From the City of Vancouver Archives: Christmas Shoppers on Granville in 1973. © City of Vancouver. Photographer: William Edgar Knowles Middleton.

Secret Vancouver: Unlocking the Past is a series of short documentaries that gives us a look into lesser known histories in Vancouver, and talks to the people who know them best. Directed by Mia Jagal, this TELUS Original series lets us into the Vancouver Archives and the creation of our history as a city. Secret […]

A new year has been rung in and while we look ahead to what 2017 might bring, here’s a glimpse at the past to see what our city was like back in 1917. Vancouver in 1917 Thanks to the late, great Chuck Davis for his History of Metropolitan Vancouver that was used as a reference. […]

Stretching from BC Place to Stanley Park, Robson Street has been one of the city’s most popular thoroughfares, and shopping destinations, for the last century. Thanks to the City of Vancouver Archives, we can take a peek at what this bustling retail corridor looked like decades ago. Shopping on Robson Street in the 1970s Archives# […]

The first public garden in Vancouver was once buried and forgotten, until the storm that decimated the park in 2006 unearthed its history. It’s the Stanley Park Rock Garden was laid out in 1911, the same year that the quarry that would become Queen Elizabeth Park was closed. The First Public Garden in Vancouver The […]

Frisbees, footballs, bikini-clad bodies, blankets, and bicycles parked along the Sea Wall are scenes of summer at Vancouver’s beaches. From Third to Locarno, English Bay to Spanish Banks, the seaside landscape has changed almost as much as the summer fashion trends. Thanks to the City of Vancouver Archives, and my niece who curated this collection, […]

Bowen Island: The Happy Isle. Postcards and advertisements painted a picture of a stunning island getaway just a quick boat ride from Vancouver, where the waters were emerald green and the cottage life was bustling. Picnics, socials, dances, company retreats, hikes, swims, dives — it was the original summer getaway from Vancouver. I had my […]

On the western coast of the country, Vancouver, which is 19 years younger than Canada itself, has always known how to celebrate our nation’s birthday in style. Known as Dominion Day until 1982, Canada Day has traditionally been a time for family fun, parades, picnics, and afternoons at the beach. Not much has changed — […]

June has historically been a pretty big month for the city, hence the proclamation of “Vancouver Day” (June 13th) in 1925. June 13, 1792: Captain George Vancouver explored Burrard Inlet June 13, 1859: A seam of coal was discovered at Coal Harbour June 13, 1886: The Great Fire — the entire city burned to the […]

Heritage Vancouver has released this year’s Top 10 Watch List, their 16th annual list that accompanied a bus tour this past weekend. This year they are seeing particular threats to neighbourhoods’ character, culture and history. They range from a loss of individual architecturally significant homes to single-family neighbourhoods, to the potential loss of entire communities […]