Cleveland's Water

The Greater Vancouver Water Board began operating in 1925 - bringing with it an amalgamated sewer system. Dr. E. A. Cleveland was put in charge and he began building the vast watershed and distribution system that gave Vancouver one of the finest water supplies in the world. It remains a monument to his name.

Cleveland liked to boast, "No case of disease has ever been traced to this city's water supply." He assured this by completely isolating the watershed with meticulous exclusion of all possible human disease carriers. 

During the Second World War, at the U.S. Navy's insistence (they were contracting port facilities here) the water was first chlorinated. Vancouverites were NOT happy about this. Many citizens travelled far afield to get untreated water.

Cleveland was heartbroken. The water system was his life's work and it all seemed for nothing now. Some public officials stated that the coliform bacteria count made chlorination mandatory. Cleveland fired back and said that this only proved dangerous bacteria could live in the water, not that it did. As well look to the perfect record of the system.

However, Cleveland was not successful with his arguments and the out-cry over the original chlorination died down, WWII ended and the water treatment continued. Albeit on a much reduced scale and it continues to this day.

According to a 1912 agreement between the CNR - Canadian National Railway - and the city, the CNR was obliged to build a hotel and a $20 million tunnel approach underneath the Grandview to the station on Main Street. The CNR was still using the Great Northern tracks to enter the city and had begun neither the tunnel nor the hotel.

Mayor L.D. Taylor took this project in hand and was determined to ensure that CNR held up its end of the agreement. During negotiations, he did compromise though. He yielded on the tunnel and persuaded Sir Henry Thornton to agree to a 600-room rather than a 500-room hotel. In December 1928, work began on the present day Hotel Vancouver at Georgia and Burrard Streets.

Thanks to the book Vancouver, From Milltown to Metropolis by Alan Morley for the above information.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

Karen Magill

Vancouver Bodies

This photo originally appeared in the Province Newspaper in 1955 and is of Navy ships in the Georgia Strait.

Photo taken by Philip Timms in the early 1900s and is of the S.S. Princess Victoria. This CPR vessel is in the First Narrows.

Philip Timms also took this photo about the same time of a ship entering the Burrard Inlet.

Same photographer, same time period. This time you can see the HMS Flora from the north west of Brockton Point going through the First Narrows.

Vancouver bodies of water I mean. As you may know, the Burrard Inlet borders the city to the north and it is the body of water on which the City of Vancouver was built. This inlet has enough draught to accommodate the largest ocean vessels. Ergo, the perfect place for an international port.

 Lying to the west is the outer harbour, English Bay. It adjoins the Strait of Georgia and is where you see vessels at anchor in the sunset.

English Bay stretches along Beach Avenue from Gilford Street to Bidwell Street. It is also called First Beach and is the most populated beach area in Vancouver's downtown centre. Here is where brave souls gather every New Year's Day to dash into the freezing waters for the Polar Bear Swim. Thank you City of Vancouver website for that information.

Philip Timms is responsible for this early 1900s photo of Moodyville. The photo was taken from Cedar Cove on the south side of Burrard Inlet. Moodyville was incorporated into North Vancouver in 1915.

Same credits as before. This is of the B.C. Sugar Refinery at the foot of Rogers Street.

Guess who took this and when? LOL. This policeman is at English Bay.

English Bay with the same credits as before.

The inner harbour stretches eastward to Port Moody and north through Deep Cove. Deep Cove was originally known as Deepwater and was the clamming and fishing area of the Squamish Salish native nation. In the mid-nineteenth century, whales were being caught and flensed on the Cove's shores.

In the 1910s, this area became a popular summer resort for residents of the surrounding area. Cabins, logging and quarrying are all part of the local history and the main focal point of the community was a yacht club, dance hall and general store for many years.

In the 60s and 70s, the population of the area began to grow with the completion of the Second Narrows Bridge. And even though this area has become a popular attraction, Deep Cove has still managed to hold onto its rural feel. I am grateful for the help of Wikipedia for the information on Deep Cove.

Philip Timms photographer, early 1900s. Swimming race at English Bay.

Philip Timms' photographer (his silhouette under the tree), early 1900s. Sunset at Stanley Park.

Another shot of sunset at Stanley Park by Philip Timms.

The Bailey Bros. Studio took this photo of B.C. Iron Works at the foot of Gore Avenue in the 1890s.

The First Narrows passageway is spanned by the Lions Gate Bridge. And here is an interesting fact. Although present day Vancouverites see the bridge as part of our fabric, originally the citizens of our city did not want a bridge to span Burrard Inlet. They feared the impact a bridge would have on Stanley Park.

