August 28, 2007
Steveston Cannery Row
The remains of old canneries, net lofts, shipyards and workers' accommodations along the Fraser River in Steveston are always a great place for taking photos. I love the textures of the silvery old wood, the barnacled pilings, and the rusty bits of equipment. A stroll around the gradually developing heritage site makes me wonder what life was like on the river half a century to a century ago when the salmon runs were thought to be inexhaustible. There is still an enchanting rawness to the area, and I hope the buildings that will survive the encroaching development will not be overly refurbished and prettified. It would be interesting to be able to travel back in time and tell the fishermen and cannery workers that in 2007 there would be no commercial sockeye fishery on the Fraser, and see if they could comprehend such a development... Here are several shots from an afternoon jaunt today.
