Home Brew

Today I want to look at some of the history of the Mount Pleasant district.










In its natural state, Mount Pleasant was an area of creeks that filled with fish such as sturgeon, flounder, sole and smelt. Down the center of this area ran one of Vancouver's largest salmon and trout creeks. The ravine was up to 40 feet down in certain areas! Mount Pleasant was the only area built around a creek.

This is the Depencier House built in 1889. It is the oldest occupied single residence home outside of the downtown area.

Mount Pleasant is not only the only community built around a creek but also the only district in Vancouver roughly divided between Vancouver West and Vancouver East.

The largest creek in the Mount Pleasant area obtained the name Brewery Creek because of the amount of breweries in the area. Brewery Creek though supplied the first piped water supply to our downtown's first modern industry, Stamp's Sawmill.

The only brewery that is standing from this era became an artist's live/work studio, the first official one in Vancouver. (I have written on it before, this 1903 building is located at 6th and Scotia)

When I was taking photos of the above building, a sign inspired me to research more about old time breweries in the area.

Belgian pioneer brew master, Frank Foubert established the Stanley Park Brewery in 1897.

Mount Pleasant may be one of Vancouver's oldest areas but it is also a district on which there isn't a lot of information. I would like to thank the History of Mount Pleasant website, the Stanley Park Brewery website and Bob's _2006 flickr site for all the information I have related here.

This is only a touch of what I am going to be writing on with Mount Pleasant this week. So come back Wednesday and Friday and learn more.

Karen Magill, Vancouver, 1897, brewery, Mount Pleasant, British Columbia