Saturday, September 24, 2011

FINNishing up at the Slough

Now that we're all rested and have digested, it's time that we be divested of the Slough.  One of the other advantages of Finn Slough living is the great boating opportunites right at your back door.  Literally. Just putt-putt in, pull up and park.


As the name of this boat indicates, you might find yourself Killin' Time waiting for the next tide to take you out to work or off on your next pleasure cruise.  Or maybe just heading out to get some fish for supper.  Or breakfast.  [My partner spent one memorable season fishing for mackerel in the Atlantic and he would often arrive home (to the abandonned house we lived in) with fresh fish for breakfast.  Steamed mackerel with new potatoes, I have to say, makes a delicious way to start the day.  But I digress...]



Just as nearly every house in N. America has at least one car parked in the driveway (although I think the minimum is two), so in the Slough each home has its boat.




The beginning of Finn Slough stretches back to the early 1890s when a group of Finnish people, mostly coal miners and loggers, arrived in the area of south Richmond, BC to buy land with access to the Fraser River so that they could work as fishermen (go figure!)  and harvest the rich salmon runs. They cleared the land, put in crops, and built fishing boats. In 1900 they moved from the original settlement to what is now known as Finn Slough.



By 1910 there was a solid group of fishermen here, even though it was a remote place in those days, situated a whole day's journey, one way,  from Vancouver.  Isolation was eased, to say nothing of the back-breaking labour of fishing, when in the 1920s the fishermen adapted gas motors for their boats. The ensuing 1930's proved to be the busiest decade for this fishing village.



It also  became home to more ‘outsiders’ who didn’t speak Finn, but who worked alongside the 2nd and 3rd generation of the original settlers. 



Eventually, logging took over from fishing, hastening the decline of salmon stocks as well as the community.

"Even that industry is on its last legs now. What we are left with is a memory of how things were and Finn Slough is an important three dimensional, living, part of that memory. The village developed without the organization of property boundaries, city ordinances, provincial regulations or any governing body. Even so it has been an example of how a community can be carefully built and self regulated to work in harmony with the environment and having as little impact on it as possible. The village is not only a historical artifact it is also an example of a possible way forward to find more creative solutions to the present destruction of the Fraser basin by non stop urbanization."

 (quotes and paraphrasing from A Small History of Finn Slough by David Dorrington).  For more information on this intriguing place, and others' photos, do follow the link
(but please get off your bike to do so).





28 comments:

  1. An early bird flew in, alighted on the water, and floated there happily, drinking in the wonderful views, the sagging piers, the aging flotilla of ships, the boardwark labyrinth through the slough, the dilapidated shacks where waves lap at their pilings when the tide is high, and the general air of "better days were long ago"... and then the bird took to the air, circled a few times, and flew off into the wild blue yonder, to spread the news to anyone who cared to hear...

    Ah, how I would love to spend a day or two there... with a guided tour of course led by someone expert in the place... maybe one day such a thing could be arranged... if I promise to get off my bike. Is "yer" a locally used idiom for "your" ?

    So, is there any property for sale there ? Could be a good retirement community...

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  2. Oh, and I just wanted to say after perusing again : Lovely job on all the images... you are turning into a pretty mean photographer, you know... (and I don't mean "pretty" but "mean"; "pretty mean" is American slang for "better and better", but you knew that, right?)
    :-)

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  3. what an interesting history this place has - and love the boat junk yards - great shots - Greetings from the Riviera where the boats stay in the water...

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  4. Stunning photos of a photogenic, evocative place--how lucky for us you found it and then invited us along!

