Sproat Lake is named for Gilbert Malcolm Sproat, scholar, author, anthropologist, businessman, and avid British Columbian from his arrival in 1860. He co-founded Port Alberni's first sawmill in 1861, was British Columbia's first agent-general in . . . — — Map (db m188030) HM
Harvesting of the forest has long been an important aspect of life on the Pacific Coast. The native people were the first to utilize this valuable resource in the construction of dwellings, canoes, and implements. In the nineteenth century, spars . . . — — Map (db m9192) HM
The mound in the centre of the quarry was of an inferior grade of limestone and therefore not quarried. Left intact, it provided a natural viewpoint amid the developing garden beds. Jennie Butchart planted a pair of arbor vitae (trees of . . . — — Map (db m74451) HM
This smaller quarry was a source of limestone in the 1860s. It was here that Ian Ross, grandson of Mr. and Mrs. Butchart, devised his spectacular fountain with the assistance of his plumber, Adrian Butler and his electrician, Vic Dawson. The Ross . . . — — Map (db m74441) HM
Directly behind the Ross Fountain lies Tod Inlet and the site of the Vancouver Portland Cement Company established in 1904. Adjacent to the plant at Tod Inlet was a village that housed the employees. — — Map (db m74444) HM
The factory buildings have been demolished and the land is now designated as provincial parkland. The one remaining chimney is within The Butchart Gardens and stands as a beacon to the cement industry it once served. — — Map (db m74447) HM
Limestone was also quarried up the hill from the Sunken Garden. It was transported in ore buckets suspended on cables high above ground from some half a mile away. — — Map (db m74432) HM
The barren rock face of the quarry presented Jennie Butchart with a challenge. She hung in a bosun's chair to plant ivy in the crevices in the rock walls. — — Map (db m74437) HM
The Limestone deposit was exhausted in 1908 and the quarry abandoned. Mrs. Butchart conceived the idea of transforming the barren pit into a garden and thus the Sunken Garden came into being. In 1910 she planted Lombardy poplar trees in an attempt . . . — — Map (db m74428) HM
The deepest part of the quarry floor was sealed, lined and allowed to fill with water from a natural spring forming a lake 40 ft deep in places. Mr. Butchart stocked the pool with trout which would rise to the surface to be fed when he clapped his . . . — — Map (db m74438) HM
Fans of all ages have enjoyed the thrill of auto racing here since 1954, when A.J. Cottyn opened the speedway as a half-mile dirt track. In 1982 local businessman Frank Wille took ownership securing its status as the longest operating speedway in . . . — — Map (db m187883) HM
Before town planning and notions of the picturesque, waterfronts were convenient for industrial development. As a transportation hub, Sidney's waterfront boasted a sawmill, a cannery, boatworks and roofing plant, besides rail and ship . . . — — Map (db m75465) HM
This building was constructed in about 1900 to served as a canteen where the off-duty soldier could make purchases from a limited stock, drink beer and relax.
The building was used as a canteen during summer training periods at Fort Rodd . . . — — Map (db m98860) HM
[English] This hotel was built between 1904 and 1908, and has since been enlarged twice. The architect, Francis M. Rattenbury, followed the practice of the Canadian Pacific Railway in employing the Chateau style, identifiable by the steep slate . . . — — Map (db m49238) HM
Simon Leiser & Co., Wholesale Grocers, was the largest business of it kind in British Columbia when this warehouse was built. The building featured a central electric elevator with tracks radiating from the elevator on each floor for ease of . . . — — Map (db m49101) HM
This is one of the earlier brick warehouse in the area, replacing previous wooden construction.
Sidney Pitts, like other businessmen on Yates Street, operated a wholesale grocery, provision and produce business.
Stuccoed for may years, the . . . — — Map (db m49102) HM
This two-story brick building in the Italianate style was one of several shop/warehouses in Victoria’s warehouse district. Originally occupied by W.J. Jeffree, pioneer clothier, the building later housed F.R. Stewart & Co. Provisioners.
