Although yesterday’s numbers haven’t yet been tallied, it’s estimated that 49 million cases of beer were consumed during last year’s Super Bowl¹. While everyone slides back into work this morning I figured an ale-themed archive photo roundup would be in order.

1890 – Employees of Doering and Marstrand Brewery in Mount Pleasant. Archive item# Dist P18.

1912 – Group of local men drinking beer. Archive item# CVA 7-196. Photographer: James L Quiney.

1926 – Men crating beer at Vancouver Breweries. Archive item# CVA 99-3071. Photographer: Stuart Thomson.

All history on Vancouver Breweries leads back to one man: Henry Reifel². He started Brewery Creek on Main and 16th in 1888, he built Canadian Brewing and Malting by 1908, and later amalgamated several companies to form Vancouver Breweries. The brewery as located on 11th and Yew, and was eventually sold to Carling O’Keefe.

Doering & Marstrand Brewery in Mount Pleasant was also sold by Charles Doering and became a part of Vancouver Breweries³. Doering had a saloon on Water Street called the Stag & Pheasant.

1926 – Vancouver Breweries at 11th and Yew. Archives item# CVA 99-3063. Photographer: Stuart Thomson.

1944 – Vancouver Breweries. VPL Accession Number: 15984. Photographer: Leonard Frank.

1932 – Vancouver Breweries. Archive item# CVA 99-2637. Photographer: Stuart Thomson.

1935 – Vancouver Breweries. VPL Accession Number: 11572. Photographer: Leonard Frank.

1935 – Vancouver Breweries. VPL Accession Number: 11570. Photographer: Leonard Frank.

1935 – Vancouver Breweries. VPL Accession Number: 15985. Photographer: Leonard Frank.

1942 – Vancouver Breweries delivery wagon. Archive item# CVA 1184-1531. Photographer: Jack Lindsay.

¹ Source: 680 News
² Source: Chuck Davis’ Vancouver History
³ Source: Chuck Davis’ Vancouver History

It was February 2, 1966 that the Grouse Mountain SkyRide officially opened to skiers. It was dedicated later that year, on December 15th, by Premier W.A.C. Bennett.

Photo credit: mountainhiker on Flickr – Submitted to the Miss604 Flickr Pool

Photo credit: Pat Z on Flickr – Submitted to the Miss604 Flickr Pool & John Bollwitt on Flickr

Photo credit: Pat Z on Flickr – Submitted to the Miss604 Flickr Pool

Photo credit: The Vancouver Guy on Flickr – Submitted to the Miss604 Flickr Pool

The Skyride operates everyday from 9:00am until 10:00pm with trips up the mountain every 15 minutes. Grouse will be open for 24 hours straight next weekend during the City and Slope festival.

I recently took my first trip to the North Vancouver Museum‘s Presentation House to find out more about their programs, archives, and current exhibits. The Presentation House is one of two locations for the museum, located on West 4th at Chesterfield, while the archives are over in Lynn Valley.

The old schoolhouse building, and former City Hall, is home to a theatre, exhibit space, and the museum’s permanent North Vancouver history collection. Assistant Director Shirley Sutherland walked me around the “North Vancouver Story” side of the museum and filled me in on Moodyville, the history of shipbuilding, logging, and more.

Moodyville History Tidbits

• The north shore is part of the Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations.
• After the arrival of Europeans the first industry was Pioneer Mills, founded in 1862. It was bought by Sewell Moody in 1865.
• Moodyville is named after an American, Sewell Moody, and does not share the same namesake as Port Moody, Colonel Richard Moody.

Left: 1918 – Moodyville Hotel, inventory #885. Right: 1888 – Moodyville sawmill, inventory #13376.

• Burrard Inlet’s first religious service, school, museum, and library were at Moodyville as well as the first newspaper, the Moodyville Tickler.
• The region’s first transit service was a steam tug ferry that went from Brighton (on the East Vancouver side today) to Moodyville, Stamp’s Mill, and back.
• Moodyville was the first townsite on the Pacific Coast, North of San Francisco, to have electricity. The lights flickered on February 4, 1882.
• The District of North Vancouver was incorporated in 1891, but it wasn’t until 1915 that Moodyville joined up with the City of North Vancouver.
• Source for all of the above is Chuck Davis’ History of Metropolitan Vancouver.