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  5. BrOwen,
    Oh, that noise was you squawking your delight? I thought it was a seagull screaming to his mates that he'd just found some juicy French fries loaded with ketchup and dirt. Thanks for leaving these two big splats... er ...
    comments behind.
    :-)
    I'd love to go back to the slough as I was on a really quick visit and it was my first introduction to the place. I was languishing behind my pals trying to grab as many pictures as I could as they hurried along the boardwalk to our friend's place. Once inside, I didn't even think to ask much about the slough or living there as we had so many other things to catch up on. I plan to go back this winter when I'm out west: Get some more training so I can become an expert on the place and lead guided tours.
    :-)
    I think it's pretty much by word of mouth, getting a house there. You buy the dwelling and do with it what you will, but you don't own the "land." There is also some risk of the "powers that be" coming in and wiping the whole place out at any given moment. So one really does live on the edge there, in more ways than one.

    I found this online, which about sums up the situation:

    "About 50 residents continue to live there to this day, and have never had any legal right to the land. The Finn Slough is the longest running squatter community in the greater Vancouver area."

    Maybe not the best place on which to pin one's retirement dreams?

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  6. PS BrO,
    "Yer" is an expression left over from the original Finnish settlers.
    Re: "pretty mean photographer"
    Pretty + mean = better + better?
    I blush at either appellation when applied to myself, but mostly at the word "photographer."
    :-D

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  7. Catherine,
    Boats in the water, you say? Must be a European concept.

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  8. jann,
    I'm so glad that you've enjoyed the tour. It is a photogenic place,rife with atmosphere (to say nothing of damp) though perhaps not suited to everyone's sensibilities.

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  9. Feels as if history is being created 'live'.

    Must be countless stories to be found, longing, craving and still full of hope. Thank you for your effort to share something the outside world surely rarely has heard of.
    Please have you all a good Sunday.

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  10. Robert,
    The slough is a treasure trove of history and creative people. Long may it run. I had never heard of it before my last visit home, myself, so I am more than happy to spread my newfound discovery to the outside world--even as far as Athens!

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  11. *
    SSSQQQQQAAAAAWWWWWWKKKKKKK
    *
    sssppplllattttttt.... which is what happens when birds fly overhead...
    *

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqlfTiYAOHs

    PS WV is "etasms"... not sure I even want to guess what that might mean !"

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  12. Your statement about the slough being full of history must surely be true... history and a wealth of stories. Your photos are as vivid as paintings. The shot of the boats all jumbled with lots of marsh grass and little water is fascinating.

    After you put up your first post on the slough, I did a little research on the internet and am more fascinated than ever. I do hope that you will become the expert on this area and lead tours.

    Oh, and I agree with Owen on the "pretty mean photographer" in the true sense of the phrase!

    Bises,
    Genie

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  13. I am so impressed with how, through your storytelling and wonderful photos, you have made Finns Slough such an interesting "tourist destination." I have very much enjoyed my mini-vacation to a part of the lower mainland that I had previously not given a lot of thought to. When will you put all of your stories and pictures into a book form that I can savour on upcoming cold, winter days?

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  14. As I read, I could see my camera begin to twitch slightly.. then ever so slowly it began working its way in a westward direction. Both my camera and I are envious of your beautiful photography of this wonderful place. I'd sure love to visit one day.. but and so glad that you and your camera brought it to me.

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  15. What an amazing find! I have never seen any place quite like it. It is a painters'/poets'/photographers' paradise and you've done it justice! I would think it would play well as an artists' playground. When you organize your first tour, count me in!

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  16. Mr. C. Gull,
    Thank you for your deposit.
    I was almost afraid to click on the link, but donned my sou'wester hat and slicker just in case (not wanting to be gullible) and was pleasantly surprised by what I found. I had never heard that particular gull call, in fact, not having wanted to hang around in bad company, mostly for risk of being subjected to etasms.

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  17. Genie,
    Thank you for such kind words! I don't consider myself a photographer but I am a visual artist and I do like to make pictures, so that's how it all comes together for me--gathering fodder and then pushing the pixels in post processing. The slough is a great fodder source. It is a community, though, so I don't reckon the inhabitants would welcome bus loads of tour groups. There does seem to be some sort of effort afoot to try and maintain the place. I'll try to find out more when I'm there this winter...and make updates on my blog--pictorially, at least.

