A City of Beauty in the Wilderness (1/3)

Sometimes as we rifle through drawers we come across some forgotten piece of jewelry- a ring or a necklace- still beautiful yet belonging to another era, another part of who we used to be. That’s the city of New Westminster for you.

New West is not the kind of place you linger around for long unless you happen to live there or have some pressing business. It’s a place in which time has passed. Yet beneath the layers of its history, there is a city that proudly wears the vestiges of its age. pic.twitter.com/5ZApjLs76p

— litguru (@litguru23) September 8, 2022

Nestled along the shores of the Fraser River, New Westminster was first inhabited by the Kwantlen first nation. What a place it must’ve been with very little in the way of human habitation beside the huts and scattered buildings from the natives already settled there. Towering giants swaying in the mighty wind blowing from the river. Misty, wet, and full of moss. Yet on warm summer days, the light shone through the leaves and a world of natural wonders glistened to life to the sounds of nature, and the rush of the mighty Fraser.

The World's Tallest Tin Man

Along the riverbank lies the Westminster Quay and River Market. Accessed through an overpass over the rail lines, this area also has a long wooden pier that follows the river for miles. The hike is well worth it because one gets a much richer appreciation for this forgotten jewel of the Pacific Northwest.

The entrance to the Fraser is very striking—Extending miles to the right & left are low marsh lands (apparently of very rich qualities) & yet the Background of Superb Mountains—Swiss in outline, dark in woods, grandly towering into the clouds there is a sublimity that deeply impresses you. Everything is large and magnificent, worthy of the entrance to the Queen of England's dominions on the Pacific mainland... My imagination converted the silent marshes into Cuyp-like pictures of horses and cattle lazily fattening in rich meadows in a glowing sunset... The water of the deep clear Frazer was of a glassy stillness, not a ripple before us, except when a fish rose to the surface or broods of wild ducks fluttered away.

Richard Clement Moody as quote in Wikipedia

Back when Vancouver was just some backwater boondocks, New West’s gold rush attracted settlers from the rest of Canada including the Maritimes. The city grew rapidly and various industries beside gold began to thrive. With its strategic location along the banks of the Fraser, New West was a perfect hub for transportation of goods upriver or downriver towards the Pacific ocean. Canneries opened, stratified along social and racial lines. The currents were perfect for transporting lumber from other areas deep within the province. The city became a thriving community, and though its founder Richard Moody preferred the name Queensborough, the British overruled him and Queen Victoria christened the city after the center of power in England- Westminster. Thus was born in 1858 the city of New Westminster, Capital of the Colony of British Columbia.

The river is perfect for the transport of lumber, and it’s no wonder that in the early days, the buildings and houses of British Columbia were made of wood. The stuff was everywhere and given that there was no railway line, the transport of bricks and such materials for construction was prohibitively expensive. So the river was perfect for transportation. Even today, you can see the boats hauling their loads slowly up and down the river, given that logging remains a key industry in BC's economy.

What a rough and tumble place it must’ve been in its heyday. The inhabitants of New West did not care for the pretentiousness of the British aristocracy tucked away in Victoria, where they had cloned a little slice of England. New West was a place for business. The salt of the earth. It was the largest city attached to the mainland in the last remaining western frontier in the continent.

“So thick was the bush that it took us two hours to force our way in, rather less than a mile and a half” Colonel Moody’s junior officer as quoted on infographic.

Traveling through dense bush in mid-19th century BC was no easy feat. Richard Clement Moody and a group of Royal Engineers surveyed the site for the new city, and seeing as there were only a few huts in the wilderness, they chose this location "to build a city of beauty in the wilderness." According to one of the infographics placed along the pier, 300 lots were sold at $200 each. The city quickly grew and soon it had a hospital, church, governmental buildings, and even a ballroom, “capable of accommodating with ease 200 dancers.”

Along the pier you see boats that can take you on tours across the river, lakes, and ocean. Restaurants, bars, cafes, and condos line the shore along the pier. From across the river, the Queensborough district with its quaint orderly houses gleaming beautifully under the sun.

Large ships that come from the open ocean moor on the riverside docks in the distance, loading and unloading goods for local and international consumption. The port even has its own private rail line to transport goods as fast as possible to the rest of the country.

As I mentioned, downtown New West is not a place where you spend a lot of time. Nevertheless, the area is growing as more housing and tourist attractions are built. There is a freshness to the old gal, as if she has suddenly rediscovered the gem that is most beautiful of all.

There are live fishes in this fountain, so it's apocalypse ready

The riverfront condo developments are rather fancy and though the units look cozy, I bet they don't cost 200 bucks like in the olden days

Talk about retirement living

Then the disco party began

There is a lot more to New West than I have shown. I focused mainly on the pier-side that is basically a tourist hub with modern development. It is well worth the trip and easily accessible from downtown Vancouver.

And yes, this is the tallest tin man according to the Guinness Book of World Records

Resources

New Westminster on Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Westminster

All images by @litguru