John and I enjoyed a few days exploring “The Other Vancouver”, which is Vancouver, Washington. Located about two hours south of Seattle along the I-5, this Vancouver sits along the Columbia River and was incorporated in 1857, 29 years before Vancouver, BC.
When considering what might be the oldest public park in the Pacific Northwest I immediately think of Beacon Hill Park in Victoria, established in 1882. However on our recent trip to Vancouver, Washington, John and I strolled through Esther Short Park which is in fact the oldest (at least the very first) established in 1853.
Esther Short Park is small public square, sitting at only 5 acres compared to Beacon Hill’s 200 or Stanley Park’s 1,001. In 1853, Esther Short, a pioneer wife and mother, donated the land to the City of Vancouver along with some other property which is now part of the Port of Vancouver.
The park had fallen on hard times by the 1980s, and was better known as an unkempt haven for drug dealers and street kids. The City boldly pushed a plan for mixed-use housing on the blocks surrounding the park, while redeveloping the park, itself, as an urban plaza. The project envisioned open space with a town square combined, drawing the larger community to the City’s center year-round.
The success of the park, and the ability of the investment in the area to spur larger downtown renewal, would hinge on the acceptance of new housing in the City’s core. So far, the results are promising, with the first phase of housing occupied, and new housing and hotel developments underway on adjacent blocks. [Source: Main Street Vancouver]
Private donations of $3.6 million and city investment of $2 million were used in 1998 to redevelop the park. The playground equipment was donated by the Angelo family and on the southeast corner is a 69-foot Salmon Run Bell Tower, which was made possible by generous donations from Burgerville founder and philanthropist, the late George Propstra and his wife Carolyn. A Glockenspiel diorama emerges from the tower on a regular schedule to depict a story of local Chinook First Nations.
We enjoyed the nice wide sidewalks and open grass-covered areas spotted with old redwoods, and water features (like at the clock tower and along the eastern perimeter) add movement — and a bit of misty refreshment on hot summer days.
With a revitalized town square, new condo developments, and the Vancouver Convention Centre (with a Hilton) surrounding the park, Esther Short Park is teeming with activity. It’s the home of the Vancouver farmer’s market and the bandstand hosts summer concerts and a community theatre as well.
I’ve now been to the oldest park in America (Boston Common, when I lived there 10 years ago), the oldest in the Pacific Northwest (Esther Short), and I’m lucky enough to call the world’s best (Stanley Park) my own backyard playground.
Related Post from Vancouver, USA: Fort Vancouver, Land Bridge, William Robert Broughton, Grant House.
7-Eleven stores in Canada are celebrating the company’s 44th birthday on July 11th (7/11) by offering free Slurpees that will be larger than previous years.
Traditionally, July 11th has been known as “Slurpee Day” with a limited number of complimentary sample-sized cups (7.11 ounces) for their frozen treats.
This time around, they will have even more cups available — 250,000 across Canada — and they’ll be a full 12 ounces. Vancouver’s share is 42,000 free Slurpee drinks.
You can get your fill of this cool, sweet, summer refreshment on Thursday, July 11, 2013 while supplies last at all 13 downtown Vancouver locations and every other 7-Eleven store in Canada.
Even if Slurpees aren’t your thing, you can still fill up a cup for a someone else, perhaps a random act of kindness if you will.
Follow 7-Eleven Canada on Facebook and Twitter for more information about Free Slurpee Day this year along with the tag #711Awesummer.
Surrey Memorial Hospital is hosting a sneak preview of its new emergency department next week which will be open to the public.
On Saturday, July 13th, 2013 from 10:00am until 3:00pm you can check out Canada’s second largest emergency department in Surrey, which will officially be open October 1st, 2013. The new, bigger, state of the art facility is the size of three hockey rinks and during the public preview you will be able to:
With most of my family being born at Surrey Memorial (over the span of three decades) and with most of them still in the area, service upgrades and new developments are always welcome announcements.
LEFT 1960: Surrey Memorial Hospital. Archives# SA 84.037. RIGHT 1965: Sketch for proposed $589,200.00 development of Surrey Memorial Hospital. Archives# SA 1992.036.4273.
When Surrey Memorial Hospital first opened its doors in 1959, it was a 103-bed facility supporting a population of 75,000. Today, Surrey Memorial is the second largest hospital in British Columbia and provides a full range of hospital services to a community of over 600,000 people from Surrey to Delta and from Langley to White Rock. Surrey Memorial has the busiest emergency department in British Columbia with over 90,000 patients visits per year.
