Daily Archives: 15 August, 2023

Garry Point Park (Richmond, British Columbia, Canada)

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Garry Point Park

This 30-hectare (75-acre) Garry Point Park, a public open-air coastal park situated on the Sturgeon Banks of  the Fraser River, was opened in 1989. This popular picnic destination, at the southwestern side of Richmond, near Steveston, is fringed by a sandy, log-strewn shimmering and expansive waterfront, the park’s main appeal. Located next to the Salish Sea, it offers gorgeous and relaxing panoramic views of the Fraser River’s South Arm; the low-rise silhouettes of Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands and the sunset from across the water.

The park’s southern edge has a string of small, log-strewn sandy beaches backed by tangles of driftwood logs where you can sit and watch the fishing boats, tugs and pleasure vessels coming in and out through the fast-moving waters of the Steveston Harbor.

It features a modern sculpture (Steveston Fishermen’s Memorial), a Japanese garden (Kuno Garden), beach access, good washrooms, a picnic area and plenty of benches. The area was used as a location for filming of the Netflix series Midnight Mass.

The gently rolling grassy areas of Garry Point’s are also ideal for spreading out an impromptu picnic blanket. At the eastern edge of the park are two seasonal concession stand counters -Timothy’s Frozen Yogurt (for sweet treats) and local legend  Pajo’s (serves delicious fish and chips).

The park’s understated flora includes colorful bluebells, vibrant azaleas and, every April, the park’s Cherry Tree Garden, undertaken in 2000 during the 35th anniversary of the friendship of the cities of Wakayama, Japan and Richmond, British Columbia.  It features more than 250 carefully cultivated cherry trees that form a canopy over a walkway, making this a magnet for cherry blossom fans. During Garry Point’s annual Pacific Rim Kite Festival, in June, you can watch and kite flying, typically flown from a buggy or a board, taking full advantage of the unobstructed breezes.

Dogs are allowed in the park, but they must be leashed; and feeding wildlife and picking plants is not permitted. Dotted around the park are several well-written plaques, some with excellent black and white photos that transport you right back to the Richmond of yesteryear.

Kuno Japanese Garden

Near the entrance of the park is Kuno Garden, a Japanese garden established in 1989 by the local Japanese community in celebration of the centenary of Gihei Kuno, the first Japanese immigrant from Wakayama, Japan who arrived here in 1888, one of many thousands who fuelled Steveston’s fishing industry.

Donated to the city as a part of the centennial project, it is filled with Japanese horticultural features, symbolic stone structures, lantern and rock carefully placed to achieve the ultimate state of Zen.

Steveston Fishermen’s Memorial

The striking, 25-ft. high, aluminum, bronze and stone Steveston Fishermen’s Memorial, towering over the waterfront, recalls the importance of fishing. Shaped like a giant fishing net needle, it’s a stirring public art reminder of those who have been injured or lost their lives to the industry over the years. Its base is engraved with the names of hundreds of fishermen who lost their lives for their communities. Created by artists George Juhasz and Georg Schmerholz, it was unveiled to the public in 1996.

Along the park’s circuit trail is Scotch Pond, a historic moorage site on the north end of the park that is an evocative reminder of the past.  Home of the Scottish Canadian Cannery, it is one of more than a dozen similar operations that once dotted the Steveston shoreline. Built in 1899, there are still remnants of the raised wooden walkway that once led across the water to this cannery as well as a large, barn-like structure, on piles, that  once housed a busy, family-run boatworks that was constructed here in 1905

Garry Point Park: 12011 Seventh Ave., Richmond, British Columbia V7E 4X2. Open 2 hours.  Tel: (604) 244-1208.

How to Get There: Garry Point Park is a short stroll from the centre of Steveston Village; reach it on foot via a wide walkway that runs alongside the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site. Steveston is easily reached by public transit.

Steveston Tram Museum (Richmond, British Columbia, Canada)

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Steveston Tram Museum

The Steveston Tram Museum, housing the beautifully restored Tram Car 1220, one of the original trams that ran on Richmond’s interurban rail system and the largest artifact in the Richmond Museum Collection, allows visitors to experience authentic Interurban rail travel and learn about early 20th century transportation.

The left side of the museum

The bright red, 2,370 sq. ft.  museum, opened in May 2013 across the street from where the Steveston Station (which burned down in 1928 and replaced by a simple tram stop shelter in 1929) once stood, was designed by Birmingham & Wood Architects and built by Scott Special Projects Ltd., around the original tracks of the BC Electric Railway (BCER) Interurban Network.

The large windows at the right side of the museum

For 55 years, it provided an important economic and social connection between Richmond and the rest of the Lower Mainland. Today, you can still spot the original railroad path and power poles around the tram.

the Heritage Train Tracks at the rear of the museum

The building has 27-ft. high windows, a winch system to allow the tram  to be pulled out of the building for special events, and public art created by artist Mia Weinberg, a 1994 graduate of Emily Carr University of Art and Design, which will be integrated into the floor of the outdoor platform at the main entrance of the building.  It also has a community meeting room and had a restoration space (now converted into a programming space after the restoration was completed).

