Steveston, British Columbia
Encyclopedia
Steveston was originally a small town near Vancouver
, British Columbia
, but has since been absorbed into the city of Richmond, British Columbia
.
Steveston village
is a historic salmon
canning
centre at the mouth of the South Arm of the Fraser River
, on the southwest tip of Lulu Island
in Richmond
, British Columbia
. Since 1945 it has hosted an annual Steveston Salmon Festival on July 1, Canada Day
.
The most southwestern tip of this southwestern suburb contains Garry Point Park. Garry Point Park also contains the Steveston Fishermen's Memorial
.
. Born Manoah Steeves, a second cousin of William Henry Steeves
, he dropped the second 'e' en route. Manoah and his family were the first white
family to settle in the area http://richmond-news.com/issues06/102106/islandlife.html. 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 http://richmond-news.com/issues06/102106/islandlife.html; by the 1890s there were 45 canneries, about half at Steveston. Salmon-canning was so much part of the life of Steveston that it was also known as Salmonopolis.
Each summer large numbers of Japanese
, Chinese
, First Nations
, and European
fishermen 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 of Canada in 1994, and remains open today, recently given an award for Canada
's best historic site.
The post office, which is also now a museum, was once the location of a branch of the Royal Bank of Canada, until it moved in the late 1970s to its current location across the street.
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 http://richmond-news.com/issues06/102106/islandlife.html.
In 1969, community discussion led to the development of a Japanese-style martial arts building for Steveston. The martial arts centre, now a Steveston landmark, is currently located adjacent to the Steveston Community Centre.
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.
It has been used as a location for The X-Files
series, the 2010 film adaptation of The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud, starring Zac Efron
, Amanda Crew
and Charlie Tahan
(used as a stand-in for Marblehead, Massachusetts
, circa 2004), and also for the Television
movie A Cooler Climate
, starring Sally Field
& Judy Davis
. The name Steveston was kept in that film, though it was supposedly located in Maine. It was also the community at the heart of the season 6 Stargate SG-1
episode, "Nightwalkers," but as Steveston, Oregon. Parts of the television series [Once Upon A Time] were also filmed in Steveston.
Garry Point Park 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 navigable entrance to the Fraser River
http://richmond-news.com/issues06/102106/islandlife.html. Garry Point was the major host for the Vancouver-area festivities of the 2002 Tall Ships Challenge
.
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 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
, eagle
s and more.
, Richmond has an annual festival in Steveston called the Steveston Salmon Festival. This event includes a parade, and a huge barbecued salmon sale beside the Steveston Community Centre. Locally based municipal, provincial and federal politicians frequently show up at this event, usually as part of the parade and/or to hand out Canadian flags
.
Morris Panych
's 2003 Governor General's Award
winning play
, Girl in the Goldfish Bowl
.
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, but has since been absorbed into the city of Richmond, British Columbia
Richmond, British Columbia
Richmond is a coastal city, incorporated in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Part of Metro Vancouver, its neighbouring communities are Vancouver and Burnaby to the north, New Westminster to the east, and Delta to the south, while the Strait of Georgia forms its western border...
.
Steveston village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
is a historic salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
canning
Canning
Canning is a method of preserving food in which the food contents are processed and sealed in an airtight container. Canning provides a typical shelf life ranging from one to five years, although under specific circumstances a freeze-dried canned product, such as canned, dried lentils, can last as...
centre at the mouth of the South Arm of the Fraser River
Fraser River
The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
, on the southwest tip of Lulu Island
Lulu Island
Lulu Island is the name of the largest island in the estuary of the Fraser River. The island makes up most of the City of Richmond, a major suburb of Vancouver, British Columbia...
in Richmond
Richmond, British Columbia
Richmond is a coastal city, incorporated in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Part of Metro Vancouver, its neighbouring communities are Vancouver and Burnaby to the north, New Westminster to the east, and Delta to the south, while the Strait of Georgia forms its western border...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. Since 1945 it has hosted an annual Steveston Salmon Festival on July 1, Canada Day
Canada Day
Canada Day , formerly Dominion Day , is the national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act , which united three British colonies into a single country, called Canada, within the British Empire...
.
The most southwestern tip of this southwestern suburb contains Garry Point Park. Garry Point Park also contains the Steveston Fishermen's Memorial
Steveston Fisherman's Memorial
The Steveston Fisherman's Memorial is a freestanding memorial commemorating the lives and deaths of fishermen working out of Steveston, British Columbia...
.
History
Beginnings
The village is named for Manoah Steves, who arrived with his family around 1877-1878 from Moncton, New Brunswick via Chatham, OntarioChatham, Ontario
Chatham is the largest community in the municipality of Chatham-Kent, Ontario. Formerly serving as the seat of Kent County, the governments of the former city of Chatham, the county of Kent, and its townships were merged into one entity known as the Municipality of Chatham-Kent in 1998.Located on...