The Moodyville townsite would have been along Low Level Road, East of Esplanade, where the rail yards are today. You can take a stroll down the Moodyville Park Trail to explore the area and read the interpretive signage to learn more on the spot.

Back at the museum, the Made in BC: Home-grown Design exhibit is on now until May 27, 2012, and is co-curated by Sam Carter, Professor Emeritus, Emily Carr University of Art + Design, and designer Patrick Gunn. Sam told me that you won’t find paintings and sculptures but you will find a custom snowboard, mountain bike, newspapers, typefaces, brochures, and everyday designs that connect creativity with industry. From Martha Sturdy, Fox + Fluevog, to Phil Nuytten, the collection is inspired by practical, functional, homegrown design.

The North Vancouver Museum is also hosting the John B. Holdcroft: A Civil Engineer’s Photographic Eye exhibit until mid-June this year and they recently acquired the BC Mountaineering Club’s archives which have been put together in an online exhibit.

The Presentation House is open Tuesdays to Sundays, 12:00pm to 5:00pm. I’m hoping to get over to the archives to do some research in the near future as well. They are open Tuesdays to Saturdays, 12:00pm to 5:00pm and some collections are available online.

Follow @NorthVanMuseum on Twitter or Facebook for exhibit and special event information.

The Bailey brothers, Charles S. and William, setup shop in Vancouver at the end of the 19th century. Charles was the first to arrive from Ontario and form a photography company partnership, Neelands & Bailey, which lasted about a year. In 1890 William joined his brother in Vancouver and Bailey Bros Photography was born.

1886 – Tremont Hotel on Carrall betwen Powell & Cordova. Archives item# SGN 123.

1888 – Looking East on Hastings from Granville. Archives item# Str P127.

1890 – Cordova Street. Archives item# CVA 1376-91.

1892 – Dawson School at Helmcken & Hornby Streets. Archives item# SGN 48.

1890s – 500 block of West Hastings. Archives item# SGN 14.

1890s – Ferguson residence at Burrard and Howe. Archives item# SGN 67.

1890s – Hollow Tree in Stanley Park. Archives item# SGN 90.

1890s – English Bay. Archives item# SGN 151.

1890s – Townley residence at Hastings & Burrard. Archives item# SGN 299.

All photographs by Charles S. Bailey.

Over the years Charles and William captured Vancouver as it became a city. Charles usually took most of the photos while William ran the business which operated out of Vancouver and also Kamloops. In 1896, at just 27 years old, Charles passed away. During his short life, he captured Vancouver as it became a city and was, according to the Camera Workers of BC registry, the first professional Canadian photographer to visit Hawaii.

Related photographer profiles: Leonard Frank, Fred Herzog, Philip Timms, Don Coltman.

Already recognized in Canada and the United States, the City of Vancouver has also officially declared February as Black History Month. Last year I touched on Vancouver’s Black history by doing up a small profile on East Vancouver’s Hogan’s Alley, but there is a much greater story to be told and celebrated.

Governor Douglas ca. 1860 Royal BC Museum
BC Archives# 193501-001. Call#: A-01229

Although often overlooked, there’s a rich tapestry of Black history going back to the early colonial origins of Canada.

In 1858, nearly 800 free Black people left the oppressive racial conditions of San Francisco for a new life on Vancouver Island. Governor James Douglas had invited them to settle in British Columbia. Though still faced with intense discrimination, these pioneers enriched the political, religious and economic life of the colony.

Unknown to many, Douglas was himself the product of a mixed marriage — his father was Scottish and his mother Guyanese. Douglas strove to be known as Caucasian; however, he quickly agreed to the appeal from the San Francisco delegation. In turn, the Black pioneers pledged their support to Douglas and to the cause of British sovereignty.

