The North Shere: an historical balancing act AS THE young city of Vancouver burned behind them in the fire of 1886, refugees crossed Burrard In- let to Moodyville, a small settl- ment scratched into the heavily timbered slopes of the North Shore. By Maureen Curtis Contcibuting Writer They were welcomed and put up at the iittle village at Moody’s mill. By now the village boasted a Masonic hall, a scattering of shanties and the North Shore's only school and postal outlet. For miles to the cast and west - there was nothing but trees, creeks and swamps, dotted with the oc- casional logging operation, ranch or orchard gouged out of the bush by a handful of ex-soldiers who had veen granted land and settlers who were working to ‘‘prove'’ their pre-emptions of 160 acres (64 hectares). Although Captain George Van- couver had explored the North Shore. in 1792, it was sot until 1863 that Pioneer Mills was built at the Moodyville site. Today, looking down Mocdy~ Avenue towards the water, you can glimpse through the trees the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool builu- ing —- the site of Moodyville, where for 40 years 120-foot-long (36-mcire) pieces of lumber were Joaded onto ships bound for South America, China, Australia: and the United Kingdom. --Back in the 1800s, you could have . watched the. tall-masted schooners being towed in from Cape Flattery to drop their ballast stones before docking at Moodyville. It was an inauspicious location that lacked level land, but had deep water. for the ships and ac- cess to Lynn Creek to power the miil and sluice the wooden flumes that brought the shingle boits down to the sea. The huge timbers were dragged to the miil by oxen. For some time, Moodyville was the only link North Shore settlers had with the rest of the world — they had to take a bort trip to Hastings then ride on the stage to New Westminster. It was from Moodyville that Emily Patterson paddfed by canoe one night in 1883, tc the aid of a woman living at the Point Atkin- son Lighthouse (Lighthouse Park). Today, Patterson could have driven across the North Shore to the rescue in a matter of minutes. Achieving loval transportation links was a major challenge for those living on a Jand mass spliced by rivers and creeks. What we now think of as neighborhoods were once isolated waterfront communities, separated by a ride in a dugout canoe, a rowboat or, later, on one of many ferries. The construction of wharves avd piers was a key first step. The building of roads canie next. The construciion of a road network was a more ambitious undertaking considering the Jog- ping, bushwacking and bridge building it entailed. Builders were faced with maintenance problems associated’ ‘with the mud, the returning forest aud the torrential rains that frequently washed the bridges away. Keith Road, the first road built to connect the westernmost part of the municipality with its eastern corner in 1893, soon reverted to nature in many Sections. It wasn’t until 1915 that an auto parade was held to celebrate the - completion of Marine Drive through most of West Vancouver. Connection to Horseshoe Bay was delayed until 1930. . Construction of the Second Narrows and Lions Gate bridges heralded significant changes. The bridges cemented the link with the rest of the Lower Mainland, but by then an important charac- teristic of North Shore residents had been established: their homes became an escape from the hustle Photo submitted THE WEST Vancouver No. 5 was one of a series of ferries that took commuters to and from Van- couver before the Lions Gate Bridge was built. and bustle of the big city. Van- couver was best viewed from a lofty vantage point across. the harbor. The manner in which the North Shore developed continves tc characterize us. According to North Vancouvei City museum curator John Stuart, the story of North Vancouver is the “‘story of the waterfront.” Many of the industiies located at the water’s edge in the area of _Moodyville and ower Lonsdale — lumber, shipbuilding at Wallace’s Shipyards, Cates Tow- ing and fish canning — drove the early economy. Lonsdale travelled up the slope from the water. From it radiated the new streets that were slashed into che bush. : And to the foot of Lonsdale, by ferry, came young people from Vancouver seeking holiday fun at PARK & TILFORD GARDENS A tew words anout wus: Privately ] W Orv—v ine al Psi ns cd Spomsored. b y the mec re lh amits o f£ t In €& IP & T shopping center. contains 8 separate theme gardens. home of the North Van compost + demonstration garden used as a raining ia 4 wf site Lor Cap thane Colle ge | Lorticoulture students ~ Staff are horticultural ly trained i paras eit al a 1 WY YS svilling to a qperes L2oms “It oy ‘ree A A a for SH te Tajo Soy up 97 Pete Larson’s North Vancouver Hotel Others hiked up the Capilano to the suspension bridge where a tea room was later built to slake their thirsts. Enchanted with the views and the bounties of mature, some of them built summer cottages aid then sought ways to make their escape year-round. This was particuiarly so in West Vancouver, where the beaches became a camper’s paradise, even while logging continued in the background. : Although Mary Chapman, a volunteer with the West» Van- couver museum and archives, was born in 1917, she still recalls living all summer in a tent at Ambleside and growing up on the beach in a manner that continued after the family moved into their water- front home. “*Fhe beach was my front yard. We swam from the 24th of May until November,’’ she recalls. The waterfront was recognized Sees S ~ and dancing pavilion... as an asset back in 1913, when West Vancouverites insisted that the Pacific Great Eastern Railway be pushed back from it. In Chapman’s youth, people entertained themselves by making music and taking long walks. . Young people carried their skis up the mountains on their: shoulders. During the 1920s,: the Varsity Outdoor Club built its first ski cabin on Grouse Moun- tain and Hollyburn Ski-Camp was completed. By 1927, Gleneagles Golf Course was one more attraction to those seeking a peaceful interlude. _ The development of the North Shore has created a unique. lifestyle that, along with the natu- ral features and leisure oppor- tunities, continues to attract new people cto an area that is geographically constricted. The resulting challenge is to balance residential, . recreational and eccnomic values and resoive the growing issues of preservation versus development. . See: Fuah Bouse MEAL ASK ABOUL THE AG HIONAL SaviNGS ON CUSTOM BUND ORDERS FOR 8 “Chease froir a wide variety of custom Mini, Micro.” and Vertical Blinds. CANADA'S LARGEST BLIND & WORTH VANCOUVER 1226 Marine Brive 984-4407 CO} i DRAPERY SPECIALIST! WEST VANCOUVER TOUR 225-3655 EAE IND WE A SALLE) NN