Ruskin

In the early days of settlement, this area had no name of its own, but was considered part of Whonnock; it was later named after English writer John Ruskin, whose social reform theories inspired the local inhabitants to establish a club for the discussion of Ruskinian socialism. The name was formally recognized when the Ruskin post office was opened in 1898. Logging was an important activity in the area, which was also known for the picturesque waters on the Stave River; there were towering forests throughout the area which have now been mostly cleared. The largest enterprise in Ruskin was Heaps Logging, which was managed after 1899 by Edward Heaps, and later became one of the foremost commercial operations in the province. The new Heaps Mill was built in 1912, but the company, like many others at the time, went bankrupt in the general depression of 1913, and the mill machinery was removed to the Dollarton Mill in North Vancouver. Much of the visual evidence of this early logging activity has now disappeared, and the area remains mostly rural in character today.

Ruskin Elementary School

28348 96 Avenue
Circa 1922
District of Maple Ridge Heritage Advisory Committee Plaque

The two acre site on which the school stands was donated by property owner Charles Whettam. It was built to replace the original 1896 one-room schoolhouse.

Built to a standard Department of Public Works design, its parallel front gables are similar to a number of others around the province. The building remains in good condition, and is substantially intact.

Ruskin Community Hall

28395 96 Avenue (Street Address)
28395 River Road (Legal Address)
Circa 1924

This community hall was built on a half-acre of land originally owned by W.G. Laing, and first shows up in the District tax assessment rolls in 1925, indicating that it was built the previous year.

Ball Residence

28594 104 Avenue
Circa 1893 or earlier

The exact date of construction of this early farm house is unknown, but there was a building on this site as early as 1890; it is most likely that this structure was built a few years later. Moses Ball was the original settler of this quarter section.

This is one of the earliest surviving farm houses in the District, and an important link to the early agricultural history of Maple Ridge

Miller Residence

28594 104 Avenue
1932

Albert Miller acquired 130 acres of the quarter section originally owned by Moses Ball. He later built this Craftsman-inspired farmhouse, which has a gable-roofed porch to the east, and a garage built into the basement.

Wildwood (Smith) Residence

10412 280 Street
Circa 1930s

In the 1920s this 13 acre property was owned by John Lochore, who lived in Seattle. The house appears to have been built after 1930, but it is not known if Lochore built the house or not.

Residence

9449 285 Street
Circa 1945

This charming rustic home sits on a commanding corner site facing the Fraser River. Built with half-log cladding, it also features stone-faced chimneys. The property is very heavily treed.

Log House

28306 Dewdney Trunk Road
Circa 1932

This house may have been built for Julia D. Newell, who owned the property for many years, but lived in Prince Rupert.

Twin Maples

10350 280 Street

Previously the Twin Maples Correctional Facility.

Named for the twin sugar maples that still stand at the front edge of the property.