The . . . — — Map (db m49124) HM
[English] Begbie practised [sic] law in England for fourteen years before his appointment in 1858 as the first judge of the mainland Colony of British Columbia. During the gold rush, he won the respect of lawless miners of the Fraser River and . . . — — Map (db m49082) HM
When the building opened, it was the second largest in Victoria with a total area 5,230 square feet. The original drawings came from London, England.
Using brick on a stone foundation, Mr. Williams combined cast iron columns, lintels, and sills . . . — — Map (db m48522) HM
You are standing in Bastion Square. The Hudson’s Bay Company, whose legacy continues at the store on Government Street, established Fort Victoria here in 1843.
Acting on behalf of the British Columbia Government, the company sold the surrounding . . . — — Map (db m49227) HM
This building first housed Moore’s Music Hall (Victoria’s earliest existing theatre) upstairs, above Nathanial Moore’s dry goods store.
In 1885, a new facade was constructed to match the new building next door, with identical cast iron . . . — — Map (db m49125) HM
William McKeon operated the Oriental Saloon on this site, at the corner of Oriental Alley, prior to 1883. That year, he commissioned architect John Teague to build the Oriental Hotel on the lot next door. Teague doubled the size of the hotel in . . . — — Map (db m49103) HM
You are standing in Bastion Square. The Hudson’s Bay Company, whose legacy continues at the store on Government Street, established Fort Victoria here in 1843. — — Map (db m49080) HM
Thomas Earle was a local wholesale grocer and provision merchant whose business dated back to 1869.
This building, constructed for $10,000 and designed by architect Thomas Hopper, features a large brick arch and two finials flanking a central . . . — — Map (db m49099) HM
Built by B.C. pioneer Alfred Waddington, this alley was intended to maximize access to, and use of, three privately-owned lots during the Fraser River gold rush of 1858.
Initially, “a number of cheap shops” were erected which, by 1863, . . . — — Map (db m49100) HM
The Windsor Hotel was originally called the Victoria Hotel when it opened in 1858, and boasted the city’s first brick building. It still stands across the street from here, with bricks now covered in stucco, at the corner of Government and Courtney. . . . — — Map (db m48717) HM
ca. 1860
[Photo caption reads] A detail of the View of Victoria, 1860.
Major Bay is largely undeveloped.
BC Archives POP01538
1878
[Photo caption reads] Bird's-Eye View of Victoria, Vancouver Island, B.C. 1878, detail.
Drawn . . . — — Map (db m74383) HM
British Columbia was formed from four British Colonies and territories:
The Crown Colony of Vancouver Island 1845
The Dependency of the Queen Charlotte Islands 1852
The Crown Colony of British Columbia 1856
The Stickeen . . . — — Map (db m49074) HM
Built for coal magnate Robert Dunsmuir, Craigdarroch symbolized the desire of late 19th-century industrialists to assert their social position through conspicuous displays of wealth. Completed in 1890, the eclectic mansion features . . . — — Map (db m72876) HM
Born into a family of Ayrshire coalmasters, Robert Dunsmuir achieved renown as a leading Canadian businessman. He developed the Wellington Mine near Nanaimo, which soon made him one of the richest men in Canada and, through his labour practices, one . . . — — Map (db m72880) HM
An original homestead representing the Hudson's Bay Company's efforts to farm and thereby stimulate settlement in the region through their subsidiary, the Puget's Sound Agricultural Company. Begun by the company and completed by the farm's first . . . — — Map (db m187873) HM
In the 1860s, the fabulous Cariboo goldfields were a lure to thousands. Miners, traders, and adventurers, many afoot, some with wheelbarrows, shared the pioneer route with mule trains, plodding oxen, freight wagons, and swaying stage-coaches. . . . — — Map (db m8857) HM
English:
A search for the source of placer gold found on lower parts of the Fraser River led to discoveries of lode mines in the Cariboo, of which Williams Creek, is said to have yielded $19,000,000. As a centre of population in the . . . — — Map (db m42712) HM
This overshot water wheel is 16 feet in diameter. It is modeled after wheels and pumps used in the tin mines of Cornwall. The early miners found that the pay gravel often lay 40 to 100 feet under the surface. The wheels were used to pump the water . . . — — Map (db m42710) HM
Norman Lee left his ranch in this valley in 1898 with 200 head on a 1500-mile "beef" drive to the Klondyke gold camps. Five months later, winter forced him to butcher the herd. He loaded the meat on scows, which were lost on Teslin Lake, 500 miles . . . — — Map (db m187944) HM
For over half a century the Boyd family operated this haven for man and beast. Here weary travellers found lodging, food, and drink. Here fresh horses were hitched to stage-coaches and miners bought supplies.
