Beavers, Baseball and Bears

Vancouver is a beautiful city whether it is snowing, raining or the sun is shining. And I am not just saying that because I live here. Visitors that I run into in Gastown or Chinatown or where ever agree with me. So today I want to show you some more photos of how beautiful this city is while sharing some more history.

Today I am going to start with reviewing some high points in the year 1905.

This is a shot of the Lion's Gate Bridge that I took form the Seawall in Stanley Park.

In January of 1905 the Vancouver High School opened. Today it is known as King Edward High School. And on March 5 of that year future UBC administrator Walter Gage was born. Gage would go on to get his B.A. in 1925 and an M.A. in 1926. He was a professor with the University of British Columbia for fifty years. He was made a companion to the Order of Canada in 1971.

In June of 1905 L.D. Taylor and 'others' bought the newspaper the Vancouver World. This is important. Although the World was a small, twelve page daily at the time it had been founded in 1888 by  John McLagan and John died in 1901 his wife Sara Anne took over and became the first woman publisher of a newspaper in Canada.

Taylor and 'friends' changed the Vancouver World into a modern newspaper with a circulation that challenged the Province. Remember when I wrote on the Sun Tower on Pender Street? In 1912, when the building was finished, it had been built for the Vancouver World. When Taylor and his paper suffered financial difficulty in 1924 the World was bought out by the Vancouver Sun.

On July 4 of 1905 the first interurban tram arrives in Kerrisdale.

Six days later construction began on the first buildings at Colony Farm. Colony Farm was the agricultural arm of the Coquitlam Mental Hospital also known as Essondale and more recently Riverdale. The farm won awards across Canada for the high quality of its livestock and produce. Wonder what happened to it?

On September 4, 1905, the Chris Peters family were alarmed by a visit by a big black bear. The Peters owned a shoe store at the corner of what would now be Broadway and Main. (Then it was Westminster and Ninth Avenues) Can you imagine the uproar if a wild black bear wondered into a store at that corner today?

On Labor Day the first auto race was held around Stanley Park. Out of eleven cars that began the race only five finished. And all five were Oldsmobiles.

A glassware merchant by the name of Frederick Buscombe became Mayor Of Vancouver.

The Beavers, Vancouver's first semi professional baseball team, was started. Their first game was played in Bellingham on May 9 of the same year and The Beavers but sprang back to win two days later at their first home game. They played against Victoria at the brand new Recreation Park at the southeast corner of Homer and Smithe. (Now there is a condo building there and the history of the place has long been forgotten.)

Construction began in 1905 on new Main Post Office which is now a part of Sinclair Centre.

Wallace Shipyards was begun by Alfred Wallace. His son Clarence later took over the helm of the company and by the end of World War II Wallace Shipyards was Canada's biggest shipbuilding firm.

The first man to  later pilot a plane across the Pacific Ocean arrived in Vancouver. Charles Kingford-Smith was eight years old at the time and he and his family didn't stay here long. But Vancouver did name a school after him.

For $6000 the Parks Board built the first bathhouse at English Bay.

McDowell's Drug Store opened in North Vancouver. It was situated beside McMillan's Grocery at 1st Street and Lonsdale. McDowell's was run by the same family until 1973.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants opened in Vancouver.

On September 16 there was a newspaper report:

"The Fraser River is full of sockeyes, and ten canneries are packing to-day to the full capacity of their respective plants, according to reports received from Steveston and other cannery centres this morning. The average catch of sockeyes last night was probably two hundred fish to the boat ... fishermen reported that the water is teeming with salmon." I bet there are a lot of present day fishermen and women that dream of this time.

Two days before that the Province mentioned something about Stanley Park and its zoo. Apparently the  "superintendent reported the following animals had been donated to the park’s zoo: A monkey, Roy G. Stephens, 1700 Ninth avenue; a large seal, W. Swallow, 664 Granville; four grass parakeets, Mrs. Bulwer, 1728 Georgia street; a fawn, W.T. Massey, 833 Pender street; a raccoon, W. Selp, 621 Sixth avenue east; a canary, Mrs. Clark, 1555 Robson; a seal, Mayor Buscombe; a black bear, G.W. Wagg, 108 Water street ... " Interesting array I would say.

I hope you enjoyed this look back 106 years and that you find the beauty around you.

** I was just informed by a reader who happens to be an alumni of King Edward High School that the school burned down years ago and was never rebuilt. In fact the Vancouver General Hospital has expanded into the area where the school once was. Thanks Dennis for the information.

