1873
Timber Lease Surveys Part 11873 – Timber Lease Surveys of Malaspina Strait for Grief Point to Scuttle Bay
On August 8, 1873, surveyors mapped the boundaries of a timber lease held for R.P. Rithet. Rithet acted as the authorized agent for the Moody, Dietz, and Nelson Company, which operated the Moodyville sawmill on Burrard Inlet. After S.P. Moody was lost at sea in 1874 and Mr. Dietz died in 1875, Mr. Nelson assumed full control of the firm and renamed it The Moodyville Sawmill Company in Moody’s honour.
The survey itself was truly unremarkable for its time, but remarkable for the area covered, approximately 15,000 acres, from Grief Point (South), Paradise Valley (East), Malaspina Strait (West), Scuttle Bay, Wilde Road ( North).
The Timber lease area completely engulfed the Village of Sliammon ( Tla’amin Nation). In this survey, there is no mention of a village or settlement at tiskwat; however, it does mention two important factors.
Survey of Timber Lease on the Coast August 11, 1873 (click image for full PDF)
The Surveyor retained the name Teeshqout Creek, which we now know as Powell River. In the 1878 Survey of Lot 450, the Surveyor noted the river as the Neslon Creek, which carried the same name as the company that logged the lease, Moody, Dietz, and Nelson. In the 1878 Survey, the Surveyor changed it back to Teeshqout Creek, which remained the name until 1918, when BC Mines and the Geographical Names Branch changed it to Powell River.
The second important factor was that the survey and timber leases completely included all the land in and around the village of Sliammon (Tla’amin). It mentions a church and Indian Houses, and that the survey crosses in front of and to the right of the village. Historical documents mention complaints of logging near Sliammon (Tla’amin) village, which is understandable, as the Timber Leases of 1873/1874 covered all the lands around and within it.
The survey was certified by Geo Hargreaves. Mr. George Hargreaves was a Provincial Government Survey contractor from 1862 to 1878. His work included preemption claims, Timber Leases, Early Crown land administration, and Coastal mapping for navigation and settlement.
Map of the Timber Survey superimposed over current map of the area. (click image to expand)
Original map of the Timber Survey (click image to expand)
Screen shot of Google Map of the area (click image to expand)