Tag Archives: Vancouver history

A short history of Gastown: The birth of Vancouver, Canada

This is one of the earliest photos of Gastown, taken in 1886 in Maple Tree Square in the town of Granville (now called Vancouver). Locals called it Gastown because the first saloon was started by Jack Deighton, known as “Gassy … Continue reading

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Early Gastown history: 1907 film of streetcar route through Vancouver, Canada (with four historical videos)

This great six-minute film shows the early days of Vancouver and Gastown — it is the earliest film footage of the city, whose population was only 27,000 in 1901. It was shot by Seattle filmmaker William Harbeck, who was hired … Continue reading

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Years ago, Leonard Cohen wrote on the wall of my store

I was told by a customer that years ago, Leonard Cohen came out of the Europe Hotel pub across the street one night and wrote something on the wall of what is now my store, Angel Vancouver. What did he … Continue reading

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