Stanley Park, Vancouver, Dedicated (1889)

On October 29, 1889,Charles Stanley, the Governor General of British Columbia, formally christened a new park in Vancouver, dedicating it “to the use and enjoyment of peoples of all colours, creeds, and customs, for all time.  I name thee, Stanley Park.”  Little did he know that the use and reputation of the park would grow to the extent that Stanley Park was named the world’s best park in 2014 by the users of TripAdvisor!

The park actually opened one year earlier, in September, 1888 (but Stanley himself was ill and could not attend what we would today call the “soft opening”).  At the time, Vancouver had just over 6,000 residents—choosing to set aside a park of this size was a dramatic undertaking for this frontier town.  Today the park is the equivalent of New York’s Central Park or Nairobi’s Uhuru Park.  At nearly 900 acres in area, Stanley Park is the third largest urban park in the world.  Annually, it has more than 8 million recreation visits.

Visitors to Stanley Park enjoy First Nations’ totem poles (photo by InSapphoWeTrust)

Stanley Park has the typical rich history of use for a western land area.  It was home to three First Nations groups—the Squamish, Burrard Band and Musqueam peoples—who used the land for centuries as hunting and gathering grounds.  During the 1800s, the area was increasingly occupied by European settlers who logged the dense forest for lumber and established small farms.  Vancouver was incorporated as a city in 1888, and the first action taken by the new far-sighted City Council was to begin the steps to create a park.

The park itself is a peninsula that juts northward from downtown Vancouver, separating Vancouver Harbor from the Strait of Georgia.  More than half of the park area remains in forest, dominated by western red cedar, Douglas fir and bigleaf maple.  Although the area was extensively logged during the late 19th Century, many “monument trees” remain, some centuries old.  The forests have also been subject to severe blow-downs by fierce wind storms, the most recent in 2006.  The city planted 15,000 trees after the 2006 wind storm to restore damaged areas.

A stand of big trees, known as the ”Seven Sisters” in Stanley Park, 1912 (photo by Rosetti Photographic Studios)

Along with forested areas and their associated hiking and biking trails, the park contains numerous areas developed for outdoor recreation.  Original and modern totem poles and other First Nations’ artwork grace the property.  Three beaches attract thousands daily during the summer months.  Forest trails cover nearly 17 miles.  A seawall winds around the park, providing accessible walking and biking paths; combined with other paths adjoining the park, the 13.7-mile trail is the longest uninterrupted waterfront path in the world.  A botanical garden and aquarium are located in the park, but a historic zoo was closed recently when the last remaining animal, a polar bear named Tuk, died in 1994. The presence of the park helps earn Vancouver’s reputation as one of the greenest cities in the world.

References:

City of Vancouver.  Stanley Park.  Available at:  https://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/stanley-park.aspx.  Accessed October 24, 2018.

Kheraj, Sean.  Historical Overview of Stanley Park.  Stanley Park Ecology Society.  Available at:  http://stanleyparkecology.ca/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2012/02/SOPEI-Historical-Overview-of-Stanley-Park.pdf.  Accessed October 24, 2018.

Today in Canadian History.  1889 – October 29.  Available at:  http://canadachannel.ca/todayincanadianhistory/index.php/October_29.  Accessed October 24, 2018.

This Month in Conservation

January 1
NEPA Enacted (1970)
January 2
Bob Marshall Born (1901)
January 3
Canaveral National Seashore Created (1975)
January 4
The Real James Bond Born (1900)
January 5
National Bird Day
January 6
Wild Kingdom First Airs (1963)
January 7
Gerald Durrell Born (1925)
January 7
Albert Bierstadt, American landscape painter, born (1830)
January 8
Alfred Russel Wallace Born (1823)
January 9
Muir Woods National Monument Created (1908)
January 10
National Houseplant Appreciation Day
January 11
Aldo Leopold Born (1887)
January 12
National Trust of England Established (1895)
January 13
MaVynee Betsch, the Beach Lady, Born (1935)
January 14
Martin Holdgate, British Conservationist, Born (1931)
January 15
British Museum Opened (1759)
January 16
Dian Fossey Born (1932)
January 17
Benjamin Franklin, America’s First Environmentalist, Born (1706)
January 18
White Sands National Monument Created (1933)
January 19
Yul Choi, Korean Environmentalist, Born (1949)
January 19
Acadia National Park Established (1929)
January 20
Penguin Appreciation Day
January 21
The Wilderness Society Founded (1935)
January 22
Iraq Sabotages Kuwaiti Oil Fields (1991)
January 23
Sweden Bans CFCs in Aerosols (1978)
January 24
Baden-Powell Publishes “Scouting for Boys” (1908)
January 25
Badlands National Park Established (1939)
January 26
Benjamin Franklin Disses the Bald Eagle (1784)
January 27
National Geographic Society Incorporated (1888)
January 28
Bermuda Petrel, Thought Extinct for 300 Years, Re-discovered (1951)
January 29
Edward Abbey, author of “Desert Solitaire,” Born (1927)
January 30
England Claims Antarctica (1820)
January 31
Stewart Udall, Secretary of Interior, Born (1920)
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