On this day in 1833, James Murray Yale – namesake of Yale, BC and Yaletown in Vancouver – took command of the Hudson’s Bay Company at Fort Langley. He was 36 years old and had been with the company for half his life already. 1900s – Yale, BC. VPL Number: 41974. Photo credit: Edwards Brothers. […]

To celebrate BC’s first Family Day holiday, I turned up some old time family photos in the Vancouver Public Library‘s archives. Photographer Philip Timms, whose photos often grace the pages of this site, features his family in many of his photos making them a top hit in my archives searches. Having picnics, hanging out at […]

The Monopoly board game is retiring its iron player piece in exchange for a new token. Hasbro, makers of the game, hosted an online vote and a cat was the winner (well played, Internet). In honor of this move today’s archive photo collection from the Vancouver Public Library and the City of Vancouver Archives features […]

One of my prized possessions is an original 1876 Map of Westminster that depicts the Lower Mainland a decade before Vancouver even became a city. Unfortunately for me it’s on loan from my father but I enjoy inspecting it every now and then to follow the lines of rivers and creeks that have disappeared, boundaries […]

The Vancouver Heritage Foundation presents Gritty City: Vancouver in the 60s at the historic Hollywood Theatre later this month. This is a mini three-night film festival that will feature Vancouver’s earlier days of neon, West Coast architecture, and the evolution of the West End. The films will include: 1958 – Granville neon. VPL Number: 65548 […]