GREYMOUTH

Greymouth Evening Star, 25 February 1928, Page 35 (Supplement)

GREYMOUTH

SO far as the town of Greymouth is concerned, the settlement, which came into prominence during the great gold rush of 1865, was originally called Blaketown, but, in honour of Sir George Grey, who visited the district in 1866, the name was altered to Greymouth. There was at that time no wharf, the vessels being moored to trees along the river bank, and fenced off fore and aft by long poles. The population in the ’sixties increased very rapidly, and it became necessary to erect buildings of more substantial material than canvas and calico. An Improvement Committee was formed to undertake the formation ,of streets. The Committee had no legal status, but it arranged that a levy should be struck at the rate of 4/- per foot frontage on the principal streets, 3/per foot on side streets, and 2/- per foot on back streets. The amount collected, together with a subsidy from the Canterbury Provincial Government (Greymouth being then under the jurisdiction of that body), enabled the scheme to be carried out.