A History of Port Moody at the Station Museum Traditional Cache
A History of Port Moody at the Station Museum
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(regular)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
Easy to find cache, with room for travel bugs!
Cache is not inside the building and is accessible 24/7. Museum staff are aware of the cache, so you don't need to worry about them watching you, but please be aware of other muggles!!
There is NO need to move ANYTHING to access the cache.
PLEASE respect the property.
We started this cache because we found a travel bug who wanted a place to stay and a history lesson to bring home too. The Port Moody Station Museum is a great place to learn about the history of Port Moody.
The Station Museum is available for visitors June - August from 10am - 5pm daily, the off season hours are noon - 4pm, Wed. - Sun. The museum is wheelchair accessible, although the washrooms and railcar are not. Admission is by donation, and parking is free.
Please visit the website for the museum at : (visit link)
STATION MUSEUM HISTORY:
The first Port Moody station was built in 1882, by the San Fransisco Bridge Company, about a mile west of the community that had sprung up in the vicinity of Clarke, Elgin, Douglas, Queen and Murray steets.
The original station was replaced in 1907 with a standard #9 CPR station, which was built a half a mile closer to town. It was moved in 1945 to it's second location at the foot of Queens St., and officially closed Sept.25, 1976, when CPR discontinued their passenger service.
The Port Moody Historical Society purchased the building, and in 1978, it was moved to it's present location, and refurbished to be a museum facility. The Station Museum was officially opened on July 1st, 1983.
At the museum you can find the "Venosta", a restored 1920's railcar in which special events including "Murder Mysteries" and teas are held, an operational telegraph system which is available for visitors to try, a hand-operated telephone from 1884, the "Mystery Train Bell", and many other treasures that represent the area history back to prehistoric times.
MYSTERY TRAIN BELL:
The "Mystery Train Bell" has an interesting story to tell. Forest Dragon had a cache dedicated to this story close by here, that unfortunately had to be archived when the tree it was hiding in fell apart! Here is the story copied from Forest Dragons original "The Mystery Train Bell" cache page:
In 1962 construction was being done on a 10 foot deep ditch for the main sewer line on Esplanade Street. Ernie Morgan, an employee of Flavelle Cedar, found a train bell 6 feet below the surface. There were no identifiable marks on the bell.
It is thought that the bell may have been debris from a horrible accident that took place in 1913. A cattle train heading West to Vancouver was diverted through the Canadian Pacific Lumber Co. (now the site of Flavelle Cedar) because a rail switch was accidentally left open.
The train, moving at "full steam", smashed into box cars on the mill railway where CPL employees were piling lumber inside the cars. Five of the workers were killed and many others were injured.
It’s thought that the bell may have fallen off the engine when it was being removed during clean up operations. The train bell is on display at the Port Moody Station Museum.
PORT MOODY HISTORY LESSON:
Port Moody is located at the head of Burrard inlet at the foot of Eagle Mountain. The Port Moody area was originally used as a temporary summer camp for the Squamish and Musqueam First Nations.
Later, European explorers mapped the area looking for otter fur to trade with China. As the Lower Mainland became more settled, Port Moody was used as an alternate supply route when the Fraser River was hazardous or blocked.
During the Cariboo Gold Rush in 1858, Royal Engineers under the command of Colonel Richard Clement Moody came from England to survey mainland British Columbia. Military officers, 150 enlisted sappers, and their families set up their barracks in Sapperton in New Westminster.
In 1859 and 1860, a detailed survey of Burrard Inlet was made by Captain George Henry Richards who commanded the survey vessel HMS Plumper. He named the Eastern Head of of the Inlet Port Moody after Colonel Moody.
The Royal Engineers were recalled in 1863, after surveying and mapping the area, and building many roads such as North Road that are still in use today. Most of the sappers accepted land grants of 150 acres, after choosing to remain in the area. Four of the sappers received land grants in Port Moody, and of those four, only the Murrays settled here.
Port Moody became home to a small resort community named Aliceville, and also several farms, loggers, and mill workers.
In 1871, British Columbia entered into the confederation with the promise of a trans-Canada railway line. Port Moody was declared the terminus of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1879.
The surveying of Port Moody was started in 1881, with John Murray Senior and Jr. assisting. John Murray Jr. named many of the streets in Port Moody after his family members.
Hopes of Port Moody becoming a major West Coast metropolis, as the Western Terminus of the CPR, caused the population to grow quickly through the 1800's.
The last spike was driven in Cragalachie, and the railway completed on November 7, 1885, and the first train arrived in Port Moody the next day. The first trans-continental passenger train which left Montreal on June 28 1886, arrived in Port Moody on July 4 1886, a day that is still celebrated in Port Moody at the annual Gloden Spike Days.
Unfortunately, railway executives determined that the narrow shelf of land in Port Moody between the ocean and the hillside was insufficient for expansion, so they decided to extend the rail line farther West to newly named Vancouver. A great deal of money was lost, many people moved on, and several unsuccessful lawsuits were launched following this decision.
Port Moody became a city of lumber companies, sawmills, and refineries, and on April 7th 1913 Port Moody's council met for the first time as a city. At that time, there were predictions for commercial benefits and increased trade due to the impending opening of the Panama Canal. The minister of trade and commerce predicted that Port Moody would become the largest harbour on the West Coast of Canada. The federal government planned to construct a canal to connect Pitt River with Burrard Inlet. These plans were cancelled with the outbreak of World War one.
The citizens of Port Moody perservered and prospered through World War one, the Depression, and World War two, and today Port Moody is a vibrant, thriving waterfront community of approximately 29,000 people, surrounded by oceans mountains and lakes, with many green spaces and parks to enjoy. The city is called "The City Of The Arts, and has plenty of galleries and studios throughout the city.
CACHE DESCRIPTION:
Cache is a 2.6 litre camo'ed lock and lock. Original contents include train whistles, Port Moody pin, caboose pin, Golden Spike pin, flashing "railway crossing" pin, Port Moody Heritage Society pen, a card with a print of the Port Moody Sation created by artist Fred Ransom, "Heritage Tour of Inlet Trail" pamphlets, a bouncy ball, a cube game, a compass keychain, a nose flute, an Eagle Mountain Girl Guide crest, a few kitties, and a FTF prize! Many of the goodies were partially donated by the Station Museum.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Norton, D.M. Early History of Port Moody. Surrey, B.C.: Hancock House Publishers Ltd., 1987.
Port Moody Station Museum,
(visit link)
City of Port Moody, Port Moody History,
(visit link)
Al Sholund. The Mystery of The Train Bell. [Online] February 5, 2006.
(visit link)
Thank you also to Jim Millar, Port Moody Station Museum Manager/Curator, for his help and information, and Forest Dragon for letting us use her Mystery Train Bell information!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Haqre "birecnff" gb Zhfrhz qbbe, orgjrra gvrf.