- Ruskin, British Columbia
Ruskin is a rural and industrial area about 40 kilometres east of Vancouver, BC straddling the border between the suburban municipalities of Maple Ridge and Mission, on the west bank of the lower
Stave River .History
The name originated with the first settlement of the area by followers of English art critic and essayist,
John Ruskin , the theorist of theGothic Revival and an advocate of "gentlemanly socialism" and dedication to crafts and rural industry, similar to thepre-Raphaelites and some of theFabianist groups. The erstwhileRuskinite commune failed within a few years but the name remained. About 20 years after the failure of the colony, the area was bisected by newly-created school districts which were copied by the later municipal partition of the area.Several lumber mill operations thrived at Ruskin, mostly cedar shake mills, including some of the highest-volume operations in the world (the largest being at nearby Whonnock and in Mission City), drawing on the gigantic trees of the
Stave River basin. Some logging operations in the area were owned and run byJapanese-Canadians until their expropriation inWorld War II , and evidence of Japanese-style logging activity such ascorduroy road s can still be found in the surrounding forests.Located two miles upstream from the Stave's confluence with the Fraser is
Ruskin Dam (49°11'42.46"N, 122°24'30.86"W), the newest and largest of the three dams comprising theStave River power development , which supplied power to theBritish Columbia Electric Railway and electrical power to the growing metropolis at Vancouver.The power project was originally begun at Stave Falls, four miles further upstream. The newer dam power plant at Ruskin was opened in 1931, and forms Hayward Lake. Once Ruskin's generating power was online, the Stave River project contributed the bulk of Greater Vancouver's power until the completion of the
Bridge River Power Project near Lillooet in 1961. Touted at the time as a wonder of modern architecture, it follows the British Columbia Electric Railway Company's penchant forClassical Revival , but indulges inneo-Gothic motifs in tribute toJohn Ruskin , and has an additionalart deco flavour.An electric railway separate from the main passenger operations of the BCER, known as the
Stave Valley Branch ran between the CPR mainline and the dam atStave Falls ; this was relocated to a higher elevation with the creation ofHayward Lake , and the ruins of many of its trestles line the western shore of that reservoir; the rail grade has been converted into a hiking and biking trail in recent times. Between the dam and the sawmills there was a drive-in theatre located on the banks of theStave River until about 1970; it was converted into a large trailer park adjoining the older houses of the millworking community attached to the mills.chools
Students from the part of Ruskin in Maple Ridge are served by
School District 42 Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows and it has an elementary school calledRuskin Elementary School . Those from the parts of Ruskin in the District of Mission attendSilverdale Elementary School in Silverdale.Businesses
Ruskin has three businesses; Shake and Shingle Pub, Cuts N' Cuddles, and Big Mikes Fun Farm.
Popular culture
Ruskin Dam and the bridge to the powerhouse were featured sets in the "X-Files " (chapters 'Patient X' and 'The Red and The Black' of Season Five). It was called Reeves Dam used in episodes of "Smallville": "Prototype", "Phantom" and "Bizarro", whereClark Kent confronts Bizarro.It was also seen in the movie "
The Invisible " starringJustin Chatwin .References
*Cherrington, John A. "Mission on the Fraser", Mitchell Press, Vancouver (1974). ISBN B0006CL344
*Miller, Charles A. "Valley of the Stave", Hancock House, Vancouver (1981) ISBN 0-88839-121-8
*Schroeder, Andreas. "Carved from Wood: Mission, B.C. 1861-1992", The Mission Foundation, Mission BC (1992) ISBN 1-55056-131-6
*Stanley, Meg and Wilson, Hugh. "Station Normal: The Power of the Stave River", Douglas & McIntyre, Vancouver (2001) ISBN 1-55054-932-4See also
*
John Ruskin
*Ruskin, Florida
*Ruskin Colony (Tennessee)External links
* [http://www.whonnock.ca/ruskin/index.htm Ruskin Community Website]
* [http://bcer.trams.bc.ca/pics/stavelq.jpgMap of Stave Valley Branch, British Columbia Electric Railway]
* [http://www.bchydro.com/recreation/mainland/mainland1211.html BC Hydro Ruskin Dam Recreation Site]
* [http://www.bchydro.com/recreation/mainland/mainland1209.html BC Hydro Recreation page on Hayward Lake]
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