Halifax: August 27, 1912 <<< >>> Victoria: October 17, 1912
| Today's Statistics: | A day spent in Vancouver, British Columbia | |||
| Distance: 22 km | Driving Hours: 1 h | Fuel: 8 l | Weather: Cloudy | Temperature: Min. 8 Max. 18 |
First thing in the morning, the Reo made an appearance at the Speedy Auto Centre in Kitsilano. There, among other things, the Reo was put up on the hoist for a quick inspection of the underside of the car. After that it was driven to the unveiling ceremony of the new "Welcome to Kitsilano" sign.
Kitsilano is the neighbourhood on the west side of Vancouver where Lorne and Irene Findlay have lived for almost 50 years. It is a quiet, residential area with many parks and beaches along English Bay. In the late 1800's Kitsilano was a heavily forested area that was mainly used for logging and summer picnicking. The area was covered with centuries old fir and cedar trees measuring up to a metre in diameter. Today Kitsilano Beach is still a popular summer spot and it is also home to the H. R. MacMillan Planetarium, the Pacific Space Centre, the Maritime Museum, The Vancouver Archives and Museum, and the Vancouver Academy of Music. The name Kitsilano is derived from the name of Squamish Indian Chief Khahtsahlanough.
Following the unveiling of the welcome sign, the Reo was driven a short distance to Vanier Park, where Lorne Findlay drove its front wheels into the waters of False Creek. John Nicol took one of the bottles of Atlantic water and poured it into the ocean as a symbolic gesture of the coast to coast crossing.
During the afternoon Peter Findlay took the Reo downtown for a visit to the offices of IStar Internet, who provided dialup accounts for the cross-Canada Auto Tour. During the trip through downtown the Reo passed through historic Gastown, the area where Vancouver was originally located. Originally known as Granville, the Gastown nickname referred to the area around "Gassy" Jack Deighton's saloon. In 1886, the city was incorporated as Vancouver, just months before a fire burned the whole community to the ground. Today Gastown has been restored and is a popular tourist area. The Reo stopped for photos by the famous Gastown clock which is powered by a steam engine. The clock has four steam whistles which blow the Westminster Chimes on the quarter hour.
Vancouver has grown quickly since those days. The town which had begun as a group of sawmills soon became a major west coast shipping port. When the C.P.R. came through to Vancouver in 1887 it opened the door for many new settlers to seek their fortune in the new city, and houses and buildings quickly spread from the shores of Burrard Inlet to the Fraser River in the South. Today's Vancouver is a very multi-cultural city. The city has a large Chinese population, but other ethnic groups include Indo-Canadian, Japanese, Greek, Italian, Francophone, Vietnamese and more. Tourism is an important industry as each year people come from all over the world to enjoy the sea, the mountains, the weather, and the people of Vancouver.
To finish the afternoon, Peter drove the Reo back to Wolfe School. Today the entire school was waiting outside for the Reo to arrive. Students held banners and waved flags and the Wolfe Advanced Band played O Canada (without help from Mr. Findlay!).
It was a great day for the travellers, who were pleased to be back home, if only for a day.
The Reo took a quick spin through Gastown, the original site of Vancouver,
and stopped beside the famous Steam Clock.
... The Reo's wheels were dipped in the Pacific at Vanier Park in Vancouver
On this day in 1912 ...