I recently received an email about the Pattullo; in fact more information came in this email than I could find anywhere else online or on any of my favourite history sites. As I trust the source (more than any online source), I’ll share what has been revealed to me.
“Enclosed attached pics are of the wooden part of the Bridge. Contrary to the reports, the timbers were generally not “creosote soaked.” There were some huge natural beams, at least a foot thick, and they were dry, untreated wood. If you want to see creosote, look at the railway trestle. The bridge timbers were not like that, because they didn’t need to be. They were kept covered and dry, not dug into the peat bog.”
“The Pattullo Bridge was built not on the King George, which did not exist at the time. The main road from the Bridge, constructed along 112 Ave and up Peterson Hill, was the “New Yale Road” and soon after the Yale Road itself would be renamed the Trans-Provincial Highway, and later Trans-Canada Highway.
When the Pattullo was built the Highway was realigned on Peterson Hill and at Whalley’s corner and widened to four lanes. This was the first section of 4-lane highway in the Province of BC. You can still walk the old portions of 2-lane highway on Peterson Hill — this little part of the road looks very much as it did 50 years ago — and at Whalley’s Corner — the section on both sides of 108th Ave, on the east side of the highway where it curves to the south.”
“Until the 60’s highway addresses in Whalley were Trans Canada Hwy. The Peace Arch Highway was constructed soon after the Pattullo was built. It ran from “White House Corner” — where King George Station is now — to the border. It was renamed with the visit of King George in 1939. “The Junction” where the Peace Arch Highway met the Trans-Canada (King George Stn) was a major bottle neck.
Vancouver Public Library – Public Domain
“The concrete-paved traffic deck of the Pattullo Bridge is 46 feet wide, allowing ample accommodation for four lanes of motor traffic, with a 6-foot sidewalk for pedestrians” trumpeted the Department of Public Works. The highway was widened to the same width. This allowed for four 11-foot lanes and a 2-foot median. There were eight toll-booths on the Surrey side of the Pattullo. The bridge was a hugely controversial project and there was spirited political opposition to its construction. Afterward people complained about the tolls. Scott Road originally met the Highway at an intersection and was the scene of many accidents.”
“Also, it was not that long ago that they moved the lamp standards to the outside of the railing. They used to rise directly above the railing and took out almost as many truck mirrors as did that notorious section of 12th Ave, near Fraser, where the standards stood flush with the curb on a narrow piece of roadway.”
“In one picture [in the VPL database] you can see, in the background, the old “Blue Mouse” Hotel of Johnny Wise, built at the time the old bridge was used and torn down soon after the Patullo was constructed. It stood on Bridge Road, named not for the Pattullo, but because it was the access from (Old) Yale Road to the Westminster Bridge. Bridge Road was at first a plank road, looping under the CN trestle and rising to the deck above the railway. It would be nice, in fact the jewel in the crown of cycling and pedestrian routes, to have this historic bridge preserved and used once again in that capacity after it’s replacement is built.”
My husband has been commuting along the Cambie corridor for over a year and has seen the area develop, buildings reach the sky, and new shops open their doors. Last July CHANGE moved in, (between Starbucks and Save-On-Foods) and he was quick to tell me about this European lingerie boutique. For Christmas he treated me to a gift certificate so that I could pop in, since he certainly encourages purchases of this nature.
I walked into CHANGE and within a few minutes the proprietor, Yvonne, was giving me a fitting and loading me up with armfuls of lacy, seamless, lifted, soft, contouring styles of bras (as that particular garment was the purpose my mission today). I’ve had fittings before at Victoria’s Secret but I actually learned a lot more from Yvonne regarding straps, tightness, and the placement of the underwire on a garment that actually fits well.
Another thing I noticed was that the sizes go all the way up to “J”, which is great. Not that I need a “J” by any means but for a woman whose size (in certain styles) is not carried at other shops or boutiques, it was great to see the selection.
CHANGE is currently having a sale and most of the store is 25% to 50% off (I seriously almost purchased an amazing bra that was 50% off $98 from the ‘charade‘ collection). The styles are classy, colourful, and I’m actually pretty excited about their swimwear collection that is being moved in for Spring 2009.
If you have the chance, check out CHANGE of Scandinavia on Cambie (support businesses along the Canada Line!) or at one of their other Lower Mainland locations.