. Born Manoah Steeves, a second cousin of William Henry Steeves
William Steeves
William Henry Steeves was a merchant, lumberman, politician and Father of Canadian Confederation.-Life and career:...
, he dropped the second 'e' en route. Manoah and his family were the first white
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
family to settle in the area http://richmond-news.com/issues06/102106/islandlife.html. Steves' son William Herbert actually developed the townsite
Townsite
A townsite is a legal subdivision of land for the development of a town or community. In the historical development of the United States, Canada, and other former British colonial nations, the filing of a townsite plat or plan was often the first legal act in the establishment of a new town or...
, which became Steveston in 1889. Salmon canning
Canning
Canning is a method of preserving food in which the food contents are processed and sealed in an airtight container. Canning provides a typical shelf life ranging from one to five years, although under specific circumstances a freeze-dried canned product, such as canned, dried lentils, can last as...
began on the river in 1871, with the first major cannery being the Phoenix, developed in 1882 by Marshall English and Samuel Martin http://richmond-news.com/issues06/102106/islandlife.html; by the 1890s there were 45 canneries, about half at Steveston. Salmon-canning was so much part of the life of Steveston that it was also known as Salmonopolis.
Each summer large numbers of Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
, Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
, and European
European ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
fishermen and cannery workers descended on the village, joining a growing year-round settlement. The fishery
Fishery
Generally, a fishery is an entity engaged in raising or harvesting fish which is determined by some authority to be a fishery. According to the FAO, a fishery is typically defined in terms of the "people involved, species or type of fish, area of water or seabed, method of fishing, class of boats,...
also supported a significant boatbuilding and shipbuilding
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
industry
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
. Sailing
Sailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
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
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, when Steveston was promoted as Salmonopolis, a supposed rival of Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, but canning activity slowly declined and finally ceased in the 1990s. The Gulf of Georgia Cannery
Gulf of Georgia Cannery
The Gulf of Georgia Cannery is a National Historic Site of Canada located in Steveston village in Richmond, British Columbia.Built in 1894, the Cannery echoes the days when it was the leading producer of canned salmon in British Columbia...
, built in 1894 and at one time the largest plant in British Columbia, was reopened as a National Historic Site of Canada in 1994, and remains open today, recently given an award for Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
's best historic site.
The post office, which is also now a museum, was once the location of a branch of the Royal Bank of Canada, until it moved in the late 1970s to its current location across the street.
Steveston's Japanese Canadians
Japanese CanadiansJapanese Canadians
Japanese Canadians are Canadians of Japanese ancestry, and are mostly concentrated on the west coast, and central Canada, especially in and around Vancouver and Toronto. In 2006, there were 98,900 .- Generations :...
formed a large part of Steveston's population; their internment
Japanese Canadian internment
Japanese Canadian internment refers to confinement of Japanese Canadians in British Columbia during World War II. The internment began in December 1941, following the attack by carrier-borne forces of Imperial Japan on American naval and army facilities at Pearl Harbor...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
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 http://richmond-news.com/issues06/102106/islandlife.html.
In 1969, community discussion led to the development of a Japanese-style martial arts building for Steveston. The martial arts centre, now a Steveston landmark, is currently located adjacent to the Steveston Community Centre.
Present-day Steveston
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
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.
It has been used as a location for The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
series, the 2010 film adaptation of The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud, starring Zac Efron
Zac Efron
Zachary David Alexander "Zac" Efron is an American actor. He began acting professionally in the early 2000s and became known with his lead roles in the Disney Channel Original Movie High School Musical, the WB series Summerland, and the 2007 film version of the Broadway musical Hairspray...
, Amanda Crew
Amanda Crew
Amanda Crew is a Canadian television and film actress. She is best known for her work on the television series 15/Love and Whistler, and in the feature-length films Final Destination 3, Sex Drive, The Haunting in Connecticut, and Charlie St. Cloud.-Early life:Crew was born in Langley, British...
and Charlie Tahan
Charlie Tahan
Charles "Charlie" Tahan is an American child actor.Tahan was born and raised in Glen Rock, New Jersey. His sister is actress Daisy Tahan, and he has an older brother named Willie as well. Tahan portrayed Ethan in I Am Legend, appeared in Burning Bright, and co-starred with Zac Efron in the 2010...
(used as a stand-in for Marblehead, Massachusetts
Marblehead, Massachusetts
Marblehead is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 19,808 at the 2010 census. It is home to the Marblehead Neck Wildlife Sanctuary and Devereux Beach...
, circa 2004), and also for the Television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
movie A Cooler Climate
A Cooler Climate
A Cooler Climate is a Showtime Original movie. It originally aired on August 22, 1999. It is based on a book with the same name by Zena Collier. Sally Field and Judy Davis were both nominated for their performance in the film during the 6th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards for outstanding...
