Today in Local History – September

Above: Yvonne De Carlo [Image: Vancouver City Archives]

On September 1, 1945 visiting movie actress Yvonne De Carlo (born September 1, 1922 as Peggy Middleton in Vancouver) celebrated her birthday at the Hotel Vancouver’s Panorama Roof. She was appearing here as part of an “Yvonne De Carlo Week.”

Vancouver population today, September 1, 2008: 605,512 (est.)
Metropolitan Vancouver population: 2,222,908 (est.)

On September 2, 1929 Winston Churchill (described as “the former chancellor of the exchequer and holder of a dozen other cabinet positions in Great Britain”) arrived in New Westminster to open its exhibition. Some 40,000 people turned up to see Churchill. The following day he travelled to Haney “for an inspection of British Columbia’s lumber industry.” Next on Winnie’s agenda? A trip up Grouse Mountain where he dined at the chalet.

Vancouver population today, September 2, 2008: 605,525 (est.)
Metropolitan Vancouver population: 2,222,979 (est.)

On September 3, 1962 the Trans-Canada Highway officially opened.

Vancouver population today, September 3, 2008: 605,538 (est.)
Metropolitan Vancouver population: 2,223,050 (est.)

On September 4, 1918 Vancouver’s first plane crash happened. A flying-boat, the H-2, crashed in the West End after an engine failure at 1,500 feet. Piloting the little plane was Lt. Victor Bishop of the RAF. His plane dropped like a stone and fell on the roof of a house at the corner of Bute and Alberni Streets. Bishop stepped out of the plane into the upstairs hallway of the house and, with the assistance of one of the residents, walked down the stairs to the front door and outside through a gathered crowd to a waiting ambulance.

Vancouver population today, September 3, 2008: 605,551 (est.)
Metropolitan Vancouver population: 2,223,121 (est.)

On September 5, 1976 the Province’s Lee Bacchus wrote: “A former CBC producer/director named Daryl Duke and his partner, writer/producer Norman Klenman, created CKVU, a small independent station on West Second Avenue in Vancouver.” It’s known today as citytv.

Vancouver population today, September 5, 2008: 605,564 (est.)
Metropolitan Vancouver population: 2,223,172 (est.)

On September 6, 1921 the Peace Arch was dedicated before a vast crowd at the Douglas Crossing on the B.C.-Washington border. See our 1921 Chronology for more details.

Vancouver population today, September 6, 2008: 605,577 (est.)
Metropolitan Vancouver population: 2,223,243 (est.)

On September 7, 1907 there were raids by a white mob on Vancouver’s Chinatown and Japantown. The raids were organized by a racist group called the Asiatic Exclusion League. They brought shame upon the city and disbanded a few days later.

Vancouver population today, September 7, 2008: 605,590 (est.)
Metropolitan Vancouver population: 2,223,314 (est.)

On September 8, 1979 the Vancouver Whitecaps pounded out a dramatic win over the Tampa Bay Rowdies in New York to win the North American Soccer League Championship.

Vancouver population today, September 8, 2008: 605,603 (est.)
Metropolitan Vancouver population: 2,223,385 (est.)

On September 9, 1965 Simon Fraser University admitted its first students on Burnaby Mountain. Designed by Arthur Erickson and Geoffrey Massey, SFU had been built—thanks to the hard-driving Dr. Gordon Shrum—within two years. 2,500 students enrolled. (Today? Approximately 26,000 full-time and part-time students.)

Vancouver population today, September 9, 2008: 605,616 (est.)
Metropolitan Vancouver population: 2,223,456 (est.)

On September 10, 1904 Bill Miner (“The Grey Fox”) and his gang robbed a CPR train at Mission. It was Canada’s first train robbery, and we were thrilled by it. See the article on Miner in our Archives pages.

Vancouver population today, September 10, 2008: 605,629 (est.)
Metropolitan Vancouver population: 2,223,527 (est.)