Many from that initial group have contributed notably to BC life: Mifflin Gibbs became a prominent politician; Charles and Nancy Alexander initiated the Shady Creek Methodist Church; and John Deas established a salmon cannery. The group also formed one of the earliest colonial militia units, the Victoria Pioneer Rifle Corps. A ceremony took place on February 20, 2000, in Saanichton, BC to honour the original arrival of Black pioneers in British Columbia. [City of Vancouver]

Vancouverites like Harry Jerome, Emery Barnes, and Dr Rosemary Brown were pioneers in their fields, and the legendary Joe Fortes was named Vancouver’s “Citizen of the Century”.

1910s – Joe Fortes in front of his cottage at the foot of Bidwell Street. Archives item# CVA 371-1977.

Local Black History Month Events

What: Women of Our Times, Here & Now. Join The National Congress of Black Women Foundation as they honour: Barbara Howard, Eleanor Collins, Eve Smith, Marcella King, Thelma Gibson, and Jeni LeGon. A reception, a silent auction and live entertainment to follow.
Date: Saturday, January 28, 2012
Time: Doors open 5:30pm, 6:00pm start
Where: James Cowan Theatre, Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, 6450 Deer Lake Ave, Burnaby
Event Link

What: 5th Annual Pan Afrikan Slam. Poetry and music, presented by Black Dot Roots and Culture Collective. Admission by donation.
Date: Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Time: 8:00pm
Where: Calabasha Bistro, 428 Carrall St
Event Link

What: Movie – The Godmother of Rock & Roll: Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Date: Thursday, February 9, 2012
Time: Doors at 6:30pm, 7:00pm start
Where: Vancity Theatre, 1181 Seymour St
Event Link

What: Free movie – The Mighty Jerome
Date: Monday, February 27, 2012
Time: 7:00pm
Where: Vancouver Public Library, 350 West Georgia

What: Theatre: Intimate Apparel. The story of 35-year-old Esther who is an independent African-American woman who makes a good living sewing exquisite undergarments and corsets for brides-to-be. Set in 1905 New York.
Date: Saturday, February 11, 2012
Time: 4:30pm to 6:30pm
Where: The Arts Club Theatre, Granville Island Stage
Event Link

What: Honouring Black History Month Though Oral Tradition: “Family Celebrations: How Does your Family Honour Heritage?”. Admission by donation.
Date: Saturday, February 11, 2012
Time: 4:30pm to 6:30pm
Where: Intercultural Hub, Matsqui Recreation Centre, 3106 Clearbook Road, Abbotsford
Event Link

A full list of events is available on the City of Vancouver’s Black History Month homepage.

It was on this day, January 23, 1939 that the two lions on the South end of the Lions Gate Bridge were installed. The two regal figures were created by Charles Marega and were the last commissioned work for this prominent yet struggling Vancouver sculptor.

1939 – VPL Accession Number: 3036. Photographer: Leonard Frank

A letter from Charles Marega about the pieces:

“Thank God I have work now. I am modeling a Lion for Vancouver’s suspension bridge. I had much trouble to get the work. The engineer is from Montreal, and wanted the Lion to modeled in Montreal. But the president of the bridge committee, who is a long-standing friend of mine, and his wife a good friend of mamas, finally assigned the work to me. I would have preferred the Lions to be in bronze or stone – but it has to be cheap – so they will be done in concrete which annoys me, as I could otherwise have made both Lions from one model. However I have to content myself to get work at all.” – letter from Charles Marega dated August 1938 found under the Public Art Registry & in the posession of Marega researcher Peggy Imready.

Looking at some older photos of the lions (like the two directly below) it almost looks as though there are horns or hats on top of the lions’ heads. I haven’t been able to find any record of these and they don’t appear in the 1939 photo at the top of this post. Since both of the following photos were taken on the same day, perhaps decorating the lions is a tradition that is decades old.

1950′s – VPL Accession Number: 41405 & VPL Accession Number: 41406A by The Province Newspaper

Over the years the lions have been a sign of ‘quitting time’ for North Shore commuters, the focus of tourist photos, brought awareness to causes and campaigns through their mysterious get-ups, and provided support for our home teams.

