While researching for another blog many months ago, I was perusing the 1913 North Vancouver City Directory. I noticed that, for many individuals, their home was listed as “tent”. It surprised me that a tent was permanent enough to be listed as a person’s home. I was curious to know more about the appearance of these tents, so I visited the websites of the North Vancouver and West Vancouver Archives and entered the search word “tent”. And this is when I went down the proverbial rabbit hole into the warren of tent homes and some of the fascinating families who occupied them. As I read about the families, what struck me was that they were mostly Western European immigrants, who left a civilized life behind to come to the new world to live … in a tent! Clearly, they all came with a sense of adventure but in the end, their best attribute would be perseverance! Life in the new world was definitely not easy.
Before we move on, I should clarify what I mean by a tent. The tents common in the early 20th century had wooden floors and siding, with a sturdy canvas roof. They were high enough that you could stand up inside. They also contained a wood stove, beds, a table and other small pieces of furniture and of course, cooking implements.
There could be multiple reasons for living in a tent in the early 20th century. They were commonplace while one saved up enough money to buy a lot and build a house, or while one decided if they were going to make North Vancouver or West Vancouver their permanent home. Sometimes people also built them as summer homes, especially along the shores of West Vancouver.
Esplanade Tent Camp
Let’s start with a tour of the south shore of North Vancouver on West Esplanade in the early 1900’s. This was the site of a large grouping of tents located right along the waterfront, directly south of the Hotel North Vancouver.
Inv 13028 - 1908 - Camp grounds with tents on waterfront. Courtesy of MONOVA/Archives of North Vancouver
Here’s a photo of the Hotel North Vancouver to provide an interesting juxtaposition. Imagine living in a tent across the street, with a clear view to what must have been a decadent place to stay!
Inv 15797 - Between 1905 and 1915 - Hotel North Vancouver. Courtesy of MONOVA/Archives of North Vancouver.
The Esplanade Campgrounds were where two of our tenting families, the Coulsons and the Bissetts, lived.
Charles Coulson Family
From 1907-1910, the old North Vancouver directory indicates that Charles Coulson was a carpenter who was living on “the south side of West Esplanade”. No specific address was provided but we know that this was the area of the Esplanade Campgrounds.
Screenshot of 1908 listing for Charles Coulson. Source: Henderson’s Vancouver City Directory.
The next photo gives us a glimpse of Charles Coulson in front of his tent. If you zoom in on the writing on the tent, it says “Vancouver Tent and Awning Makers, 69 Water St”. So, there was an entire industry that serviced people like Charles Coulson who needed inexpensive, “temporary” housing.
Inv 12988 – 1907, Charles Coulson in a North Vancouver tent camp on waterfront. Courtesy of MONOVA/Archives of North Vancouver.
By 1912, after 5 years of living in a tent, Charles had built a house at 851 Calverhall Street. Below are photos of the house at 851 Calverhall and of Charles and his wife, Donna, in their vegetable garden. Sadly, Donna passed away at the age of 35 in 1915. I could not find the original death certificate and cause of death but I wonder if it might have been during childbirth. This is pure speculation though.
Inv 12994 – 191x - Charles Coulson and wife Donna in vegetable garden at 851 Calverhall St. She died in 1915, aged 35. Courtesy of MONOVA/Archives of North Vancouver
Inv 12990 – ca 1915, House at 851 Calverhall St., the Coulson family home built in 1912 by Charles Coulson. Living quarters in garage on same property portrayed in photo # 12992, which was the home of Samuel Dodson, a cousin of Charles Coulson's. Courtesy of MONOVA/Archives of North Vancouver
Of all the homes I researched for this article, this is the only house which still stands today. It has been modified significantly but you can still see the same roof peak at the front and the same placement of the front entry.
Photo of House 851 Calverhall Street, North Vancouver. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Clay.
Harry G. Bissett Family
Well, this was a fun one to research. I started with this photo.