Hospital parking will be free during the preview on July 13th and you can enter at the southwest corner of 94A Avenue. Follow Surrey Memorial Hospital on Facebook and Twitter for more information about upgrades, services, and the public preview event.
The Kitsilano Showboat has begun its 78th season of entertainment in Vancouver that will run through to August 17th. Since 1935 this summer staple has been featuring musical acts, plays, and dancers all near the pool at Kitsilano Beach.
Events are every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. Performances on the schedule so far include Precision Dance, Art of Dance, and BC Dance on July 12th; Polynesian Dancers on July 10th and 20th; Wailel Wai Wai/Spirit of the South Seas on August 2nd; the Kits Fest 5th Anniversary on August 9th with Celebration, Land of Deborah, Lava, Ceroc Canada, and more.
Studio Cloud 30 will also have a showcase on Monday, July 15th. A full PDF schedule is available online and admission is free for all shows.
Find the Kitsilano Showboat at 2300 Cornwall (at Kitsilano Beach) in Vancouver, and online on Facebook and Twitter.
John and I enjoyed a few days exploring “The Other Vancouver”, which is Vancouver, Washington. Located about two hours south of Seattle along the I-5, this Vancouver sits along the Columbia River and was incorporated in 1857, 29 years before Vancouver, BC.
While planning our trip to the “other” Vancouver in Washington State we knew there was one attraction we absolutely could not miss, and that was Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. This old Hudson’s Bay Company fort sits just up from the north bank of the Columbia River, near where the Lewis and Clark Highway crosses the I-5 as it heads south into Oregon.
Fort Vancouver
The fort was established in 1824 by the Hudson’s Bay Company:
The Oregon Country/Columbia District was shared between the British and Americans in the Treaty of 1818, but the treaty was to expire in 1828 and since Fort George stood on the south side of the Columbia River, it would likely be awarded to the United States in any boundary agreement. After the North West Company merged with the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1821, the HBC administrator George Simpson suggested the creation of Fort Vancouver on the northern bank of the Columbia, but that it serve as secondary post to a larger trade hub further north near the mouth of the Fraser River.
In 1843, in the face of increasing US settlement, HBC moved the base of Fort Vancouver’s operations over to Fort Camuson, which we know as Fort Victoria today as well as Fort Langley.
In 1846 the Treaty of Oregon was ratified, and Fort Vancouver became part of the Oregon Territory of the United States. The Treaty permitted HBC to continue to operate the Fort Vancouver site even after the boundary dispute was settled, but they eventually abandoned the post in 1860.
It’s fascinating to tour around an old fort in Washington state, very close to Oregon, and have such a British (and therefor early Canadian) feel to the history. We loved walking around spotting Hudson’s Bay blankets, reading about relationships with the local First Nations, and chatting with the blacksmith who showed us what goes into a tin Hudson’s Bay fire kit.
Fort Vancouver is only a shadow of what it once was but the general grounds of the National Historic Site also contain an old apple orchard, barracks (about a hundred years old), officer’s row (where you’ll find Grant House), and the Pearson Air Museum.
Fire destroyed the fort itself in 1866 but the wall has been rebuilt along with a few other structures.
Fort Vancouver was separated from the Army’s barracks and became a national monument in 1948. Congress expanded the protected area in 1966 and re-designated the site as a National Historic Site. For some years after its addition to the National Park System, the National Park Service was reluctant to begin reconstruction of the fort walls or buildings, preferring to manage it as an archaeological site as provided by its standing policies. However, in 1965, with the urging of the local community, Congress directed reconstruction to begin. All fort structures seen today are modern replicas, albeit carefully placed on the original locations.
Fort Vancouver is open to visitors almost every day of the year with expanded hours between March and November. Admission is only $3 and we were told to keep our receipt as it’s good for a full week. There are also many free sights to explore around the area, including the Land Bridge and the gardens at the front of the fort — but entering the fort is definitely worth the admission fee.
We spent about three hours out around Fort Vancouver on a sunny June morning, soaking up the local history, taking photos, and listening to Park Rangers explain to other visitors that “Hudson’s Bay Company is still around in Canada today.”
Independence Day at Fort Vancouver
I was hoping to publish this post a bit earlier in the season since Fort Vancouver is know for its 4th of July celebrations with fireworks (launched from the Pearson Airfield nearby). If you have time to get down there, there will be a parade, music, and many activities starting at 12:00pm and the fireworks show will begin at 10:05pm.
Follow Fort Vancouver on Twitter and Facebook for more special event information and to plan your visit.
