Powell River - More than Expected!



Middle Basin, Westview Harbour at Powell River

 

We departed Okeover Inlet on September 9^th retracing our steps back through Malaspina Inlet then rounded Sarah Point and headed southeast along Malaspina Strait formed by several islands in the Strait of Georgia.  Rather than stopping at Lund, we decided to continue further south and stop at the Town of Powell River.  Having passed by this city in previous years, we decided it was time to take a look.  The Harbour at Powell River can be a little confusing for visiting boaters.  Called Westview Harbour, moorage is divided into three sections:  the South Harbour, the middle harbor referred to as Westview, and the North Harbour.  The North Harbour is for permanent moorage with locked gates, while Westview (docks 1-6) and the South Harbour (docks 7-11) are used for fishing boats and transient boats.  If directed to the South Harbour, you will want to finder well.  A Harbourmaster's Office and showers are located at both the South and Westview Harbours. 

Views of Georgia Strait from Powell River

We had always assumed that it would be difficult to find space at Powell River but the Harbormaster was very helpful in directing us to available space at Westview and he waited at our assigned slip to help with lines.  We also assumed that the city would not be very pleasant or interesting being that it is a Mill Town, boy were we wrong!  The city of over 20,000 residents is actually made up of three different areas:  Westview located above the harbour; Cranberry Lake to the north; and Townsite to the northwest.  We were pleasantly surprised to discover a variety of excellent restaurants, gift shops, coffee shops, and organic food stores.  

Willingdon Beach, start of Willingdon Beach Trail

We enjoyed several meals out, including Thai, Greek, and India cuisine.  Most of the restaurants are along the main street which is within easy walking distance from the harbour and the expansive views from town overlooking the Strait of Georgia are breath-taking.  For the energetic, visitors can hike the steep streets up the hill to Safeway and other big box stores.  Backed by several large lakes, Powell River offers all sorts of recreational activities including a kayak/canoe route with developed portages, camping, hiking, and fishing.  We also learned that Powell River is the starting point for the 180 km (108 miles) Sunshine Coast Trail, the longest hut-to-hut hiking experience in Canada.  There are 13 shelters along the trail with incredible views of the lakes, ocean, and mountain peaks - currently no reservations or payment required!  Powell River seems to have it all for both the young and the old.  We found Powell River’s Westview to be very friendly, pleasant, and attractive.  In fact a neighboring local boater befriended us and three ladies joined us for coffee extending a friendly chat.  

Beautiful Willingdon Park Trail

An interesting find at Powell River was yet to come; we rode our bicycles along the Willingdon Beach Trail, which passes by a lovely sandy beach and follows the shoreline through the forest to “Townsite,” the location of the original settlement of Powell River.  Townsite sits above the Mill and reminded us of Ocean Falls except that people still live in these beautiful historic homes, and the buildings that once made up the company town are still being used by businesses today.  

Nice Views along the Trail

The Townsite was designated a National Historic District in 1995 and is quite unique.  Many of the buildings have been preserved while others are in the process of being refurbished – 400 original buildings contained within the original borders of the town plan at intact.  The pulp and paper mill was built on the waterfront between 1910 and 1912.  Water from Powell Lake was used to generate power for the mill which became known as the Powell River Paper Company.  By 1930, the Mill employed more than 2,000 workers.  

A Portion of the War Ships Breakwater 

The Catalyst Paper Mill is the current operator and the employees of today help support the Townsite community.  After WWII, dismantled warships and cargo ships were used as a floating breakwater in front of the Mill, now considered the longest floating breakwater found to-date.  

The 1913 Patricia Theatre

We stopped by many of the historic buildings in Townsite, including the Patricia Theatre which opened in 1913 and still serves as a theatre to view films.  

1927 Dwight Hall

The Dwight Hall, built in 1927, served as a community hall for performances and dances and included a public library.  Special events are still held today in Dwight Hall.  

1939 Provincial Building (now the Old Courthouse Inn)

The former provincial building built in 1939 currently serves as the “Old Courthouse Inn.”  This building originally housed the provincial court, jail, police headquarters and other government offices for Powell River.  Other buildings we visited included apartment buildings that are being refurbished and old churches that now stand silent still in need of repair.  

1939 Federal Building (now Townsite Brewing)

The name “Townsite Brewing” caught our eye and we stopped for some in-house brews before heading back to Westview.  The brewery is in a brick building that previously served as the Federal Building that opened in 1939 housing the Post Office, Customs & Excise, and the Canadian Telegraph Operations.  

The Manager's House

Continuing up the hill, we rode our bikes along a tree-lined lane fronted by the exclusive homes of the day such as the Director’s Home and the Manager’s Home among others – a beautiful setting with lovely views despite the Mill below.  

Exclusive Townsite Homes

We found Townsite to be a fascinating place and well worth the visit, especially for those who appreciate unique, historic sites.  Dark clouds were beginning to roll in, time to start back along the forested trail which in itself is not to be missed.  

Flanged Wheeled Log Cart

The trail is flat and easy to walk or bike and bypasses the busy highway.  Large beautiful cedar trees line the pathway with surprises around every bend – old logging equipment placed among the trees serve as a type of natural museum, interpretive signage provides information about the type of machinery used and the various logging techniques – Powell River first began as a logging camp in the 1880’s and became a regular stop for the Union Steamship Company boats.  There are numerous pieces of interesting equipment along the Willingdon Beach Trail including a cart with large steel flanged wheels to carry the yellow cedar logs.  

The Donkey

An incline was created to lower the loaded cart down the hill, instead of using steel railway tracks, wooden poles were used and the flanged wheels rode along the poles.  The cart was attached to a steam winch called a donkey.  On Chippewa Bay on Powell Lake, the “cut line” for the incline is still visible.  The donkey was used to both load logs as well as to pull the donkey sled into a central landing; a donkey was also used to lower the flanged wheeled cart.  

A Boomboat

At the lake or along the seashore, a Boomboat sorted the logs into a raft that was later towed by a tug to the sawmills.  The Boomboat seen along the Willingdon Beach Trail was donated by the Weyerhaeuser Co.  We enjoyed our ride back to the boat along this beautiful waterfront trail and marveled at what we had discovered in Powell River, a nice community unfortunately missed by many pleasure boaters.