The theme for Heritage Week in BC this year is Pastimes in Past Times! What a fabulous topic! Upon hearing this, I scoured the North and West Vancouver Archives for relevant photos and dug deep into my memory bank and those of anyone I knew over the age of 50. As it turns out, there are a lot of activities that people used to do in the good old days that are no longer popular today. Things like gathering as a family to listen to the radio, riding a rope tow and using a film camera plus lots more. If you actually remember doing any of these things, you are old! If you don’t, I suggest you disconnect from TikTok and read on to learn about good old-fashioned fun!
If we go back to the pioneering days of the North Shore, in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, people didn’t have a lot of spare time. Everyone in a family worked hard to put wood on the fire, food on the table, and clothes on their backs so there wasn’t a lot of extra time to have fun. But when they did, it often involved activities in their own back yard.
In the Mountains
Although people were already essentially living in the forest in the early days, the call to conquer the local mountains was answered by many. Although people still hike today, I don’t know many who do this in long skirts!
Group of young women and men on Old Mosquito Creek Trail, [190-] Inventory No 10082. Courtesy of MONOVA/North Vancouver Archives
And then there were those avid skiiers and hikers who wanted to be able to stay for longer periods of time in the mountains. So, they selected a building site, felled trees, carried in building supplies and stoves and constructed their own cabins. The cabin community on Hollyburn Ridge was legendary, with up to 200 cabins in the early 30’s but there were also cabins on Seymour and of course, the Munday’s place on the top of Dam Mountain.
Building a Log Cabin. Bill and Abbie building the floor of a log cabin. This is likely the Charbonneau's cabin on Hollyburn Ridge. [193-]. Item Number 006.WVA.HHS.CHA. Courtesy of West Vancouver Archives.
Don Munday with Swedish bow saw on verandah of cabin on Dam Mountain. 1920 or 1921. Inventory No 6301. Courtesy of MONOVA/North Vancouver Archives
Imagine how much fun these young people had!
Cabin interior [possibly "Wander Inn"?], on Hollyburn Ridge. [193-] Item Number 010.WVA.HHS.CRE. Courtesy of West Vancouver Archives.
People on Hollyburn Ridge having fun [193-] Item Number 009.WVA.HHS.FIR. Courtesy of West Vancouver Archives.
As skiing became more popular, Hollyburn, Seymour and Grouse developed ski resorts. Of course, these resorts are still very much in operation (when the snowpack allows!) but thankfully, for the longevity of ski gloves, rope tows are a thing of the past!
Rope tow at First Lake on Hollyburn Ridge. [194-] Item Number 001.WVA.HHS.OWE. Courtesy of West Vancouver Archives.
Games and the Electronic Age
While building cabins and skiing in the mountains was certainly a popular activity in the early days, not everyone had the interest or fortitude to traipse off into the wilderness in their spare time. So, what would city folk do for fun?
Here’s a hint - one activity involved mallets and wickets! You guessed it – the game of croquet! The game of croquet, which originated in France, arrived in England via Ireland in the mid 1800’s and became very popular in the 1850’s. It was especially popular with the young folk as they could socialize without the oversight of their chaperones!
By the end of the 19th century, the game had spread throughout the British colonies including Canada. At this time, the North Shore was still mostly forest but by the early 20th century, beautiful homes with immaculate lawns popped up and as the days got longer and hotter, it was common for people to socialize around the croquet green, taking turns whacking the ball through the wickets and sipping on tea or lemonade when it wasn’t their turn.
Three people playing croquet, possibly in the garden of the first Kilby house. They are likely members of the Kilby family. [ca.1918-ca.1923] Item Number 1891.2.WVA.RAH. Courtesy of West Vancouver Archives.
Eventually, as electronics were invented and developed for home use in the 1930’s and 1940’s, it became commonplace for families to gather around the radio to listen to a music program, the latest news from the European front during WWII or to a speech by the Prime Minister or King or Queen.
Len Chatwin's radio, January 1933 Inventory number: F264-S1-f9-10. Courtesy of MONOVA/North Vancouver Archives
James Chapman Snr. sitting by a radio and reading in the Chapman family home at 26th Street and Lloyd Avenue, North Vancouver. 1942, Item 035.WVA.BUR. Courtesy of West Vancouver Archives
Eventually radios became more compact which made this form of entertainment accessible, even from a cabin on Hollyburn Ridge.