Alfred James Towie Taylor, an engineer who had built many large projects in British Columbia, was a driving force behind the idea of having a bridge cross the Burrard Inlet. In 1926, Taylor moved to England where he persuaded the Guiness brewing family to finance a residential suburb in West Vancouver - British Properties. The family was all for it and offered to pay for a bridge to go over the Inlet.

Although a plebiscite in 1927 had expressed the citizens' opposing view of a bridge in the part of the city, the lure of jobs during the Depression and the fact that it wouldn't cost the city anything was too much to resist. So construction on a suspension bridge that is now the third longest bridge in Canada and is comparable in length to the Brooklyn Bridge, began on March 31, 1937.

I was fortunate enough to find this information at The Canadian Encyclopedia website.

The Bailey Bros studio took this photo in the 1890s of the Empress of Japan passing through the First Narrows.

The Bailey Bros in the 1880s took this photo looking north across the Burrard Inlet.

Refer to above

Same as before.

The photos shown here are obtained from the Vancouver Public Library collection.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

On March 25, 1917 the Dominion Photo Co. took this photo of sailing ships in the Georgia Strait.

On May 9, 1952 the Dominion Photo Co took this picture of Austin cars being dumped into the Georgia Strait. Why? I haven't a clue.

Richard H. Trueman took this photo from the late 1890s looking North East across the Burrard Inlet from the Hotel Vancouver.

The Province newspaper originally showed this aerial view of the English Bay harbour in the 1950s.

1932

Today I am going through my files of photos and showing you some of the things I see around the city. I take photos of anything that interests me and I hope you enjoy them as well.

As well I am going to talk about some of the events that were to important to Vancouver in 1932.

By 1932 the Great Depression had settled over the country like a wet blanket. It is estimated that thousands were on relief and hundreds more were arriving by freight train daily. One reporter counted 1,250 men in the bread line at the First United Church and the city's cost for relief between 1931 and 1932 was over $1.3 million.

In January of 1932 the Hastings Mill Store opened as a museum. It had been moved from it original location on Dunlevy Street to where it now sits in Hastings Mill Park (aka Pioneer Park).

On February 28, 1932 actor, activist and musician Don Francks, (native name Iron Buffalo) was born in Vancouver.

February of 1932 was also the year that the morning newspaper, The Star, was shut down by Victor Odlum when the printers refused to take a wage cut.

The Strand Theatre, on the south side of Georgia Street at Seymour, was closed as a result of the Depression in February. It reopened in 1933.


March 31 proved that the silent film era was totally dead. On this the Beacon Theatre (the old Pantages) on Hastings Street was showing the 1915 classic Birth of a Nation.

On May 27 the Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra gave its first performance.

Famed pianist Ignace Paderewski performed at the Vancouver Arena on April 13. By 1940, eight years later,  he was at the head of the Polish government in exile during the Second World War.


The Florence Nightingale of the City died at the age of 80 on April 13.  Sister Frances (Mrs. Fanny Dalrymple Redmond) was our first public health nurse and was a nurse at the St. James' Church. She earned the above mentioned nickname for her devotion and commitment to the sick during the smallpox epidemic of the 1890s.


On April 25 the Vancouver General Hospital broke all previous records in their maternity ward. Eleven babies were born that day - one Japanese child and ten white babies. Six of the children were boys and five were girls.

these tiles are placed in the sidewalk on Hastings street in the Hastings/Sunrise District.

The Vancouver Police Department inaugurated a full radio system in April of 1932.

On May 4 a large demonstration of the unemployed was held at Vancouver City Hall.

In 1912 Robert Dollar established the Canadian Robert Dollar Co. in Vancouver to run the fleet of Dollar Steamship Line of California. Timber stands bought from the BC Government supplied his sawmills and the company's flag was a white dollar sign on a red background and it was known worldwide. Known as the Pacific's Grand Old Man, Dollar died on May 16, 1932 in San Rafael, California at the age of about 88.

Spring of 1932 saw the first Bradner Flower Show that was attended huge crowds. There was a concert and dance in the evening.

The Capilano Timber Company mills were destroyed by fire in June of 1932. Started in 1917 the company was ran a logging railway up the Capilano Valley to bring out the red cedar.

On Canada Day of that year, July 1, the Burrard Street Bridge opened. I have written on it before and the bridge's history so I won't do so now.

On July 17 the CPR began running trains through a tunnel downtown. The tunnel was built to get the trains off of the city streets. With a few modifications it has been transformed to be used by the Skytrain.

I hpoe you find the beauty around you.

Karen Magill,CPR, Vancouver,tunnel,Capilano Timber Company,Robert Dollar,History,Ignace Paderewski