What was The Vancouver Board of Trade doing in 1940? Dealing with the scuttling of the pocket battleship Graf Spee, appointing H. R. Cottingham as the new President, approving parking meters and a wartime registry for all residents, and discussing the huge drop in the numbers of American visitors. Check out
Biz Biz for 1940 »
First History of Vancouver in More Than 20 Years
Photo: Jason
Vanderhill
Vancouver writer Chuck Davis (left) is preparing a major new history of this region and is doing it with financial support from local businesses. The History of Metropolitan Vancouver is a four-year project and has a unique format: each year in the region's past gets its own chapter. The book covers the history of the entire lower mainland, starting in 1827 with the building of the first Fort Langley. Vancouver is the focus of the book, but Burnaby, New Westminster, Langley, North Vancouver, Surrey, Coquitlam, West Vancouver and all the city's other suburbs are part of the story, too.
YOU CAN BE A SPONSOR OF THIS EXCITING NEW BOOK ON THE CITY’S
HISTORY!
100 block West Hastings, c. 1905
Photo: Philip Timms, VPL #5208
Sponsor
a Year in the History of Metropolitan Vancouver! More than 80 companies
have become sponsors. YOUR year may still be available.
Click here to
see.
VANCOUVER BOOKS
Hundreds of books have been produced by Vancouver writers, and dozens more have been written about Vancouver. Now, researched exclusively for vancouverhistory.ca, Karen Cannon has compiled an annotated list of 945 Vancouver books. Ms. Cannon is a retired librarian. You'll make some fascinating discoveries in her collection. Come on in!
The American Page
Americans
have had a major influence on the history of Metropolitan Vancouver. An American gave Vancouver its name!
William Cornelius Van Horne, of Chelsea, Illinois,
was the man who headed the CPR, the Canadian Pacific Railway that
opened up the Canadian West... more
»
The Scottish Page
Scottish
influence in metropolitan Vancouver was important from the very
beginning of our post-native history . . . and that’s not counting
the statue of Robert Burns in Stanley Park, nor our first purpose-built
library, the Carnegie, paid for by Scotland-born U.S. industrialist
and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie... more
»
A YEAR IN FIVE MINUTES
View our weekly feature called A Year in Five Minutes, in which the major events of each year in the city’s history can be read and reviewed in five minutes. You can access it here, the web site of re:place Magazine.
On July 18, 1915—95 years ago—former American president Teddy Roosevelt and his wife Edith, on a sight-seeing tour, were going to be in Vancouver for an hour before catching a boat to Seattle. The Vancouver Board of Trade had formed a welcoming committee to greet the Roosevelts, who would arrive at the CPR station. The Board, unwisely, had not included Mayor Louis D. Taylor in the delegation. (They didn't like him.)
Taylor heard of the Board's plan and quietly arranged to have a car and driver waiting at the station. Then he drove himself to an earlier stop on the line (Westminster Junction, now Port Coquitlam), and boarded the Roosevelts’ train. He chatted amiably with them as they came into Vancouver. The train pulled into the station, the Board of Trade delegation surged forward . . . and Mayor Taylor stepped down onto the platform. He introduced the Roosevelts to the open-mouthed Board members, then whisked the former U.S. president and his wife off for a fast drive around Stanley Park before delivering them to their boat. The story is told in Daniel Francis’ lively book L.D.: Mayor Louis Taylor and the Rise of Vancouver.
We contribute brief items on local history to an interesting blog on BC history: www.knowbc.blogspot.com, administered by Daniel Francis, editor of The Encyclopedia of British Columbia. The above is a sample.
Street Names
One of the more frequent requests we get—either at this site or at the Vancouver Historical Society site—is to explain the origin of a certain street name. Who was Hastings Street named for? How about Hornby? Or what’s the story behind the naming of Charles Street? Now, thanks to the Vancouver Historical Society, which commissioned the work from Elizabeth Walker, and to the Vancouver Public Library, which has put it on line, you can get the answers to those and other questions. Click here »
Secure Your Year!
For a list of sponsors,
and for information on how you can be a sponsor for The History
of Metropolitan Vancouver, click
here »
Be a Part of History
The book also offers a unique opportunity for local
businesses: the chance to sponsor a year. The Vancouver
Board of Trade is the lead sponsor for the book, and is encouraging
business leaders to join in sponsorship. Each year in the book
is sponsorable, and the years are on a first-come, first-serve
basis. Join other sponsors such as CIBC, PricewaterhouseCoopers,
Deeley Harley-Davidson Canada, UBC, Kal Tire, the Jim Pattison
Group, BC Hydro, Sierra Systems, Tom Lee Music, HSBC, Concord
Pacific, Placer Dome, Channel M, Telus, BCAA and Boston Pizza,
to name just a few.
Our site is always under
construction, and there are constant additions. Please be sure
to check back often. And tell your friends!
**************************************************************************
Site administrator and developer: Quasar Design & Data Management Inc.
Original site design: Stephanie
Davis
Photo accession and supplemental research: Jim McGraw Index page slideshow images:
Jason Vanderhill Vancouver Books page:
Karen Cannon
Biographical research: Constance Brissenden Larry Loyie Donna Jean McKinnon
**************************************************************************
Please note: For optimum viewing
experience, set monitor resolution at 1024 x 768 pixels or higher.
Radio CNRV began broadcasting from a studio in the CNR train station. The railway ran a national network heard on its trains all across the country. It eventually became the CBC! More 1925 events »
Some odd stuff has happened in Vancouver's past. Click to view a sampling...
The Museum of Vancouver has been remaking itself, and the results are worth a visit, both on line and in person. Pay them a visit!
The BC Historical Federation has been keeping British Columbians well informed about their history for decades! Drop in!
The Vancouver Police Department has an excellent web site, including a page dedicated to fallen officers.
Visit them here.
The always interesting web site of the City of Vancouver Archives now includes fascinating moving images.
Check them out here.
The Teacher's Page
We’ve discovered
that learning our local history can be fun AND interesting.
Have a look at our Teacher’s
Page, then let your students in on the adventure.
Click here »
