If you live on the North Shore, chances are you have been to Lions Gate Hospital in some capacity. The hospital is a cornerstone of the community where lives start and lives end, and where sick and injured seek help, care and cure. Today's hospital is in the area of the first funded hospital on East 15th near St. Andrew's Avenue, which opened its doors to patients on May 15, 1908. Read on to learn more about the Dawson sisters, three nurses from Yorkshire, who took it upon themselves to build and run the first hospital in North Vancouver.
Bentley Collingwood Hilliam
In the vaults of the BC Archives lies a memory of the past. In 1964, nearing the end of his days, Bentley Collingwood Hilliam sat down with Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) Radio to make a recording of his life. A now largely forgotten musical genius, Hilliam was one half of the internationally touring vaudeville act Mister Flotsam and Mister Jetsam that played the musical halls from the 1920s to the 1940s. A classically trained pianist with a gift for song writing, Hilliam got his start in North Vancouver. His journey to stardom is one that warrants a re-telling!
Boxing Day
Boxing Day, the second day of Christmas, has nothing to do with sparring in a ring. It stems from a tradition in Victorian England. But even before that, December 26th was the day of the Feast of St. Stephen. Join our writer, Anne-Marie Lawrence, as she ties this day to North Shore built and photographic heritage.
The Ice Man Cometh
The hot days of Summer are with us and, no doubt, you’re reaching for a chilled beer or cold glass of milk from the fridge to cool the effects of the heat. Spare a thought then for our predecessors back in the day. The early pioneers of the North Shore had no easily available fridges to chill their much-needed drinks or keep even the most basic of foodstuffs fresh. Instead, they had to use their wits, making use of what nature could afford.
Sidetracked on a Side Street
The Pacific Great Eastern Railway, despite its name, was a Western company. Incorporated in Vancouver in 1912, it was founded to create a railroad between Prince George and the docks of North Vancouver via Squamish and the Howe Sound. Decades passed before this goal was fully achieved due to a section of challenging, mountainous terrain and ongoing financial challenges. It became known as the Province’s Great Expense to Prince George Eventually. However, the story of the PGE Railway is one of ambition and perseverance that created an important, historic route along the waters of the Burrard Inlet and Howe Sound, remnants of which still exist today.