The Narrows – June 23rd
Once upon a time, False Creek was much bigger. The first bridge to cross it did so at what is now Main Street, stretching from one thin peninsula to another. This was the Narrows. Even though the saltmarshes and mudflats of False Creek are long gone, their imprint remains on the built environment. This walk will explore how the Narrows shaped the businesses and industries of a neighbourhood marked by dive bars, flea trap hotels, scrap merchants, and the city’s morgue. Tickets are $15.
About John: John Douglas Belshaw is a second generation Vancouverite who lives in the East End. He is a graduate of Douglas College, UBC, SFU and the London School of Economics. John is a history professor with Thompson Rivers University and currently teaches courses online. He is the author and co-author of several histories of BC and Vancouver, including Vancouver Confidential (2014), Vancouver Noir: 1930-1960 (2011) and Becoming British Columbia: A Population History (2009). He is also the author of two truly mammoth histories of Canada, both of which are used in university classrooms across the country.