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September 1998 WEST VANCOUVER HISTORICAL SOCIETY Pages FROM THE CHOKER CHASER & WHISTLE PUNK Sewell (“Sue”) Prestcott Moody: Lumber Baron of Yesteryear Hugh Johnston & lola Knight In previous issues, Choker Chaser and Whistle Punk wrote about the beginnings of the forestry industry in West Vancouver. This time they tell us of one of the earliest pioneers who logged extensively here -"'Sue” Moody, who logged for 20 years from 1870 -1890. Under his operations Ambleside, Hollybum & the British Properties, almost up toMillstream Road, were selectively logged, and the logs boomed and towed to his mill in North Vancouver. With one of the finest stands of easily accessible timber in the colony, Buirard Inlet in the mid 1880’s was a lumberman’s paradise. In November 1862, Thomas Wilson Graham and George Scrimgoeur fi-om New Westminster, tried to utilize this wealth when they secured pre-emption to 100 acres situated on the north shore of Burrard Inlet, four miles east of the First Narrows. Upon survey, it actually contained 218 acres and subsequently became known as Moodyville. By the end of June 1862, Graham & Company had construct^ and put into operation “Pioneer Mills”, the first industrial plant on Burrard Inlet. They served the local markets of Nanaimo, New Westminster and Mctoria. (Vancouver was non-existent at this time). Unfortunately, the Fraser Gold Rush subsided and there was a general depression in the lumber trade, so the “For Sale” went up in December 1863. John Oscar Smith outbid Sewell Moody and purchased the entire operation, with a million feet of logs, for $8,000.00. Smith changed the name to “Burrard Inlet Mills” and, in the summer of 1864, had access to a successful market in Victoria. He pursued foreign trade and for the first time lumber was e?q)orted from Burrard Inlet. Again, heavily in debt, creditors came calling and in January 1865 Sewell Moody, who had been operating a mill in New Westminster, was able to purchase the entire operation and 480 acres of timber for $6,900.00. Burrard Inlet came into its own. Moody, joined by partners William Dietz and Hugh Nelson, catered to lcx:al trade but also pursued lumber e^qsorts to Sydney and Adelaide, Australia and to Mexico and San Francisco. Moody wanted more timber and ^phed for a further 1,000 acres, before the lease was completed, increasing it to 5,000 acres. He was eventually granted 2,636 acres, tenable for 2.1 years at 1% per acre. By 1868, three communities lined the Biurard Inlet: Moody’s on the north shore; Brighton and the village of Granville, or “Gastown, on the south shore; plus a half dozen lc>gging camps which gave work to about 300 men. At this time, Moody’s mills were the chief lumber exporters for British Columbia. In 1868, Moody built a second mill, just west of the original mill, which was enable of producing 100,000 feet of lumber daily and with expanded wharves he could load a dozen vessels at once. By this time Mcxxiyville had developed into a viable community and with pilotage now available at \^ctoria or at English Bay with its Pilot House just east of Caulfeild Cove, the Inlet was e?q)anding and provided an excellent local market. In 1868-70, Moody applied for further timber leases, and was granted 11,410 acres scattered across the north shore, but &iled to receive the 1,000 acres he wanted at Point Atkinson. The larger section of land surrounded Brothers Creek and stretched fi’om the Creek entry into Capilano River, west to Navvy Jack Point in Ambleside, north two-and-a-half miles, then northwest one mile, finally extending five miles up Hollybum Ridge. The second piece ran west fi*om Cypress Creek to the edge of Point Atkinson. The entry of British Columbia into confederation in 1871 and the prospect of a railway to the coast, gave Moody some amdety. In May 1873 he tried to secure an additional 15,000 acres of timber leases before the federal government or the railway authorities could prevent it. He did receive a lease of 10,000 acres in 1875. However, in December of 1873, fire had destroyed the uninsured steam mill. Moody had recently acquired machinery fi-om HMS Sparrowha^ but not yet put it to use, so he promptly rebuilt the steam miU and used this equipment, which is thought to have still been working until the mill’s eventual closure in the 1930’s. Fate stmek a second blow to the Moody operation. “Sue” Moody lost his life in November 1875 as a drowning victim aboard the crash sinking of S.S. Pacific off Cape Flattery. Dietz had predeceased Moody, leaving Nelson as the only partner. Nelson carried on operations until his retirement in 1882 and lumber operations continued for many years under other leaders and names until the Great Depression of the 30’s, which finally led to the mill’s closure in 1932. Sewell Moody, the “enterprising” pioneer lumberman put Burrard Inlet on the map in the international lumber trade. _____ Hugh and lola have been researching the history of forestry in West Vancouver for some considerable time. We thank them for their work and lookforward to frture contributions.