Rainy days are a part of life in Vancouver. They make our hair frizz up, soak the cuffs of our pants, and steam up the windows on the bus but they also ensure our beautiful lush green scenery continues to grow and thrive. With the weather usually being a hot topic of conversation on any [...]

Tomorrow marks the 113th anniversary of the North Vancouver ferry boat (“North Vancouver No. 1″) beginning its regular service between North Vancouver and the south shore of Burrard Inlet. Scheduled ferry service began in 1893 with the Union Steamship Company and North Vancouver No. 1 started carrying foot passengers to and from each shore on [...]

It’s the first of May and over the last century Vancouverites have been celebrating May Day by crowning dancing around the Maypole, crowning a May Queen and ringing in springtime. To this day you can catch May Day festivals around the world and a few locally, like May Day Celebrations at Trimble Park in Point [...]

Browsing the Vancouver Public Library Archives I came across another photographer with an extensive collection of local, historical photos. Stanley Triggs produced portraits, street photography, and captured some downtown Vancouver scenes that I had never come across before. He’s the former curator of the Notman Photographic Archives and was born in Nelson, BC in 1928. [...]

Built in 1905, the English Bay Pier helped form our young city’s beachfront. The wooden structure jutted out into the water, near where the Sylvia Hotel (built in 1912) stands today, and was a popular hangout on sunny swimming days and during regattas. 1905 – Archives item# CVA 677-227. Photographer: Philip Timms. 1919 – Copyright [...]

Everyone loves a good set of “Before and After” photos, even back in the 1910′s and 1920′s when buildings were forming the first downtown Vancouver skyline. This week I’ve picked through the Vancouver Public Library archives to put together a collection of photos of some of the city’s more well-known heritage towers and landmarks when [...]

This is probably the most specific theme topic I’ve had for my Archives Photos of the Day series however when you’re on the trails of Stanley Park as much as John and me, finding a single image showing “Tree Felling Using Springboards” is pretty fascinating. There is still evidence all over the park – and [...]

On June 13th 1933, Major J.S. Matthews declared the Vancouver City Archives officially open and on April 7th, 1993 (20 years ago yesterday) a group was formed to support Vancouver’s archives. The Friends of the City Archives hold regular meeting, sponsor talks, promote awareness about the archives, encourage appreciation of the city’s history, and much [...]