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The Chinatown Tunnel Myth February Speaker: John Atkin

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The Chinatown Tunnel Myth February Speaker: John Atkin Vancouver Historical Society NEWSLETTER ISSN 0042 - 2487 February 2012 Vol. 51 No. 5 The Chinatown Tunnel Myth February Speaker: John Atkin he secret world of underground secret tunnels have been used from the tunnels under Chinatown. Was it? Ac- Ttunnels has always been part of beginning of recorded time and have cording to them, this is the access to the human imagination made even changed history in the process. the world of smuggling people, booze, richer by the fact that many, if not drugs, contraband, opium dens, gam- most, have been real. The secret pas- Tunnels have also satisfied baser bling-houses and mysterious ware- sages in the pyramid of Cheops of needs. In the US, prohibition tunnels houses. It must be true as newspapers, Egypt are real. Once thought to be became synonymous with speakeasies, books and movies have confirmed only metaphorical, the very real Laby- brothels and gambling dens. The San their existence. So where are they? rinth of Knossos in Crete is assuredly Francisco secret tunnels had to be part of these In this presentation John Atkin looks nefarious at the origin of the tunnel myth, from goings-on. early San Francisco tour guides’ sto- After all, ries and weren’t the “eyewit- Shanghai ness” ac- tunnels of counts, to Portland the tunnels used to as a side spirit hap- show at- less drunks traction onto ships and in ear- against ly film. He their will. will look Or were at why the they? myth per- Author John Atkin sists even Everyone today. knows the Is Sam Kee Building on Pender Street an entrance to fact there We welcome back for the seventh time secret tunnels? was a tun- since 2004, VHS award of merit win- nel from ner and sought-after speaker, John At- the maze of rooms contained within the Davie Street Rogers’ mansion kin. Popular author of numerous books the palace. The Ninja well tunnels of to the one time brothel of Maximes and raconteur, John is a prolific pres- Japan were used to infiltrate and carry on Bidwell Street. It must be true ence in the on-going historical narra- out assassinations. Shoguns lost their as tour guides say so. According to tive of Vancouver so get there early to lives because of secret tunnels. From guidebooks, the Sam Kee building on guarantee a seat. Asia to the Middle East to Europe, Pender Street is the entrance to secret Bruce M. Watson Next Meeting: 7:30 pm, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012 at Museum of Vancouver Preznotes Luncheon Speaker Announced One of the enjoyments I derive from my interest This year’s Vancouver Historical Society Incorporation Day in history is not just in looking back at the strange- Luncheon will feature a film presentation by CBC archivist yet-familiar artefacts of bygone eras, but in reading Colin Preston. Although CBC television only went on the the present with an eye toward strange-yet-familiar air in late 1953, Colin has collected a great number of films possibilities of potential futures. I’ve been looking from earlier years. At the Luncheon, Colin will be showcasing at a lot of old photos recently, and fear one day five decades of film covering everything from Pier D to the there could be a dearth of historical visual images of PNE. Colin calls these films “Vancouver’s Visual Orphans.” personal lives. He’ll explain who shot them and how they came to be in the CBC archives. This year, the VHS Incorporation Day In past, visual images required a physical form Luncheon will be held on Sunday, April 15th, 2012 at 12 of media to be enjoyed. We took photos, on film, noon at the University Golf Club, 5185 University Boulevard. printing the images onto photographic paper. We The Luncheon is an annual event, commemorating the took 8 and 16mm film on home movie cameras incorporation of the City of Vancouver, which took place on enjoying them in living rooms on home projectors. April 6, 1886. The food and service are always great and the We documented our lives, leaving the results in Luncheon is a good opportunity for members and friends physical form. to meet with others who share their interest in history. Door prizes are always part of the event. Tickets for the Luncheon Now while every phone seems capable of creating will be $30.00 each and you will be able to buy them at the pictures and movies, and the production of images February and March monthly meetings, or by mail. Mail orders seems to have increased exponentially, these should be sent to Elizabeth Hawkins, 3626 West 1st Avenue, documents rarely take physical form. A crashed Vancouver, B.C., V6R 1H2. We’re looking forward to seeing hard