Terminus Town:
Port Moody's Transition Through Time

New History Book Now Available

The new history book Terminus Town will be officially launched in October 2023, and this latest work is now available for purchase –– the perfect gift solution for family and friends and any occasion!

Terminus Town is follow-on research by Ralph Drew that covers the history of the Tri-Cities area of Metro Vancouver. This book complements Townsite Tales: The History of Ioco, Coquitlam Chronicles: Historical Crossroads on the Fraser River, and Forest & Fjord: The History of Belcarra that was awarded First Prize in 2013 by the B.C. Historical Federation as well as The Lieutenant-Governor’s Gold Medal for historical writing in 2014.

MLA Linda Reimer's Statement Re Forest & Fjord

Terminus Town covers the history of the Port Moody area of Metro Vancouver, and brings life to this history with period photographs which truly are 'worth a thousand words'. This latest book by Ralph Drew is the perfect gift solution for family and friends.

This new book begins with a description of the geological history that facilitated human occupation of the area, and includes an extensive chapter on the indigenous presence that preceded European settlement. The book also describes the exploration of Burrard Inlet by Captain George Vancouver in 1792, the first European to explore Port Moody Arm, and the exploration of the Fraser River by Simon Fraser and other fur traders that lead to the development of trade and commerce in the area by the Hudson's Bay Company.

Port Moody owes its existance to the order-in-council by the 'Dominion Government of Canada' on October 4^th, 1879, that established 'Port Moody' as the 'Western Terminus' of the transcontinental railway. Terminus Town describes the construction of the CPR railway along the north shore of the Fraser River between Port Moody and Yale making extensive use of photographs taken during construction.

The book describes the establishment of the first shingle mills and sawmills on Port Moody Arm in the 1880s and the associated settlement by early pioneers. That development created a demand for logs which resulted in logging of the forests that surrounded Burrard Inlet and Port Moody Arm, and the consequent early appearance of European settlers.

The book also includes a chapter show-casing the photographs taken during the period from 1906 to 1910 by Philip Timms who was well-known for documenting the early history of Vancouver and surrounding locations such as Port Moody.

Terminus Town (ISBN 978-0-9813113-5-7) is both an 11" x 8½" landscape-format hard-cover 'coffee table' book and a fully referenced and indexed history. Like my previous books, I have made extensive use of historical photographs, maps, graphics, and documentary art, most of which are 9 x 6 inches, and contains more than 300 images that bring life to early Port Moody history. The book is 400 pages overall and organized into 10 chapters:

• Chapter 1 – Natural History
• Chapter 2 – Indigenous Presence
• Chapter 3 – Arrival of the Europeans
• Chapter 4 – The Colonial Period
• Chapter 5 – Birth of Terminus Town
• Chapter 6 – Canadian Pacific Railway
• Chapter 7 – Early Logging
• Chapter 8 – Shingle Mills & Sawmills
• Chapter 9 – Philip Timms' Port Moody
• Chapter 10 – Birth of Port Moody City

Order now to secure your copy of Terminus Town, and order additional copies to give as gifts for family and friends. The book can be purchased by an email Interact e-Transfer to the author for $59.95 plus 5% GST ($3.00) = $62.95 plus $21.00 for shipping via Canada Post (within Canada, west of Winnipeg).

For purchase inquiries, either email Ralph Drew or telephone: 604-937-0143.