Steveston: a look through fishstory

The old Interurban terminus

In my last post on Quilchina I wrote of the old Interurban train line that went from Vancouver to Steveston. This week AccessEco BC travels to the end of that line to Richmond's historic Steveston Village. William Steves purchased the land, originally a dairy farm area, in 1890 in hopes of developing a rival to the newly emerging Port of Vancouver.

Although his dream never quite developed, today we are left with a quaint little part of Richmond, BC that is steeped in history, filled with shops and restaurants and stunning views of the Gulf of Georgia, and is very accessible to boot. Half the fun of visiting is discovering the amazing amount of heritage that has been preserved.

A wind propelled dune buggy zips past
an old ice house

The wind at Garry Point Park is consistently strong

Garry Point Park is part of Richmond's West Dyke Trail (see post " Hiking the dyke along an island ocean estuary").  Although it's not technically part of Stevestston Village, it's so close that I have always included it in my visits. The park was built with dredging material from Texada Island and is a real oasis of birds, views, wildflowers, beaches, benches, art, picnic tables and more. The park entrance is at the border of the historic section of Steveston Village. The park's entrance has a very accessible washroom and a concession featuring fresh delicious seafood, barista coffee and ice cream.  As you munch, check out the map to Steveston Village which is also near the park's entrance.

Hard packed trails along the beach

Lots of places to nap with an ocean breeze
among the wildflowers

A short trip along the well marked  and mapped trail westward will lead you towards the Gulf of Georgia Cannery, one of Canada's National Historic Treasures and as such a federal government responsibility in conjunction with the non-profit Gulf Of Georgia Cannery Society. The cannery has been rated 4.5 on a scale of 5 rating from Access Richmond and is proud that their interactive museum includes historic walking tours of the village. For more on the cannery go to www.gulfofgeorgiacannery.com.  To see the very useful Access Richmond web site go to www.accessrichmond.ca.

Comfortable boardwalk

I like to call the next section of boardwalk the miracle mile. In my post on Granville Island ("The island that time forgot"), I wrote of the uncomfortable railway tie boardwalk along Granville Island's perimeter. This prompted a friend, fellow bloglidite and disability advisory committee chair of the external access committee, Jeanette Anderson, to raise the issue. She was provided an email stating that the engineers who looked into it could not build the walk so the ties were elongated. Apparently Richmond has solved this vexing problem to create just such a boardwalk.

Whale and wildlife watching tours

Still lots of commercial fishing

Mats and rails at the government docks make it accessible

In the village area itself most shops and restaurants offer at least some form of access. There are not many assisted cross ways in the village; however, as the Community of Steveston grows, more in the way proper cross walks are being implemented by the City of Richmond. The Richmond city council has really seemed to buy into the the culture of accessibility that accompanied their hosting of the 2010 winter Olympic games. I noticed the latest upgrade to the Steveston Village included a cross way with all the latest in crossing assistance, and it looked like more upgrades the area are on the way. Curb cuts and accessible washrooms can be found throughout the village. Parking to this busy pedestrian-oriented tourist favorite is not easy to find, but when and where you find it you will also see designated disability parking. As usual I chose transit www.translink.ca. If you like to cook, be sure and buy fresh seafood right off the boats. I checked with the boat tours and here are some good things to know. The tour boats are not specifically built to accommodate disabilities and it is best for individuals to check with them before booking. They cannot always guarantee whale sightings, but when whales are in the area, they do post a guarantee which you can see before buying your ticket. To contact attractions shops go to www.steveston.bc.ca. The Steveston Village Community Centre has the most accessible and integrated children's play area and water park I have ever seen. For details go to www.richmond.ca/parksrec/centres/stevestoncentre/steveston.htm.

Heading east along the Fraser  River is Steveston's newest section of boardwalk along the old cannery row  This section is a mix of cement and rail tie and is very accessible. It travels along the former sites of three canneries on the way to the historic Britannia Shipyards.

Lots of great photo ops

Britannia Shipyards

For information on the shipyard
go to www.britannia-hss.ca/

Steveston is a great place to spend the day or just a few hours, and is well worth the trip. On the weekend of August 5 through 7 is Steveston's Maritime Festival, a fun family event. For details go to www.venturevancouver.com/blog/richmond-maritime-festival-august-5-to-7-2011   Until next time, when I go ambling along West Vancouver's Ambleside Park.