Prominent among those trying to overthrow the Manchu Dynasty was Dr. Sun Yat Sen, who visited Vancouver in 1897, 1910, and 1911. His supporters here included the Chinese Freemasons. From this building, acquired in 1907, they raised over $85,000 for his cause between 1910 and 1914.
Until 1921 B.C. drivers operated by the British “Rule of the Road” and kept to the left. The switch to the right came into effect at 6:00 a.m., January 1, 1922. Chaos was anticipated but only one minor accident was reported.
In 1947, four “bootblacks” were convicted under the Lord’s Day Act for operating on a Sunday. It was the first conviction of its kind in Canada and the employees of the bus terminal shoeshine stand were fined $5 each.
Jones Tent & Awning, dating from 1887, first made sails, then supplied Klondike gold rushers, and even outfitted allied troops. Charles Woodward opened his innovative department store in 1892. Selling English clothing for gentlemen, Edward Chapman began his business in 1890. All three enterprises are active today.
Part of the Canadian Pacific Railway Giant in 1884, this area was leased in 1911 for 49 years and developed as the Shaughnessy Heights Golf Course. Subdivision plans in 1960 aroused citizen groups, resulting in the preservation of 55 acres for open space.
Named by Captain Vancouver, Point Grey remained almost unsettled throughout the 19th Century. In 1908 its residents seceded from South Vancouver, forming a municipality to provide local services. In 1924 Point Grey passed Canada's first zoning bylaw, and joined in Vancouver's amalgamation in 1929.
In 1892 isolated residents south of Vancouver incorporated a municipality. A conservative borrowing policy combined with a radical land tax policy led to the splitting off of Point Grey In 1908 – a rupture not healed until amalgamation with Vancouver in 1929.
Fear of a Japanese attack during World War II provoked a demand for the removal of all residents of Japanese origin from the coast. In 1942 evacuation was ordered and ultimately over 8 ,000 people passed through the Livestock building before being moved east.
When Peter Pantages in Vancouver in 1917 he started the practice of taking a daily ocean swim. In 1920 he founded the Polar Bear Club and inaugurated its now famous New Year's Day swim at English Bay. He served as president until his final dip in 1971.
Vancouver's “Mr. Baseball”, Bob Brown, opened his ballpark in April 1913 and introduced Canada's first night ballgames in 1930. His Vancouver Athletic Club gymnasium (built below the grandstand) became the centre of senior basketball until destroyed by fire in 1940. The park continued in use until 1951.
Vancouver Shipyards, established in 1898 by Captain Watts, was the first of many shipbuilding industries located on this waterfront. The Hoffar Brothers, building boats and seaplanes, merged with W.E. Boeing, forming Boeing Aircraft of Canada in 1929. Shipbuilding declined after World War II and Menchions became the last shipyard.
This enormous burnt-out tree trunk became one of the most popular destinations for photographers and sightseers when Stanley Park Drive opened in 1888.
