1940

This building on Commercial Drive was built in 1908.

Today let's look at 1940.

The T. Eaton Co. announced on January 3, 1940 that the demolition of the  old Vancouver Hotel at the corner of Granville and Georgia Streets would start immediately to make room for the new store. However, since vets stayed at the hotel after the war, demolition plans must have been delayed.

In February, officials dedicated Canada's first all-Chinese-language school at 571 East Georgia.

Coal Harbour Shipyards burned on March 28.

Greater Vancouver Shipyards started to build corvettes and minesweepers for battles in the Atlantic. (for those of you who aren't aware, I am not speaking of the car but rather the small, lightly armed warship from where Chevrolet probably got the name. The warships were highly maneuverable.)The shipyard also converted some passenger ships for war.

May 1, 1940 marked the first May Day Festival in Coquitlam.

Edward Beaton Cook died at about the age of 87 on May 2. Cook had come from Ontario and settled here when the city was still known as Gastown. This pioneer contractor was responsible for buildings such as our city's first bank at the corner of Hastings and Richards. (It was called the Bank of BC but has no connection to the present bank of that name) Cook also built the Imperial Building at Seymour and Hastings as well as our city's first large apartment building, Douglas Lodge, at Granville and West 12.

Anyone who has seen any photos of Vancouver's Gastown has seen images of the flatiron building, Europe Hotel, located where Alexander and Powell Streets merge. The proprietor of that building, Angelo Calori died on May 7, 1940.

Calori was born in Italy in 1860 then came to Victoria in 1882 before arriving in the new city of Vancouver in 1886.

June 16 we Vancouverites celebrated our first Father's Day.

The St. Roch was built in North Vancouver in 1928 as an RCMP patrol ship for Western Arctic operations. She sailed out of Vancouver on June 23, 1940  and sailed to Sydney, Nova Scotia and through the Canadian Arctic. When she returned to our city two years later the St. Roch became the first vessel to travel the Northwest Passage in both directions.

In case you are wondering, I did not go out and get these photos for this story. Last summer when I wrote on the Mountainview Cemetery I happened to take these photos and they have been on my computer ever since.

Thanks go to the History of Metropolitan Vancouver for the information on 1940 and to Bob_2006's Photostream on Flickr for the information on the building.

I want to remind you that this weekend, June 9 and 10, my eBook Mystique Rising will be free. This book was originally entitled Let Us Play, A Rock 'n Roll Love Story and it is set in the uncertain future where all forms of rock 'n roll music have been banned. A group of rebels are fighting to bring it back. It is an exciting tale filled with supernatural events and adventure. And it will be free for those two days so grab your copy of Mystique Rising. Here's the cover.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

Karen Magill, Vancouver, 1940, St. Roche,, Mystique Rising, British Columbia