Author of Saving Our History One Photo at a Time – architecture of 1800s and 1900s in towns of Ontario, Canada and Historical Romance/Fiction
Italianate Architecture in Ontario
Italianate, 1850-1900 – A two story rectangular building with a mild hip roof, a projecting frontispiece, and generous eaves with ornate cornice brackets was the basis of the style; often there are large sash windows, quoins, ornate detailing on the windows, belvederes and wraparound verandahs. Italianate commercial buildings often have cast iron cresting and elegant window surrounds.
Second Empire Architecture in Ontario
Second Empire, 1860-1880 – The mansard roof is the most noteworthy feature of this style and is evidence of the French origins. Projecting central towers and one or two-story bays can also be present.
Queen Anne Architecture in Ontario
Queen Anne, 1885-1900 – This style is distinguished by an irregular outline featuring a combination of an offset tower, broad gables, projecting two-story bays, verandahs, multi-sloped roofs, and tall, decorative chimneys. A mixture of brick and wood is common. Windows often have one large single-paned bottom sash and small panes in the upper sash.
Victoria British Columbia Book 3
Victoria’s most distinct neighborhood geographically is James Bay, a peninsula with Beacon Hill Park on the east, the Inner Harbour on the north, Outer Harbour on the west and Strait of Juan de Fuca on the south. Compared with other neighborhoods in Victoria, James Bay is relatively flat, but undulates gently. The soil is predominantly deep loam except for a few outcrops of bedrock on the shoreline. Its only prominent watercourse was Providence Pond (near the corner of Oswego Street and Superior Street), a swampy lake emptied by a stream that flowed into Major Bay (where Fisherman’s Wharf Park is now).
British Columbia stands at the edge of a continent. Facing the world’s largest ocean, it is a province in continual transformation. The landscape has a natural diversity. British Columbia has deserts, alpine meadows, and coastal rain forests. It is the most biologically diverse province in Canada. Change is the only constant in B.C.’s natural history: A rain forest where a glacier once stood, a grassland that used to be a jungle.
North Park is one of Victoria’s oldest residential neighborhoods, and maintains its historical character of a diverse mixed-use community, bounded by Bay, Blanshard, Cook, and Pandora Streets. This is Victoria’s second smallest neighborhood, after Harris Green, at one square kilometer or about eighteen blocks. It is primarily a residential community, grounded by businesses, recreational facilities, and religious landmarks.
Victoria British Columbia Book 2 in Colour Photos
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada’s Pacific coast.
The Carr House is where Emily Carr (1871-1945) was born and lived. She is a well-known author and one of Canada’s most famous painters. The house and its surrounding environment, and the impact they made in her life, are mentioned in all of Emily’s books.
The Empress Hotel, built 1924-1928, is a stone hotel prominently located at the head of the inner harbor in the city of Victoria.
Fort Victoria began as a fur trading post of the Hudson’s Bay Company and was the headquarters of HBC operations in the Columbia District, a large fur trading area now part of the province of British Columbia, Canada and the U.S. state of Washington.
The Parliament Buildings were built in two main stages, the first from 1893-98 and the second from 1911-16. The initial construction was a T-shaped building comprising the two arms of the facade and the legislative chamber in the stem to the rear. The later additions were an extension to the stem to house the Legislative Library, and two wings parallel to the stem. The style is an eclectic one that has been termed Late Victorian Free Style.
Victoria British Columbia Book 1 in Colour Photos
Throughout the 1820s and 1830s, the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) was headquartered out of Fort Vancouver located on the north shore of the Columbia River. From there the HBC controlled nearly all trading operations in the region. The Fort’s influence reached from the Rocky Mountains to the Hawaiian Islands, from Alaska into Mexican-controlled California. At its pinnacle, Fort Vancouver managed over 34 outposts and 24 ports through 600 employees and six ships.
The American President (1845-1849) James K. Polk had his eye on the Oregon Territory and Mexican California. Polk encouraged large numbers of settlers to travel west over what became known as the Oregon Trail, then claimed the U.S. had a legitimate claim to the entire Columbia/Oregon district though was prepared to draw the border along the 49th parallel. The dispute was settled by the Treaty of Washington in 1846 which established the border between British North America and the United States along the 49th parallel from the Rocky Mountains to the sea, with Vancouver Island retained as British territory. The Treaty of Washington effectively destroyed the geographic logic of the HBC’s Columbia Department with Fort Vancouver as its headquarters. The Company subsequently moved its headquarters north to Fort Victoria in 1846, which had been founded three years earlier by James Douglas in anticipation of the treaty.
Fort Victoria measured 330 feet by 300 feet and had a single bastion in the southwestern corner near what is now Fort and Broughton. The fort was enlarged to accommodate more warehouses and a second bastion was built.
