North Van Arts has officially launched the North Shore Culture Compass(Culture Compass), an easily accessible free online platform that catalogues and visualizes the cultural, artistic, and historic institutions and destinations of North Vancouver, West Vancouver, and the region’s First Nations communities.
North Shore Culture Compass
The Culture Compass encourages local residents and tourists alike to connect with the arts, heritage, and stories of the North Shore.
“The North Shore Culture Compass will help define what North Shore culture is today by making culture more visible and convenient to access, fostering collaborations, and encouraging a better understanding of our shared home,” says Nancy Cottingham Powell, Executive Director of North Van Arts. “UNESCO recognizes that cultural mapping is critical in preserving both the tangible and intangible components that comprise a community — this interactive tool is a way to appreciate all the North Shore has to offer.”
The Culture Compass is submission-based, with all listings uploaded for free. Listing information includes an image, a short description, an address and a web link to the organization, event, or cultural landmark. With the support of the North Shore community, the Culture Compass currently features more than 400 listings of regional points of cultural and historic significance. Listings are searchable by keyword and organized into 10 distinct categories:
Creative & Cultural Industries Businesses that provide the creation, production, manufacturing and/or distribution of goods and services that are cultural in nature (recording studios, costume designers, creative software design).
Cultural & Natural Heritage The legacy of buildings and/or sites, physical artifacts, activities, and intangible attributes of a group or society, of historical, cultural and educational value that are inherited from past generations.
Cultural Spaces & Facilities A physical space, building, or site that hosts cultural activity where people gather to experience arts or heritage-related activities.
Cultural Organizations Organizations that represent arts, heritage, and ethno-cultural interests in the community. These are usually non-profits.
Festivals & Events A period or program of activities, events, and/or entertainment celebrating and/or educating one or many social cultures.
First Nations Places, stories, events, customs, and traditions that represent the culture of local First Nations. *Listings follow appropriate sharing protocol and are uploaded in close consultation with the Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations
Intangibles & Stories Non-physical aspects of a particular culture, including traditions, customs, and practices, aesthetic and spiritual beliefs, lore, artistic expression, and language.
Public Art Original, one-of-a-kind work that creatively reflects the culture, heritage and/or natural environment of the site or surrounding area.
Public Institutions A public body that operates accessible facilities and services for the public good, including but not limited to schools and local authorities.
Service Organizations A voluntary non-profit organization where members meet regularly to perform charitable work either by direct hands-on efforts or by raising money for other organizations.
Towers, balloons, goats! North Vancouver Archives
Fun Things I’ve Already Discovered
On top of some of the artists and artisans I’ve already discovered, there are some great nuggets of history in the Intangibles and Stories Section.
Thanks to the North Vancouver Museum and Archives I discovered that Balloon Logging was a thing. Balloon logging on the steep, difficult-to-reach slopes of the Seymour Watershed had once been an experiment conducted in the 1960’s by the Balloon Transport Company. Convinced that a state-of-the-art, aerial load-lifting apparatus would revolutionize the lumber industry, Chester R. Matheson patented the idea in 1962 and introduced balloon logging to forest-rich British Columbia in 1963. It only lasted three days. Find out why »
In 1923, there were 400 pet goats in North Vancouver, and in 1910 there was a Japanese Tea Garden that featured a 33 metre-tall tower!
To access or upload a listing to the Culture Compass, visit the website and bookmark some of the new (and old) sites and venues you find so that you can visit in the future.
This morning Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the Canada- U.S. border will close to all non-essential travel due to the COVID-19 epidemic [source]. The 49th parallel is the longest undefended border in the world, and a friendly local park is our busiest crossing on its westernmost point. Here’s a bit of history about the Canadian American border at Peace Arch Park.
Canadian American Border at Peace Arch Park
1944 – Photographer Don Coltman. Archives# CVA 586-2822.
