's History

By Carl Lemer

This is a picture of a traditional cedar plank house. Before Vancouver was founded, it was Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh territory. They were the types of houses that the Coast Salish peoples had before colonization. More than 10,000 people used to live in the Coast Salish communities. Currently, there are around 500 members of the Tsleil-Waututh community.

This is the HMS Discovery which was used by George Vancouver in 1792 when they landed in North America. They chartered several areas including Point Grey and the . This discovery led to many more explorers coming to the area and development in what is now downtown Vancouver.

This is SU-Á-PU-LUCK, also known as Joseph Capilano, who was the chief of the Squamish Nation. He was an activist for the indigenous communities and went to England to petition to the king against the taking of their land. Unfortunately, it did not have an effect, but it is regarded as a key moment in Canadian History.

The influx of settlers to Canada led to the building of the CPR, which ends in Vancouver. 6,500 workers came to work on the railway from China out of the 9,000 workers. In this photo, where the last spike of the railway was driven, none of these Chinese workers are shown, even though they did the most dangerous and difficult work.

This is a picture of the World's Fair in 1986 (Expo 86). Science world, , BC Place Stadium and the Expo line were built for the fair. The Expo line was the first fully automated transit system in the world. All these structures still stand today and are some of the most recognizable buildings in Vancouver.

This is Art Phillips, who was the mayor of Vancouver from 1973 to 1977. He is known for having a great impact in the city politics and stopping mega projects which would have destroyed and Chinatown, like the freeway through downtown. He also prioritized environmental initiatives, green space and citizen participation.

This is the which was the first part built of a plan to make a freeway through Gastown and Chinatown. Art Phillips stopped the development as soon as he was elected and prevented the demolition of many cultural and heritage sites.

In 2010, the winter Olympics came to Vancouver. They were held in Vancouver and Whistler. In Vancouver, and the UBC Thunderbird Sports Centre held , held and short track speed skating, held , the held long track speed skating, and Cypress Mountain held freestyle skiing and snowboarding.

The Lion's Gate Bridge was made to connect West Vancouver to downtown and was funded by the Guinness (beer) family. It was completed right on time for Queen Elizabeth and King George VI to visit and cross the bridge in 1938. In 1986, the famous lights were installed and it has become a recognizable a symbol of Vancouver.

The Museum of Vancouver is Vancouver's oldest museum and contains artifacts and exhibits about the history of Vancouver. Exhibits include the neon signs from Granville Street, Vancouver's Asian history and artifacts from c̓əsnaʔəm, the city in Vancouver before settlers arrived.

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