Vancouver Centennial Plaque #9 – The False Creek Trail

“THE FALSE CREEK TRAIL

A trail was blazed to this point in 1861 to link New Westminster, then the capital of the mainland colony of British Columbia, with the Royal Naval Reserve at Jericho. The trail stopped here due to government restraint.”

Credit: Vancouver Centennial Commission, Historic Plaque Program – list and documentation plaques 1-49 (June 18, 1986). Courtesy of Vancouver Archives

Colonel Richard Clement Moody was the first Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia and came over from Britain to establish the new colony, together with 172 Royal Engineers, his secretary (Robert Burnaby – who had a city named after him) and his wife, Mary (the namesake of Mary Hill in Port Coquitlam).

Colonel Moody founded the capital city, New Westminster, in 1858, but was worried about invaders from the south, so also set up military bases, including one in Jericho. Needing a road to link New West with the new naval base, Colonel Moody instructed the Royal Engineers to build a trail. However, the Governor of BC disagreed with his overspending and the trail and bases were not completed.

The Columbia Detachment of the Royal Engineers was disbanded in 1863 and, while Colonel Moody returned to Britain with his family, 130 of his men decided to stay in BC.

Credit: Google StreetView (Sept 2007)

Although the plaque isn’t there anymore, it was on the building until at least 2007.