The Lost Souls of Gastown Tour
byUncover the eerie history of Vancouver’s oldest neighbourhood on The Lost Souls of Gastown Tour from Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours this season.
The Lost Souls of Gastown Tour
Following the trail of our guide’s lamplight, we embarked on a captivating journey of Gastown’s gruesome history earlier this month. The Lost Souls of Gastown Tour explores the unsettling past of the city, featuring Victorian-era stories. On this trip through time, we learned things many locals might not even know, most notable was the true destruction of the Great Vancouver Fire of 1886, and who came to the rescue. And, despite losing hundreds of buildings, one hotel withstood the flames… the tour explains how.
Our guide told of a smallpox epidemic, during which victims of the illness were brought to live out the rest of their days on and island off Stanley Park. The Deadman’s Island quarantine site is the resting place of many who had fallen ill with the deadly ailment.
The tour concludes at the site of an unsolved murder, where we learned of the death of gold prospector John Bray. With multiple fatal shots to his head, Bray had managed to live out several weeks before his eventual passing, but no murderer was ever named.
The Lost Souls of Gastown Tour is sure to offer you a captivating journey through hidden history, making it a thrilling experience if you want to uncover the city’s intriguing, mysterious past. This performance-theatre experience has been awarded the title of one of Canada’s 20 greatest experiences by travel company Viator/TripAdvisor, and you’ll see why.
Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours
- When: On now until October 31, 2023. Tours run every Night at 7:00pm; Thursday-Saturday at 8:00pm
- Where: Various Gastown Locations
- Meeting point at corner of Water and Cordova Streets, beside Monaco Cafe
- Admission: Book online
- 2% of the ticket revenue will also go towards supporting the Vancouver Urban Native Youth Association (UNYA)
Electric wheelchair accessible and is led on mostly flat terrain (with some historic cobblestones). The tour does start with a small hill, which may be more challenging for guests in a conventional/non-electric wheelchair.
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