Inv 6854 – No date - Mrs. Mabel Bisset in front of her tent home on campgrounds on waterfront west of Hotel North Vancouver. Courtesy of MONOVA/Archives of North Vancouver
There are some interesting things about this photo:
The tent is displaying not just a British union jack but also an American flag which implies the citizenship of the occupants
Although the handwriting at the top likely describes the photo behind this one, it does refer to the North Vancouver Hotel which gives us a clue about the location of the tent, assuming the two photos were associated
The photo was labelled by the Archives, “Mrs. Mabel Bisset” which implies this lady is married and that her married name is Bisset
I then found a 1913 listing for Harry G. Bissett in the North Vancouver archival directories showing that he was a broker, living in a tent on West Esplanade.
I immediately jumped to the conclusion that the “Mrs. Mabel Bissett” in the photo must be Harry’s wife…but a little further down the rabbit hole, I found valuable information that proved me wrong.
From what I can tell, Harry Gordon Bissett was born in the US in 1860 (hence the American flag in front of the tent). At the time of the 1901 Census, he, along with his first wife Annie (born in Britain, 1874), were living in downtown Vancouver along with their children, Maybell R. (b. 1892), David (b. 1894), Gladys (1898) and Harry G. (b. 1900). So, the lady in the photo is Maybell, Harry’s adult daughter and it should have been labelled Miss Maybell Bissett!
I was able to trace Harry through the years in the city directories and found that from 1902-1906, Harry was working in the saloon of the Mining Exchange Hotel and from 1907-1909, he was the proprietor of the same hotel, which was located at 604 West Hastings. By 1910, he was working in North Vancouver as a Real Estate Clerk, living on the south side of Esplanade.
Harry and his family lived in the tent for 5 years, from 1910 until 1914 with his profession listed as “real estate”. Does it not seem ironic that he was in the business of real estate and yet was living in a tent? The good news is that by 1915, the Bissetts had moved up to 128 E 19th. However, his wife Annie sadly died in 1916. Harry later married Lillie Lewis, and he died in 1952 at the age of 90.
West Vancouver Temporary Tents
When the above photos were taken of the Esplanade Tent Camp, the municipality of West Vancouver was also developing. Up until 1912, the District of North Vancouver stretched from Deep Cove to Horseshoe Bay. However, in 1912, West Vancouver was incorporated, taking all the land west of the Capilano River. In their rush to incorporate, the municipal government did not have time to build a municipal hall, and were located in a tent initially!
0264.WVA.RAH – ca 1912 - Photograph of land cleared for a proposed golf course. The view is northeast from Lawson Avenue [17th Street]. The Harte home at 16th Street and Esquimalt Avenue is in the distance, as is the tent which served as temporary Municipal Hall. Courtesy of West Vancouver Archives.
Below are some examples of other temporary tent homes in the early days of West Vancouver.
William George Barker
Backtracking to 1911, before the incorporation of West Vancouver, this photo was technically taken in the District of North Vancouver. It shows William George and Martha Jane Barker sitting on wicker chairs outside their home, which was located at Bellevue Avenue and 20th Street. I love this photo as it shows people in front of their tent relaxing while reading, unlike the more posed photos included elsewhere in this article. I especially love that there is a notch cut out of the log in front of the Barker’s house, which I liken to a threshold into their private domain. I also liked that there are a pair of shoes airing on their front doorstep … a.k.a. a log!
0138.WVA.RAH – 1911 - Photograph of the tent home of the Barker family located at Bellevue Avenue and 20th Street. William George and Martha Jane Barker are sitting on wicker chairs outside of their home. Courtesy of West Vancouver Archives
I was able to source the death certificates for both William and Martha and learned that William was born in 1882 in England and Martha was born in 1883 in England. So they were 29 and 28 years respectively when the photo was taken.
According to the archival city directories, from 1914-1916, Mr. William G. Barker was a salesman, with no address listed. I could not find any record of him in the directories from 1917-1918 but it is possible that he was involved in WWI and thus not in West Vancouver. The next time he was listed was in 1919, where he was listed as a clerk with the CPR with his home listed as 22nd Street, West Vancouver. By 1921, only his wife, Mrs. William G Barker was in the city directory, with her residence listed simply as Dundarave.
I was curious to know what happened to William Barker. The absence of Mr. Barker in the city directories after 1920 is explained by details found on his death certificate. Sadly, he died in 1946 in Essondale (now Riverview), a hospital in Coquitlam, at the age of 63. He is listed as being a resident for 26 years, and having last worked in 1920.
