Archives: Locations

The most significant natural water feature in this area is the Terra Nova Slough. These natural channels, along with their surrounding agricultural fields, are a unique feature of Terra Nova’s delta landscape. At one time it would have been possible to paddle a canoe through sloughs from Terra Nova to Garry Point, with a short […]

Early settlers Robert and Anne Gordon are remembered for the prized fruit trees they planted on the property. All four of their sons became “cannery men.” One son, Don, recalled taking a boat to school in the “early days,” collecting driftwood for firewood, and “bagging” 100 ducks on Sturgeon Banks in one day. When the […]

Joshua Parsons and his family were among the original Terra Nova settlers, arriving around 1888. He used his carpentry skills to build this house and worked at the Terra Nova Cannery. In 1909, this house was bought by a Japanese fisherman, Kyutaro Shimano, who immigrated here with his wife and child. The Shimanos, like the […]

This Edwardian Cottage, built around 1905, is the only one of its type in Richmond. The Koyanagi family moved into this house after the cannery managers left. Their son, Hiro, built a barn behind the cottage when he was just 15 years old. Today it is home to the Terra Nova Nature School and used […]

The Terra Nova Cannery began operations in 1892. The company store became the hub of the community, where fishermen exchanged their catch for goods, and Japanese, Chinese, First Nations, and European workers spent their pay. To support the Cannery, numerous buildings sprung up inside and outside the dike. The Cannery built wharves and docks, housing […]

Most settlers in the 1800s planted orchards and Terra Nova was no exception. The Mellis family had the largest orchard on Lulu Island with at least 100 apple, cherry, and pear trees planted in seven long rows that ran north to south. In the 1950s, farmers transformed fields stretching to the south, creating intensively cultivated […]

James and Isabella Mellis arrived from Newfoundland in 1887, becoming one of the first farming families in the area. James began running a stage line between Terra Nova and Vancouver in the 1890s after the construction of roads and bridges made the trip possible. His stagecoach delivered produce to Vancouver and returned with supplies and […]

Can you see the wooden posts, or pilings, near the shoreline? They are the remains of a cannery dock. The Terra Nova and Alliance canneries were built here during a turn-of-the-century boom in the BC fishing industry which saw more than 20 canneries constructed in Richmond. The arrival of cannery workers transformed the quiet farming […]