“The Arch was constructed to commemorate the centennial (1814-1914) of the signing of the Treaty of Ghent on December 24, 1814. The Treaty of Ghent ended the war of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain, a conflict that was waged in North America and involved Canadians, as well as Americans and British.” [source]
1921 Construction of the Peace Arch. Photo by Stuart Thomson. Archives #CVA 99-928
The building of the Peace Arch began in 1919 with land clearing. It was dedicated in 1921. Vancouver historian Chuck History wrote in his book:
1921 Archives #Arch P37.
“We can thank a former Victoria mayor and an American railroad man for the International Peace Arch that straddles the Canada-US border at the Douglas crossing. Alfred Todd had been mayor of Victoria from 1917 to 1920, and in that latter year he and his wife Ada went on a motoring trip down to Mexico. Roads were terrible, and Todd determined to work for better ones. Enter Sam Hill, a Seattle philanthropist who had also decided that what America needed was paved roads. He joined forces with Todd, who was now president of the Pacific Highway Association, to promote construction of a paved highway from Vancouver to Tijuana, Mexico. It was Todd who suggested that at the point where that highway crossed the Canada/US border a monument to peace should be erected, a celebration of the century of peace between the two countries.”
Crowd at the dedication on September 6, 1921. Archives #Arch P35.2.
1920-1930 Peace Arch with lights. Photo by Philip Timms. VPL Archives #66605 1941 USA side of the border, The Province Newspaper. VPL Archives #44543 1921 Dedication of the Peach Arch. Dominion Photo Co. VPL Archives #22131 1921 Canadian and American Boy Scouts at Peace Arch dedication. Archives # Arch P49
Fun Facts
The Arch’s design was donated by H.W. Corbett of London, England, an internationally known architect.
More than 3,000 sacks of concrete used in its construction were donated by R.P. Butchart of Victoria’s Butchart’s Gardens. [Source]
In 1920, in November, construction on the Peace Arch was stopped to allow time for the concrete to set. It would not resume until June, 1921. [source]
Inscription at the top of the monument include: “Children of a common mother” and “Brethren dwelling together in unity”. Through its arches there are gates on either side with the words: “May these gates never be closed”.
1944 – Photographer Don Coltman. Archives# CVA 586-2831.
On the day of its dedication, BC’s premier John Oliver attended, coming from Victoria in a boat and anchoring at Blaine with nearly 400 other people. Victoria’s 72nd Seaforth Highlanders band played the US national anthem and the Bellingham Elks band played God Save the King. [Source]
1944 – Photographer Don Coltman. Archives #CVA 586-2830.
Peace Arch Park straddles the 49th parallel and was officially dedicated as a Provincial Park in 1939, thanks to fundraising efforts by local school children which helped purchase the land. There are 9 hectares on the Canadian side with picnic facilities and gardens.
That highway that Todd and Hill wanted was opened as the Peace Arch Highway, and was renamed the King George VI Highway, Highway 99/Vancouver Blaine Highway and is King George Boulevard through Downtown Surrey.
Looking for more local history photos? Check out my series here »
It’s not the cheeriest of subjects but while we’re all social distancing during the COVID-19 epidemic, I put the call out on Twitter for blog topic suggestions, from history to community info. A Twitter follower @LisaCorcoran suggested I dedicate the post to outbreaks, so here we are:
1887 Typhoid. “There was a typhoid outbreak in Delta, due partly to river pollution caused by salmon canneries. There were about 16 canneries operating in the Lower Fraser.” This happened in Steveston in the 1890s as well, where there was typhoid amongst the fishermen living in crowded, unsanitary housing along the waterfront
1888 Smallpox. “Surrey Council paid for residents to be vaccinated against smallpox—the outbreak was contained, with only four deaths in Surrey.”
1918 Spanish Flu. The epidemic that killed more people during the First World War than the war itself hit Vancouver in October of 1918. “The first reaction was overconfidence, and even a bit of levity as the “grippe” seemed to be under control. The Province editorial cartoonist had early fun with weird ways to beat the bug. The levity soon stopped. Churches and theatres closed, late shopping was banned. By November 14 there were 400 dead in Vancouver alone. Not until the end of November was the worst over.”
1934 Scarlet Fever. “Acting Premier A. Wells Gray cut the ribbon on a 25-bed children’s hospital, opened in 1933 at 250 West 59th Avenue. The official opening ceremony had been delayed for months by a scarlet fever outbreak.”
