QUEENSBURY REAL ESTATE

Ships loading lumber at Moodyville, Queensbury, 1888, Courtesy of Vancouver Museum Archives

Queensbury is one of the oldest populated areas on the North and in the whole of the Lower Mainland. Historically Queensbury was formerly known as Moodyville, named after Sewell Prescott Moody who was an immigrant entrepreneur. Moodyville, in the nineteenth century was the main supplier of lumber in British Columbia. It is reported that in its heyday the mill at Moodyville was an enormous commercial success selling lumber to the international market. British Columbia`s wood was famous the world over for its size, and lack of knots. The huge cedar beams were shipped as far as the Imperial Palace of Beijing in China. Ships from all over the world would dock at Moodyville to take on cargoes of milled fir. 30 million board feet of lumber were shipped out Moodyville`s docks. The mill here was the largest source of income to British Columbia yet the population who lived here was small. Many of the workers in Moodyville were natives from the Squamish Native people who had lived on the North Shore for thousands of years. By the end of the 19th Century the area had been considerably deforested and the loggers had to look further afield to find lumber. Today the town-site that flanked where the mill was formerly situated has now been upgraded and improved over the last few years. Many of the small homes that were built there in the early 20th Century have disappeared to be replaced by rancher (single level homes) that were built in the 40`s and 50`s. Many of the homes in Queensbury are south facing so have great views of the Burrard Inlet. Now a mostly single family residence area Queensbury has access to two elementary schools and one senior secondary.