The Great Depression had settled like a sodden shroud on the city. Thousands of us were on relief (34,000 at the peak), and hundreds more were riding the rods into town on every freight train.

January 17 The Vancouver Sun turned its newsroom over to students from the University of British Columbia. Staff of the Ubyssey, the student newspaper, took over the layout, placement of stories, the editorial and sports pages, and more.

January 1 There was a riot in Chinatown as “more than 1,000 Orientals and white men” battled savagely in the unit and 100 blocks East Pender. Police reserves fought for more than an hour to disperse the mobs before the Fire Department was called to assist with high-pressure hoses. Cause of the riot was apparently an altercation between a Chinese taxi driver and his Occidental passenger.

January 2 Gerry McGeer took office as mayor of Vancouver. “McGeer,” wrote Donna Jean McKinnon in The Greater Vancouver Book, “was voted into office on a mandate to fight crime, and to do away with slot machines, gambling, book-making, white slavery and corruption in the police force. True to his promise, McGeer confiscated 1,000 slot machines in his first week…

This was Vancouver’s Golden Jubilee, marking the city’s 50th birthday. Among the events of the year: the opening of the new city hall, and the founding of the Vancouver Historical Society.