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P00854 – Postcard of the Tyner Mill in 1912 c likely soon after the mill was sold to Abernethy & Lougheed.

P07887 – View over the Tyner Mill and Port Haney Brick looking to the high ground to the east. This photo was taken by postman William Van in the 1910’s likely from a spot very close to where his Port Haney home was located.

P01298 – Maple Ridge Lumber employees posed with Victory Bond banner in 1944.

Tyner Mill — Abernethy & Lougheed Mill — Maple Ridge Lumber Company

The first lumber mill in Maple Ridge belonged to the Tyner brothers — Robert and Jack. The mill was water powered and located alongside a creek just east of Port Haney on Front Street (now River Road/Haney Bypass) at Hinch Road (225th St). The creek is now culverted under Brickwood Park and only a small hint of it remains as a small notch in the field on the north side of the bypass.

The brothers operated the mill for six years before they sold it to John Abernethy and Nelson Lougheed of Abernethy-Lougheed Logging Corporation in 1912. They produced lumber, shingles and moulding. At that time, it was the largest industry in Port Haney. Allco sold the mill again to J. H. McDonald of Westminster Shook from New Westminster in 1915, whereupon it was renamed as the Maple Ridge Lumber Company.

Robert Tyner stayed on in the mill through the changes in ownership, acting as chief engineer for more than thirty years. The mill sold all of the waste wood and outside slabs from the trees to the nearby Port Haney Brickyard, which used them for fuel in their kilns.

Millwork, much like logging, could be quite a dangerous field. Robert had first hand experience with such dangers, as he suffered an accident in November of 1924. The Gazette reported that “Mr Robt. Tyner met with a painful accident on Saturday afternoon through a sudden fall. He was at once attended by Dr. Morse, who, considering the injury quite severe, ordered him to the Royal Columbian Hospital, where, unfortunately, he may remain for some time.” Robert did indeed recover and went back to work at the mill soon afterwards.

JH MacDonald continued to manage the lumber yard until 1926 when JM Edwards took over as manager.

In October of 1943, the community was again reminded of the inherent danger of industrial operations. A ten ton flywheel in the boiler room of Maple Ridge Lumber exploded like a bomb scattering pieces as far as the Fraser River [nearly 100m away] and blowing a 20’ square hole in the roof. By some miracle, no lives were lost. In 1962, Maple Ridge Lumber Company closed. The land was owned by Haney Brick & Tile Ltd in whose hands it stayed until the sale of the brickyard lands at the time of construction of the Haney Bypass. The former Maple Ridge Lumber property became Brickwood Park.

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