TAGS:Vancouver, Karen Magill, Colony Farm, 1905,Stanley Park,Sun Tower,History,Vancouver Sun,Vancouver World,McLaglan,

Natural Facts

Remember when I said that it had snowed last week? Well today I am going to show you some photos of my city on that day. I'm also going to fill you in on some historical facts.

Right now I am going to review the year 1900.

Dantai, the recently incorporated  Japanese Fisherman's Benevolent Society had their first meeting at the Phoenix Cannery in Steveston on May 10.

On the issue of the Japanese on October 26 a Collector of Votes in Vancouver, Thomas Cunningham, refused to register any Japanese on the voters list even if they were naturalized citizens. Yet on November 1, less than a week later, Mrs. Shimizu hosted a ball at the Hotel Vancouver in honor of Her Imperial Majesty, the Empress of Japan.

On July 1 there was strike on the lower Fraser. Due partially to overfishing by the Americans (until 1934 fish traps were legal in Washington State) the salmon stock was greatly depleted. Hostilities arose between the White Fishermans Union and the Japanese fisherman who not only lived in cannery houses but depended on the canneries for food. The friction rose to a point where four hundred soldiers were brought in to protect the Japanese.

On June 9 John Oliver, a future premier, began his political career as an MLA for Delta.

On August 5 there was a letter to the editor posted in the Province newspaper. It read:

“There are few residents in the city and particularly in the West End who are not disturbed in their slumbers from 5 a.m. by the fearful and nerve-killing noises made by the crows. A vote should be taken as to whether the people want crows or not.” (I wonder what they intended to do about the crows?)

On May12 a ferry began regular trips between the south shore of Burrard Inlet and North Vancouver. After many successful trips North Vancouver No. 1 was retired and became a private residence, beached on a small island near Tofino.

September 5, 1900. A teacher's salary in Surrey was $60 to $100 a month. Lots by the river - between 10 and 13 acres - were being advertised for $105 a lot regardless of size. There was a partially cleared, 80-acre farm with an orchard and farmhouse advertised for $40 an acre.

The bells at Holy Rosary Church (it wasn't a cathedral yet) were blessed by a visiting papal delegate on October 21.

The Hudson's Bay Company opened a four storey emporium at the corner of Granville and Georgia on December 15, 1900. They have been there ever since.

December 30 Vancouver honored returning soldiers from the Boer War by holding a big civic parade.

Also in 1900:

The Canadian Pacific Railway financed a film to be made in Vancouver. They wanted it to be documentary to promote Canadian immigration to the west. But CPR didn't want any snow to be shown so it took two years to film.

Cannery owners united this year. They formed the Fraser River Salmon Canners Association in order to protect their interests against dissatisfied fishermen.

And this one is interesting. We all know that many Chinese were brought over to build the railroad. But in the early twentieth century Chinese men were often brought to Canada as 'indentured  laborers' by a 'Chinese boss'. These men would butcher and can the fish. Native and Japanese women would clean the fish and fill the cans while Japanese and European men would catch them. And there was a lot fish going through the canneries. About 57,600 pounds or 26,000 kilos a day. More than 200 cannery and fishery workers were need to process the 1,200 cases daily.

The Dewdney Trunk Road was built on the north shore of the Fraser.

In 1901 Vancouver reported a jump in populaton. In 1801 it was recorded as 13,709 and now the number was 29,000.

In January of that year CPR bought out Canadian Pacific Navigation Co.

I've mentioned this before when I covered the Carnegie Centre at Main and Hastings. On March 25, 1901 US steel magnate Andrew Carnegie granted Vancouver $50,000 to build a library. But only if Vancouver agreed to put in $5,000 a year and furnish a site. Since it is still standing there today you can guess that Vancouver agreed to the conditions and the library opened in October of 1903.

Someone had a bit of fun with the newspapers on November 19, 1901. First the San Francisco Call devoted its entire front page to announcing that they had uncovered a conspiracy. It was called the Klondike Revolution and apparently there was supposed to a plot to overthrow the Yukon government and establish a republic with Dawson City as its capital. The conspirators, backed by 5,000 miner waiting for a signal to overthrow the mounted police, were at Seattle, Victoria, Vancouver, Dawson and Skagway. The Province picked up the story and went to report that other San Francisco newspapers declared the story a hoax. I bet there was at least one reporter in trouble that day.

I didn't quite get the effect I was looking for here. The light just below the branches was making the leaves glow.

Have a great weekend where ever you are and I will talk with you on Monday.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

TAGS:Vancouver, Karen Magill, Andrew Carnegie, Mrs. Shimizu,Klondike Revolution,San Francisco Call,Province,history,