Port Moody

History

Port Moody is named for Colonel Richard Clement Moody, of the Royal Engineers. It was created at the end of a trail that connected New Westminster to Burrard Inlet, to defend New Westminster against potential attack by the USA. It grew rapidly after 1859 by land grants to Moody's Royal Engineers. The construction of a transcontinental railroad was the condition that prompted British Columbia to enter into confederation in 1871. The small town received little attention until it was declared the terminus of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1879. By 1881, the survey of Port Moody had begun. Both John Murray Sr. and Jr. assisted, and, in fact, it was John Murray Jr. who named many of the streets after members of his family. The population grew rapidly through the early 1880s. Andrew Onderdonk was the contractor who, under government contract, built of line from Port Moody, via Hope, Yale and Savona. Onderdonk built a large wharf and receiving area and started rail construction from Port Moody in 1883. The line was finished in 1885. As the Western Terminus of the CPR, almost everyone had high hopes that Port Moody would become a major West Coast metropolis. The railway was completed with the last spike driven at Craigellachie on 7 November 1885, and a train arriving at Port Moody the next day. The first scheduled passenger transcontinental train arrived on 4 July 1886, a date that is still celebrated during Golden Spike Days. Real estate prices soared but soon fell flat when a branch line was built westward along the inlet to Vancouver in 1887. While many people lost a great deal of money and moved on, others, including real estate tycoon and ship captain James A. Clarke, and several lumber mills, decided to remain. On 7 April 1913, Port Moody's Council met for the…

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  63,866
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  57,377
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  56,733
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  45,112
• Spotted Towhee

  Pipilo maculatus Swainson, 1827 · Aves
  44,912
• Northern Flicker

  Colaptes auratus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  42,467
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  36,891
• Anna's Hummingbird

  Calypte anna (R.Lesson, 1829) · Aves
  35,862

Most recent

• M 2.56 — 2026-05-29
  7 km ENE of Ferndale, Washington
• M 2.7 — 2026-04-27
  5 km N of Anacortes, Washington
• M 2.7 — 2026-01-26
  12 km WSW of Anacortes, Washington
• M 2.7 — 2025-10-21
  10 km SE of Salt Spring Island, Canada
• M 2.6 — 2025-09-18
  14 km SW of Cowichan Bay, Canada
• M 2.8 — 2025-04-05
  20 km ENE of South Pender Harbour, Canada