This historic road-house, built in 1864 . . . — — Map (db m42766) HM
When hydro-electric power was first delivered from No. 1 plant to Rossland's mines in 1898, the 32-mile transmission lines were the longest on the continent. Utilizing the 360-foot drop from Kootenay Lake to the Columbia River, additional . . . — — Map (db m187946) HM
Sawmill pilings and a burner are the only reminders of the former Patrick Lumber Co., established in 1907. By 1911, the Patricks sold the mill to the British Canadian Lumber Corporation. Joseph and sons Frank and Lester risked the proceeds to . . . — — Map (db m187882) HM
The 1902 opening of Nelson's new Dominion of Canada offices for postal, customs and inland revenue at 502 Vernon street was a huge step up from the tent that first housed Nelson's postal service. The building, constructed of Spokane brick and local . . . — — Map (db m197112) HM
The orebody, known to Indians as
a source of lead for musket balls,
was staked in 1882 by Bob Sproule,
later restaked by Tom Hamill. The
resulting lawsuit cost Sproule
the property, and in revenge he
murdered his rival; was convicted
and . . . — — Map (db m187919) HM
In the the early 1860s placer gold drew prospectors from all parts of the West to the Salmo River valley, and the Dewdney Trail from the west coast soon opened the region to increased travel. Development increased dramatically in 1893, when Daniel . . . — — Map (db m187931) HM
Silver was the key that opened the Slocan. Discovery in 1891 of the rich outcrops of the "Slocan Star" and "Payne" touched off the wildest lode excitement in our history. The silver-lead ore was easily and cheaply mined, speeding development, and . . . — — Map (db m187952) HM
[English] Take a look across the river. A century ago, an elegant hotel dominated this view. Now just a memory, Mount Stephen House was the first in a series of “Grand Hotels” built by the Canadian Pacific Railway. The CPR . . . — — Map (db m203580) HM
[English] It was not my intention to have passed any great time at Field, yet I was detained there by the force of its attraction… the views from Field are fine and the excursions that can be made in the neighbourhood are . . . — — Map (db m203582) HM
The first Sikhs arrived in Golden in 1902 to work in the mill of the Columbia River Lumber Company. Their Gurdwara (temple), one of the earliest in BC, became a focus of cultural identity and religious ceremony for the Sikh community.
Their . . . — — Map (db m188006) HM
Naming the Kicking Horse In the mid-1850s, an expedition was sent out by the Imperial Government to locate a feasible route west through the Canadian Rockies that would give good access to settlers in search of rich farming soil and . . . — — Map (db m203579) HM
A ninety room hotel complete with bowling alley and observation tower once stood in this quiet clearing!Operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway from 1887 to 1925, it was used as a base by mountaineers, adventurers and sightseers from all over the . . . — — Map (db m108665) HM
Cumberland was a coal mining centre from 1888 until the 1960's.
Union Bay was the coal port that shipped Cumberland's coal to the rest of the world. At least 260 people, most of them recent immigrants from China, Japan, Britain & Europe, died in . . . — — Map (db m187940) HM
An “instant” town of the past. In 1898 James Dunsmuir, the coal baron, moved buildings by rail from Wellington to establish this coal shipping port. Nearby copper mines added a smelter in 1902, but only pilings mark that site. Railroad logging aided . . . — — Map (db m187985) HM
Gold miners poured into this area in the 1860’s crossing the Kootenay River at the foot of this street. The settlement that grew up here was first called Galbraith’s Ferry.
