Yesterday I began a new Readers’ Choice series where I answer questions that my readers or Twitter contacts have about local history. Continuing on today I’ll tackle another question:
TylerIngram: @Miss604 What about the old ferry that used to go from vancouver to dunderave (West Van)?
1920s, West Vancouver Ferry crossing the Burrard Inlet, Archives Item#: SGN 1123
The West Vancouver Ferry began service in 1909 and ran across the Burrard Inlet from Vancouver to Dundarave.
From the West Vancouver Library: “The first ship was a 35-passenger boat called the West Vancouver, which ran between the 17th Street dock and Columbia Street in Vancouver. The ferry fleet was expanded in later years to run between the Vancouver Wharf, English Bay, Hollyburn, the Great Northern Cannery, and Caulfeild. These ferries were directly responsible for the growth in the Hollyburn and Dundarave areas and the development of businesses around the 14th, 17th, and 25th streets.”
1919, West Vancouver Ferry passing Prospect Point, Archives Item#: CVA 1123-7
By 1912 the ferry service had fallen on hard times. VancouverHistory.ca reports that it was then taken over by the municipality and would lose money for another 12 years. By the mid 1920s the ferry service was thriving once again as people along the West Coast were moving about (and the border crossing at the Peace Arch was constructed). The ferry service was eventually replaced entirely by the Lions Gate Bridge crossing, ending service in 1947.
1938, View of Lions Gate Bridge construction from the West Vancouver Ferry dock, Archives Item#: CVA 265-51
In 1988 the former ferry building at 101 14th Street in West Vancouver, built in 1913, was rehabilitated by Howard/Yano Architects to become an art gallery. The ferry terminal is now the Dundarave Pier.
I have a few more questions on deck to answer however if you would like to submit a topic or question for the Readers’ Choice history series, please feel free to leave a comment or contact me directly.
Vancouver Parks Board Commissioner Stuart Mackinnon has put forward a motion that could see the public voting on whether or not we should have whales in captivity in Vancouver [source]. The referendum would take place during the next municipal election in 2011.
The Vancouver Aquarium has been around since June of 1956 and in 1975 it was the first aquarium accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). In 1987 was designated Canada’s Pacific National Aquarium by the Canadian Federal Government [source].
When I was young they used to have Orcas in the main tank (Hyak, Finna and Bjossa), performing shows that would splash the crowd. The last Orca was removed from the Aquarium in 2001 as they sought to take on a more educational aspect of their marine life displays rather than entertainment-oriented spectacles.
They’ve have dolphins throughout the years (who are now in the old Orca tank) which are part of a smaller presentation about marine conservation and rescue. There are a few Belugas still at the Aquarium although there have been several baby Beluga deaths recently, which prompted the timely call for action from the Parks Board.
The Aquarium released an official statement yesterday: “The Vancouver Aquarium strongly opposes the plebiscite motion on the July 19th Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation meeting agenda. The Aquarium believes the discussion of the motion should take place at the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation meeting, and will address the motion at that time.”
Update July 20, 2010 CTV Reports: “Vancouver’s park commissioners have rejected a motion urging a non-binding plebiscite on the issue in next year’s civic election.”
Translink is celebrating its second annual I Love Transit Week with a meetup event tomorrow night for all transit enthusiasts.
It’s our yearly chance to celebrate transit—because while there are many things we don’t like about transit, there are still many things that we do like! So come out for some food, fun and games during I Love Transit Night, and look out for some lovely rider-submitted essays and photos in the blog next week and in the August Buzzer.
Where Heritage Grill, New Westminster [Google Map] When Games at 6:30pm, 7:30pm and 8:30pm Extras Food will be provided at this meetup
You can meet up with the Buzzer Blog crew at 5:30pm at Edmonds SkyTrain station bus loop (Bay 5) to ride a Nova Hybrid bus to the event.