On September 11, 1940 this appeared in The Vancouver Sun: “Hon. James L. Ralston, the Minister of National Defense, has a very high opinion of the manner in which the people of Canada have faced and met the shift from peace to war and responded to all calls on them, he told a large and applauding audience in Hotel Vancouver at noon today at a luncheon sponsored jointly by the Board of Trade, Canadian Club and Women’s Canadian Club . . . He noted the wonderful response to the first war loan, the national war savings scheme, and the success of the current new war loan.”

Vancouver population today, September 11, 2008: 605,642 (est.)
Metropolitan Vancouver population: 2,223,598 (est.)

On September 12, 1976 the old Central School/City Hall building in North Vancouver opened as Presentation House, housing the North Shore Museum and Archives, a small theatre, and a photographic gallery.

Vancouver population today, September 12, 2008: 605,655 (est.)
Metropolitan Vancouver population: 2,223,669 (est.)

On September 13, 1981 the first Terry Fox Run, named for the late cancer fighter, was held in more than 880 Canadian communities with more than 300,000 participants. They ran, walked, cycled, roller-bladed, swam and wheeled—and raised $3.5 million. The annual run is even bigger today.

Vancouver population today, September 13, 2008: 605,668 (est.)
Metropolitan Vancouver population: 2,223,740 (est.)

On September 14, 1964 this appeared in the Province: “Highways Minister (Phil) Gaglardi says his department is buying land along portions of the Upper Levels Highway to make room for a four-lane freeway from Horseshoe Bay to Taylor Way. He said expansion of the highway—to cost at least $5 million—will begin within two or three years.”

Vancouver population today, September 14, 2008: 605,681 (est.)
Metropolitan Vancouver population: 2,223,811 (est.)

On September 15, 1911 North America’s biggest bank-vault robbery to date happened in New Westminster. Five men—or was it three? accounts differ—bound and gagged a janitor at the city’s sole Bank of Montreal branch and got away with more than a quarter of a million dollars. (Multiply that by about a hundred to gauge the impact today.)

Vancouver population today, September 15, 2008: 605,694 (est.)
Metropolitan Vancouver population: 2,223,882 (est.)

On September 16, 1991 The Vancouver Sun changed from an afternoon to a morning daily.

Vancouver population today, September 16, 2008: 605,707 (est.)
Metropolitan Vancouver population: 2,223,953 (est.)

On September 17, 1950 occurred the last run of Vancouver’s open-air streetcars and an end to the astonishing career of tour guide Teddy Lyons. Teddy was a “spieler” aboard #124 from 1911 to 1950, an astonishing 39 years. He pointed out interesting sights, told corny jokes (pointing up at seagull: “There’s the richest bird in Vancouver—he just made a deposit on a brand-new Cadillac”), passed along local history . . . he was famous, he was perfect. Someone calculated Teddy had travelled 930,000 kilometres through the city during his tour-guide career.

Vancouver population today, September 17, 2008: 605,720 (est.)
Metropolitan Vancouver population: 2,224,024 (est.)

On September 18, 1984 Pope John Paul II visited British Columbia. This was the first visit to Canada by a Pope and the crowd at Abbotsford was immense: Some 200,000 people came to see and hear him.

Vancouver population today, September 18, 2008: 605,733 (est.)
Metropolitan Vancouver population: 2,224,095 (est.)

On September 19, 1963 the Frederic Wood Theatre at UBC opened its doors with the English musical comedy Salad Days, staged in an old army hut along West Mall. Today the theatre contains three 50-seat classrooms and a 400-seat theatre. It was built at a cost of $600,000, half of which was paid for by the Canada Council.

Vancouver population today, September 19, 2008: 605,746 (est.)
Metropolitan Vancouver population: 2,224,166 (est.)

On September 20, 1938 this appeared in The Vancouver Sun: “Vancouver’s business men have been challenged to get behind the ‘Clean-up False Creek’ movement. The challenge came from G. G. McGeer, K.C., M.P. It was received with enthusiasm by his immediate audiences—members of the advertising and sales bureau of the Board of Trade at a meeting in the Hotel Georgia.”

