Hastings Mill facts for kids
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Hastings Mill was a very important sawmill located on the south side of Burrard Inlet. It was the first big business that helped the city of Vancouver grow in British Columbia, Canada. Edward Stamp started the mill in 1865. It made lumber until it closed in 1928.
The old store building from Hastings Mill was moved in 1930. It now sits at Alma Street in Hastings Mill Park. This building became the Old Hastings Mill Store Museum in 1932. Inside, you can see many old items and artifacts that tell the story of Vancouver's past.
Contents
The Story of Hastings Mill
In 1867, Captain Edward Stamp began cutting lumber at Stamp's Mill. This mill was located where Dunlevy Avenue is today. He had first planned to build it at Brockton Point, but the strong currents and shallow water there made it a bad spot.
Starting the Sawmill
Captain Stamp worked hard to get the mill going. In 1865, he started a company in England with a lot of money. He also got permission from the government to buy or rent a large area of forest, about 16,000 acres (65 square kilometers). He chose a good spot for the mill on the south shore of Burrard Inlet.
However, important machine parts from England were late. So, Stamp could not start cutting lumber for export until June 1867. He managed the company for less than two years before he left. His company then closed down in England.
New Owners and a New Name
The mill closed for a while in 1870. But it opened again in August after a company from San Francisco, Dickson, DeWolf and Company, bought it. At first, it was called Stamp's Mill. After the new owners took over, it became known as the Hastings Sawmill Company, or simply Hastings Mill.
A Company Town Grows
Hastings Mill was like a small town all by itself. People who worked there bought their groceries at the Hastings Mill Store. Children from both sides of the inlet went to the Hastings Mill School.
Things changed when the Canadian Pacific Railway decided to end its cross-country train line in Vancouver. Even so, the lumber business was still very important for the new city. Hastings Mill was the main reason Vancouver grew so much in the 1880s. It stayed important to the local economy until it closed in 1928.
The Old Hastings Mill Store Museum
After Hastings Mill closed, its store building had a special journey. In 1930, it was moved by a large boat called a barge to the foot of Alma Street. The building officially reopened in 1931. In 1932, it was named the Museum of B.C. Historical Relics in Memory of the Pioneers. Most people call it the Old Hastings Mill Store Museum.
The Native Daughters of British Columbia group runs the museum. It displays many old items and interesting things from Vancouver's past. You can also see First Nations art there.
Vancouver's Oldest Building
The museum building was built in 1865, making it the oldest building in Vancouver. It is also famous for surviving the Great Vancouver Fire in 1886. This fire destroyed almost all of Vancouver. The store building was one of the very few structures left standing. After the fire, it was used as a hospital and a place for those who did not survive.
See also
In Spanish: Hastings Mill para niños
- John Hendry (industrialist)
- List of heritage buildings in Vancouver
- List of museums in British Columbia