1953 Polio. “The Kinsmen Mothers’ March began in response to a polio epidemic in 1953. It’s held every January.”
1944 The Rotary Clinic (TB) at 100 W Pender. The first city hospital. Archives #CVA 586-1961
Tuberculosis. There are many reference to T.B. in Vancouver. “In 1919,a new Rotary Clinic for Chest Diseases was officially opened to provide free medical care for children. This was an outpatient clinic for the treatment and prevention of tuberculosis.”
“In 1935, the Rotary Club joined with IODE (Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire) to begin the Vancouver Preventorium for kids exposed to TB. This was the forerunner of Sunny Hill Hospital.” Sunny Hill would become the BC Children’s Hospital.
“In 1973, Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside had one of the highest incidences of tuberculosis in the country, and its women had an extremely short life span compared with women in other communities.”
1932 – Hospital and Victory Square. Archives # CVA 99-4155.
Now we’ll add 2020 COVID-19 to the list. As of March 18th, 231 cases and 7 deaths. The Canadian/USA border is closed to all non-essential travel. All bars and nightclubs have been ordered closed. Restaurants are operating on a take-out and delivery model only. K-12 schools are closed for the foreseeable future. BC has declared a provincial emergency. Physical distancing is the rule. Stay home unless necessary so we can flatten the curve and ease pressure on our healthcare systems.
About My History Series
Over the last 15 years, no other person has had more of an influence on my Vancouver history series as Chuck Davis. We corresponded during my earlier days of blogging and he turned his online archive into a book, which is one of my most-read: The History of Metropolitan Vancouver. It’s available in all fine book stores and on Amazon, of course. Chuck passed away in 2010 but his legacy lives on.
There’s much more than the Log Driver’s Waltz but sure, you can start there! The National Film Board of Canada (“NFB“) has over 4,000 films available for free online, offering a vast selection of short and feature-length films, whether you’re looking for animation, documentary or fiction.
The Artisans, a documentary feature by Daniel Léger
The NFB is also taking part in the International Festival of Films on Art online film festival. Three NFB productions will be featured beginning Wednesday, March 18, until midnight on Sunday, March 29, 2020.
Earlier this month, a collective called Breaking Bread launched in order to be a central hub on the many ways that people can show support for the restaurant industry other than dining-in. With frequent online updates, they have a great database of delivery and take-out from independent Vancouver restaurants.
Delivery and Take-Out From Independent Vancouver Restaurants
March 18, 2020: Restaurants and bars in British Columbia are closing down as provincial health officials announced a ban on gatherings of more than 50 people due to the COVID-19 epidemic.
Some of these restaurants may or may not have done take-out or delivery before, so thanks to Breaking Bread for assembling this database:
6 Degrees Eatery AJ’s Brooklyn Pizza Ask for Luigi Bao Down Olympic Village Baroness Beetbox Bodega on Main Bombay Kitchen + Bar Burdock & Co. Butter Baked Goods Café Medina Cantina Pana Centro Ristorante CHOMP Darby’s Pub Di Beppe Dockside Restaurant Edible Canada Fable Diner Fanny Bay Oyster Bar & Shellfish Market Fiore Famiglia Fiore Famiglia Heritage Asian Eatery Heritage Asian Eatery Jamjar Canteen Jamjar on Granville
Jingle Bao Juke Fried Chicken Moderne Burger Mordimi Bite Of Italy Mumbai Local Restaurant Nuba Number E Food One Bowl Pacific Poke PiDGiN Pizza Carano Pourhouse Robba da Matti SMAK – Healthy Food Fast Sopra Sotto Sprezzatura The Cannibal Cafe The Chopped Leaf The Federal Store The Greek – By Anatoli The Greek Gastown Via Tevere Pizzeria
Other ways you can support the hospitality industry at this time include:
Subscribe to digital newsletters
Engage on social media
Share photos on social media
Purchase gift cards
Write a positive online review
Breaking Bread also has listings available for Langley, Maple Ridge, Richmond, Kelowna and the North Shore.
1932 – Hospital and Victory Square. Archives # CVA 99-4155.
