Port Coquitlam Yesterday

The area's early European settlement goes back to 1853, when the McLean family established themselves along the Pitt River near the present location of the bridge. In the early 1860s the Pitt River Road and the Coquitlam Lake Trail were constructed by the Royal Engineers to connect the area to New Westminster. The CPR constructed a branch line from the region in 1886 which connected to New Westminster as a fresh water port for the railway and in its early days was known as Westminster Junction. The availability of level land for workshops and yards attracted the Canadian Pacific Railway which in 1911 moved its freight operations there from Vancouver. The City of Port Coquitlam was incorporated in 1913 when it was separated from Coquitlam.

This city takes its name from the Coquitlam First Nation Halkomelem word for "stinking fish slime." (Akrigg). An alternative view is the name "Coquitlam" is derived from the Shalish word for small red salmon. TriCitiesOnline - A brief history of Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody.