A Huge Part Of Lynn Valley History, Heritage, and Legacy is Mr.Draycott
Lynn Valley General Store With Street Car In Background
A Little Bit About the History Of Lynn Valley, It’s Heritage And Legacy…
If you’ve taken a drive in and around Lynn Valley lately, you’ll notice there are many changes taking place and quite a transition from what it once looked like. From new Lynn Valley Houses, to apartment developments, and new villages, there’s a lot going on in Lynn Valley. If you ever wondered about the history of Lynn Valley or what it was like over 100+ years ago, here’s a little glimpse into how Lynn Valley was back in the day.
In 1871, the District of North Vancouver was inaugurated. Prior to that the only non-native settlement on the North Shore of Burrard Inlet was the company community of Moodyville began in 1863 simply as Pioneer Mill, Sewell Moody himself possessing the mill in 1865.
By 1906 Lynn Valley was the second largest settlement on the North Shore outside of Moodyville.
Logging and mill industry attracted settlers beginning in 1895 when H.H. Spicer built the first flume in Lynn Valley to convey shingle bolts to Moodyville together with skid road to take out 150 spars for the sailing ships of the day. In 1897 Spicer sold out to James and Robert McNair who in turn sold out to Julius Martin Fromme and his temporary partner (of 10 months) T. Allan.
“Lynn Valley” or “Lynn Creek” (as the 1906 Post office was termed) was popularly referred to as “Shaketown” because of its collection of cedar-shake buildings and its export of both cedar shakes and the 56 inch long cedar shingle bolts to roof and clad the homes in Vancouver and beyond.
Of course, Lynn Valley is not located on Lynn Creek but on Hastings Creek which was essential to its industrial development at that time as the upper and lower mills worked night and day to satisfy the demand for lumber.
WALTER MacKAY DRAYCOTT
Walter Mackay Draycott was trained during World War 1 to be a military observer and therefore a sketch artist. When her returned home after the War, his training enabled him to provide detailed illustrations for his various studies of local geology, botony, philatily, ornothology and history. Even today, non one can write a history f Lynn Valley without quoting heavily from Draycott’s book, Early Days in Lynn Valley. Located in Pioneer Park, in Lynn Valley is the cast bronze figure of the elderly Draycott which has been part of the Districts’s Public Art collection since 1986.
The Street Car Route And Lynn Valley General Store
The North Vancouver Streetcar system was initiated in 1906 at the ferry quay at the bottom of Lonsdale Ave. and was extended to Lynn Valley in 1912.
For more information on the History of Lynn Valley & Lynn Valley Heritage visit dnv.org.
Source: dnv.org
