Originally established as Steveston Townsite in 1880, the historic fishing village of Steveston is located in the southwest corner of the City of Richmond, BC, where the Fraser River meets the Salish Sea.
The First Nations hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ speaking peoples lived and harvested the waters and land in this region for thousands of years prior to the settlers who arrived from Europe in the second half of the 1800s.
Early Steveston was home to robust fishing, canning and boatbuilding industries. These industries drew First Nations and others workers from around the world, especially from China, Japan and Europe.
After many prosperous years, Steveston was challenged by a number of major events – a decline in salmon stocks, a devastating fire in the village in 1918, the Great Depression in the 1930s, and the forced removal of its large Japanese Canadian population during the Internment from 1942-1949.
Despite these challenges, Steveston continued to make its mark as a thriving fishing village throughout the 20th century, and continues to be home to the largest commercial fishing harbour in Canada.