June Gillrie inside a cabin on Hollyburn Ridge. She is sitting on a bed and tuning a radio. [194-]. Item 0841.WVA.HHS.GIL. Courtesy of West Vancouver Archives
It’s worth mentioning that in addition to the commercial radio programs available at the time, there were individuals who pursued wireless communication as amateurs. They were called Ham Radio Operators. Apparently that term dates back to the early days of operation in the late 1900’s when they were communicating by morse code and clumsy operators were called ham-fisted. Eventually after the development of wireless radio for commercial use, the amateurs were considered to be a nuisance and the name “ham” persisted
Frank Rose's Ham Radio Equipment, 1938, Inventory number: 9145. Courtesy of MONOVA/North Vancouver Archives
Another development in the electronics industry resulted in the invention of the record player, which meant you could listen to music of your own choice anytime. Initially contained in a cabinet, it eventually became small enough to be transported to a cabin or beach!
Young man in a cabin on Hollyburn Ridge, possibly Challenger Inn, with skis in the corner and a record player. [195x]. Item Number 013.WVA.HHS.BAK. Courtesy of West Vancouver Archives
Doris ---, Nancy ---, and Dolly Bridgett with portable record player, Horseshoe Bay, June 24, 1927. Inventory #7358. Courtesy of MONOVA/North Vancouver Archives
Volunteer fire brigade
In the early 1900’s, the North Shore population was spread out. Small communities developed in remote regions of the North Shore and were not connected. The building material for homes in these communities was, for obvious reasons, wood. In the case of fire, it was important to act quickly to extinguish the fire. In the early days, when the community was not large enough to support full-time firefighters, each community relied on a group of volunteer firefighters.
In North Vancouver, there were fire stations and volunteer fire brigades in Capilano, North Lonsdale and Lynn Valley. Each station was chosen for its proximity to water; namely Capilano River, Mosquito Creek and Lynn Creek respectively. The North Lonsdale station was on St. James at Lonsdale, while the Lynn Valley Station was on the corner of Mountain Highway and Ross Road.
If there was a fire, the local post office or hardware store would be notified by telephone and a siren would be sounded, and the local volunteer fire crew would report to the fire station for deployment. They had to transport the hose reel to the fire manually. Many of the volunteers were teamsters who drove a team of horses for the local sawmills but in the case of the North Lonsdale station, some of the older teenage boys from the local Chesterfield School for Boys were part of the brigade. According to the transcript of an interview held by the North Vancouver Archives, one of the student volunteers recalled, “we were a very efficient brigade, largely because it got us out of school when the fire-bell rang.”
Chesterfield School boy members of North Lonsdale Fire Brigade on E. Kings Rd. returning from a fire. House at right is 299 E. Kings Rd. Circa 1915. Inventory No 4610. Courtesy of MONOVA/North Vancouver Archives
North Vancouver volunteer firemen John Grant (left) and John Garvie with hose reel at firehall on E. 4th Street. Between 1900 and 1910. Inventory No 7554. Courtesy of MONOVA/North Vancouver Archives
Volunteer Fire Brigade, Charles Germyn and team. 1927. Inventory No 26-19F-2. Statement of responsibility: Walter M. Draycott. Courtesy of MONOVA/North Vancouver Archives
Film Photography
I am grateful to all the hobby photographers who inhabited the North Shore over the decades, for their amazing photographic records which they, or their relatives, gifted to our two North Shore Archives. The Archival records would not be nearly so interesting if it weren’t for the film negatives and photographs in their collections. And unlike today, where every phone has a camera, the cost of the equipment and film would have been a hefty investment for a hobby photographer. So, thank you to the likes of the Rose brothers, Mary Lafreniere, Jack Cash, John Holdcroft, Walter Draycott and many more whose hobby created such an important legacy in documenting the history of the North Shore.
Gordie and Doug Rose with camera tripod on Grouse Mountain. Circa 1938 or 1939. Inventory No 9143. Courtesy of MONOVA/North Vancouver Archives
Mrs. Mary Lafreniere. Self portrait in mirror using Rollaflex camera.195x. Inventory No 4750. Courtesy of MONOVA/North Vancouver Archives
These are just a few of the pastimes of past times. I restricted this article to pastimes for which I could find local archival photos. Other activities that did not have local photographic records include stamp collecting, embroidery, going to drive-in movies and flower pressing to name a few. I am sure you can think of many more and if so, please feel free to mention those activities in the comments section of this blog.
There is one other hobby that has quite an extensive photographic record in the archives but we’re keeping that topic for an upcoming blog. I will however give you a one-word hint. Goat…
Except where indicated, text and images Copyright @ North Shore Heritage and Jennifer Clay. All rights reserved. Republication in whole or in part is prohibited without the written consent of the copyright holder.
Gratitude
With thanks to Georgia Twiss of MONOVA/North Vancouver Archives and Reto Tschan of West Vancouver Archives for their assistance in sourcing these photos.
References