 St. John the Divine Church, Yale
BC Heritage photo Their communal houses were constructed from the region's great stands of tall red cedar. Interior Salish people inhabited major river valleys, building semi-subterranean dwellings called pithouses. Today Salish First Nations traditions, art, lore, legends and history are woven into the fabric of the region's cultural make-up. A deep respect for nature and humanity marks their time-honoured way of life. Visitors can explore BC's Aboriginal culture through attractions like the totem poles at Stanley Park, the UBC Museum of Anthropology or the Xaytem Interpretive Centre in Mission. Nature has also played a vital role in the region's European history. The mighty Fraser River - BC's largest river, famous for its fast-flowing currents- winds through the region, carrying a fascinating story of European discovery and development.
European arrival In 1791, Spanish Navy pilot José Maria Narvaez was the first European to discover the Fraser River. A year later, Captain George Vancouver explored and charted the Burrard Inlet, today the shores of Vancouver. By 1808, explorer Simon Fraser had reached the mouth of the Fraser River from the interior, landing at the Aboriginal village of Musqueam. And almost 20 years after that, the Hudson's Bay Company set up a trading post called Fort Langley, east of present-day Vancouver on the Fraser River. The river's major role as a transportation route began in the late 1850s with the discovery of gold. The gold rush on the Fraser brought thousands of prospectors to the area. Merchants, entrepreneurs and businessmen followed the miners. They built towns and began to further develop this frontier territory. The paddlewheeler was the main mode of transportation and the Fraser River was depended on as the area's great highway.
Transportation and Celebration Important developments like the Canadian Pacific Railway in the 1880s greatly boosted the growing area, and meant a substantial influx of Chinese workers. It was the promise of this coast-to-coast connection that led the province into Confederation in 1871. When the railway line was near completion in 1886, the town of Granville was incorporated as the City of Vancouver. Its position as a transportation hub ensured its dominant role in the province's economic and social life.
Other soon-to-be-famous BC landmarks arose during this period. John "Gassy Jack" Deighton started a saloon in 1867 on the south shore of Burrard Inlet; the area became known as Gastown. In 1885, Harrison Hot Springs became BC's first resort with the building of its first hotel. And three years later Stanley Park, named for Lord Stanley, then Governor General of Canada, was officially opened. In 1986 Vancouver became the location for a major celebration, hosting a 100th birthday party of international proportions: the Expo '86 World Exposition. For an urban centre whose growth has been directly linked to developments in transportation, the event's transportation and communication theme was particularly poignant. Another pivotal event occurred that same year when the Sechelt Indian Band was the first Aboriginal group in BC to gain a municipal style of self-government. In July 2003, Vancouver was named the host city for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games - recognized yet again as a world-class city. Back to the Top
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