Last November I was a guest of the Vancouver Opera for their season-opening performance of Eugine Onegin. I hadn’t been to the opera in over ten years and the experience was lovely. Since that time, the Vancouver Opera and I have been brewing up something very special (thanks to a suggestion from Tris) and our ideas and initiatives have come to fruition with Blogger Night at Carmen.
French opéra comique by Georges Bizet,
CarmenOn Tuesday, January 27th, I will be joined by a group of top-notch bloggers at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre: Best of 604 Awards nominees, Kimli, Tanya and Ami from Beyond Robson.
We’ll be setup to live blog before the curtain goes up and during the intermissions, sharing our thoughts, opinions, photos and videos. I’m excited to see this legendary masterpiece and look forward to spotting OperaGal up on stage. Stay tuned next week to share our evening, and visit the Vancouver Opera site if for more information.
My personal history with Pattullo goes back about 29 years however the name played an important role for me in high school biology. I used to be able to remember that the knee cap was called the “patella” since it was like a bridge between the femur and tibia (at least in my mind it helped, anyway).
All silliness aside, since the Pattullo Bridge is in the news and affecting lives and commutes more than ever since a fire shut it down days ago, I thought I would discover more about this infamous crossing and the man after which it was named.
Duff Pattullo (left) with Prime Minister W.L. Mackenzie King
and J-A Godbout from
McCord Museum136 years ago, Thomas Dufferin Pattullo was born in Woodstock, Ontario. He traveled west during his formative years and began working in Dawson City government (and was ‘acting assistant gold commissioner’) until he moved to Prince Rupert in 1908 to work in real estate and insurance. He was elected as a Liberal party MLA in 1916 as Minister of Lands Responsible for Forestry and was leader of the opposition from 1928 until 1933 when he was elected Premier of BC. He was the top man in our province until 1941.
Faced with the tremendous economic and social problems of the Great Depression, Pattullo was innovative in extending the role of government. His frustration with the limitations of provincial power led to a battle with Ottawa that resulted in a reappraisal of Canadian federalism. After an inconclusive 1941 election, he rejected a coalition with the Conservatives and was rebuffed by his own party. [Canadian Encyclopedia]
1937: Archives# Br P29.
1937: Archives# Br P70.
On November 15th, 1937 Duff Pattullo ceremoniously cut a chain-link barrier to officially open the crossing from New Westminster to Surrey, named in his honor.
In brief remarks he told the assembled throng the bridge was a “thing of beauty”. Words other than “beauty” spring to the minds of drivers these days for that bridge. At peak times on the Pattullo 3,700 vehicles an hour (a car a second) speed along its narrow, curving lanes, each just three metres wide each, some 61 centimetres or two feet narrower than today’s standard. [Vancouver History]
A luncheon was served later that day at the Queen’s Park Arena.
In July of 2008, Translink approved the plan to put a toll on the new crossing that would replace the Pattullo however when the bridge as we know it was built it was also tolled and earner the nickname, “Pay Toll O“.
Thomas Dufferin Pattullo himself was laid to rest in Royal Oak Cemetery in Victoria (side note) it’s also where you can also find the final resting place of Frank and Lester Patrick – the brothers who helped found modern hockey and bring it to Vancouver.
Pattullo was a ground-breaking leader in our province and his legacy lives on in the legislature and in our history… albeit most famously through his namesake bridge which has an uncertain future.
“Wake up! America’s about to inaugurate its first African American president!” John bellowed this morning as I slowly slipped out from between the sheets and took my place on the couch. I don’t have the most exciting “where were you?” story as I’m sitting, wrapped in fleece blankets from Iowa, with my MacBook on my lap, writing blog posts and checking RSS feeds. As such, I’ll ask you…
[poll id=”24″]
I’ll be updating this post throughout the morning with photos and comments.
Update: The CBC is confirming that a visit to Canada it at the top of Obama’s agenda, “U.S. president-elect Barack Obama plans to travel to Canada for his first international trip after he takes office, the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed Saturday. “We have been in close contact with president-elect Obama’s transition team. We can confirm that the president-elect has accepted the prime minister’s invitation to visit Canada soon after he is inaugurated,” a statement released by Stephen Harper’s office said.”
Update: Aretha Franklin just sang, followed by the swearing in of Joe Biden as Vice President. Now we have another musical performance, arranged by John Williams.
Update: “That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.” [Text as prepared for delivery]
“Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America – they will be met. On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.” [Text as prepared for delivery]
…
“America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.”
Photos captured from the CBC’s coverage, January 20, 2009
