Uncovering Burnaby: The story behind Crabtown

Did you know Burnaby once had its own unique waterfront squatters’ community?

Crabtown was located on north Burnaby’s Burrard Inlet waterfront and its origins date past 1912.

While there isn’t a lot of information about Crabtown available, Vancouver writer and historian Eve Lazarus published a blog post where she includes information from a City of Burnaby plaque located at the former Crabtown site that provides an overview of the community and its origins.

According to the city’s information, the series of shacks—constructed on pilings between the railroad tracks and the water—were built by Burrard Inlet Lumber Company sawmill employees so they could be close to work.

Between 1913 to 1917, the shacks served as permanent housing for the mill workers and during the Great Depression, the Crabtown community grew with more families moving in.

Crabtown was anything but a slum and its residents worked together to build a tight-knit community.

“These well-kept small houses, in an isolated location, fostered a real sense of community for its residents. They rallied together to build a community water supply and also trails up the steep bluff with steps and bannisters so children could go to school safely,” stated the City of Burnaby.

By 1957, there were 130 residents who lived in Crabtown but they would soon be evicted by the National Harbours Board because they determined the community was “encroaching on federal property.”

All 130 residents were forced to leave and in several months all of the 114 homes in Crabtown were torn down for good.

Lazarus also points to a blog post from historian Daniel Francis who was fortunate enough to receive a first-hand account from the late Chuck Davis– a Crabtown resident.

Davis arrived in Vancouver in 1944 with his father who bought their first home in Crabtown for $300.

Davis told Francis that he “didn’t know what a squatter was” but he loved living there.

“Ours was one of a long row of shacks, linked by a boardwalk, right beside the train tracks. When trains went by the whole shack trembled,” he said.

The city’s plaque also includes a few quotes from Burnaby residents who remember Crabtown.

Capitol Hill’s Dougie Taylor recalls people who lived in Crabtown as talented builders and artists.

“The inhabitants of Crabtown were as diverse and colourful as their abodes. There was a master boat builder who could custom build a 12 foot clinker from the finest cedar available. An artist could transform a bit of driftwood into a piece of art. There were fishermen who took their small boats and skiffs along the west coast of Vancouver Island or north to the Rivers Inlet,” he said.

However, Taylor also said there were some residents who were “just down on their luck.”

Crabtown resident Trudi Tuomi lived in Crabtown between 1937 to 1947.

Tuomi joked despite it being known as a squatters’ town, Crabtown had “modern conveniences” like a flush toilet, which was “flushed by the tide” and a refrigerator, which was actually a hole her father had dug to keep the butter cold.

But the best part of living there was the view. “Burrard Inlet was our front yard” and of course, there was plenty of “free driftwood, crabs and clams.”

You can read more of Taylor and Tuomi’s memories of Crabtown on Heritage Burnaby’s website.

Do you have a piece of Burnaby history you want us to uncover? Let us know here.