Edit to original article: After the original publication of this blog, I was contacted by David Barker, the grandson of the Barkers, to give me further details on the history of his grandparents. David advised me that sadly, in 1921, William George Barker was hit by a streetcar and suffered severe brain damage and was hospitalized for the rest of his life.
David also advised that the tent home in this photo was originally a summer home, located near to where the Pink Palace is located today. The couple had a place in Kitsilano at the time but spent most of their time in West Vancouver, rowing across the Burrard Inlet to get to their “happy place”. The couple eventually also spent some winters in West Vancouver, living in a few cottages that were vacant for the winter and eventually lived in West Vancouver permanently.
The couple were already engaged in England when William came to Canada to find a better life. He initially worked on the Prairies but came with a friend to BC in 1910 and decided to stay. He went back to England, married Martha and then they came back to Canada together. Apparently Martha was an adventurous 4’11” woman, who told David that she spent her honeymoon, climbing in the hills of West Vancouver, using the flumes for easy access. This was when the flumes were actively transporting shingle bolts so a rather risky shortcut! The couple had 4 children; Jim, John, Peggy (the first May Queen!) and Bill. Martha was pregnant with Bill when William was hit by the streetcar. After the accident, Jim, quite school in grade 6 to help support the family.
Martha died in her home on Bayridge Ave in West Vancouver.in 1972 at the age of 88
Tents on Personal Lots
As mentioned in my introduction, a tent was often built as a temporary structure on a lot until the owner could afford to build a proper house. Here are some of the families who did this:
Andrew and Jessie Reid (1430 Esquimalt)
Andrew and Jessie Reid of Killin, Scotland had 6 children. Below is a photo of the family in 1910.
Image 055.WVA.REI - ca. 1910 - The Reid family in Scotland. Includes (left to right): Andrew Sr., Isobel, Robert, Andrew Jr. (seated), Peter, Margaret, James and Jessie. Courtesy of West Vancouver Archives
Two of the sons, Peter and Andrew Jr, emigrated to West Vancouver shortly after the photo was taken, followed by their father, Andrew Sr, their mother, Jessie, and the youngest son, James (Jim), in 1911.
Andrew Sr and Jessie bought four lots on the south side of Esquimalt Avenue, just west of 14th Street, near Vinson Creek. Their first home was a tent.
Inv 6535 – 192x - Tent in 1400 block Esquimalt Ave., West Vancouver, first home of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Reid. Mrs. Jessie Reid, seated. Courtesy of MONOVA/Archives of North Vancouver
By 1913, they had built a home at what later became 1430 Esquimalt.
Inv 6533 – ca 1913, Mr. Andrew and Mrs. Jessie Reid on front porch of their new bungalow, later numbered 1428 Esquimalt, West Vancouver. Courtesy of MONOVA/Archives of North Vancouver
Sadly, Andrew Sr died in 1913 shortly after the completion of the house. Jessie Reid died in 1922. The house at 1430 Esquimalt no longer exists.
Richard Brererton (125 East 4th Street)
The tent pictured in this photo was located on 4th Street in North Vancouver, between Lonsdale and St. Georges and was the home of Richard R. Brereton who was a teamster from 1905-1907 according to the archival city directories. In those days, a teamster drove a team of horses!
Inv 249 – 1905 - Group of men and women in front of tent on Lot 9, Block 132, D.L. 274, later 125 E. 4th St. Man front and centre is Dick (Richard) Brereton. Front left man is John Henry (Jack) Renshaw, front right is Rodney Renshaw, back right is Dave Renshaw. The lady in the centre is Dick Brereton's first wife. Courtesy of MONOVA/Archives of North Vancouver
Besides Richard Brereton and his wife, the other people pictured in the photo were the Renshaw brothers. David Renshaw and John Renshaw were both loggers, while Rodney Renshaw was a plumber, all living at the northwest corner of 17th and Mahon (later 1705 Mahon)
By 1909, Richard Brereton was working as a conductor for the BC Electric Railway. The city directory lists his address as 4th Street, between Lonsdale and St. Georges, until 1915 when it was listed as 125 East 4th street. Richard worked as a conductor until 1935, and passed away on November 22, 1936 at the age of 70. He was married to a woman named Annie at the time.
