East Vancouver - History

History

The region was first settled by aboriginal peoples sometime around 500 BC. While most aboriginal settlements were in what is now the West Side and downtown areas, one important settlement in what is now East Vancouver was located along the bank of the Fraser River.

In 1860, the False Creek Trail was built following an old aboriginal path to connect False Creek with New Westminster. The first permanent European settlement in the area arose in 1865 in what is now Strathcona, Vancouver's first neighbourhood. Even at that time, Strathcona was known simply as the "East End". In the 1880s, the first homes were built in what is now Mount Pleasant.

Construction of North Arm Road (now Fraser Street) began in 1872. This road was constructed to allow farmers to bring their produce to market from the north arm of the Fraser River. Later, in 1890, a railway linked South Vancouver and Mount Pleasant. Besides agriculture, canneries were a major employer for many residents in the 1880s and 1890s.

In 1886, the City of Vancouver was incorporated, and included much of East Vancouver. One exception was the city of South Vancouver, created in 1892, which was an independent municipality until 1929. In 1888, the provincial government designated 65 hectares of land adjacent to modern Hastings Street as a park, now known as Hastings Park. Since 1907, the park has been home to the Pacific National Exhibition.

The transportation infrastructure expanded through the 1890s. In 1891, four public houses opened along Kingsway to service stagecoaches and carriages. Hourly tramcar service began operating along the old False Creek Trail between Vancouver and New Westminster. This is now paved and was renamed to Kingsway Avenue in 1913. By the 1920s, street car service was installed along the full length of what is now Main Street

Development of the area increased during this time. In 1893, a small cedar cottage was built near present day Kingsway and Knight streets. In 1900, the Cedar Cottage Brewery was built near this location and the surrounding area is still known as "Cedar Cottage." A municipal hall was built at East 41st Avenue and Fraser in 1911. Also in 1911, the Hastings Sawmill lands were sold to local working-class people. In the following year, John Oliver High School was built nearby. The Collingwood Free Library also opened in the neighbourhood. This library was built largely due to donations from a local resident, John Francis Bursill, who wrote for local newspapers under the name "Felix Penne".

Electricity was first provided to South Vancouver in 1914. One of the first street lights in Vancouver was installed at East 48th Avenue and Nanaimo Street. After the First World War a building boom occurred in many areas of East Vancouver, resulting in most of the area being occupied by single-family housing by the 1940s.

A park was established at Trout Lake in 1926 when Mrs. Aldene Hamber purchased the land and donated it to the city to prevent it from being converted to a municipal dump. A condition of the donation was that the park be named after her father, John Hendry, and maintained by the city.

Additional notable events include:

• 1939 - King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visit Vancouver, traveled in a royal procession down Knight Street, and made an unplanned stop in Collingwood.
• 1947 - Many farmers were displaced in a large area of South Vancouver to make landavailable for returning World War II veterans and their families.
• 1950s - Citizens asked the City to clear vegetation from around Trout Lake to prevent skinny dipping.
• 1954 - Tram service ended due to increasing automobile ownership and bus service.
• 1955 - A Vancouver Province editorial implied that large areas of Strathcona and Chinatown should be demolished in favour of new growth.
• 1962 - Sidewalk paving was finally completed in East Vancouver, 30 years after wooden planked sidewalks were removed.
• Late 1960s - Non-Partisan Association mayor "Tom Terrific" Campbell advocated a freeway that would destroy a large part of Chinatown. Campbell also advocated demolishing the historic Carnegie Centre and building a luxury hotel at the entrance of Stanley Park).
• 1967 - A US-based firm proposed a waterfront freeway, which would have required that 600 Strathcona houses be demolished and a 10-metre-high overpass be built over the centre of Chinatown. Wide-spread protest, including a crowd of 800 people who shouted down the proposals at city hall, led to the resignation of the chairman of the city's planning commission and the end of the proposal a year later.
• 1971 - Strict development regulations were passed to limit development in Chinatown and save the architectural heritage. This also preserved the community from proposed massive freeway projects.
• 1972 - Vancouver city mayor Thomas Campbell (NPA) was defeated by Art Phillips of (The Electors Action Movement). Phillips and TEAM campaigned on rehabilitating Gastown, whereas the NPA slate tended to strongly support the failed freeway project through East Vancouver.
• 1985 - The SkyTrain rapid transit system (current Expo Line) was built to connect downtown Vancouver to Surrey and included five stations in East Vancouver.
• 1986 - The City hosted a World's Fair (Expo 86) on the old rail yard properties at False Creek. Residential densification began to accelerate in this area.

• 1986 to 1993 - The Non-Partisan Association returned to Vancouver City Hall, with former realtor and businessman Gordon Campbell as mayor. The NPA worked more closely with developers, passing a series of pro-development by-laws. Many seniors and poor renters are evicted from properties throughout the city, including Gastown.
• 1994 - The lease expired on the Pacific National Exhibition grounds at Hastings Park. Extensions were granted by Vancouver City Council. The final year for the Exhibition was to be 1997, 100 years after it started operating in Hastings Park.
• 2002 - The Millennium Line of SkyTrain opened, providing new rapid transit service through East Vancouver.
• 2004 - The provincial government transferred authority for the PNE to the City of Vancouver. A consultation process was initiated to determine a new future for the PNE in Hastings Park.