, starring Sally Field
Sally Field
Sally Margaret Field is an American actress, singer, producer, director, and screenwriter. In each decade of her career, she has been known for major roles in American TV/film culture, including: in the 1960s, for Gidget or Sister Bertrille on The Flying Nun ; in the 1970s, for Sybil , Smokey and...
& Judy Davis
Judy Davis
Judy Davis is an Australian actress best known for her roles in Husbands and Wives, Barton Fink, A Passage to India and in the TV miniseries Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows....
. The name Steveston was kept in that film, though it was supposedly located in Maine. It was also the community at the heart of the season 6 Stargate SG-1
Stargate SG-1
Stargate SG-1 is a Canadian-American adventure and military science fiction television series and part of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Stargate franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, is based on the 1994 feature film Stargate by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich...
episode, "Nightwalkers," but as Steveston, Oregon. Parts of the television series [Once Upon A Time] were also filmed in Steveston.
Garry Point Park is the major park in Steveston, located at the southwest tip of the community (and Lulu Island
Lulu Island
Lulu Island is the name of the largest island in the estuary of the Fraser River. The island makes up most of the City of Richmond, a major suburb of Vancouver, British Columbia...
). It was named in 1827 to honour Nicholas Garry, former Deputy Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
, who used that part of the land to locate the navigable entrance to the Fraser River
Fraser River
The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
http://richmond-news.com/issues06/102106/islandlife.html. Garry Point was the major host for the Vancouver-area festivities of the 2002 Tall Ships Challenge
Tall Ships Challenge
The Tall Ships Challenge is an annual event organized by the American Sail Training Association alternating in a three year cycle between the Great Lakes, the Pacific and the Atlantic coasts of North America....
.
Tourism
Fishing fleet
A fishing fleet is an aggregate of commercial fishing vessels. The term may be used of all vessels operating out of a particular port, all vessels engaged in a particular type of fishing , or all fishing vessels of a country or region.Although fishing vessels are not formally organized as if they...
, historic buildings, and National Historic Site, The Gulf of Georgia Cannery
Gulf of Georgia Cannery
The Gulf of Georgia Cannery is a National Historic Site of Canada located in Steveston village in Richmond, British Columbia.Built in 1894, the Cannery echoes the days when it was the leading producer of canned salmon in British Columbia...
, 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 Richmond City Council.
Recently, Steveston has also become known as "The Gateway to the Orca," referring to the very active whale watching
Whale watching
Whale watching is the practice of observing whales and other cetaceans in their natural habitat. Whales are watched most commonly for recreation but the activity can also serve scientific or educational purposes. A 2009 study, prepared for IFAW, estimated that 13 million people went whale watching...
industry calling Steveston Harbour home. Shuttling boatloads of tourists and locals out to the Gulf of Georgia to observe orca
Orca
The killer whale , commonly referred to as the orca, and less commonly as the blackfish, is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family. Killer whales are found in all oceans, from the frigid Arctic and Antarctic regions to tropical seas...
(killer whales), seals
Pinniped
Pinnipeds or fin-footed mammals are a widely distributed and diverse group of semiaquatic marine mammals comprising the families Odobenidae , Otariidae , and Phocidae .-Overview: Pinnipeds are typically sleek-bodied and barrel-shaped...
, eagle
Eagle
Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...
s and more.
Steveston Salmon Festival
On Canada DayCanada Day
Canada Day , formerly Dominion Day , is the national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act , which united three British colonies into a single country, called Canada, within the British Empire...
, Richmond has an annual festival in Steveston called the Steveston Salmon Festival. This event includes a parade, and a huge barbecued salmon sale beside the Steveston Community Centre. Locally based municipal, provincial and federal politicians frequently show up at this event, usually as part of the parade and/or to hand out Canadian flags
Flag of Canada
The national flag of Canada, also known as the Maple Leaf, and , is a red flag with a white square in its centre, featuring a stylized 11-pointed red maple leaf. Its adoption in 1965 marked the first time a national flag had been officially adopted in Canada to replace the Union Flag...
.
Popular Culture
Steveston is the setting of Canadian playwrightPlaywright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
Morris Panych
Morris Panych
Stephen Morris Panych is a Canadian playwright, director and actor.Morris Panych was born in Calgary and grew up in Edmonton. He studied at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, and the University of British Columbia...
's 2003 Governor General's Award
Governor General's Award
The Governor General's Awards are a collection of awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, marking distinction in a number of academic, artistic and social fields. The first was conceived in 1937 by Lord Tweedsmuir, a prolific author of fiction and non-fiction who created the Governor...
winning play
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
, Girl in the Goldfish Bowl
Girl in the Goldfish Bowl
Girl in the Goldfish Bowl is a 2003 Governor General's Award winning play by Canadian playwright Morris Panych.Set in Steveston, British Columbia near Vancouver in the 1960s, it tells the story of a young girl named Iris who is preoccupied with the events leading up to what she describes as “the...
.