Vancouver’s history in a nutshell Vancouver’s history in a nutshell Early human presence Early human presence dates back at least 12.000 years ago, when people from Asia crossed the –then frozen- Bering Strait and spread over the North American continent. The native people of western Canada used the rivers to travel by dugout canoes. As the rivers also carried an important food source –salmon-, plankhouse settlements used to be located along the riverbanks. First white explorers Although human presence dates back thousands of years ago, the first European explorers landed in western Canada late 18th century. In 1792, George Vancouver sails down present day Burrard Inlet (which is named after a good friend of him). His mission was, in service of the British Crown, to map the west coast. In 1808, Simon Fraser is the first white man who reached the area over land. The Rocky Mountains were a huge challenging barrier and prevented early contact. Trade By establishing the first Hudson Bay Company trading post in 1827, trade started in the area. Fur and salmon were the most valuable trade products. In return, native people received modern products like pots and pans, sugar, alcohol, blankets, tobacco, and guns. Gastown The land was covered with immense trees. It’s 1867 when Edward Stamps builds a mill on the south shore of Burrard inlet. Thirsty workers built (in return for a barrel of whiskey) a pub under the authority of (Gassy) Jack Deighton. The owner Jack was a very talkative – gassy- bartender. The settlement around the pub and mill is named ‘Gastown’. Fifteen years later the name changes to Vancouver. After all, which city likes to be called after a gassy bartender? present day Gastown by Josette Prinsen as Tour guide Canada © Page 1 Vancouver’s history in a nutshell The promise of the railway Also in 1867, the British North American Act is established. And with it, the birth of Canada is a fact. British Columbia joined the confederation in 1871 upon the promise that a railroad would be built to connect west to east. From 1881 until 1885 the Canadian Pacific Railway is built between eastern Canada and British Columbia. Many thousands of European immigrants and Chinese men worked on the railway. The Chinese carried out the most dangerous construction jobs. Many never returned home, they died during labour or didn’t have enough money to pay for the return journey. Descendants of these labourers still live in present day Chinatown, North America’s third biggest - after New York and San Francisco. The first train entered Vancouver in 1887. As the end terminus of the Canadian Pacific Railway, Vancouver had endless opportunities for development. With the arrival of the railway, Vancouver became connected with rest of the world. From a small town to a metropolis An overview of Vancouver’s rapid growth and important events over the years. 1890: 13,000 residents 1900: 26,000 residents and the number of inhabitants increase explosively 1911: 120,000 residents, the period of unlimited expansion continues 1929: the Wall Street Crash ends the time of prosperity. Vancouver suffers just as much as the rest of the world. This dark episode will last until the mid 60’s. From the mid ‘60’s a rejuvenation of downtown Vancouver takes place. The renovation of Gastown, the development of the pedestrian zone of Granville street, Robson Square and BC Place (1983) take shape. 1986: Celebrating its centennial, Vancouver hosts the Expo’86. Over 22 million people visit the World Exposition on Transportation and Communication. The Sky Train, BC Place Stadium, Canada Place, and Science World are some of the lasting contributions to the city. 2007: 588,000 inhabitants Science World – built for the Expo’86 by Josette Prinsen as Tour guide Canada © Page 2 Vancouver’s history in a nutshell 2010: Vancouver is host to the Olympic Winter Games According to the latest census in 2011: 603,502 people call Vancouver home. With a population density of 5,249 persons per square km, Vancouver is the biggest city of BC. In the greater Vancouver area/ the metropolitan area live 2,313,328 people, with a population density of 802.5 persons per km2 The province of British Columbia houses 4,400,000 inhabitants, with a the population density of 4.8 persons per km2 Vancouver’s present day flavour Modern day Vancouver’s most striking characteristics are the gorgeous setting between the Coastal Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, hotchpotch of architectural styles (a gothic church in between skyscrapers, Victorian malls next to the public –coliseum style- library), mild climate. The coldest month is January with an average low temperature of 0.5˚C/32.9˚F –compare this to an average low of -15.1 ˚C/4.8 ˚F in Calgary and -30.9 ˚C/ -23.6 ˚F in Yellowknife (downside: many homeless people migrate to Vancouver), abundance of city parks, huge trees in Stanley Park, multicultural society (30% of the residents have Asian roots), relatively young and active –outdoor minded- population. Sources Vancouver Historical Society Wikipedia; Expo 86 Wikipedia timeline of Vancouver history Statistics Canada 2011 census subdivision of Vancouver Statistics Canada population per province Statistics Canada weather conditions Capital cities A city park in Vancouver Copyright This document is protected by copyright under international conventions. Any reproduction, distribution, republication, and/or retransmission of the contents (including maps/images) of this document is prohibited without the prior written consent of Josette Prinsen as Tour Guide Canada. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Tour Guide Canada / Josette Prinsen. by Josette Prinsen as Tour guide Canada © Page 3 .