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.