History
The Hammond brothers arrived in western Canada in 1863. They first purchased land on the Pitt River at its confluence with the Alouette – a property later called Codd Island. After a few years, they purchased land on the Fraser and following Thomas Haney’s line of thought, they applied to have a townsite on their property as well. Today we see Hammond and Haney as only a few minutes apart but in those days, they were separated by several miles of treacherous river bank or a long way around. Once the CPR was completed, people took the train between the communities.
When Port Hammond was first developed, it was thought it would be both the terminus for the CPR and the major deepwater port for the region. The port soon moved to New Westminster and the terminus to Vancouver.
- From the Port Hammond page on the Maple Ridge Museum and Archives site
Historical Resources
- Early History of Municipality of Maple Ridge with Port Hammond and Haney, taken from the May 8, 1912 edition of The Coquitlam Star
- Maple Ridge Museum and Archives
- History of Maple Ridge, a collection of photographs and essays
- The Heritage Resources of Maple Ridge: a project undertaken in 1997-1998 by the Corporation of the District of Maple Ridge
- Hammond School History
- Maple Ridge Community Heritage Register (PDF)
Hey Jen! This website is looking so amazing. I love the changing historical photos on the home page!
see you tonight! L
Just wanted to suggest adding a paragraph about the Katzie (Hammond’s first settlers!) to the history…this might go far in our talks with them, too.
I also just wanted to try out the comment form
You’re totally right – thanks for reminding me.