In 1888, George Grant Mackay, a Scottish civil engineer and land developer, arrived in the young city of Vancouver in Canada. He immediately became involved with many projects and as City Park Commissioner, set aside Stanley Park as a recreational area. He bought and sold farm land in the Okanagan, founding the city of Vernon. Mackay purchased 6,000 acres of dense forest on either side of Capilano River and built a cabin on the very edge of the canyon wall. Assisted by two local natives and a team of horses, Mackay suspended a hemp rope and cedar plank bridge across the river. Natives called it the "laughing bridge" because of the noise it made when wind blew through the canyon. The bridge, and Mackay's cabin, became a popular destination for adventurous friends, dubbed Capilano Tramps (due to the long hike up to the property!). After his death, the hemp rope bridge was replaced by a wire cable bridge in 1903.