A Brief History of Greater Vancouver
Envision the span of human occupation in this area—say, 8,000 years—as the width of this computer screen. The events described
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Archive
![Sun Yat-Sen Garden [Image: The Canadian Enclyclopedia]](https://vancouverhistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/dd1cb474-9295-42a9-b726-f7d870214d33-800x445.jpg)
Dr. Sun Yat-sen
He is revered by Communists in China—and by Nationalists on Taiwan. His name is Dr. Sun Yat-sen and he’s considered the Father of Modern China. Sun played a leading role in the overthrow of the oppressive Ch’ing dynasty (the famous Manchus) in 1911 and was the first president of the Republic of China.
Read More![Crofton House ca. 1911 [Image: evelazarus.com]](https://vancouverhistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Alvo-Crofton-House-800x445.png)
Alvo von Alvensleben
This page, and a dozen as long, wouldn’t be enough to tell you the full story of the fascinating Gustav Konstantin “Alvo” von Alvensleben, a German nobleman described in his Oct. 22, 1965, obituary in the Province as a man who “built one of the largest financial empires in the history of British Columbia.
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Major James Skitt Matthews and the Vancouver City Archives
Major J. S. Matthews, adventurer, innovator, and first archivist of the city of Vancouver was born September 7, 1878 in Wales. He was a natural archivist, keeping meticulous track of his activities and of those around him who he thought were making an impact on society.
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Street Names
Street names tend to give a lopsided view of local history: in the early years of a municipality they often commemorate businessmen. Local examples include Flavelle, Ewen, Taylor, Hendry, Lonsdale, Keith and Dollarton Highway. CPR officials get a lot of local attention: Matthews, Beatty, Cambie, Hamilton, Angus, Matthews, Salsbury, Whyte….
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