Vancouver population today, September 20, 2008: 605,759 (est.)
Metropolitan Vancouver population: 2,224,237 (est.)

On September 21, 1980 the Stanley Park Seawall was officially opened.

Vancouver population today, September 21, 2008: 605,772 (est.)
Metropolitan Vancouver population: 2,224,308 (est.)

On September 22, 1986 the Alex Fraser Bridge opened, linking Delta with New Westminster. This high-level bridge crosses the main channel of the Fraser River. When it opened, the 465-metre main span was the longest in the world.

Vancouver population today, September 22, 2008: 605,785 (est.)
Metropolitan Vancouver population: 2,224,379 (est.)

On September 23, 1995 the Vancouver Canucks played their first preseason game in GM Place. Jeff Brown scored the first goal in the new facility in the Canucks 4-3 win over the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.

Vancouver population today, September 23, 2008: 605,798 (est.)
Metropolitan Vancouver population: 2,224,450 (est.)

On September 24, 1977 the Gastown Steam Clock was dedicated. It had started as a solution for the problem of steam venting into the Gastown air from the Central Heat Distribution Plant, which supplies steam to hundreds of downtown buildings . . . and which vents excess steam through manholes here and there throughout the downtown.

Vancouver population today, September 24, 2008: 605,811 (est.)
Metropolitan Vancouver population: 2,224,521 (est.)

On September 25, 1977 the Italian Cultural Centre opened in Vancouver. Buon compleanno!

Vancouver population today, September 25, 2008: 605,824 (est.)
Metropolitan Vancouver population: 2,224,592 (est.)

On September 26, 1899 the first automobile appeared on Vancouver streets. It was a Stanley Steamer.

Vancouver population today, September 26, 2008: 605,837 (est.)
Metropolitan Vancouver population: 2,224,663 (est.)

On September 27, 1967 Jack Harman’s Bannister-Landy statue was unveiled, commemorating the famous “Miracle Mile” of the 1954 British Empire Games in Vancouver, when for the first time in one race two men, Roger Bannister and John Landy, ran the mile in under four minutes. Both Bannister and Lady attended the unveiling. Today, the statue is at the main entrance of the Pacific National Exhibition.

Vancouver population today, September 27, 2008: 605,850 (est.)
Metropolitan Vancouver population: 2,224,734 (est.)

On September 28, 1927 a three-manual Wurlitzer pipe organ, with thirteen sets of pipes, arrived from the Wurlitzer factory in North Tonawanda, New York, in Vancouver for use in the soon-to-open Orpheum Theatre. It’s still there, the only pipe organ in Canada still in the theatre in which it was originally installed.

Vancouver population today, September 28, 2008: 605,863 (est.)
Metropolitan Vancouver population: 2,224,805 (est.)

On September 29, 1899 a large newspaper advertisement appeared, placed by one Harry Salmon, who described himself as the city’s “Leading Tobacconist.” Mr. Salmon wanted to attract a large clientele to his new shop at the corner of Cordova and Cambie Streets. Accordingly, “every lady visiting the store will be presented with her choice of the following gifts: A Fine Havana Cigar, Puritano Fino; A Fine Cigar Shield to fit vest pocket; a fine Tin of Navy Cut Tobacco, or a Souvenir Fan.”

Vancouver population today, September 29, 2008: 605,876 (est.)
Metropolitan Vancouver population: 2,224,876 (est.)

On September 30, 1907 Vancouver city council, in a discussion of street names, decided to commemorate famous battles. So what had been Campbell Street became Alma Road (Crimean War) and Richards Street* became Balaclava (also a Crimean War battlesite). Cornwall, the second street with that name, became Blenheim to recall the Battle of Blenheim—with the other Cornwall retaining its name—Lansdowne became Waterloo, and the old Boundary Street on the west side that divided District Lot 192 and the CPR grant became Trafalgar. (* Today’s Richards Street was unconnected with that earlier one.)

Vancouver population today, September 30, 2008: 605,889 (est.)
Metropolitan Vancouver population: 2,224,951 (est.)