Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
By 1860 a rough track had been carved through the wilderness between New Westminster
and Burrard Inlet, where seams of coal had been reported. The government tried selling
off the surrounding land, but with the coal deemed too expensive to extract, little interest
was shown in the offer.
AlthoughseamsofcoaldidexistaroundBurrardInlet,lumberformedthebasisofVan-
couver'sfirstindustry.In1863asmallsawmillwasestablishedatMoodyville,acrossBur-
rard Inlet to the north; then two years later another sawmill owned by Captain Edward
Stamp began operation on the south side of the inlet. They were linked to each other by
a steam-powered ferry and to New Westminster by a stagecoach trail. Both sawmill com-
panies provided accommodation and board for single workers, and although most lumber
was for export, married employees were given wood to build simple dwellings for them-
selves.
Slowly two rough-and-tumble townships were carved out of the wilderness.
Gastown and Granville
Alcohol was banned from the company towns, so several saloons sprang up on their out-
skirts, including one west of Stamp's Mill operated by infamous “Gassy Jack” Deighton.
The smattering of buildings that quickly went up around Gassy Jack's enterprise became
known to early residents as Gastown. This small saloon, nothing more than a couple of
planks lying across empty wooden barrels, protected from the elements by a canvas tent,
was the embryo of what is today Vancouver.
In 1870 as Gassy Jack was selling liquor to thirsty sawmill workers, the government
begansellingoffthelandsurroundingGastownundertheofficialnameofGranville.Land
was sold for $1 per acre, on the condition that the owner occupy his holding for a minim-
um of two years. The government also began establishing naval reserves at strategic loc-
ations throughout the region, and more trails were cut through the wilderness, including
onethatlinkedareservebesideFalse CreektoNewWestminster (alongtheroutetakenby
themodern-dayKingsway).Settlersalsobeganmovingfartherafield,establishingthefirst
farms on the Fraser River delta.
The Coming of the Railway
In1871,withthepromiseofatranscontinentalrailway,BritishColumbiaofficiallybecame
part of Canada. But it was another 15 years until the first train rolled into Vancouver. At
this time Granville had boomed. The surrounding land was still densely forested, so in