This striking image shows a view of the Maplewood mudflats, including wooden path over the tidal mud and ramshackle squatter's homes on stilts over the water.
The shacks were connected to land and to each other by “rustic” boardwalks. The people who lived here were attracted by the isolation, tidal rhythms, the wild landscape and the chance to live simpler lives close to nature.
For building materials they used whatever driftwood and salvage they could find. The squatters were the ultimate recyclers and early adopters of living off-the-grid. The photographer, Tony Westman, took this photograph while working on the National Film Board production Mudflats Living.
The Time Traveller feature offers a weekly glimpse into the North Shore's past, courtesy of North Vancouver Museum and Archives.
Want to know more about the history of the North Shore? Visit nvma.ca or drop into the Archives of North Vancouver at 3203 Institute Rd. in Lynn Valley.
