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.
From VancouverHistory.ca:
“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.
You can follow this new series by using my new Readers Choice tag. Later this week I’ll answer questions about Point Grey, the Burrard Bridge, the former Japantown, the old ferry to Dundarave and more.
Chicago Blackhawks’ center Colin Fraser is bringing the Stanley Cup to his hometown of Surrey, BC today.
It’s tradition for each member of the winning team to tour their hometowns and show off their prize. This afternoon the City of Surrey has setup a special event for the Fraser’s arrival with the Cup at Central City.
Where Central City Plaza, 13450 102 Ave [Google Map]
When 12:00pm until 3:00pm
This is a free family event with live music, a BBQ, and the Stanley Cup being unveiled at 12:30pm. There will also be drop-in street hockey for kids ages 6-12.
Although Fraser has since been traded to the Edmonton Oilers, he’ll always be able to come home to Surrey. Head out there if you can to congratulate him on his efforts and to see the Stanley Cup in person.
Update There will be a parade in Delta/Tsawwassen tomorrow as fellow Blackhawk Brent Seabrook hosts a celebration in his hometown. Teammate Andrew Ladd will also be having an event in Maple Ridge.
During our trip to Iowa this time around we made it to the Field of Dreams movie site in Dyersville. Tour bus loads of baseball teams, families on picnic blankets, and old friends playing a round of catch all flock to this site made famous by Hollywood.
Although it was the first time I felt the green velvet of left field between my toes like Shoeless Joe this place has had a special meaning to me for some time.
To warm myself up for our slow sizzling days in Iowa I have been reading the book Shoeless Joe, upon which the film Field of Dreams was based. We played catch in the outfield as occasionally the ball would skip past us and disappear into the corn. WP Kinsella does a far better job of describing the simple magic of an Iowa cornfield than I ever could.
“The fading sun was a rich orange; the shadows of the tall light standards reached across the field like long black arms. Yards away, the mysterious green and gold corn rustled like delicate guests in conversation.”
Leaving Iowa this afternoon I reflected back on our trip as though I was a school-child writing a report about “what I did this summer.”
I watched a 4th of July parade pass by the front of the house while a flag snapped above us in the wind. I strolled the banks of the Mississippi and climbed up to watch boats dance in its flow from the bluffs above. And well, I walked down the dusty streets of John’s hometown to buy a bottle of tequila from the grocery store so the family could make margaritas with dinner.
Through all of these experiences, John would lean in to me and say, “this is my Iowa,” and I’m pretty thankful that he’s let me into his world and his family to explore this wonderful place.
International Bod Days Festival is Sunday July 25th at Burns Bog. This annual event, now in its 19th year, includes food, entertainment, and interactive tours of the largest domed peat bog on the west coast of North America.
The festival will take place at 10388 Nordel Court (at Planet Ice) in North Delta. With free admission there will be live entertainment, activities, and an adventure zone for kids.
Bog tours will be operated from 10:30am until 3:30pm and you can download a 2-for-1 coupon to print and take with you.
Follow @Burns_Bog on Twitter or Facebook for updates and event information.
As a side note, there is currently a petition online to make Burns Bog a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its historical and ecological significance to the Pacific Northwest.
The Vancouver Police Museum is hosting a contest to find the perfect design for their souvenir t-shirts.
The contest launched yesterday and they already have some fantastic entries.
Our ideal design will promote our little museum in an artistic, clever and creative way–it could be directly police (or police history) related, it could be about forensic science or even about our creepy building that used to be the city morgue. Let your imagination run with it.
You can submit your design online for the chance to win a plethora of prizes including a “Tourist in Your Own City” Package from Vancouver Attractions, headshots from Blue Olive Photography, some framed Vancouver Archives photo prints from Miss604.com, Police Museum gift certificates, private tours, a Mighty Ugly workshop, and a spa gift certificate from Axiom.
There are only two weeks left to enter the contest and the finalists will be chosen based on popular vote (so be sure to promote your entry any way you can).