In 1849 the British government created the Colony of Vancouver Island. The HBC was given a 10-year contract to manage the colony, and James Douglas moved from Fort Vancouver to take charge of the operations.
Life at Fort Victoria was typical of most Hudson’s Bay Company posts. Men (mostly French Canadians) lived in large barracks. Local native people came to trade at the “Indian Store.†Furs from throughout British Columbia were collected and stored in large log warehouses. Small ships and canoes transported most of the furs and trade goods along the coast. Supplies and trade goods arrived once a year by ship around Cape Horn from England. Farms were established near the fort. Hunting, fishing and riding were the main pastimes of the men. Dances with fiddle music and occasional plays were some of the few entertainments.
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada’s Pacific coast. Victoria is the southernmost major city in Western Canada, and is about 100 km (60 mi) from British Columbia’s largest city of Vancouver on the mainland. Named for Queen Victoria, the city is one of the oldest in the Pacific Northwest, with British settlement beginning in 1843. The city has retained a large number of its historic buildings, in particular its two most famous landmarks, Parliament Buildings (finished in 1897 and home of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia) and the Empress Hotel (opened in 1908). The city’s Chinatown is the second oldest in North America after San Francisco’s. The region’s Coast Salish First Nations peoples established communities in the area long before European settlement, which had large populations at the time of European exploration.
Known as “The Garden City”, Victoria is an attractive city and a popular tourism destination. Victoria is popular with boaters with its rugged shorelines and beaches. Victoria is also popular with retirees, who come to enjoy the temperate and usually snow-free climate of the area as well as the usually relaxed pace of the city.
Vancouver British Columbia Book 5 in Colour Photos
Lynn Canyon Park – In the late 1800s, Lynn Valley’s centuries old Douglas fir and western red cedar were milled into lumber for export to Eastern Canada, the United States and Europe. Many of these trees were over ninety meters high and eleven meters in circumference. In the park, you can see some of the stumps from these huge trees.
Moderate temperatures and an average annual rainfall exceeding 150 centimeters provide excellent growing conditions. The lush second growth forest is good evidence of the productivity of the area. The large trees which now cover the part are on average only seventy to ninety years old. The forest is mostly Douglas fir, western hemlock, and western red cedar. Along the creek where flooding occurs, sitka spruce, cottonwood, alder and dense shrub undergrowth are found.
Lynn Canyon Park officially opened as a municipal park in 1912. The McTavish brothers, whose company originally logged the area, donated five hectares of land fronting on Lynn Creek. The District of North Vancouver added another four hectares. The suspension bridge was also opened in 1912; it hangs twenty stories (about fifty meters) above Lynn Creek. In 1991, the District of North Vancouver added 241 hectares to the park. The Park has many hiking trails.
Lynn Canyon Park is a coastal temperate rain forest with canyons, pools and creeks. There is a variety of local flora and fauna including 100-year-old Douglas fir trees with younger western hemlock and western red cedar and many types of moss below them.
Lynn Valley Ecology Centre – Ecology is the study of living systems in relation to one another and their environment. The Lynn Valley Ecology Centre features displays showing the interrelationships between plants, animals and man.
The high sub-alpine and alpine communities have been developing since the last glacial ice melted. Starting with rock, the actions of water, wind, heat and cold can produce soil, but very slowly. The addition of plants speeds up the process, then animals move in and ultimately a living community clothes the rock. At high elevations and on the steep slopes, the soil-building agents may, at the same time, work against the accumulation of soil. Broken rocks tend to roll to the valley floors, singly or as avalanches, fine matter may blow away in the wind or be carried by moving glaciers and running water down to lower levels. Anything that tends to loosen accumulating soils promotes erosion.
Even when the plants and the soils are established, existence remains precarious. The growing season is usually sort, and even during that time the temperatures are often low and the weather capricious. Plants grow were slowly.
The animals that live in the alpine, from insects to the big mammals, are directly or indirectly dependent on the plants, while on the other hand, their activities influence the vegetation. All the living things interact together in a system which is called The Fragile Network. Damage one part of the community and the whole community will feel the effects.
Since man has extended his operations to alpine heights, the living community is now also faced with grazing cattle, trampling human feet, all-terrain vehicles, and activities which involve the devastation by bulldozers, such as mining, logging, ski developments and communication stations.
