Russian Ice Hockey

Sure you can add to the Russian cultural section if any of what I have posted helps.

I would like to take over the remaining monthly country write-ups; starting with next month's write-up on Chile.  If you have already collected anything on Chile that you felt was relevant, you can forward that information to my email and I will build on it from there.

I expanded and altered my idea somewhat and it became a write-up on the city of Vancouver. What do you think?

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Over the past several months, VancouFur has spotlighted a number of the countries that lie around the Pacific Rim; providing you with some focus upon how those countries have interacted with Canada. But what about the city from which our convention has derived its name? What did Vancouver do to earn itself the title “Gateway to the Pacific”?

Well, it went something like this…

Vancouver was literally born out of the Pacific Ocean: Fifteen thousand years ago, during the last ice age, the area lay submerged beneath the ocean’s waters. With the retreat of the glaciers and formation of the present landscape, archeologists estimate that this land became home to nomadic hunter/gatherer humans that migrated from Russia some ten thousand years ago. By the time Spanish explorers reached the area in the late 18th Century, these First Nations had built a thriving community of sixty-thousand people living in dozens of villages. In 1792, two sailing ships from the British Royal Navy lay anchor off the coast, and over the next thirteen days their crews drew up the first cartographic maps of the area; with many of the region’s long-standing names being given by the expedition’s captain: George Vancouver.

However, as the region developed into the colony of British Colombia, what would become the city proper was largely ignored for several decades. When American prospectors poured into the region during the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush in the 1850s, they bypassed the coast for the interior. No interest was shown in a settlement until the 1860s, when the first logging camps and townsite were established on Burarrd Inlet. But these settlements were expected to be temporary until the local timber resources ran out. Then in 1871, the colony of British Columbia joined Canadian confederation with the provision that the transcontinental railroad would be extended to the coast. The western terminus of that railroad needed a deep-water port where ships could berth and sail to British Colonies. On April 6, 1886, the City of Vancouver was incorporated. Two months later…it burned down thanks to an out of control brushfire. Within 24 hours of being reduced to ashes, Vancouverites had started rebuilding their scorched city. They have not stopped building since.

That Vancouver emerged in the 20th Century as Canada’s “front door” to the Pacific Rim was no accident. Along the mountainous coastline, it was the only geographically spacious place to build a city of millions. The transcontinental railroad enabled the province’s emerging agricultural, forestry, fishing, and mining industries ready access to the country at large, and a place to headquarter many of their businesses. The deep waters of Buarrad Inlet provided numerous locations to build large seaport facilities. Today, the Port of Vancouver is Canada’s busiest seaport; trading billions of dollars in shipping annually. The construction of Vancouver International Airport and its expansion throughout the latter half of the 20th Century furthered Vancouver’s position as a center of both human and material transit. Put simply, if you were coming to Canada from any place around the Pacific Ocean, you were coming to Vancouver.

Vancouver became a gateway for millions of emigrants entering Canada. Seeking job opportunities, fleeing war and oppression, and searching for a better life for themselves and their children, the city became home to large populations of Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Pilipino, and Vietnamese; along with emigrants from Africa, Europe, India, Iran, the United States and South America. Sadly, Vancouverites have not always taken pride in their city’s cosmopolitan character, and at one time or another many of these peoples have endured restriction, exclusion, racism, abuse, and even imprisonment. But over the decades, these peoples have formed community associations to settle newcomers, campaigned for equal rights, and fought to preserve their cultural and linguistic heritage. Vancouver is now a city of diversity and inclusion; a mixture of cultural communities and a social calendar peppered with various cultural festivals and holidays.

Vancouverites take pride in their accomplishments. Vancouver is a city of achievements: The first visit by a sitting President of the United States to Canada (Warren Harding in 1923); the first occasion when two humans broke the four-minute mile in a single race (at the 1954 Empire Games); the latest World’s Fair to be held in North America (Expo 86); and the most gold medals won by a country at the Winter Olympics (Vancouver 2010). With well-developed infrastructure, education, healthcare, and parks and recreation services, it has been consistently named one of the world’s most livable cities. It has been home to world class architects like Arthur Erikson and Geoff Massey. It is a center of activism; from environmentalism David Sukuzi and the formation of Greenpeace; to the start and finish of Rick Hansen’s 40,000 kilomter Man In Motion World Tour for spinal cord research; to annually hosting the largest Pride Festival in western Canada. Known as “Hollywood North,” Vancouver houses a number of movie studios; its varied natural and man-made geography allowing the city to stand-in for every place from Baghdad to New York City to Mars.

Scenic and attractive, boasting a sparkling social life and dynamic economy, Vancouver is Canada’s jewel on the Pacific. Although those of you who are coming to VancouFur may not have a lot of opportunities to see the city from which we have taken our name, we hope that you will consider returning to this province between conventions to enjoy Vancouver.

Sources:
City of Vancouver. 24 January 2014 <http://vancouver.ca/>.
Davis, Chuck, ed. The Greater Vancouver Book. Surrey, British Columbia: Linkman Press, 1997.
Hayes, Derek. Historical Atlas of Vancouver and the Lower Fraser Valley. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 2005.
Macdonald, Bruce. Vancouver: A Visual History. Vancouver; Talonbooks, 1992.