A Short History of Vancouver, British Columbia

Vancouver, Canada has a rich and diverse history. Original settlers include Indians on the coast, Europeans, and the establishment of settlements including Gastown and Stanley Park.

Before the Europeans explored Vancouver, this area was mainly woods that were inhabited by native Indians. There are mountains on the North Shore of the country which many people now know as Mont Seymour, the Grouse Mountains, and the Cypress Mountains. The climate in this area is temperate, and there are plenty of natural resources. There are beautiful seas as well as a vast shoreline.

According to archeologists Indians first came to Vancouver in 500 BC. A person can visit The Museum of Anthropology which is located at the University of British Columbia. Also, the Royal BC Museum in Victoria has some great exhibits and old artifacts showing the history of this area.

There are a number of craft stores and shops as well as art galleries located on the West Coast. Many local artists have their artwork shown in galleries all over the world.

Exploration by Europeans

Captain J. Cook was an explorer from Britain that came to Vancouver in 1778. The Spanish then arrived in 1781 but never made it to the shore. The city began to change in the year 1792 when Captain George Vancouver arrived and began to chart the western part of the country.

Colonization

When settlers first came to the shore, they survived on the plentiful supply of fish, fur from the native animals, as well as lumber. In the year 1858 gold was discovered near the Fraser River. Within weeks more than 30,000 people from American made the trip to Vancouver. At this time Britain claimed the colony in order to take control of the gold. In 1859 New Westminister was made the capital of what became British Columbia. This city is still popular today and the Public Market is a big area for tourists to visit. The Sky Train offers a great tour of Vancouver.

As the popular in this area increased Vancouver was divided into several regions. The suburbs Burnaby and Delta were formed. In 1861 the first newspaper was printed and a year later the first hospital was built. The year 1865 brought the first telegram and the first message was sent to Abraham Lincoln in the United States. A postal system was also set up this year as well as a stagecoach for transportation.

Many people worked in the logging industry or in sawmills. The town of Granville was formed during the 1870s. By the year 1866 this city was renamed after the capital Vancouver.

Canada became recognized as a country in 1867. Canada Day is celebrated on the first day of July. In 1884 the expansion of the railroad made Vancouver a busy city with thousands of people passing through for business. Some of these people decided to settle in the area. Within a four year time period the populous grew from 400 people to 13,000 residents.

The Great Depression

During the 1930s Vancouver felt the effects of The Great Depression. Some areas still saw growth during this time including the Vancouver Art Gallery. Vancouver City Hall was also built at this time.

By the 1950s Vancouver saw rapid growth and the suburbs began to prosper. The popular reached over 800,000 residents by the year 1961. The city saw some changes as well. The Canadian football leagues Grey Cup is located in Vancouver. The Vancouver Canucks joined the National Hockey League, the Simon Fraser University was built, and there freeway was developed. The Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort in Vancouver is one of the best in the world.

The city of Vancouver has a short but exciting history. This is the third largest city in all of Canada. Vancouver has a reputation for being one of the best places in the world to visit as well as one of the best places to live.

Community Lending Centre – Vancouver mortgage broker is writing a series of articles that talk about the great city of Vancouver, British Columbia. We hope it provides you with plenty of info to get to know the great city of Vancouver!