Unfortunately, the house at 125 E 4th Street no longer exists.
Burns Family (1434 Argyle Ave)
The photograph which sparked my interest in the Burns family is below. This tent was erected right on the water in West Vancouver.
#082.WVA.BUR - ca 1917 - Photograph of Maria Burns and her daughter Lillie Becker (age 5) in front of their tent home at 1434 Argyle Avenue. Courtesy of West Vancouver Archives.
Through the archival vital records website, I learned that Maria Lisbeth Weiberneit (b. 1887) and Joseph (Joe) Becker, a blacksmith, both German immigrants, were married in Vancouver on October 7, 1909. The little girl in the photo above is their daughter Lillie Becker, who was born in 1912.
It is unclear what happened to Joe Becker but by 1917, the date of the photo, Maria was married to John A. Burns, and they had a daughter named Mary Burns, a half-sister for Lillie.
At some point prior to the 1924 photo below, the tent home at 1434 Argyle became a permanent home for the Burns family. The City Directories show J.A. Burns and his wife, Lisbeth (Maria’s middle name), as the occupants at least until the 1940s.
055.WVA.BUR - 1924 - Photograph of Maria Burns standing on the beach in front of her home at 1434 Argyle Avenue. Courtesy of West Vancouver Archives.
Further research revealed that Lillie married Charles Mackenzie, a fisherman in Victoria in 1939. Sadly the marriage was dissolved in 1943 and Lillie died in 1945 in Victoria at the young age of 32. Her mother Maria, outlived her, dying in 1978 at the age of 90.
Robert Seeds (1434 Marine Drive)
Another photo which captured my attention was the one below of the Seeds family who were neighbours of the Burns family. The Burns family were on Argyle and the Seeds family were on Marine Drive, both at 14th Street.
0353.WVA.RAH - ca. 1917 - Photograph of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Seeds and their four children in front of their first tent home on the waterfront west of 14th Street. Courtesy of West Vancouver Archives
The 1917 archival City Directory shows R. Seeds as owning a grocery store on Marine Drive with his home listed as “same”.
It appears that, based on this 1915 photo, that the store was on Marine Drive with the tent home behind.
0070.WVA.RAH - 1915 - Photograph of the southwest corner of Marine Drive at 14th Street, including Seeds Grocery. Courtesy of West Vancouver Archives.
By 1918, it looks like a different structure was built on the same site with R. Seeds still listed in the archival directory as operating a grocery store on Marine drive at 14th and living at the same location.
0354.WVA.RAH - 1918 - Photograph of the Seeds family on their front porch, with Robert Seeds on the roof. The family home was located on the waterfront west of 14th Street. Courtesy of West Vancouver Archives.
Robert Seeds was an enterprising man. From his original 1915 Grocery Store, he expanded in 1937 to include hardware under the name R. Seeds Groceries & Hardware with the address listed as 1434 Marine Drive. Later, he added the R. Seeds Gasoline and Service station on Marine drive at 15th to his holdings.
0861.WVA.RAH – 193x - Photograph of R. Seeds Groceries & Hardware's model T Ford backed up against the north side of the Pacific Great Eastern railway tracks on 14th Street and Bellevue Avenue. Courtesy of West Vancouver Archives.
In 1940, shortly after expanding his retail offerings, Mr. Robert Seeds died at the age of 60 in West Vancouver. His wife, Elizabeth died in July 1964, at the age of 88. Her death certificate indicates she was a practical nurse who last practiced her profession in June of 1964! Using death certificate information, I was able to determine that both Robert and Elizabeth were Irish and at least one of their children, Kathleen, was born in England (Manchester), before they came to Canada. They also had at least two sons, Robert (Jr) and Albert. I was unable to find the name of the 4th child pictured in the original Seeds family tent photo.
Stuart McIntyre (1370 Haywood)
Born in 1891 in Southport, England, Stuart McIntyre would have been 20 years old in this photo in front of the tent where he spent his first year in West Vancouver at 1370 Haywood.
1363.WVA.RAH – 1911 - Photograph of (James) Stuart McIntyre, standing in front of the tent in which he spent his first year in West Vancouver, located at 1370 Haywood Avenue. Courtesy of West Vancouver Archives.
