Bonus Features

Ricmond, B.C. -- the History of Steveston

Valerie: The Gulf of Georgia Cannery, where we are today, this wonderful Historic Site, is in the little village of Steveston, the hidden gem of Richmond. And I’m here with Harold Steves, who is the fourth generation the town is named after. And you’ve brought a couple of artifacts from your home, because you still live here.

Historian: That’s right. We’ve been here since 1877.

Valerie: And those are the Steves who made the journey to the coast here.

Historian: That’s right. Martha and Minoah Steves, they came from Coverdale, New Brunswick in 1877 and he was the first, they were the first European family at the mouth of the Fraser River. Minoah mounted his own net and went fishing.

Valerie: And the New Brunswick connection is obvious, I mean, there’s a Moncton Street here and New Brunswickers, actually, who came here were quite interested to hear about the Steves family that’s known in Moncton.

Historian: Almost everybody here, actually, was from New Brunswick because when he found out what a wonderful place this was, he told all his friends and there was quite an emigration from New Brunswick to Steveston when the town was founded.

Valerie: So Minoah came for the salmon fishery…

Historian: Well, actually, no. At Lower Coverdale, I believe it was, in New Brunswick, he farmed in a marsh area and he come out here and he just felt right at home.

Valerie: He came to farm?

Historian: He came here to farm?

Valerie: He didn’t sort of consider the Fraser River here, with all that salmon?

Historian: Actually, there was fish everywhere, he did go fishing and he was the first European fisherman but he was also the main farmer in the region and they established the most prominent farm in British Columbia for about twenty or thirty years.

Valerie: And it was his son, then… Herbert?

Historian: Herbert, yes.

Valerie: Who set up the town of Steveston.

Historian: That’s right.

Valerie: And you’ve got the original town plan here.

Historian: Yes, this is the original map of Steveston as Herbert laid it out. The city of Steveston… it’s not a town (laughs).

Valerie: There are a lot of canneries here.

Historian: Well, it’s not just that Herbert and Minoah reasoned that at the mouth of every great river is a great city and partly it’s because of the sailing ships and the wooden hulled vessels that that’s where they had to go. Well, unfortunately they founded this town just as the coming age of steam and steel hulled vessels and the ships all went to Vancouver instead.

Valerie: So how much of this plan is actually in existence?

Historian: Every one of those streets is there and all the names are either from New Brunswick names or names of, actually, immigrants who came from New Brunswick, some of the families that…. Bayview Street…there’s a Bayview Street and a Pleasant Street in Hillsborough, which is the Steves’ family hometown.

Valerie: Well, your family obviously still lives here, many generations have stayed.

Historian: That’s right.

Valerie: Well, it’s a beautiful place, I think it is – it’s one of the prettiest villages I’ve ever seen so I understand why you stayed.

Historian: Well, Minoah and Martha loved it when they came here and we see no reason to leave.

Valerie: Thank you.

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