In 1887 the N.W.M.P. established a post here when friction developed . . . — — Map (db m100115) HM
In 1893 a Kootenay Indian, Pierre,
found a rich galena outcrop in
the hills nearby. Father Coccola
of St. Eugene Mission arranged
sale of the claims, and with the
proceeds built a new home for
Pierre and a new mission church.
Development of . . . — — Map (db m187928) HM
Gone but still remembered — no formal boundaries
divided the communities of Natal, Michel and Middletown —
“home” to thousands of coal miners for generations. Workers
came from many parts of Europe and North America to toil
in these mines. . . . — — Map (db m187935) HM
[English] Born in the Scottish Highlands, Simpson joined the Hudson's Bay Company in 1820. In 1821 he became governor of the Northern Department, and in 1826 governor-in-chief in Rupert's Land. An energetic administrator with a . . . — — Map (db m201674) HM
Timber in abundance, woodsmen ready to work, a river to float logs, and a railway to transport products: ingredients critical to the emergence of early twentieth century mills in the Kootenay River basin. The Crows Nest Pass Lumber Company at . . . — — Map (db m187939) HM
With the first wave of impetuous gold seekers in 1858, the Chinese came to B.C. Following the roving white miners, these industrious and patient people gleaned the gold that others failed to mine. With baskets and hand tools they helped to build the . . . — — Map (db m187906) HM
[English] This pass was used for brief periods from the mid-1820s to the early 1850s by the Hudson's Bay Company, principally to transport leather, especially moosehides, from the Saskatchewan District to its posts in New Caledonia. . . . — — Map (db m202600) HM
Simon Fraser's men cut the first spruce logs near the junction of the Nechako and Fraser Rivers in 1807 to construct Fort George. Starting near the original fort a century later, Prince George became in the 1940's the centre of the white spruce . . . — — Map (db m187962) HM
This small scale but well-executed example of Beaux-Arts classicism was designed by Thomas Hooper (the architect of Shaughnessy's Hycroft Mansion) and Elwood Watkins. Built in 1907 for Thomas Talton Langlois' BC Permanent Loan Company, after 1935 it . . . — — Map (db m54523) HM
This unusual building is one of the few surviving Art Deco buildings in downtown Vancouver. Its roofline an exuberant crenelated cornice built in cast concrete and designed in a curvilinear waterfall theme. Downing is best known as the architect of . . . — — Map (db m41926) HM
Thomas Flack commissioned this landmark commercial building in 1898, following his return from a prosperous venture to the Klondike gold fields. Completed in 1900, it framed one of the city's most prominent intersections, facing the first provincial . . . — — Map (db m53619) HM
This rare example of an art deco exterior employing colourful terra cotta with Egyptian overtones was designed by the architects of Vancouver's city hall as part of a 1929 building renovation. The interior structure dates from built in 1888 for . . . — — Map (db m42010) HM
Built in 1929 for the brokerage firm S.W. Randall Company, this commercial building is a good example of the design of the city's downtown office development at the time of the Great Depression. The brick cladding is enriched by the terra cotta . . . — — Map (db m54834) HM
Of the turn-of-the century hotels built in the downtown area before World War I, this is the last one that has survived as a hotel. Noted architect W.T. Whiteway designed it in 1913. He was the architect of the Sun Tower, the original 1903 Woodard's . . . — — Map (db m41988) HM
Although prospectors like "Jolly Jack” Thorton worked this area during the 1860s, Boundary Falls was not settled until the 1890s, when a new breed of miners flooded the district. Surrounded by mining properties, the Boundary Falls Smelter (also . . . — — Map (db m187917) HM
In 1900, the CPR's Columbia & Western Railway penetrated the formidable mountains between Nelson and Midway, connecting the Boundary district to East Kootenay coalfields and beyond. Eholt, at the summit between Grand Forks and Greenwood, became the . . . — — Map (db m187908) HM
During the prosperous years of the late 1890s, this street was one of the busiest thoroughfares in the province. Little wonder, for in those years copper was king, and Greenwood — incorporated as a city in 1897 — was the capital of the copper-rich . . . — — Map (db m187914) HM
In this wilderness of rugged mountains, ore was first found in the late 1880's. Further prospects led to the building of a large smelter by the B.C. Copper Co. From 1901, copper, gold and silver poured from its furnaces. Fed by the great Motherlode . . . — — Map (db m187998) HM
