On the southwest tip of Lulu Island, the village is a historic port and salmon canning centre at the mouth of the South Arm of the Fraser River.
"[3] Richmond is currently working to change this as, "recently, city council voted to rebuild the historic First Nations Bunkhouse in Britannia Heritage Shipyards--believed to be the only structure of its kind remaining along B.C.
"[3][4] The village is named for Manoah Steves, who arrived with his family around 1877–1878 from Moncton, New Brunswick, via Chatham, Ontario.
During the following decade, over 100 individuals purchased land in this original section comprising a grid pattern of 237 small lots.
[7] Salmon canning began on the river in 1871[8] with the first major cannery being the Phoenix, established in 1882 by Marshall English and Samuel Martin.
[9] Each summer large numbers of Japanese, Chinese, First Nations, and European fishermen and cannery workers descended upon the village, joining a growing year-round settlement.
[12] Steveston's aspirations to rival Vancouver as a port ended during World War I. Salmon runs peaking in 1913 was one of many factors.
[16] Once a pioneer bank building, the Steveston Museum & Visitor Centre also operates a post office.
During World War II, the Department of Transport facility monitored German and Japanese (Kana code) submarine traffic.
Since the 1970s, the community, which remains an active fishing port, has enhanced its heritage character and waterfront to attract business and tourism.
[21] The site of the Steveston Fisherman's Memorial,[22] the park was the major host location for the Vancouver-area festivities of the 2002 Tall Ships Challenge.
The financial loss incurred by the event prompted strong criticism from Richmond City Council.
In 1998, the 44-acre BC Packers cannery site was rezoned residential in exchange for keeping the waterfront portion publicly accessible.
On sunny days, locals and visitors crowd the waterfront boardwalks to enjoy the scenery, people and food.
Shuttled by boat into the Gulf of Georgia, passengers observe orca (killer whales), seals, eagles and more.