Between 1883 and 1885, the coastal regions surrounding Malaspina Inlet and Theodosia Inlet experienced their first significant wave of colonial land alienation as the Province of British Columbia extended the New Westminster Land District northward along the Strait of Georgia. Although naval and hydrographic surveys had charted the coastline decades earlier, the interior shorelines, river valleys, and forested uplands remained outside the formal cadastral grid required for pre-emption, timber licensing, and Crown purchase.

To support settlement and resource extraction, provincial surveyors established large District Lots, usually around 640 acres, preferably located along waterways suitable for logging, transportation, and speculative development.

By 1884, this new grid included District Lots 501, 502, 503, 504, 505, 506, 507, 519, 520, 521, 522, 523, and 525, forming the earliest surveyed parcels around the shores of Malaspina Inlet.

The earliest major industrial interest in the area came from the Moodyville Sawmill Co. (Limited), led by R. P. Rithet, which, on October 24, 1883, applied to purchase 160 acres at Malaspina Inlet. On March 13, 1885, the Moodyville Sawmill Co requested that District Lot 500 be purchased. Later, on November 24, 1884, this same company acquired a 20-year lease for District Lot 523 at $0.10 per acre.

These acquisitions reflect the company’s northward expansion from Burrard Inlet into the timber-rich inlets of the upper Strait of Georgia.

When it came to individual Pre-emptions and Crown Grants, the newly surveyed lots were quickly claimed by settlers, timber operators, and speculators. Crown grants were issued almost immediately after survey completion, demonstrating how swiftly the province converted Indigenous land into private tenure.

Mr. Thomas D. Merrill was granted District Lots 501 and 506 on April 4, 1885. District Lot 501 stands out as one of the earliest Crown grants in the region, emphasizing the rapid shift of land parcels into private ownership. Furthermore, Mr. William Crawford applied for District Lot 502 in 1884, and the Crown Grant for this lot was issued on April 4, 1885.

Mr. Chauncey Brockway was as quickly granted District Lot 503 in September 1884 in the Theodosia Arm of Malaspina Inlet. Following was Mr. Henry Landes, who received his granted District Lot 504 on September 18, 1884. Mr. Frederick A. Brockway was granted District Lots 505 and 525 on April 23, 1885, having been homesteading in the region since 1883, indicating early non-Indigenous occupation before formal surveying.

Mr. James O. Smith applied for District Lot 507 on August 19, 1884, with John Raymour. The Crown Grant was issued on February 13, 1885. A second record notes Smith receiving DL 507 again on October 15, 1885, likely reflecting administrative finalization or transfer.

Mr. William Parsons Sayward applied for District Lot 520 in 1885. This lot was originally applied for by W. R. Clarke, who transferred his interest to Sayward on February 13, 1885. The Crown Grant was issued on February 23, 1885. Clarke also transferred District Lots 521 and 522, indicating a cluster of speculative claims.

These rapid transfers occurred within the traditional territory of the Sliammon (Tla’amin), whose land use, village sites, and resource areas were not properly represented in the Dominion’s new cadastral grid. The only federal acknowledgment during this period appears in the Canada Sessional Papers, Vol. 3 (1885), which noted a marked increase in the Sliammon (Tla’amin) population. This report was a demographic observation rather than a recognition of territorial rights, and it made no mention of disputes over the land.

The creation of surveyed District Lots around existing reserves effectively fragmented a continuous Indigenous landscape into discrete parcels available for private ownership, timber extraction, and industrial development. The land grants between 1883 and 1885 around Malaspina and Theodosia Inlets represent the first stage of colonial land tenure in the region. These district lots established the legal basis for future logging and industrial activities, as well as the northern expansion of the New Westminster District cadastral system.

The Dominion’s administrative transformation of (Tla’amin) Sliammon territory into surveyed, sellable property set a precedent for the Province of British Columbia. This moment marks the beginning of the land tenure regime that would influence all future development along the northern Strait of Georgia.