We were in the area at the right time to tour Purdy’s Chocolate Factory. Richard Carmen Purdy’s love of chocolate created the beginnings of a tradition that continues to this day. In 1907 Mr. Purdy opened a tiny shop in downtown Vancouver on Robson Street. His reputation for making superb chocolates grew quickly, earning him the admiration of chocolate lovers throughout the city. Purdy’s Chocolatiers use only high quality, fresh ingredients. Two large melters contain 30,000 pounds each, and two smaller ones contain 10,000 pounds each. The pipes on the ceiling distribute chocolate throughout the factory. On an average day, Purdy’s goes through 10,000 pounds of chocolate. Purdy’s roasts an average of 3,000 pounds of nuts per week. Each day the dairy delivers fresh candy cream and butter. Candy centers are cooked over an open flame up to temperatures of 240o. After cooking, caramels, fudge and brittles are poured onto steel tables for cooling. The steel tables have water chambers that can be cooled or heated depending on the recipe. In an eight-hour day Purdy’s can produce over 3,000 pounds of caramel. Purdy’s shell molding Chocolatiers produce Hedgehogs, Melties and Smoothies. 72,000 Belgium Milk Chocolate Hedgehogs can be produced in a day. Cherries are put in the glazer to evenly coat them. At the end of the tour, we arrived at the gift shop to make some purchases. The next day we visited Charlies Chocolate Factory, a much smaller operation but with a larger display store.
Vancouver British Columbia Book 4
In 1858 the mainland of British Columbia became a colony with its capital located at New Westminster. British Royal Engineers surveyed the area under the command of Colonel Richard Moody. As private secretary to Colonel R. C. Moody, the Colony’s land commissioner Robert Burnaby displayed talents as an explorer, legislator and speaker. In 1859, when Moody received word from local natives that a fresh water lake existed north of New Westminster, Burnaby immediately volunteered for the survey party. Moody later named his discover Burnaby Lake. Pioneer citizens in 1892, named the thriving municipality Burnaby.
Burnaby is located within a large territory on the coast of British Columbia that has been the traditional home of Coast Salish peoples for thousands of years. Burnaby had resources that were harvested by First Nations, such as cranberries and large game, such as elk. By the 1890s, logging was a major industry in Burnaby with many sawmills processing lumber. Timber for ship masts was delivered to Ireland in 1865.
In 1891, the Westminster and Vancouver Tramway built an electric railway line between the two cities, and what would become Burnaby lay between the two cities. Initially, land was less expensive in Burnaby, but prices skyrocketed during the first real estate boom (1909-1912). In response to the growth of the community, a local police force was established, schools were built, and the business district grew. Many housing developments attracted people who wanted to live in the country and commute to the cities of New Westminster and Vancouver on the interurban trams.
Although the residential areas of Vancouver and Burnaby seem to merge, Burnaby has its own personality. Simon Fraser University is situated on top of Burnaby Mountain – from here you can gaze north to the waters of Indian Arm, a mountain-rimmed inlet of the sea.
Burnaby Village Museum represents a typical interurban community in British Columbia’s Lower Mainland region during the period of 1890-1925. Burnaby’s first European settler, William Holmes, came to East Burnaby in 1860. In 1891, an interurban line was opened between New Westminster and Vancouver, passing through what is now Burnaby. The convenience of this system encouraged more people to take up land in this area, and in 1892 Burnaby was incorporated as a municipality with about 250 people. Burnaby was a heavily forested area, and as the giant trees were cleared away, farms were established. Many Burnaby farms grew fruit and kept chickens and cows. By the early 1920s, Burnaby had started to change from a rural to an urban community. In 1992, Burnaby celebrated its 100th anniversary, and in that year became a city with a population of over 160,000.
Vancouver British Columbia Book 3 in Colour Photos
Vancouver, the largest city in British Columbia and the third largest city in Canada, is a sea port in British Columbia’s southwest corner sitting at the foot of the Coast Mountain range. Much of Vancouver is built on a peninsula surrounded by water.
Expo 86 was the biggest event B.C. had ever seen in 1986. The World’s Fair drew twenty-two million visitors to the north side of False Creek over six months. The infrastructure contributions from Expo 86 include the SkyTrain Expo Line, Science World, BC Place Stadium, Canada Place and the Plaza of Nations.
North Vancouver is directly across the harbor from the downtown area. North Vancouver is a thriving deep sea port and richly scenic holiday area. Here you can ride a gondola car up Grouse Mountain, or drive nearly to the peak of Seymour, but offering spectacular viewing and skiing sites. You can hike forest trails and enjoy a thrilling walk across a suspension bridge in Capilano or Lynn Canyon Park. Park and Tilford Gardens is a beauty. Seaside fun is available at the beaches.
West Vancouver is also clustered along the base of the towering Rocky Mountains. At Lighthouse Park you can see some of the largest trees on the west coast of Canada. Horseshoe Bay is a famous salmon fishing center. Here is the terminal of the B.C. ferries.
Richmond is located on two major islands at the mouth of the Fraser and is connected with Vancouver by a network of highways and bridges. The flat, fertile delta lands yield rich crops of vegetables and berries. Richmond includes the fishing village of Steveston, the home of much of B.C.’s commercial fishing fleet in the early 1900s. Richmond is also the site of Vancouver’s international airport.
