Cambie Public Works Yard
In 1886 this historical site was the location of the SE False Creek area’s first sawmill: Leamy & Kyle’s Mill. From 1904 onward, the public works program of the City of Vancouver was managed from “the yard” and the city’s garbage incinerator used to be located here.
From this location public works staff went out to maintain the infrastructure of the city; to keep the sewers in repair, to build roads and keep them safe.
During both World War I & II, the Ship Yard was used for ship building, and as Vancouver’s secondary port of trade.
Lumber was imported from various locations in B.C., coal came from Vancouver Island and salt was brought in from California. Many of these consumer goods were transported via train, and eventually made their way onto trucks to be distributed throughout the province.
The Rail Yard engine house at the foot of Quebec Street has a related history. What came to be called the Great Northern & Burlington Northern Railroad was an amalgamation of the Westminster, Vancouver, and Yukon Rails of the earlier part of the 1900s. The line ran west to Columbia Street, north across False Creek, and east to Clark Drive along the south shore of the Creek. Some of today’s streets still reflect these early rail transportation routes.
In 1908 this area of False Creek was home to the City’s Market, and by the 1940s, Opsal Steel was manufacturing tools at their building located at East 2nd Ave & Quebec St.