Photo credit: Larissa & Susan Gittins on Flickr – Submitted to the Miss604 Flickr Pool

Photo credit: kennymatic – Submitted to the Miss604 Flickr Pool

The Lions Gate Bridge was completed in 1938 and was orinally just 2 lanes. It was tolled until the 1960′s although the toll revenue covered the bridge expenses by 1952.

Chances are you’ve passed by quite a few of Charles Marega’s pieces around Vancouver, perhaps several times daily. The Italian-born sculptor moved to Vancouver in 1909 and taught art in town for 30 years. He was commissioned to create some of the city’s most popular public art pieces including the following:

Oppenheimer Monument
Archives Item# Mon P60

David Oppenheimer
The 1911 bust commemorating Vancouver’s Mayor (1888-1891) is located along the Beach Ave entrance to Stanley Park. “The original budget for the project was $50,000, but by the time Marega was commissioned in 1910, the project had become a bust for $4500, of which Marega was paid $3600 and the balance paid for an elaborate unveiling ceremony.”¹ Read: Vancouver History: Oppenheimer.

Photo: JMV on Flickr

Captain George Vancouver
Marega was commissioned by the Vancouver Canadian Club (for $5,000) to build this life-size tribute to Captain Vancouver. This full figure bronze statute stands on the North side of City Hall and points toward the harbour. “The statue was cleaned in 2001, 65 years after its installation and in time for the city’s 115th birthday. The bill for cost of cleaning was $5800, almost the same amount as the original statue cost.”²

Photo: pkdon50

President Harding Memorial
This bronze and granite piece is located in Stanley Park between the pavilion and Malkin Bowl, where President Harding gave a speech just a short time before he passed. The Kiwanis Club pooled funds and hosted a competition to see who be commissioned for the piece. Marega won.³ Read: Vancouver History: American Presidents

Photo: SqueakyMarmot

Joe Fortes Fountain
Lifeguard Joe Fortes, who lived down in English Bay, was named Vancouver’s “Citizen of the Century” and taught hundreds of local children to swim. His funeral in 1922 was the biggest in Vancouver history. The drinking fountain is in Alexandra Park along Beach Ave. Read: Vancouver History: Joe Fortes

Photo: Karen Henry

King Edward VII Fountain
This fountain tucked beside the Vancouver Art Gallery along Hornby. Marega was commissioned in 1912 and the fountain was prominently displayed on the front lawn until 1966 then it was put away in storage. In 1983, when the art gallery moved into the space, the fountain was placed on the West side of the building. Read: Vancouver History: Fountains

Lions Gate Lions
The two lions at the South side of the Lions Gate Bridge were Marega’s last commissioned work in 1938. Marega enthusiast Peggy Imredy said that after his wife passed away in 1936, “all his vitality left him then. He was devoted to her throughout his life. People who knew him only in the late ’30s have a different view of him. They see him as a shrunken and poverty-stricken artist.”⁴

Two months after the lions were placed at the bridge, in January of 1939, Marega passed away at the age of 67. His obituary in The Province said he was “acknowledged to be the greatest sculptor in Western Canada.”⁵ Additional works include the heads of Vancouver and Burrard on the Burrard Bridge, and a crest on the Seaforth Armory.

¹ City of Vancouver Public Art Registry
² City of Vancouver Public Art Registry
³ City of Vancouver Public Art Registry
⁴ Chuck Davis’ History of Metropolitan Vancouver
⁵ Chuck Davis’ History of Metropolitan Vancouver

It’s always fun to come up with a theme for my archive photo roundups: from telephones and billboards to bikes, moustaches, and costumes. Today I saw News1130 Radio post a tweet promoting the upcoming “Foodie Friday” segment and the lightbulb went on. Vancouverites love their food so why not see what kind of culinary captures I could dig up from the archives?

1905 – Woodward’s at Hastings & Abbott. Archives item# CVA 809-20.