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  18. Audrey,
    I'm so glad you caught up with the end of the tour of Finn Slough. It was an exciting discovery for me and I'm so glad that others, such as yourself, were as fascinated by the place as I was. Steveston is such an attractive area, though it is developing condo-fever and losing some of its charm. Finn Slough is like a secret garden, though it seems the secret is gradually getting out. If my friend hadn't got a cottage there, I'm sure I never would have tumbled on it.

    As for a book...I have so many other unfinished projects on the go at this point that I dare not take on another. Though I am tempted by Blurb to put together a few little tomes of this and that...by and by. I am so touched that you would actually like to sit hold a book of my images and words in your hands!

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  19. Hilary,
    That's funny! Creeping Camera Syndrome I think it's called. Oh yes, the slough is a photographer's paradise and I only scraped the surface with my limited time frame and little point and shoot Canon. I can only imagine what a sharp shooter with a bigger gun...er...camera could do there.

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  20. Stickup,
    I've started my search for a suitable tour bus to pick up my blog friends and transport us all to the slough for a festival of unbridled art making. Owen is organizing a mud wallow and I'm sure the Sagittarian will have a few tipples for us to toast each other with "Here's mud in yer eye!" I was simply blown away by Finn Slough, never having seen anything quite like it before in my life, either. It's great to have like-minded friends, such as yourself, who can appreciate its unique beauty.

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  21. I would very much welcome a collection of your photos and words in book form, should you ever find the time to publish one. I have a tendency to get lost in so many of your pictures - I look closely for hidden gems within them, and I literally feel transported to the sight where they were taken. You are very talented, Ms Loucaio!

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  22. Audrey,
    Oh me oh my! I think I'll copy/paste your lovely comment into a separate file and pull it out to read on those days when every vestige of self-confidence and reason to believe in the worth of what I'm doing has escaped me. Thank you so much.
    :-)

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  23. Ooh, I like the idea of a tour bus, sort of a modern day "Further" bus ? A magical lantern mystery tour ? All aboard ! We are off to the Fundy Funday mud wallow, then clear across Canada to the Slough down, sort of like a hoe down, just slow down so we can jump on board... Had some blog company fun in Paris today with la Framericaine of Spit and Baling Wire, and her handlebar moustachi-o-ed husband, went strolling along the Seine to see the "Photoquai" expo; marvellous fun, but you just needed to show up with a bus full of bloggers and then it would have really been a party... no seagulls were in view...

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  24. It so refreshing to come across your blog! Your photos make me smile!

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  25. Owen,
    After the Fundy Funday and Finn Mud Slews, a hose down would be more fitting than a hoedown, I think. Had to look up the Further bus (I always think of it as the Electric Kool-Aid Acid bus due to the Tom Wolfe book). Oddly, yesterday I noticed a "party bus" parked in front of what passes as a tenement building in our village. The vehicle was black and sleek, more like a large van (a stretch van, if you will) and it boasted having a big screen hi-def tv, sound system, bar, seats for 30, and a toilet. I couldn't figure out why on earth anyone would ever want to rent such a thing. And then while I was reading your comment about the tour bus, the penny dropped. Of course with all the photoblographers on board, everyone would want to see everyone else's pictures while en route to more photo/blog ops. I neglected to get the phone number for the party bus but I will keep my eyes peeled for it. If only Pierre hadn't sold the bookmobile for scrap. sigh.
    Sorry hear about the ongoing troubles with bean digestion. But happy to learn of more flannage dans les rues de Paris in good company, as opposed to bad. Etasms, man!

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  26. Lucia,
    Hi! I'm happy that my blog offerings give you reason to smile.
    :-)
    We aim to please! (most of the time)

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  27. Looks fabulous! Sorry I'm late, someone hid my shoes...

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  28. Saj,
    I have my suspicions, but I'm not naming names. Just glad you found some flippers to slip into and make your way around here.

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