Vancouver in 1924

A new year, another look back at the city’s history through images. Here is a collection of photos and tidbits from Vancouver in 1924, 100 years ago.

Vancouver in 1924 Photo Collection

The first neon lights came to Vancouver, installed by enterprising Granville Street merchants.
William Reid Owen, the first blacksmith in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood, became mayor of Vancouver. He had been the first mayoralty candidate to use radio in his campaign.
Lansdowne Track in Richmond opened, named for a former Governor General. The peat bog on which the track is built acted like a sponge and horses were known to run slower at high tide.
Forest Lawn Cemetery opened.
Hastings Golf Course opened. It lasted to 1954 when the British Empire Games took over the space.
Minoru Park, shut down during World War I, was re-opened and renamed Brighouse Park.
Construction began on the first crossing of the Second Narrows. Northern Construction Co & J.W. Stewart Ltd built the first bridge to connect Vancouver with the North Shore over the tidal bore of the narrows. The attached vehicle deck opened to road traffic in 1925 and the main structure to trains a year later.

Also in 1924…

The Pacific Coast Hockey Association folded. The PCHA had been founded in 1911 by Frank Patrick and Lester Patrick with three teams: the New Westminster Royals, the Victoria Aristocrats, and the Vancouver Millionaires. It merged with the Western Canada Hockey League this year.
CFXC, founded by radio-shop owner Fred Hume, began broadcasting out of a tiny room in the back of his shop in New Westminster. It eventually became CJOR and today (in 2024) it’s known as CKPK, operating as 102.7 Now FM.
The Victory Square Cenotaph was unveiled on April 27, 1924.
The Vancouver Sun bought L.D. Taylor’s Vancouver World, which had been in financial difficulty. Read more in the Vancouver Sun here.