drive could mean the loss of an entire lifetime you there! of images. And though popular online sites are Elizabeth Hawkins less likely to suffer catastrophic loss, images are still at risk, both in terms of storage and access. In addition, the transient nature of technology means Purdy’s Chocolates Plant Tour today’s cutting edge file format may be completely unreadable in a surprisingly short span! The Vancouver Historical Society will be visiting Purdy’s Chocolates Factory at 2777 Kingsway at 9:00 AM on Friday, In comparison, the photos pasted into a family March 23rd, 2012 for an exciting inside look at premium album remain safe and accessible. Their chocolates being made. Founded in 1907 by Richard Carmon preservation is limited only by physical threats that Purdy, who started selling chocolates from a cart on Robson can mostly be countered by common sense, such as Street in downtown Vancouver, the company is now the largest “do not leave photo albums near the humidity of a premium chocolate retailer in Western Canada and second- shower.” largest in Canada. The company has a long tradition of being a Canadian, family owned & operated business. The Society I’m certain the speaker at the Society’s annual is honoured to have Charles Flavelle (who purchased Purdy’s Incorporation Luncheon — Colin Preston from along with partner Eric Wilson in 1963, and whose daughter CBC Archives — has some thoughts on this. In fact, Karen is the current owner & CEO) lead the tour and share Colin will be bringing some movie film, which has the rich history of this Vancouver institution. This rare tour rarely been seen in public! Tickets for the luncheon will be approximately one hour long, with a time for Q&A will be available at the February meeting. afterwards. Please wear comfortable flat, closed-toe shoes. Purses and jewellery are not allowed in the plant, so please Scott Anderson, President keep this in mind. This tour is for VHS Members only, at no [email protected] cost. As space is limited to a maximum of 30 participants, please call or email the VHS Info-Line before 5:00pm on Monday, March 19, 2012, to reserve your spot. Scott Anderson Beatty Street Wall of Fame Upcoming Speakers & Events Writer, broadcaster, storyteller and former Vancouver Historical Society Director, the late Chuck Davis is The VHS invites everyone (including non-members) immortalized on a wall mural featuring several other notables. to attend our monthly talks. The talks are free and Painted in the summer of 2010, the mural on Beatty between are held at the Museum of Vancouver, 1100 Chestnut Georgia and Dunsmuir depicts a number of personalities who Street (close to Vanier Park) at 7:30 pm on the are in some way fourth Thursday of every month except June, July, connected with August, December). Vancouver’s past, present or future. Thursday, March 22, 2012 - 7:30pm Look for Joe Fortes, Publishing Chuck Davis’ History of Metropolitan David Suzuki, Red Vancouver Robinson, Captain Speaker: Howard White George Vancouver, As a publisher of books about B.C., Howard White of Harbour Publishing tells about the major effort to publish the late Chuck Davis’ History of Metropolitan Vancouver. The culmination of Chuck’s work was 80% finished when he passed away in November 2010. Vancouver historians and others volunteered to make sure Chuck’s book would be finished in time to celebrate the City of Vancouver’s 125th birthday. or Squamish Chief Joe Capilano Thursday, April 26, 2012 - 7:30pm among others. A Vancouver Romance: John and Ruth Lead artist Vince Morton Demoulin says he Speaker: Rev. Bruce A. Woods chose the people Most Vancouverites know the name John Morton after looking (1834-1912) as being one of the Three Greenhorns through Chuck’s who settled in 1862 on the claim now called History of Greater Vancouver’s West End. After the CPR acquired Vancouver website [www.vancouverhistory.ca]. The wall is much of their property, Morton moved to Mission. on the west side of Beatty across the street from the Beatty What most don’t know is the lifelong romance Street Drill Hall. The wall is the east boundary of what used between John and his wife Ruth, now memorialized to be the Larwill Park sporting grounds. Used for baseball, by the Ruth Morton Baptist Church, which author cricket and lacrosse, the park later became an intercity bus Bruce A. Woods calls Vancouver’s and John terminal before the terminal was moved to the old Canadian Morton’s Taj Mahal. National Railways train station. The park was named for Alfred Larwill, who lived on a corner of the lot and allowed Thursday, May 24, 2012 - 7:30pm teams to keep sporting equipment in his house and to use it as Vanishing Vancouver, 20th Anniversary Edition a change room.
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