1918 – White Lunch Limited (806 Granville). Archives item# CVA 99-5167.
Photographer: Jack Lindsay.

1933 – Heinz 57 display at The Bay. Archives item# CVA 99-4301. Photographer: Stuart Thomson.

1937 – Premier Thomas “Duff” Pattullo cutting his birthday cake. Archives item# CVA 371-1768.

1926 – Making crackers at the National Biscuit and Confection Co. Ltd.
VPL Accession Number: 22206

1926 – Hand-dipping chocolates at the National Biscuit and Confection Co. Ltd.
VPL Accession Number: 22208

1945 – Woman icing cakes. Archives item# CVA 1184-1822. Photographer: Jack Lindsay.
1936 – McGavins delivery driver. Archives item# CVA 99-4959. Photographer: Stuart Thomson.

1943 – Imperial Salmon Cannery. Archives item# CVA 371-1768. Photographer: Steffens Colmer.

1943 – Fruit display. Archives item# CVA 1184-1574. Photographer: Jack Lindsay.

1946 – 60th birthday of Vancouver’s first baby, Margaret McNeil. Archives item# Port P1816.1.
Photographer: WJ Moore.

1946 – Butcher shop. Archives item# CVA 1184-1260. Photographer: Jack Lindsay.

1946 – The fair in Mission. Archives item# CVA 586-4621. Photographer: Steffens Colmer.

1948 – Sterling Meats display window. VPL Accession Number: 80514

1964 – Displays at the Chefs’ Convention. VPL Accession Number: 44088.
Photographer: David C Paterson.

1972 – The Only Seafood. VPL Accession Number: 85873S. Photographer: Curt Lang.

You can visit the Vancouver Archives or Vancouver Public Library archives online or in person.

It was January 5, 1912 when the first professional hockey game was played in Vancouver at the Denman Arena¹. The impressive venue (one of the world’s largest) was built in 1911 thanks to the hard work (and family lumber money) of brothers Frank and Lester Patrick.

Source: The Story of the Vancouver Millionaires. Photographer: Unknown.

In 1911, the Patrick family sold it’s profitable lumber company, and moved out west to capitalize on an exploding hockey scene ready to be mined for gold. Not long after setting up shop out west, the Patricks endeavored, not only to build a strong hockey club, but also to prop up the entire hockey scene, building leagues and arenas, which they would manage along with the respective clubs that they would own. – The Story of the Vancouver Millionaires

(Left) 1920′s Art Duncan, D – Millionaires. VPL Accession Number: 17979.
(Right) 1920′s Lloyd Cook, D – Millionaires Team Captain. VPL Accession Number: 17991.
Photographer: Stuart Thomson.

In the January 5th match up, the Pacific Coast Hockey League’s Vancouver Millionaires beat the New Westminster Royals 8-3. The Victoria Senators were the only other team in the league at the time.

View of Vancouver (and Denman Arena) from the Rowing Club, 1929.
Archives item# CVA 99-2080. Photographer: Stuart Thomson.

View of Vancouver from the Rowing Club in Stanley Park, 2009

The Patrick brothers changed the game of hockey as we know it and while Denman Arena was destroyed by fire in 1936, it’s fairly safe to say that a hockey-loving legacy has gripped this town since that first professional game, one hundred years ago today.

¹Chuck Davis’ History of Metropolitan Vancouver

On New Year’s Eve Vancouver lost Milton Wong, a wonderful business man, Order of Canada recipient, SFU Chancellor, and philanthropist.

“Milt was a very generous and wonderful guy,” said longtime friend Michael Clague, who recalled the time in 2003 when, as director of the Carnegie Centre in the Downtown Eastside, he asked his university buddy for help in raising $50,000 for the arts to celebrate the centre’s 100th anniversary.

“We were having our lunch at the Ovaltine and he just said, ‘I’ll give you $50,000,’” said Clague. “He said ‘I believe in making a social investment.’”

