Faced with scorn and ridicule from others for buying expensive land filled with only wilderness, the Three Greenhorns opened up a new area of BC and had a vision of a prosperous community in the West End when no one else could see it.
Three Englishmen, John Morton, Samuel Brighouse, and William Hailstone, were the first white settlers in the area we now call the West End. Collectively, they were known as the Three Greenhorns, a nickname they earned from others who thought they were young fools for making stupid decisions and buying a massive plot of wild land at an inflated price.
John Morton, along with his cousin, Samuel Brighouse, was sailing to British Columbia on the Great Eastern. During their journey there, the two cousins discussed how they would make their fortunes once they arrived in British Columbia. To complete their trio, the cousins would then convince another passenger aboard the ship, William Hailstone, to join them on their journey for prosperity.
In the spring of 1862, the Three Greenhorns arrived in New Westminster, the capital of BC during that time frame. Originally, the three had planned to go up the Fraser, to the gold fields. Their fortune was practically awaiting them, it seemed at the time. But before that could happen, an incident would occur and change their plans completely. Morton had discovered Burrard Inlet, and was awestruck by its beauty. Inspired by the beautiful view, Morton decided to approach his companions with a proposition: to purchase the land near Burrard Inlet. The Greenhorns first bought the West End area in 1862, back when the area was known as District Lot 185. The land then became known as Brickmaker’s Claim and later was officially renamed “New Liverpool”. District Lot 185 was inhabited by only First Nations people and the area was mainly consisting of dense forest. During the purchasing process, the trio were told that one or more of them would have to live in the area for a given length of time before they could officially acquire the title to the lot. The purpose of this process was to show that the three truly had intentions to develop the area. The Greenhorns agreed to the conditions and proceeded to build a small cabin near the location of the present day Marine Building, on the spot where the Guinness Tower now stands. The cabin they built was where they took turns living while earning money from other jobs.
Burrard Inlet gradually became busier, with lumber mills starting to pop up, yet no one but the Greenhorns seemed to be interested in settling down in the West End and further developing it. However, that all changed in 1887. The Canadian Pacific Railway entered Vancouver and along with the railway came new faces and rich CPR executives with their families. The Greenhorns quickly became very wealthy men by dividing up their property into lots so they could be sold to the new arrivals. Soon the West End became the neighbourhood for the wealthy families of CPR officials who in turn, helped develop the West End even more.
A memorial was constructed to commemorate the Three Greenhorns and G.T. Cunningham's first drug store in the West End. Click on the sundial above to learn more! Written by Emily L.