By 1912, he upgraded to a wooden shack with a canvas roof which is pictured below from the outside…
1356.WVA.RAH - 1913 - Photograph of Stuart McIntyre's shack located on Haywood Avenue, between 13th and 14th Streets. Courtesy of West Vancouver Archives.
…and on the inside. I love the civility of this living room scene with the draped table and lamp and framed photos of important people in his life, on the table and hanging on the wall.
1359.WVA.RAH - 1912 - Photograph of the interior of Stuart McIntyre's shack located on the north side of the 1300 block of Haywood Avenue. Courtesy of West Vancouver Archives.
I have included this next photo of a snowy scene including Stuart McIntyre’s “tent” to show that these tent dwellers would have had to contend with all weather conditions.
1362.WVA.RAH - 1914 - Photograph of a small house, located at 1387 Haywood Avenue, and a tent to the east which was owned by Stuart McIntyre. There is deep snow on the ground. Courtesy of West Vancouver Archives.
It seems that Mr. McIntyre went on to marry Doris Edgley, also an English immigrant, and they had 1 daughter and 3 sons. Based on other photos in the archives, it is clear they were a musical family.
1357.WVA.RAH - 193x – McIntyre family at 951 20th street. Mr McIntyre is standing at far left, Mrs Doris McIntyre is sitting holding a violin, their daughter Margaret is sitting at the piano and their three sons, Alan, Jim and Stuart, are sitting and standing at centre. The children formed a musical group known as the McIntyre String Quartet and they performed for the Lonsdale Theatre Group. Courtesy of West Vancouver Archives.
According to the archival death certificates, Stuart, an accountant by trade, died at the age of 57 in 1949 while Doris died only a few years later at the age of 60. They were both still residents of West Vancouver at the time of their passing.
Summer Camp Sites
As mentioned in my introduction, the North Shore, and especially West Vancouver, was a place to vacation, as much as it was a place in which to live. Here are two examples of families who vacationed in a tent.
Sarah Cosgrove and Gertrude Radcliffe
This tent photo was a summer home for the Cosgrove family including John R. Cosgrove, who immigrated from Scotland in 1909, his wife, Sarah (Radcliffe) Cosgrove and her siblings (Gertrude (Trudie), Kathleen and Florence) and mother, Nellie, immigrants from Ireland.
Inv 10721 -1920 - Sarah Cosgrove (left), Trudie Radcliff (in bloomers) and Tent Home – The photo had the following inscription: "Our little grey home in the west. Try to keep it cool", Courtesy of MONOVA/Archives of NVMA
Inv. 10722 - 1920 Mrs. Sarah Cosgrove [and sister Gertrude Radcliffe having picnic at West Bay. Courtesy of MONOVA/Archives of North Vancouver
The tent was located at West Bay in West Vancouver where John, the District of North Vancouver Engineer, had two streets named after his family:
Travers Avenue for his son who was born in 1920
Radcliffe Avenue for his wife’s family
Albert Elliott
And last but certainly not least, I present the story of Mr. Albert Elliott whose tent, thought to be a vacation home, is pictured below in 1911 with his wife, Evelyn. The tent was located behind Smith’s store which was at Capilano Gardens at the Streetcar Terminus.
Inv 4008 – 1911 - Mr. and Mrs. Albert Elliott's tent behind Smith's store, Capilano. Courtesy of MONOVA/Archives of North Vancouver
Inv 6480 - "The "Rustic" Capilano Gardens, at Street Car Terminus" on School St. R.E. Smith, Proprietor. "Auto meets every car. J.T. Device, Manager." Store was out of view around corner of house. Courtesy of MONOVA/Archives of North Vancouver
Here’s Albert’s early history: Albert Elliott (1871-1962) was born in Barton St. Michael, a suburb of Gloucester, England, the second of ten children. He contracted Scarlet Fever as a child and as a result became completely deaf. In 1887, he was apprenticed to a bookbinder, named John Edward Southall, in Newport, Monmouthshire (Wales) initially on a 6-year contract. He worked there for 19 years and was an exemplary employee as per the reference letter he received on January 24, 1906 as he contemplated emigration to North America.
