Woodcut Image Lonsdale Ferry, artist Rick Herdman, courtesy of North Van Arts
Season’s Greetings from North Shore Heritage!
The impressive woodcut print shown above is the work of local artist Rick Herdman. The image shows the Lonsdale Ferry landing in 1917. It comes from a photograph taken by the artist’s great uncle and early Vancouver photographer, William John Moore, 1887-1963. The photo was discovered by the artist among a collection of Moore’s photographs in the basement of the North Vancouver home of the artist’s grandmother.
Prior to the existence of the First and Second Narrows bridges, the only public transport lane between North Vancouver and Vancouver was by ferry. Upon disembarking at Lonsdale in 1917, passengers could transfer to a B.C. Electric Company Railway streetcar; one of the routes would have taken you up the centre of Grand Boulevard to the end of the line at Dempsey Road in Lynn Valley. Today, as in everything old is new again, you can transfer from the Seabus to a bus to travel to the End of the Line General Store at Lynn Valley Road and Dempsey.
Although the North Shore landscape has changed significantly since 1917, some is still recognizable. But travel a hundred years back from 1917 to 1817, and while you would have seen the mountains and the rivers and the inlet, you also would have found a wealth of forests made up of enormous ancient trees with First Nations the stewards of the land. No houses, no shops, no roads, no settlers. But not no nothing. Those ancient trees were almost as good as the goldrush to early settlers who saw a lucrative opportunity in lumber. North Vancouver’s first sawmill at Moodyville was established in the 1860’s. And from that time, the North Shore as we know it today came about.
Over many decades, structures were built, and increasingly in recent years, structures demolished in the pursuit of a brand of progress in which new outdid and outbid old. Only in very recent years has the value of heritage and history in what we have around us been given better recognition, helped by the volunteer work and commitment of the North Shore Heritage Preservation Society. To quote former long time NSH President, Peter Miller, “… the relentless demolition of our built heritage has been the cause of great concern and regret to our community…. heritage buildings give communities a deep sense of history and identity … every building that is demolished loses this precious link to the past”.
As L.P. Hartley said, “The Past is a Foreign Country” and when we visit a foreign country, we make discoveries about the place and about ourselves. We can do that when we explore the past of the North Shore. Think about how we see the North Shore today. From Deep Cove to Horseshoe Bay, and from Burrard Inlet to the backdrop peaks of the North Shore Mountains, we see a collage of trees and structures interspersed by highways, roads, streets, avenues and lanes that, until the arrival of the first settlers in the mid 1800’s, was a preserve of those ancient trees in the territory of the Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Compared to the history of the First Nations or to the history of the first settlers’ countries of origin or to the history of the origins of any of us diasporic newcomers who now call the North Shore home, we are a young community. Perhaps relative newness precluded valuing the history of many original buildings that have been irretrievably lost particularly since the beginning of the 21st century during which time real estate values have soared.
The second part of the past is a foreign country says they do things differently there. Today we can do things differently from our recent history through the protection and preservation of what we have left. To this end, North Shore Heritage Preservation Society’s volunteers, who range in age from early twenties to seventies, continue to strive to protect the North Shore’s bricks and mortar heritage.
Since travel is very much curtailed during these Covid times, we encourage you to travel to the past by visiting some of the websites below.
Heritage Links for your perusal:
North Shore Heritage Preservation Society
On this site find out how to research your older home’s heritage; explore an extensive photo archive collection; visit the Blog page to read articles filled with fascinating local heritage stories and information; consult the Trades Directory; connect with the NSHPS Community Forum.
On this site find extensive information about the Deep Cove, Seymour, Indian Arm and Belcarra past and definitely check out the recently updated large collection of photos. https://hub.catalogit.app/4866
West Vancouver Historical Society
On this site find a West Vancouver Timeline starting in 1791; a resource list; how to buy the WVHS 2022 calendar – Local Visions Inside West Vancouver; how to participate in West Van Stories and the West Vancouver Stories Community Oral History project.
Visit in-person or online, the new Museum of North Vancouver (MONOVA). Their new premises are located at 115 West Esplanade, Shipyards Area.
If you prefer to visit them online only, make sure to click on the picture on the site of Home Movies to connect to fascinating old film footage from earlier days that include Shipyards’ scenes, and passengers disembarking from the Lonsdale Ferry with the passenger exit sign as shown in the Rick Herdman’s woodcut at the top of the Blog. Amazing to see these people from the North Shore past.
Monova - North Vancouver Archives
On this site, you can explore the archives (photos, architectural plans, maps, pamphlets, sound recordings etc) from home by clicking on the Online Database button.
Discover the rich history & art of the North Shore with this free online map. A resource that brings the North Shore’s community's stories & culture straight to your screen.
Fast Facts
North Van Arts and CityScape Community ArtSpace: https://northvanarts.ca/profiles/rick-herdman/ Artist Rick Herdman’s wood cut depiction of the Lonsdale Ferry, 1917 is the February art piece in the NVArts 2022 Calendar, You Are Here, $20. https://northvanarts.ca/culture-map/you-are-here-calendar/ His work is also available through the NVArts Art Rental Programme.
William John Moore, 1887-1863, Vancouver photographer and great uncle of artist Rick Herdman, contributed significantly to the establishment of the Vancouver Archives through his photography. Click here to see more of his work. There are more photos at this link as well.
The BC Electric Streetcar went from Lonsdale Ferry via the centre of Grand Boulevard to the end of the line at Dempsey Street in Lynn Valley. Click here to see some photos.
End of the Line General Store: The current store stands on the site of the 1910 store that was the terminus for the Lonsdale Ferry streetcar. Click here to read more about this store and to see an archival photo of what used to be there.
The Past is a Foreign Country is the opening line of L.P. Hartley’s novel, The Go-Between, set in the 1950’s looking back at events of 1900.