A brief history of North Burnaby

Nathaniel Christopher 9 Comments

I’ve lived on Capitol Hill in North Burnaby for over seven years now and have always been curious about the history of this neighbourhood. So, last night I attended a wonderful presentation about the history of Burnaby Heights and Capitol Hill at the McGill branch of the Burnaby Public Library.

The one hour presentation, organised by the Heights Neighbourhood Association, was delivered by Arilea Sill, an archivist at the City of Burnaby who explained all the historical resources available online and Lisa Codd, a curator at Burnaby Village Museum who recounted the history of the neighbourhood.

History in the Heights poster
History in the Heights poster

While many British Columbia communities started out as farms or trading posts that would later be developed into suburban residential neighbourhoods North Burnaby was, in fact, an “instant suburb.” That is, its developers constructed modern homes and subdivisions right over the forest.

In 1912 North Burnaby was still mostly wilderness and settlement went hand in hand with logging. Logging was mostly done by hand and sold to local mills for shingles.

Photograph of an aerial drawing of Hastings Grove and Hastings Grove Addition in North Burnaby, as well as the surrounding area. A caption above the drawing reads, "a splendid view of the City, Fraser River, Burrard Inlet and the Mountains." A caption below the drawing reads, "Hastings Grove and Hastings Grove Addition."
Photograph of an aerial drawing of Hastings Grove and Hastings Grove Addition in North Burnaby, as well as the surrounding area. A caption above the drawing reads, “a splendid view of the City, Fraser River, Burrard Inlet and the Mountains.” A caption below the drawing reads, “Hastings Grove and Hastings Grove Addition.” (City of Burnaby Archives)

While the Vancouver Heights neighbourhood (now known as the Burnaby Heights), was cleared by developers many Capitol Hill property owners were left to clear their own lots prior to any construction. This often meant blasting stubborn tree stumps with dynamite. So much blasting took place, in fact, that the city had to implement blasting bylaws! Up until the 1930s Capitol Hill children were warned to run for cover when they heard someone yell “Fire in the hole!”

Coffee, tea and snacks at the History in the Heights event.
Coffee, tea and snacks at the History in the Heights event.

Capitol Hill was subdivided into lots in 1909 by people who did not take the topography of the area into consideration. Consequently, many people purchased lots that were unsuitable for development and a large number of them were left vacant and eventually reverted back to city ownership.

The high number vacant lots gave the city an opportunity to return to the drawing board, conduct a proper survey, and redesign the streets taking geography into consideration. Twenty-two acres of these lots would later become Confederation Park.

Photograph of an unidentified man standing at the base of a large stump that he will prepare for blasting. This man is thought to be John William "Jack" Holmes. (City of Burnaby Archives)
Photograph of an unidentified man standing at the base of a large stump that he will prepare for blasting. This man is thought to be John William “Jack” Holmes. (City of Burnaby Archives)

Burnaby’s location between Vancouver and New Westminster, ensured that infrastructure came before settlement. The early transportation networks in Burnaby were not designed to serve Burnaby, but to get through Burnaby. Douglas Road, which helped link Vancouver with New Westminster, was constructed by the Royal Engineers from 1862 to 1865. In 1891 a streetcar line was constructed along that route which led to Burnaby’s incorporation the following year.

In 1903 Hastings St., then a plank road, was constructed in response to a need to bring power to Vancouver from the hydroelectric plant at Buntzen Lake. The promise of a streetcar line spurred development along Hastings and it was constructed in 1913 from Boundary to Ellesmere.

Photograph of the Hastings Streetcar taken at the terminus of the Hastings Streetcar line at Ellesmere Avenue in North Burnaby. Two men in uniform and a boy dressed in a suit and hat are at the head of the car, looking towards the camera. A horse-drawn cart full of cordwood is visible in the background moving along the planked wooden road parallel to the street car. (City of Burnaby Archives)
Photograph of the Hastings Streetcar taken at the terminus of the Hastings Streetcar line at Ellesmere Avenue in North Burnaby. Two men in uniform and a boy dressed in a suit and hat are at the head of the car, looking towards the camera. A horse-drawn cart full of cordwood is visible in the background moving along the planked wooden road parallel to the street car. (City of Burnaby Archives)

I’d like to thank the library, the city, and the neighbourhood association for putting on this wonderful event!

For more information please visit Heritage Burnaby at www.heritageburnaby.ca

Also, here’s a nature video I took of Capitol Hill wildlife exploring exploring the wilderness of Burnaby Heights:

I am a resident of Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada who has blogged here for 20 years. I like to share my thoughts and feelings on my own online space. From 1998 until 2017 I worked as a journalist and I hope to use this website as an archive for all of my stories.

9 Comments

  1. My parents purchased and built their own home at Gamma & Pandora. The purchase price was $50.00 for the lot; $5.00 down and .50 cents a month in the early 1930’s. They raised seven kids in a one level flat. I was the youngest of the seven, born in 1952 and lived at home unit 1971. I remember when they were clearing the land to build the McGill Library. Capital Hill, Confederation Park and Burnaby Heights were all my stomping grounds. I have fond memories of growing up their with four sisters and two brothers.

      1. I grew up in North Burnaby on Parker St., west of Willington. The Brentwood suburb had yet to be built. My parents, both veterans of WWII , received post war compensation from the government which enabled them to put a down payment on the house in 1949. If memory serves, the cost was $7,000 and the mortgage payments were $50 a month. It was a great time to grow up. The neighbourhood was teeming with kids. I left home in 1971 but both my children spent many days visiting their grandparents in North Burnaby, swimming at Kensington pool in the summers. And now my daughter has come full circle and is living on Capital Hill. Her next door neighbour is 90 years old and lives in an original house on the street.

  2. My first meeting. I enjoyed it a lot. I have lived in Burnaby since 1944. I have many memories of the “Heights”. Please let me know when and if you plan another night.

    1. Hi Terry, it was a lot of fun and I would love to hear your stories about what this place was like before me and my cat came to this ‘hood! But yeah, I didn’t organise this wonderful meeting but I’ll be sure to let you know when they do another one! 🙂

  3. Very interesting!

    Also, Khan was being rather a bit terrified when exploring Burnaby! 🙁

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