Albert Elliott’s Apprenticeship Contract - Courtesy of MONOVA/Archives of North Vancouver
Reference Letter for Albert Elliott - Courtesy of MONOVA/Archives of North Vancouver
He met Evelyn Kate ("Vevey") Richards in 1898, also deaf, and they married in 1901.
Inv 5716 – 190x - Albert and Evelyn Elliott in front of their home in Newport, England. Courtesy of MONOVA/Archives of North Vancouver
In 1904, Alfred and Evelyn met Fred Baglow, also deaf and the three of them emigrated to California in 1906 ostensibly to take up farming, according to the 1906 Reference Letter above. However, apparently they quickly decided not to stay in the US and came up to North Vancouver in the same year. Having become skilled in photography as well as bookbinding in the UK, Albert, along with Fred Baglow, launched Elliott & Baglow Photographers in August or September of 1906. It was located on the west side of Lonsdale, below Esplanade, in the Junction Block. Elliott sold his half of the business in 1907 when he got a job at Thomson Stationers as a book binder. Fred Baglow carried on operating the photography studio until late 1908 or early 1909.
Inv 6774 - ca 1938 - West side of Lonsdale Ave. below Esplanade from Junction Block to Sugar Bowl Confectionery. Most of buildings owned by North Vancouver Land and Improvement Co. Ltd. Courtesy of MONOVA/Archives of North Vancouver
Inv 9247 – 1908 - The Junction Block (right) and Junction Annex, southwest corner of Lonsdale and Esplanade. Elliott & Baglow Studio with skylight and sign on top of Junction Block. Courtesy of MONOVA/Archives of North Vancouver
Inv 12819 – ca. 1907 - Mrs. Evelyn Elliott (nee Richards), first wife of Albert Elliott. Courtesy of MONOVA/Archives of North Vancouver
Inv 3996 – ca. 1908, Mrs. Evelyn Elliott in dining room of suite in Junction Block. Elliott & Baglow Photographic Studio was in attic above. West Esplanade and Lonsdale Ave. Courtesy of MONOVA/Archives of North Vancouver
Inv 4006 – ca. 1908, Group on Roof Outside Elliot & Baglow Studio • Fred Baglow, unidentified (top), Albert Elliott, unidentified (bottom) eating watermelon on roof outside Elliot & Baglow Photo Studio in the Junction Block. Photo likely taken by Evelynn Elliott. Courtesy of MONOVA/Archives of North Vancouver
Inv 4007 – Description as above but with Mrs. Evelyn Elliott, front left. Photo likely taken by Albert Elliott. Courtesy of MONOVA/Archives of North Vancouver
Do you see the size of those watermelon pieces? It seems they cut them longitudinally in those days!
Sadly, Evelyn Elliott died in childbirth in 1912. On June 30, 1915, Albert married Lucy Jane Gosse.
Inv 4024 – Sep 1915 - Albert and Lucy Jane (Gosse) Elliott at Capilano Park three months after their marriage. She is wearing her wedding suit which is now in the North Vancouver Museum collection. Courtesy of MONOVA/Archives of North Vancouver
Using the archival city directories, I was able to determine that Albert worked as a bookbinder, at Thomson Stationers from 1907-1917 and then at the Vancouver Bindery from 1917 until at least until 1955, when he was already 84 years old! Albert Elliott died in 1962 at the age of 90. At that time, he lived at 2173 Argyle Ave in West Vancouver which was demolished in 2021.
Conclusion
And as I emerge from the rabbit warren of tent homes, back to the civility of life in 2024, I am all the more impressed with the pioneering spirit of these tent dwellers of the early 20th century. It was surely a tough life with early deaths, mental illness, living in the wilderness, not to mention the bugs in summer and the snow in winter! And yet, it seems that most of these families prospered, and contributed to the development of the North Shore. I am grateful to all of the families in this article who entrusted their photographic collections to the archives. Your gift is greater than you could ever have imagined!
With thanks to Reto Tschan of the Archives of West Vancouver and Georgia Twiss of MONOVA/Archives of North Vancouver for patiently responding to my requests for digital copies of all of these amazing photos!
Sources
DNV Socio-Historical Service Infrastructure, by Roy Pallant
Tent City, Seawalk 1993, Published by West Vancouver Parks and Recreation Department