The contribution planted the seed for what would eventually be the Downtown Eastside’s Heart of the City Festival, now in its eighth year…

…Among Wong’s other legacies are the Aboriginal Mother Centre Society, which provides a home for at-risk mothers and children, a $3-million contribution to Simon Fraser University’s School of Contemporary Arts, and a local area planning program for the Downtown Eastside. – Vancouver Sun.

Over the years, Vancouver has been built up by great leaders, visionaries, artists, business men and women — all leaving lasting legacies in our community.

Photo credit: Concert Properties on Flickr

Robert Lee YMCA
The reconstructed Robert Lee YMCA on Burrard sits at the organization’s original location, where it has been for the last 70 years. Lee himself was a member for 45 years. The Robert H. Lee Graduate School is the graduate school of Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia as well.

His stature in the business community includes appointments as trustee of the Bank of British Columbia, a directorship of the Real Estate Institute of Canada and of the Port Authority of Vancouver.

Mr. Lee’s business acumen and knowledge have enabled him to play a key role with a number of community institutions. He has been involved with successful fundraising campaigns for Mount Saint Joseph Hospital, the B.C. Children’s Hospital and U.B.C. He has also served as a Director of the B.C. Paraplegic Foundation. – Order of BC Citation

Inside the SFU Centre for Dialog – Photo credit: clooty dumpling on Flickr

Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialog at SFU
Retailer, developer, and hotel owner Morris Wosk received the Order of Canada in 1993, and the Order of British Columbia in 1994:

Morris Wosk has become known internationally as a philanthropist, community leader and founder of many civic programs, not only in BC and Canada but in the US and Israel. During more than six decades as an owner of retail furniture stores, hotels, and as a developer in Vancouver, he has given generously of his time, energy and financial support to a wide cross-section of his community. His support has encompassed education, youth health care, culture and science. His dedication to British Columbians is illustrated by the fact that he has never invested or developed outside of the province. In 1980 he was the third Canadian ever to be honoured with the Prime Minister’s Medal of State of Israel, and in 1985 he received the Human Relations Award from the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews. – VancouverHistory.ca – Order of BC Citation.

Inide the Carnegie Centre. Photo credit: kennymatic on Flickr

Carnegie Library
In 1901, the City of Vancouver requested $50,000 from US steel magnante Andrew Carnegie to build a library. Carnegie agreed but stated his conditions were that the City furnish the site and spend $5,000 on the library each year. According to the City, a fight inititally broke out between the East and West sides as to who would get this new cultural insitution. The Carnegie Library was opened at Main and Hastings in 1903.

Carnegie earned the major part of his wealth in steel industry. He built the Carnegie Steel Company which in 1890s was the largest and most profitable industrial enterprise in the world. Later, he sold it to J.P. Morgan who created U.S. Steel.

… Carnegie spent his last years doing extensive philanthropy works. Following his benevolent works, Carnegie established a number of libraries throughout the United States, the United Kingdom, and other English-speaking countries. In total, he had funded around 3000 libraries in different countries. – Source

Today, the building is the Carnegie Community Centre, offering a variety of services to the community in a safe and welcoming environment.

Kits Point & Hadden Park. Photo credit: dennissylvesterhurd on Flickr

Hadden Park
Harvey Hadden was a wealthy Englishman who visited Vancouver in 1891 and began to buy up land (reportedly spending over $1 million on real estate). According to Chuck Davis’ History of Metropolitan Vancouver, Hadden once owned the Birks site (North East corner of Hastings and Granville), 160 acres in Capilano Canyon, Hadden Hall (Capilano Golf and Country Club sits there now), and more.

In his will, he bequeathed $500,000 to Vancouver parks. In 1957, parks at Georgia, Adanac, Woodland and McLean were purchased with his bequest. Hadden Park at Kitsilano Beach, popular today as an “off-leash” park for dog owners, is on land purchased by Hadden from the CPR (in either 1928 or 1929) and donated to the city. – VancouverHistory.ca

Although this is but a sampling of individuals who have had a lasting impact — born in Vancouver or not — they are a part of a unique group who gives back to the general population because they can, and because they care.