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June 1997 WEST VANCOUVER HISTORICAL SOCIETY Page 7 The Hand Dug Ditches on Hollyburn By: lola Knight Do you know that on Hollyburn Mountain there was once an extensive system of hand-dug channels, redirecting water from some of the natural creeks and streams into a man-made system of watercourses? Do you realize that remnants of this system can still be found? The system was built to provide water to bring rough milled lumber down the mountain to a holding pond and planer mill on the old PGE railroad (Pacific Great Eastern -now BC Rail), at today’s Sharon Drive , This extensive system of watercourses was engineered and constructed during 1919 for the Nasmyth Lumber Company, owned by Mr. James H. Nasmyth, a logging and lumber pioneer during the early 1900’s. This ingenious system of diverting the upper Hollyburn drainage creeks was designed and constructed to supply the water required for a flume to float the logged product to the mill site. In July of 1996 I was one of a group of enthusiastic hikers who set out to determine the extent of this system. We were led by Alex Wallace, who had found several remnants of these ditches and their pathways during his work on Hollyburn as an adopt-a-trail volunteer. Hugh Johnston provided the historical significance of this system from an article written by Gerry Hardman in 1979; who constructed it, when this work took place and the reason it was built. We started our quest from the Nordic (cross country) ski parking lot on the Cypress Bowl road. We walked the Burfield ski trail to where it connects with the Telemark ski run trail, then followed the Telemark to the power line right-of-way. Near the top of the Telemark trail on the north side of the power line is Third Lake, which has a dam and a gap for a sluice at its west end. We located remnants of a well preserved ditch visible about 50 feet west of the warming hut. This ditch was leading from Fourth Lake which is now blocked. At the west end of Fourth Lake there is an area which is clear of plant growth that connects to this ditch. We walked on the trail on the east side of Fourth Lake and crossed on an earthen dam which was constructed to retain water in this lake. Proceeding north on the Hollyburn Peak trail (Pacific ski run), above Fourth Lake on the west side we could detect remnants of a ditch from Sixth Lake. At a dip on the trail, and continuing on the east side of the trail is the ditch from Sixth Lake. South of Sixth Lake is a grove of ancient yellow cedars and remnants of an old camp site. Sixth Lake, the headwaters for Brothers Creek, has a well constructed dam. Hiking north in the bush from Sixth Lake, we found an old ditch and its pathway heading north which led us back to the Pacific ski run at the top of the Triangle Lake ski run. We hiked on the main trail, then followed the system east across Nickey creek. Where the Baden-Powell Trail branches off to the west, we turned into the bush on the west side. In this area we found remnants of ditching that diverted water from the headwaters of Cypress Creek into the constructed watercourse; also a small manmade pond. This water was also diverted across to the east side drainage of Nickey Greek. Nearby can be seen the burned remnants of the Vancouver Water Board cabin which once stood below Hillstrom Peak. The system of hand dug ditches appears to end at this point. Today, the minimal disturbance of the landscape that was created seventy-five years ago is still visible. Trampled branches of old huckleberry plants can still be seen, evidence of those little ditches, about three feet wide and two feet deep, with a little path alongside all dug by pick and shovel in the hands of men. Over the years a few ditches have become a “natural” drainage; others are visible beneath existing vegetation. The wooden flumes existed until the 1940’s, then disappeared with development. MAP BY I. KNIGHT Water Diversion Ditches on Hoiiyburn Ridge