropped the second 'e' enroute. Manoah and his family were the first white family to settle in the area [1]. Steves' son William Herbert actually developed the townsite, which became Steveston in 1889. Salmon canning began on the river in 1871, with the first major cannery being the Phoenix, developed in 1882 by Marshall English and Samuel Martin [2]; by the 1890s there were 45 canneries, about half at Steveston.
Pictured to the upper left, is the current local post office, that was once the location of a Royal Bank Branch up until it moved to the current location across the street in the late 1970s.
Each summer large numbers of Japanese, Chinese, First Nations, and Euro-Canadian fishers and cannery workers descended on the village, joining a growing year-round settlement. The fishery also supported a significant boatbuilding and shipbuilding industry. Sailing ships from around the world visited the harbour to take on cargoes of canned salmon.
The peak of civic aspirations was pre-World War I, when Steveston was promoted as Salmonopolis, a supposed rival of Vancouver, but canning activity slowly declined and finally ceased in the 1990s. The Gulf of Georgia Cannery, built in 1894 and at one time the largest plant in British Columbia, was reopened as a national historic site in 1994, and remains open today, recently given an award for Canada's best historic site.
[edit] Steveston's Japanese Canadians
Japanese Canadians formed a large part of Steveston's population; their internment during World War II was a serious blow to the community, though some of the internees returned when they were allowed and a sizeable Japanese Canadian community still exists. For example, a Japanese judo and martial arts centre was developed in Steveston after the internment.
In 1954, BC Packers manager Ken Fraser donated a lot to Steveston's Japanese Canadian fishermen for the purposes of building a joint community centre (which eventually became the Steveston Community Centre); the terms of the agreement also stated that the Japanese Fishermen Benevolent Association be allowed to have a judo room at the centre [3].
In 1969, the idea for a Japanese-style martial arts building for Steveston arose (the idea actually came from a white member of the community [4]). The martial arts centre, now a Steveston landmark, is currently located adjacent to the Steveston Community Centre.
[edit] Present-day Steveston
Post-war Steveston developed along with Richmond into a residential suburb for Vancouver as farmland was converted to housing. Since the 1970s the community, which remains an active fishing port, has developed its heritage character and its waterfront to attract business and tourism. It has been used as a movie locale often — up until recent reductions due to encroaching development, the loss of the "fishing village" feelings of the area, and the upsurge in the value of the Canadian dollar versus the US dollar.
Garry Point is the major park in Steveston, located at the southwest tip of the community (and Lulu Island). It was named in 1827 to honour Nicholas Garry, former Deputy Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company, who used that part of the land to locate the navigatable entrance to the Fraser River [5]. Garry Point was the major host for the Vancouver-area festivities of the 2002 Tall Ships Challenge.
[edit] Tourism
Today, Steveston still maintains the character of a quaint, historic fishing village, with over 600 fishing boats––Canada's largest fleet––calling Steveston Harbour home. Over the years, due to its still active fishing fleet, historic buildings, and National Historic Site, The Gulf of Georgia Cannery, Steveston is still very much a small fishing village, though changing quickly. It boasts over 350 businesses and services to accommodate its growing population. Steveston has become a popular place to visit and live. On sunny days, visitors flock to Steveston's waterfront boardwalks to enjoy the scenery, people and food.
In 2002, Steveston hosted a Tall Ships festival, and approximately 400,000 people came to see hundreds of restored sailing ships dock along the coastline. While the event was a spectacular attraction for families, it was a financial flop, and it received strong criticism from the Richmond city council.
Recently, Steveston has also become known as "The Gateway to the Orca," referring to the very active whale watching industry calling Steveston Harbour home. Shuttling boatloads of tourists and locals out to the Gulf of Georgia to observe orca (killer whales), seals, eagles and more, Steveston is near prime orca and other wildlife areas offshore.
[edit] External links
- Steveston Community Portal
- Steveston Community Website
- Steveston Salmon Festival - Canada Day
- Richmond News: Island Life - Steveston profile
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| Main neighbourhoods | Tucks • Bridgeport • Burkeville • Thompson • Minoru Park • Brighouse • Broadmoor • Southarm • Hamilton • Steveston • Seafair |
| Other areas | Crestwood Industrial Park • Golden Village • Sea Island • Iona Island |