The third annual Fusion Festival happens in Surrey this weekend with two full days of entertainment, activities, pavilions, shopping, and food choices from over 25 countries. John and I have covered this event each year and it’s always a good time.
Live entertainment will take place on four stages: the Concord Pacific World Music Stage, Coast Capital Savings Celebration Stage, Chevron Cultural Community Stage and BC Hydro Local Champions Stage. Saturday night headliners include We Are the City and Brasstronaut.
Aside from the music, I think each year our favourite part has got to be the food choices; from Jamaican smoothies, to the empanadas, the tacos, the blueberry cookies, the bannock and exploring delicacies from every continent.
Head over to Holland Park in Surrey this weekend for this free cultural festival. There’s parking but you can leave the car at home as it’s located right between Central City and King George SkyTrain stations. Remember to bring your sunscreen and your apetite.
Having a hard time coming up with a topic this morning I put the call out on Twitter to see what people have been curious to know about Vancouver’s past. There were some suggestions about Joe Fortes or the Great Fire and an abundance of other questions that would be interesting to research. I figured I might as well start a new series this week that will answer about a dozen of these history questions I received on Twitter.
kristyaudrey: @Miss604 I want the details on the underground tunnels- where, why, how and when can I see them?
There is an old CPRail tunnel under downtown and in some spots it’s only about 6 meters below the surface. CPRail used the 1,396-metre-long (4,579 feet) tunnel for nearly 50 years.
“Construction on the tunnel began in January 1931 and was completed in July 1933. Shaped roughly like an elongated S curve, it started from the CPR’s main line just west of the station under Thurlow Street, up to Dunsmuir and along to Cambie where it cut under Larwill Park — now a big parking lot at the southeast corner of Dunsmuir and Cambie — and came out near the western abutment of the Georgia Viaduct.”
1930 – 1933, CPR Dunsmuir Tunnel Western outlet at Cordova/Waterfront Archives Item#: CVA 152-6.11.1
The current SkyTrain tunnel from Stadium-Chinatown through to Granville, Burrard, and Waterfront is the old CPR tunnel. To accomodate SkyTrain the single-rail track was rebuilt and a new entrance was made.
1930 – 1933, constructions of the CPR tunnel at Dunsmuir Archives Item#: CVA 152-6.04, Dominion Photo Co.
The original entrance, that was visible until just a few years ago, is now hidden behind Costco. The tunnel will turn 77 years old on July 16th.
1930 – 1933, CPR Dunsmuir Tunnel eastern outlet at False Creek (where the viaduct runs overhead today) Archives Item#: CVA 152-6.12
That being said, the CPRail tunnel is not the only one in Vancouver. The Bank of Canada had a tunnel that ran under West Hastings Street to safeguard against robberies and Canada Post on Georgia Street also had a tunnel leading out to the CPRail tunnel.
Here’s an old city document I found about Canada Post’s lease on the tunnel:
“In 1954 the federal Minister of Public Works applied to the City for a ninety-nine (99) year lease of lands beneath City streets to construct and operate a mail transfer tunnel from the main CPR station to the newly to be constructed main Post Office. At that time the mail came to Vancouver on the CPR railway. As the Vancouver Charter then read, a lease in excess of thirty (30) years required the assent of the electors… The thirty (30) year lease with the federal Minister of Public Works was entered into October 10, 1957. Shortly after completion of the tunnel, mail began to move by air and so the tunnel was never used.”
According to this document, Canada Post received a lease on the tunnel until December 15, 2055.
As for the rumoured Chinatown tunnels, Vancouver History guru John Atkin as well as Chris Mathieson of the Vancouver Police Museum confirm they do not exist, contrary to popular belief. However there were a few basement passageways through walls that once connected gambling parlous and opium dens. Old steam tunnels also exist out at UBC.
There are no current tours of the Canada Post tunnels that I am aware of although John Atkin would be the person to go to for this. I believe he used to run some tours down there and still does several history walks around town.
