"YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A SCOTCHMAN": SPORT AND THE EVOLUTION OF THE VANCOUVER CALEDONIAN GAMES, 1893-1926 Eric Heath B .A. (Honours), Simon Fraser University, 2003 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in the Department of History O Eric Heath 2005 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Spring 2005 All rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. APPROVAL NAME: Eric Heath DEGREE: Master of Arts (History) TITLE: "You Don't Have to be a Scotchman": Sport and the Evolution of the Vancouver Caledonian Games, 1893- 1926 EXAMINING COMMITTEE: Jack Little Senior Supervisor Ian Dyck Supervisor Stephen Duguid External Examiner Date Approved: 15 April 2005 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY PARTIAL COPYRIGHT LICENCE The author, whose copyright is declared on the title page of this work, has granted to Simon Fraser University the right to lend this thesis, project or extended essay to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or single copies only for such users or in response to a request from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of its users. The author has further granted permission to Simon Fraser University to keep or make a digital copy for use in its circulating collection. 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Bennett Library Simon Fraser University Burnaby, BC, Canada ABSTRACT The Vancouver St. Andrew's and Caledonian Society (VSACS), which included a number of the local klite, initiated its Caledonian Games soon after the city was born. Understanding that spectators were drawn largely by sports events, the VSACS began promoting these as the feature attraction, and by the early 1910s the Games were one of Vancouver's foremost track meets. World War One stalled the Games' progress, but in the 1920s the VSACS promoted them as a vehicle of city pride and development, resulting in the Games' inclusion in the Greater Vancouver Exhibition. The organizers had succeeded during an era when similar events across North America were in decline by promoting the Games as an athletic event rather than an exclusive celebration of Scottish cultural identity. That the city's annual booster fair bore a distinctively Scottish imprint nevertheless suggests much about the nature of "British" cultural identity and hegemony in early Vancouver. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Although authorship of this work is credited to me, I could not have dreamed of completing it without the input, guidance, and wisdom of many people. Dr. Jack Little, my senior supervisor, provided invaluable criticisms, comments, and corrections to the countless drafts that I submitted to him. If I have any claim to understanding Scottish- Canadian history, I owe it to him. I would also like to thank Dr. Ian Dyck, who has encouraged me since my days in his undergraduate honours class, and volunteered his time as secondary supervisor for this thesis. I must also thank Dr. Michael Prokopow, who, in his time at Simon Fraser University, piqued my interest in the discipline of history. Without his influence, I would never have considered undertaking such a project. The entire graduate cohort at Simon Fraser University has made these past two years the most exciting and intellectually stimulating in my life. I owe a particular debt to Harry McGrath, whose answers to my impromptu questions in the History Department computer lab have often turned me towards sources that I might have erstwhile ignored. My parents, Rick and Diane Heath, have provided solid support for my academic pursuits throughout my life, and I am truly thankful for everything that they have provided me over the years. Finally, I must thank Andrea Dahl, who has been an amazing influence throughout the entire process of creating this thesis. Her presence in my life has been my greatest motivation to succeed. If not for her love, encouragement, suggestions, and gentle nudging to start writing, I would be staring at a blank computer screen to this day. CONTENTS Approval .............................................................................................................................................ii Abstract ...........................................................................................................................................111 Acknowledgements .........................................................................................................................iv List of Tables and Figures .............................................................................................................. vi Introduction ......................................................................................................................................1 Chapter One Laying Foundations: Origins of the Highland Games and Sport in British Columbia ..................14 Chapter Two First Steps: The Vancouver St. Andrew's and Caledonian Society's Games, 1893- 1908 ............25 Chapter Three Changing Meanings: The Games in Peace and War, 1909- 1918 ..................................................46 Chapter Four Final Destination: The Vancouver Caledonian Games and Civic Development, 1919- 1926........ 64 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 78 Appendix: Vancouver Caledonian Games: Dates, Locations, Financial Results, 1893-1926 ....... 84 Bibliography ..................................................................................................................................85 LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Table 1 .Ethnic Origin of Athletes in Vancouver Caledonian Games. by Surname ....... 73 Figure 1 .Advertisement for the Union Steamship Company and the 1894 Vancouver Caledonian Games. (Vancouver World. 6 August 1894) .......................................... 34 Figure 2 .Advertisement for the 1926 Vancouver Caledonian Games . (Vancouver Province. 6 August 1926).......................................................................................... 75 INTRODUCTION The Vancouver Caledonian Games were the creation of the Vancouver St. Andrew's and Caledonian Society (VSACS). Founded in 1886, the society, like other Scottish societies in North America, aimed to foster and promote Scottish culture among its members as well as within the community. The VSACS pursued these goals most visibly with its Caledonian Games, which it administered from their inception in 1893 until the 1950s. For the first few years of the Games' existence, the society organized them on a shoestring budget. These early years allowed the VSACS to develop its organizational skills, and by the turn of the twentieth century, the society strove to turn the Games into one of Vancouver's premier sporting events. Having achieved this goal by the 1910s, the society turned its attentions to using the Games as an apparatus of civic development. The VSACS wanted the Games not only to be a showcase for the capabilities of Vancouver, but also a tool for developing the city's future citizens. In 1926, the Vancouver Caledonian Games were incorporated into the Greater Vancouver Exhibition, British Columbia's largest fair. This paper will examine the Vancouver Caledonian Games' progression from their origins as a small Scottish celebration to being a large sporting event designed to boost civic pride. It is difficult to place the Highland Games within a single category of historical study. At a basic level, the Games are simply public celebration. Deeper than this, though, the Games are products of a series of complex interactions. At the Highland Games, sport and "Scottishness" intertwine. Fact and myth blend in descriptions of the Games' history. Place the Games in the context of late nineteenth and early twentieth century Vancouver and new relationships emerge. As a sport, the Games changed as the competitive nature of professional sport challenged the ideals of amateurism. The Games had to adapt, as symbols of Scottish pride lost some of their significance in the face of a more diverse population in Vancouver. Additionally, the reaction to this diversity by the city's majority British population hints at why an ostensibly Scottish event prospered. Highland Games had been a part of the North American sporting landscape for at least a half-century by 1893, and had achieved their greatest level of popular recognition and celebration between about 1865 and 1880. By the 1WOs, however, the number of Games in North America was in rapid decline. Gerald Redmond argues that the main cause for the demise of the Games in the United States was the concomitant development of intercollegiate