When strolling around the Seawall in downtown Vancouver, Stanley Park or along False Creek, you are bound to see seagulls or herons, perhaps a harbour seal, and most likely a fantastic west coast sunset. Another staple sight on the waterfront is balanced rocks. Stacked high, sometimes with sticks incorporated between layers of stones, these sculptures […]

There will soon a be new sculpture in Stanley Park as the Park Board has accepted a statue donated by the Portuguese Joe Memorial Society. The piece, featuring pioneer Joe Silvey (“Portuguese Joe”), will celebrate the ancestral connection of Coast Salish and Portuguese communities in Vancouver. Source: Park Board Proposal From the proposal to the […]

I have always loved going through my grandparents’ old photo albums showing their houses, streets, and activities that took place when Vancouver was still being shaped into what it has become today. One of my most cherished photos of my Opa (grandfather) is one that was taken by legendary street photographer Foncie Pulice on Granville […]

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. […]

I was recently contributing photos to Tourism Surrey’s Flickr Group and selected several of the images I took while on a photowalk in Whalley with my sister and my nephews. The boys were in Little League and so we had walked around the ballparks and then over to the recreation centre. Captured in many of […]

Vancouver’s known for its H-shaped telephone pole alleyways which have been featured in film and television series for decades. Some have names given to them by historians or businesses but others, like Ackery Alley between Granville and Seymour, were named in tribute. Ivan Ackery with framed caricature and letters at desk. VPL Accession Number: 59306 […]

It was on this day in 1939 that Vancouver’s first aquarium opened, headed up by Dr. Leonard Klinck who was the President of UBC. According to Chuck Davis’ Vancouver History, it was “a tiny thing, dimly lighted” at the old English Bay Bathhouse and its main attraction was Oscar the Octopus. The aquarium’s first manager […]

Kitsilano Beach is formerly known as Greer Beach, named after settler Sam Greer. Samuel Greer (aka “Gritty”) was born in Ireland in 1843 and moved to the States where he fought in the Civil War. After returning to Ireland, the Gold Rush brought him to BC where he was successful with a few claims. 1904 […]

It has been 84 years since Percy Williams of East Vancouver won two gold medals in track and field at the Amsterdam Olympics — a feat that has never been repeated by a Canadian. 1928 – Archives item# CVA 99-3631 & CVA 99-3638. Photographer: Stuart Thomson. As part of the King Edward High School track […]

Charlie’s Tree in Surrey, BC along Highway 1