Heritage Train Tracks

Here’s the historical timeline of the BC Electric Railway Interurban Network:

  • In 1902, rail connection in Steveston started when the Lulu Island railway, owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), ran freight and passenger steam trains to the area.
  • In 1905, the CPR leased the rail line to the BC Electric Railway Company (BCER), who electrified it for tram use. This was part of the BCER’s establishment of an Interurban railway network that would connect different communities throughout the Lower Mainland, otherwise difficult to reach.
  • In 1913, BCER added 28 1200-class tram cars bought from the St. Louis Car Company in Missouri (USA). Among them was Tram Car 1220.
  • By the 1940s, it had grown to 72 cars and 140,000 annual passengers

Tram Car 1220

Tram Car 1220, nicknamed the “Sockeye Special,” was discovered in a Mitchell Island warehouse in 1992.  Serving the local residents of Steveston to Marpole (located in south Vancouver), it was made of sturdy steel and wood, it was painted bright red.

The tram car could carry up to 64 seated passengers at a time.  They ran from the BC Electric Building at the southwest corner of Carol and Hastings Street to Steveston Village.

Tram entrance

On February 28, 1958, Tram Car 1220 made its final voyage between Marpole and Steveston, marking the end of an era for the Richmond community and for transportation history in BC.

Tram interior which looks like a glowing, wood and glass jewelry box. Beyond is the smoking area

After decades of being off the tracks, the City of Richmond acquired Tram Car 1220 and, on May 3, 2013, opened the Steveston Tram Museum which was inspired by the architecture of the first Steveston Tram Station.

A mini display.  On Saturday, the last train of the night (12 AM) leaving Vancouver carried Steveston revelers who strewed peanut shells from the snacks they’d bought from the station. Not surprisingly, this last-nigh service was locally known as the “Peanut Special.”

Five years later, after a painstaking, three-year, $400,000 restoration starting in 2016, the tram made an exciting return to its former glory.

Another mini display showing chickens, a milk churn and crates of vegetables that sometimes rode alongside passengers

Tram Car 1220 is one of only seven remaining BC Electric Railway cars, five of them in BC in various states of functionality (most of the interurbans ended up being burnt at the railyard under the Burrard Street Bridge).  Several “sister” trams are located in Metro Vancouver, as well as one in Ottawa (Car 1235 at the Canada Science and Technology).

Vintage advertisements, lining the tram;s interior, of products such as Eaton’s Tea, Dri-Glo, Barq’s and even Goodwin’s “corn dodger” shoes

In Metro Vancouver, you can visit the other surviving BCER cars at the Burnaby Village Museum (Tram 1223) or the Fraser Valley Heritage Railway Society  in Surrey where they offer hour-long rides around Cloverdale aboard Car 1225. 

Check out “Burnaby Village Museum” 

The author donning an motorman’s costume and cap

Jandy

When we entered the tram, a male costumed Heritage Interpreter dressed as a tram conductor immediately greeted us and walked us through, pointing out things that we would never have noticed – the smoking half of the tram with no ashtrays, the screws on the outside that are all aligned, etc.

The mechanical controls and the tiny motorman’s stool

The restoration inside was exceptional – from the rattan seats, graffiti to the match striker plates (where you can strike up a light) at the smoking section.

Vancouver Fares

Exhibits and child-friendly interactive displays also showcase this piece of Richmond history. One exhibit highlights the impact that trams had on Richmond and the Lower Mainland. It includes an extensive timeline on the history of trams which is complimented with footage of trams travelling through Richmond.

Interactive Tram Map

There is also a huge interactive map of all the tram routes that ran through Metro Vancouver.  Push buttons light up the five main lines and the stations that operate on them.

Brake lever, bell cord and conductor’s coin changer

Another interactive aspect of the exhibit is a display explaining how conductors would operate the trams with the ability to use the bell and handbrake that were onboard trams.

Main Station Clock

Another display on the tram car’s restoration process highlights the efforts of volunteers and paid professionals to bring the car to its past glory. Visitors can also dress up as a conductor.

Tickets of the Tram

Evocative artifacts on display include rail spikes, tram tokens, a 1950 employee badge, a 1914 tram whistle and a handsome clock of the type that would have hung on the wall of every station along the network.

1953 motorman’s cap, BCER employee badge, reverse key

Also on display are faded signs from several old stations (Steveston, Trucks and Woodward’s); a 1950s hat worn by a motorman (AKA tram driver); a fare poster from the line’s final years (an adult one-zone fare was just 13c), a brake lever, bell cord and conductor’s coin changer.

Restoring the Rare

Adjacent to the museum is the Steveson Nikkei Memorial, a public art and contemplative garden space unveiled on June 22, 2019, that honors the 75th anniversary of the evacuation, relocation, and internment of 2,500 Japanese Canadians from Steveston during World War II.  It further celebrates the rebuilding of the Steveston community following their return from internment in following the war. 

Steveson Nikkei Memorial

Steveston Tram Museum: 4011 Moncton St., Richmond, British Columbia V7E 3A8.  Tel: 604-238-8081.  E-mail: interurban1220@richmond.ca. Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 12 to 4 PM (Spring, January 3 to May 19); daily, 10 AM to 5 PM (Summer, May 20 to September 4)  and Tuesdays to Sundays, 12 to 4 PM (Fall/Winter, September 5 to December 31). Closed on statutory holidays.  Admission is free.