It is BC Heritage Week, and the theme is Good Neighbours; Heritage Homes and Neighbourhoods. I think Steveston has been a good neighbour, so I am going to honour it for BC Heritage Week!

I’ve been working in Steveston for two and a half years now. I also do my day to day business here – buy coffee, deal with banking needs, run errands, stop at the post office, enjoy a treat from Sweet Spot, buy fresh fish from the sales float, and more. Even though I work at one of the many heritage sites in Steveston, I often take for granted how exciting the history of this town can be. Many of the buildings around this historic fishing village have an intriguing history. Even though many of the buildings in Steveston were lost to a series of fires at the turn of the century, the town takes pride in existing originals, and they do their best to maintain the historic appeal of the town when new structures are being developed.

Steveston is home to a number of historically significant sites and buildings, so on your daily walk around the town, take a moment to look around you and appreciate Steveston’s history and community.  Remember, thousands of people flocked to Steveston to work in the fishing industry each year, this town did have numerous pubs, an opera house, brothels, gambling rooms, a Chinese district and so much more. It is because of those hard working individuals and their families that Steveston is what it is today.

Thanks to the people of Steveston, there are a number of sites that visitors can enjoy such as the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site, Britannia Heritage Shipyards, Steveston Museum, as well as the soon to open commemorative project, the Sockeye Special Tram station. So next time you walk down the street in Steveston, take a moment to notice something old, anew, and recognize the people, your neighbours, who have worked to keep Steveston’s heritage alive today and for years to come.

To learn more about the history of the buildings in Steveston, explore the Steveston Museum’s walking tour map.

If you are interested in old photographs, please visit our digital photo archive online, and have a look into the  Steveston of yesteryear.

Posted by websitedev

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