The 'Old Mill' Site on Hollyburn Ridge
The former Nasmyth mill site near the last hairpin turn on the Cypress Bowl Road has an interesting history. During the First World War, James Nasmyth built and operated a shingle bolt mill here. By 1923, the mill buildings had been abandoned.
In 1924, Rudolph Jules Verne, Eilif Haxthow, and other Scandinavians turned the former mill buildings into the first commercial ski operation on the North Shore Mountains. Because of poor snow conditions experienced during the 1924-1925 and the 1925-1926 ski seasons, the ski camp restaurant was dismantled in the fall of 1926 and moved to a new site beside First Lake where it was renamed the Hollyburn Ski Camp.
In 1925 and 1926, noted Daily Province writer, Pollough Pogue, stayed in one of the Nasmyth mill cabins and wrote many articles about Hollyburn Mountain. These articles inspired many Vancouverites to explore the trails on Hollyburn, Black and Strachan and try the new sort of skiing.
By 1932, the remaining Nasmyth mill buildings had either burned to the ground or been dismantled by Hollyburn’s first generation of cabin builders.
In the late 1930’s, the Heaps Logging Company built a road as far as the ‘old mill’ site. After World War 2, Hi Colville purchased two army surplus half-tracks and a bus, which he used to carry skiers and cabin owners as far as the former mill site, weather conditions permitting.
See also "The Ski Camp At the ‘Old Mill’ Site - Excerpts from Eilif Haxthow’s Journal" & "Hollyburn Mountain (1924-1925) - Articles by Pollough Pogue"
Photo Group 1 | PHOTO_01 Nasmyth Mill Site - Cypress Provincial Park Hiking Map (July 2013 Edition) PHOTO_02 Nasmyth Mill building, 1925 (Lois Enns Collection) PHOTO_03 Nasmyth Mill building and flume, c. 1925 (West Vancouver Archives) PHOTO_04 Gerry Hardman, Nasmyth Mill, c. 1926 (West Vancouver Archives) PHOTO_05 Nasmyth Mill, 1925 (Daily Province) PHOTO_06 Two small, Nasmyth mill buildings renovated by Scandinavians at the 'old mill' ski camp, 1925. PHOTO_07 Closer view of the cabin seen on the left in PHOTO_06 PHOTO_08 (L-R) Fred Scott & Captain H. Lindermere at Rudolph Verne's ski camp at the 'old mill' site, 1925 (Eilif Haxthow Collection) PHOTO_09 Closer view of "the Restaurant" at Rudolph Verne's ski camp at the 'old mill' site, 1925 (Lois Enns Collection) PHOTO_10 Nasmyth Mill, 1925. Close up of Rudolph Verne's ski camp 'Restaurant'. PHOTO_11 Eilif Haxthow's sketch of the the interior of Rudolph Verne's ski camp 'Restaurant', 1925 (Eilif Haxthow Collection) PHOTO_12 “The Restaurant" at Rudolph Verne's ski camp at the 'old mill' site, 1925. Eilif & Eric lived in the small cabin visible in the background. (Eilif Haxthow Collection) PHOTO_13 Pollough Pogue's cabin at the Nasmyth mill, 1925. Pollough Pogue at far left; Captain H. Lindemere at far right. (Eilif Haxthow Collection) PHOTO_14 Woodcut of the Nasmyth Mill on Hollyburn Ridge, date and source unknown. PHOTO_15 One of the buildings seen in the woodcut of the Nasmyth Mill, 1920's (West Vancouver Archives) PHOTO_16 A group of Vancouver's pioneer skiers at the Nasmyth Mill ski camp, 1926 (George Armstrong-Hills Collection) PHOTO_17 Group of hikers at the 'old mill' site on Hollyburn, March 28, 1926. Buddy is in the front row on the left. (Buddy Barker/Win Oliver Collection) PHOTO_18 (L-R) Fred Scott & Captain H. Lindemere in front of the Nasmyth mill pond, 1925 (Eilif Haxthow Collection) PHOTO_19 Group of hikers in front of the Nasmyth mill pond c. 1925 (West Vancouver Archives) PHOTO_20 Gerry Hardman rafting on the Nasmyth mill pond, May 19, 1929 (Gerry Hardman Collection) PHOTO_21 Eddie Williams rafting on the Nasmyth mill pond, May 19, 1929 (Gerry Hardman Collection) PHOTO_22 "Old Man Pogue", Nasmyth mill, Hollyburn Ridge, late 1920s ( Ommund Ommundsen Collection) PHOTO_23 Nasmyth mill ruins, Hollyburn Ridge c. 1930 (Brian Creer Collection) PHOTO_24 Nasmyth mill ruins, Hollyburn Ridge c. 1930 (Brian Creer Collection) |
PHOTO_25 Jim Barker excavating bricks from the Nasmyth mill ruins for the fireplace at the 'Hardman gang's' cabin, Hollyburn Ridge, 1932 (Gerry Hardman Collection) PHOTO_26 View of the abandoned Nasmyth mill site near the Hardman gang's cabin, Hollyburn Ridge, February, 1932 (Gerry Hardman Collection) PHOTO_27 View of the abandoned Nasmyth mill site, Hollyburn Ridge, February, 1932 (Gerry Hardman Collection) PHOTO_28 Two photos taken of the the 'old mill' ski camp site, 1925 & 1932. (Eilif Haxthow & Gerry Hardman Collections) PHOTO_29 Map of the road and trails above the "The Forks" store, late 1940's. Note the location of the 'old mill' site. (West Vancouver Archives) PHOTO_30 View of the road below the 'old mill' site, 1941 (VOC Collection) PHOTO_31 One of Hi Colville's war surplus half-tracks at the 'old mill' parking lot, late 1940's (Hi Colville Collection, West Vancouver Archives) PHOTO_32 Parking lot at the 'old mill' site, late 1940's (Hi Colville Collection, West Vancouver Archives) | Photo Group 2 |