New Westminster is called the Royal City because Queen Victoria selected its name. New Westminster overlooks the Fraser River just east of Burnaby. Irving House is a Victorian residence with an adjoining museum. Adjacent to the City Hall is the Garden of Friendship, a beautiful Park dedicated to its sister city of Moriguchi, Japan.
On Westham Island, to the south of Vancouver, is the George C. Reifel Waterfowl Refuge. White Rock is a town on a beautiful beach and is named for a huge rock landmark on the sands of Semiamhoo Bay. My Great Uncle Dick Todd lived in White Rock and we visited them there.
The towering North Shore Mountains which form a backdrop to the bustling city of Vancouver have beckoned outdoor recreationists for many years. Until the opening of the Lions Gate Bridge in 1939, a fleet of ferries transported hikers and skiers across Burrard Inlet on the first leg of their journey to Hollyburn Ridge, which is now part of Cypress Provincial Park. The park was established on October 9, 1975 and is 3,012 hectares in size. Bounded on the west by Howe Sound, on the north and east by the ridgetops of Mount Strachan and Hollyburn Mountain and to the south by West Vancouver, Cypress sits like a ship’s crows nest high above Vancouver.
On a clear day to the southeast snow-clad Mount Baker in the Cascade Mountain chain can be seen. To the west and southwest lie the Gulf Islands and Vancouver Island with Georgia Strait in the foreground. The diversity of natural features, old-growth trees and outdoor recreation opportunities both summer and winter, is due partly to the climate of coastal British Columbia. The average annual temperature of around 9-10 degrees Celsius (49-50° F) results in many warm days for hikers and sightseers. Cypress Mountain, was the official freestyle skiing & snowboard venue for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic winter games.
Harry and I drove north to Britannia Mines for a tour of a closed copper mine. We had lunch at Kahlina Restaurant opposite Shannon Falls on Highway 99, just south of Squamish, where The Royal Hudson is the last remaining steam locomotive in scheduled service in North America. Between May and September, the Royal Hudson steams along the breath-taking beauty of Howe Sound between North Vancouver and Squamish. Whistler is located 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of Vancouver. We enjoyed the scenic two-hour drive which winds around Howe Sound and close to the Coast Mountain range. Whistler, in the heart of the mountains, is very scenic.
On the return trip, we stopped at Brandywine Falls with a 211-foot drop, with 600 cubic feet of water per minute falling over the falls at the heaviest season in early summer. It got its name from the time when brandy and wine were bartered for guessing the height of the falls.
Vancouver British Columbia Book 2 in Colour Photos
Vancouver is the largest city in British Columbia. It is a sea port in British Columbia’s southwest corner sitting at the foot of the Coast Mountain range. Much of Vancouver is built on a peninsula surrounded by water.
Vancouver is a city with a view. It has a natural harbor, a backdrop of rugged mountain peaks, a forest-like park, sandy beaches, you can ride a gondola car up Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver, and you can fish for salmon. You can drive almost to the peak of Mount Seymour for beautiful views and skiing sites. Vancouver is Canada’s third largest city.
Robson Square is located in the heart of downtown Vancouver; it was designed by Arthur Erickson and houses a Law Courts building, office space for six hundred government employees, and the City’s outdoor ice-skating rink. The three-block development has a rooftop reflecting pool, three waterfalls, a foot bridge, a man-made mountain, and many trees and shrubs.
We drove up Mount Seymour to the bottom of the ski slopes (the end of the roadway) where the elevation is 1,016 miles.
Canada Place resembles an enormous ocean liner with its roof of billowing sails. Canada Place represents many stories, such as, Indian legends, shipwrecks, cruise ships, Vancouver’s history and beautiful scenery, freight and cargo, exports and imports, Vancouver and Canada’s development in world trade. Canada Place is the terminal where cruise ships dock. It was built for Expo 1986 and is a dramatic structure with its distinctive sails. Underneath is the Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre.
Granville Island incorporates everything from the theaters to a popular public market. Located at the south side of False Creek under the Granville Street Bridge, Vancouver’s Granville Island Public Market sells fresh vegetables, fresh fish, meats and other groceries and plants. The Island is home to several restaurants as well as a marina. Access from downtown is via the Granville Street Bridge.
Queen Elizabeth Park was once a quarry. From its location on Little Mountain, there is a fine view of the city, mountains and sea. Rolling lawns and gardens are interspersed with winding paths to enable enjoyment of colorful flower beds. The dome of the Bloedel Floral Conservatory is a beacon to lure park visitors to view an assortment of tropical and semi-tropical plants.
Stanley Park at the western end of the city is a thousand-acre wilderness crisscrossed by walking trails and bounded by an eleven-kilometer seawall. Indian carvings on the totem poles tell their enchanting tales with each figure, animal and head depicting some phase of life or belief of the early coast Indians.
