One of the most important reasons for the selection of New Westminster as the colonial capital was its harbour potential. Its strong waterfront area along the Fraser River provided an excellent landscape for those planning the town's survey patterns and development. The shoreline offered a workable river current, reasonably deep water, a useable shoreline, and a broad expanse of river for ships.
In a relatively short time, the Royal Engineers laid out the city plan and identified the waterfront's potential for small docks, expansive wharves, a formal landing site, and even whole new harbour facilities. The river's edge was lined with docks, buildings began to spring up nearby, shipping needs were met with sheds and other cargo amenities.
Over the decades, wharves extended into the river channel, sheds got bigger, industries were created, including canneries, cold storage, foundries, rock and gravel and sawmills. Shipping companies offered facilities for cargo of all types and met the needs, however rough, of passengers.
In time the official waterfront and its occupants extended up to Sapperton, down the North Arm of the Fraser and along Queensborough's shores. Many things created change over the years with winter's ice causing havoc, high water and occasional flooding damaging areas, the 1898 fire removed a large portion of the waterfront but caused a rapid renewal. There was always an acceptance of the harbour's importance to the town and its prosperity.
Throughout all this time, there was little waterfront area for the public to visit for recreational reasons. There was the formal landing site, Lytton Square, that became the location of a city market. There was the ferry landing used from the mid-1880s to 1904. There were areas in Queensborough where the riverbank was accessible. Much later, there was the King Neptune Restaurant. People knew of places to go by the bridges, the Brunette River and the like, but there were not many.
But then things changed, including shipping needs, road and rail needs, cargo handling, and so on and finally the decision was made to change the harbour facilities and reclaim much of the waterfront for public use. This is a big story with lots of things to note and remember, and the references here just scratch the surface of it.