Proximity to Boundary Creek mines, and excellent climate, water and soil convinced Midway promoters of a bright future as a "railway and residential town.” The Columbia & Western Railway reached Midway in 1900; five years later, the Vancouver, . . . — — Map (db m187938) HM
You have entered the crater of an ancient volcano rich in minerals. The waste dumps are the remains of famous Rossland mines staked in 1890 by prospectors passing on the near-by Dewdney Trail. From these fabulously rich workings came 6,000,000 tons . . . — — Map (db m187953) HM
This site, on the world's greatest salmon river, lured many pioneer canners in the late 1860's and early 1870's. Pre-eminent was Alexander Ewen, a founder and first president of B.C. Packers, who established a cannery here in 1871. The new salmon . . . — — Map (db m187923) HM
Arriving in British Columbia from the United States in 1859, Scottish-born Capt. William Irving pioneered the riverboat trade of the lower Fraser River. In 1862-64, Royal Engineers built his fine home of California redwood in the popular San . . . — — Map (db m187992) HM
William Harold Malkin, a wholesale grocer and general merchant, built three warehouses on Water Street within eight years. This massive brick and timber warehouse, his third, was constructed to meet the growing demand. The W.H. Malkin Co. prospered . . . — — Map (db m236408) HM
You are standing on thousands of years of history. The clearing around Lumbermen's Arch has been the perfect gathering spot for generations.
Place of the Mask
The local Coast Salish named this site Xwdyxway (pronounced whoi . . . — — Map (db m236022) HM
This hotel dates back to 1887, part of the rapid development of the city prior to and upon arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway. The original hotel here, known as Tremont House, was a wood frame building with a second floor balcony spanning the . . . — — Map (db m236472) HM
BC & Yukon Chamber of Mines
Architect: John C. Day
This was built in 1926 as the corporate offices for the Royal Financial Trust Co., in Classical and Gothic ornamentation with terra cotta cladding. By 1931 the company was . . . — — Map (db m236785) HM
Built to service the trading forts of the Hudson's Bay Company, the BEAVER regularly steamed the H.B.C.s territory between Puget Sound and Russian Alaska for 24 years. In 1862, the BEAVER was chartered to the Royal Navy and, after a refit, began a . . . — — Map (db m236206) HM
The Byrnes Block was built after the fire of 1886 by George Byrnes. It stands on the site of the Deighton House, Gassy Jack Deighton’s second saloon and hotel.
The buildings housed the Alhambra Hotel, one of the city's fancier hotels at the . . . — — Map (db m236463) HM
Canada Pacific Railway Station
Architects: Barott, Blackader & Webster
As the terminus for the Canadian Pacific Railway, this site has been an important landmark since the completion of the railway in 1886. This Neo-Classical . . . — — Map (db m236312) HM
Ceperley Rounsefell Building
Architects: Sharp and Thompson
Built in 1921, this was the headquarters of one of the province's largest insurance and real estate firms with roots going back to the city's incorporation. Henry . . . — — Map (db m236783) HM
Cordage Building
Architect: Hugh Braunton
This residential hotel built in 1911 replaced an older section of the Granville Hotel which had connected to what is now the Grand Hotel to the west. Its elegant Edwardian and Classical . . . — — Map (db m236411) HM
Originally built to access the North Shore, the Lions Gate Bridge is now one of the city's busiest thoroughfares with over 60,000 vehicles driving across each day.
Tension over the Suspension
In 1927, Vancouverites voted against building a . . . — — Map (db m198590) HM
Once a thriving logging town, the downtown of Vancouver's skyline is now dominated by
residential and retail developments, corporate headquarters, hotels and the distinctive
"sails" of the convention and cruise ship centre. The City of Vancouver . . . — — Map (db m236126) HM
On this site the Regina Hotel, the only building in Gastown to survive the fire of 1886. A small group of men trapped in the building fought to save their lives and managed to save the building as well. The Regina was demolished in 1906 and replaced . . . — — Map (db m236401) HM
In 1888, the Bank of British Columbia and the Bank of Montreal became the first of many financial institutions to open their offices on Hastings Street west of Cambie. By 1912, Hastings was firmly established as the city's financial district with . . . — — Map (db m236313) HM
This grassy area, now Devonian Harbour Park, represents lavers of historic use from early settlement to industrial waterfront.
