senting New Westminster, and sat in the House for three years. Moody's death and
his consequent responsibility at the mill may have had something to do with the fact
that from 1874 to 1879 he was not in any legislative body. In the latter year he |
was appointed a Senator, and sat in the Upper House from 1879 till 1887. He was
appointed Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia on February 8, 1887, and con-
tinued in that position until November 1, 1892. He died March 7, 1893.

That Moodyville was still being run by enterprising men is proven by the fact that
the first onshore electric lights north of San Francisco were turned on at the mills
on February 4, 1882. Two weeks later the City Council of Victoria, who were
contemplating such a move, made a special trip to see the lights. They arrived about
midnight and Senator Nelson got up and had the lights turned on for their inspection.
The installation had been the work of Squire Jones Randall, an Oregonian, then
master mechanic at Moodyville Mills. (He also installed the first foghorn at Point
Atkinson). The Columbian of current date tells that there were “ten lights or
burners each being equal to 2000 candle-power.” They were the old carbon type,
the electric spark jumping half an inch from one carbon stick to another. The cost
was reported to be $4000.

In that same year Ben Springer, another old Cariboo man, became manager of
the mill. At that date they were working 111% hours a day, and wages were from
$50 to $125 per month. J. H. Ramsdell succeeded Springer in 1891, and J. S.
Woods followed in 1895. It may be noted that the first lumber steamer in these
parts, the Remus, was loaded at Moodyville in November, 1890.

Meantime the ownership of the mill had been changing from time to time. In 1878,
the year before Nelson became a Senator, the company was reorganized. The B. C.
Statutes of that year contain an Act to Incorporate the Moodyville Sawmill Co. As
stated in the act, the company was composed of Hugh Nelson, Robert Patterson
Rithet, Andrew Welch, James Burns, Montague W. Tyrwhitt Drake, Peter McQuade
and John Irving.

In 1891 the mill became the property of the Lonsdale Estate, an English company.
For some years Lonsdale ran the mill through Wulfson Bewicke & Co., and later
through Robert Ward & Co. In 1902 the mill was sold to John Hendry of the Royal
City Planer Mills, who had also purchased the Hastings Mill on the south shore in
1889. When the Hastings Mill burned in October of 1898, he used the Moodyville
mill until it was rebuilt. After that the Moodyville mill remained idle, Hendry being
mainly interested in its timber limits and other assets. In 1916 the idle mill burned
down; and when in 1927 the low level road was put through to the Second Narrows
bridge, the old settlement was largely demolished.

The “big house” on the hill, the home of Nelson and succeeding managers, with
its surrounding bit of park, now became part of the Hendry Estate. The Honourable
E. W. Hamber, Hendry’s son-in-law, kept horses there during the period when he
was Lieutenant-Governor. It is now owned by J. W. Pattison, of the Pacific Athletic
Club, Vancouver. Beautiful for situation, it includes in its interest a delightful
swimming pool, a Scottish gardener, horses, and some relics of bygone days.

Meantime other settlement on the north shore had been taking place. W. L.
Keene has done some fine research work on the development which in 1891 led to
the creation of the Municipality of North Vancouver. One of the earlier settlers
himself, he has much first-hand knowledge to which he has added by careful study.
He has listed the various pre-emptions and purchases up to 1891. By 1890 26,733
acres had been taken up by 177 persons. This is about half the total area.
Unfortunately, however, only about ten of these persons were residents, and these
were scattered from the North Arm of the Inlet to Point Atkinson. The crying need
was for roads.

On the 19th of November, 1890, a meeting was held in the office of G. G. McKay,
“The Laird of Capilano”, on Pender Street, Vancouver, to discuss the incorporation
of the north shore as a municipality. Only seven persons attended. At another
meeting held at the same place on March 14, 1891, there were 22 present. A petition
to the Provincial Government was drawn up and signed by all present. On August 4
the charter of the Municipality of “North Vancouver’ was received, and the
inaugural meeting of the new municipality took place on August 29. It was held at
Tom Turner’s ranch just west of where the ferry now lands, a point destined to
become the focal centre of the City of North Vancouver. At this meeting C. J. P.
Phibbs, the first Reeve, and Councillors Turner and Thompson were sworn in.
Councillors J. Nelmes and C. E. Mahon were not present. The second meeting was

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