Coal Harbour
In 1859 Captain George Henry Richards from the British Royal Navy named this bay Coal Harbour, . . . — — Map (db m235893) HM
This clock is located at the western boundary of the old Granville townsite, known as Gastown. In 1870, the shore of Burrard Inlet was only a few yards north of this point. Through the early 1900's, Gastown was the commercial centre of Vancouver. . . . — — Map (db m236389) HM
Greenshields Building
Builder: J.J. McLuckie
This former Warehouse was constructed in 1901-02 as two separate buildings designed to appear as one. Greenshields, Son & Company was a prominent Montreal-based dry goods firm which . . . — — Map (db m236396) HM
This distinguished hovel designed in the Georgian Revival style was opened in 1927 by Edward Prince of Vale, who later became King Edward VII. Though the 1920s prominent buildings such as this were quickly replacing the area's early houses and . . . — — Map (db m236323) HM
Architects: John S. Archibald & John Schofield
In 1887, the first Hotel Vancouver opened at Georgia and Granville Streets. It was replaced in 1916 by more lavish building at the same location. In 1928, construction began on the third and . . . — — Map (db m236318) HM
This was one of the first parking garages in Vancouver, opened in 1930. It was operated by Nagle Bros. until 1937, an early service facility for tracks that moved goods from Gastown warehouses. In the late 1940s it became the Water Street Garage. . . . — — Map (db m236412) HM
Orpheum Theatre
Architects: B. Marcus Priteca & Frederick J. Peters
The Orpheum, built and financed by local entrepreneur Joseph F. Langer, was part of the Chicago-based Orpheum Circuit theaters. It opened in 1927 as the largest . . . — — Map (db m236733) HM
The Robinson Block was built in 1889 Zebulon Franks, a Jewish immigrant from Russia who arrived in 1887, relocated his general supply store here from Carrall Street in the early 1890s. It catered to resource industry workers - loggers, fishers, . . . — — Map (db m236403) HM
Taylor Building
Architects: Grant & Henderson
Walter Taylor and Edward Clarence Taylor commissioned this commercial building in 1911. Walter Taylor was the founder and managing director of the Empress Manufacturing Company, . . . — — Map (db m236398) HM
The world's first steam powered clock has been created for the enjoyment of everyone. The live steam winds the weights and blows the whistles. Every 4.5 minutes one steel weight will travel by steam power to the top of the clock. The gravity driven . . . — — Map (db m236391) HM
The Grand Motel was built in 1889. It was known as the Granville Motel until its expansion in 1904. Designed by Noble Stonestrott Hoffar, one of Vancouver's earliest architects, it is a fine example of the Victorian Italianate style, and one of . . . — — Map (db m236409) HM
Originally built as The Sunnyside Hotel in 1874, the property was devastated by the Great Vancouver Fire in 1886. It was rebuilt and operated as The Alexandra Hotel for several years. As of 1912, the building was home to Swift Canadian Company, a . . . — — Map (db m236457) HM
This sundial commemorates three English Greenhorns Samuel Brighouse, John Morton, and William Hailstone who in 1862 filed the first claim and planned the first home and industry in the heavily wooded area now bounded by Burrard Inlet, Stanley Park, . . . — — Map (db m236361) HM
By 1865, fortunes were made in BC, thanks to world demand for the plush pelt of the northern seal.
Sealing dominated the city of Victoria's economy for nearly 50 years. At its height, 122 schooners employed over 3,000 hunters, the majority . . . — — Map (db m236307) HM
You can thank Vancouver's early shipping activities for this viewpoint -originally the site of a signal station that guided ships through First Narrows.
Towering Beacon of Safety
A two-storey signal station once sat atop . . . — — Map (db m236128) HM
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