The man stood on a barrel, a rope around his neck. Cheers rang out as the rope tightened. Man and barrel teetered, then quickly crashed dramatically to the ground. “Gassy” Jack Deighton, Gastown’s namesake, was literally and figuratively knocked off his pedestal when his statue was toppled during the Downtown Eastside Women’s Memorial March in... Read More The post Was Gassy Jack’s Statue Toppled By His Courageous Wife? appeared first on ..read more

Leg-In-Boot Square, Blood Alley, Bucketwheel… Vancouver has some eccentric street names and many more conventional ones. It will probably come as no surprise to learn that 276 streets are named after men (in contrast, only 16 women get the honour of having a street named after them in Vancouver). There’s something missing though: As of... Read More The post The Unhappy Man Who Named Vancouver’s Streets appeared first on ..read more

As the autumn leaves fall gently on the cobblestone streets, Vancouver undergoes a transformation. Beyond the costumes and pumpkin-spiced treats, a darker allure emerges. Welcome to Vancouver, where the echoes of the past reverberate through cobblestone streets and winding alleys, setting the stage for a historical thriller like no other. Vancouver’s Rich Tapestry of History... Read More The post Unearthing Vancouver’s Chilling History in Gastown appeared first on ..read more

The Truth and Reconciliation Day, on September 30th, is celebrated as a day for Canadians to acknowledge the harm caused by the residential schools and to honour the Indigenous survivors of these schools. As a way of reckoning with the past and working towards a better future, the day seeks to promote Indigenous history, cultures,... Read More The post Truth & Reconciliation Day: Spotlight on Luke Marston appeared first on ..read more

Vancouver actors! Were you put on this earth to entertain people? Do you love Vancouver and its history? Are you charming, witty, and full of life? Would you enjoy pouring your heart and soul into a performance that delights and amazes your guests? Are you reliable and a great communicator? If you can answer yes... Read More The post Casting Call: 2023 Lost Souls of Gastown Storytellers appeared first on ..read more

[By Lani Russwurm] This is the second post in our Squatting Early Vancouver Series. Don’t miss out on part 1 about the Tar Flat neighourhood. When the Canadian Pacific Railway arrived in Vancouver in the 1880s to claim the massive real estate holdings they’d been granted, the company found many people who’d beat them to... Read More The post Squatting Early Vancouver Part 2: Cut Throat Johnny’s appeared first on ..read more

Are you participating in the 2022 Tourism Challenge? Each week, on Monday morning, we release a batch of tickets for the Lost Souls of Gastown. You can book tickets using the promo code in your tourism passport, for any date in May. If you try to book and you get an error message, this means... Read More The post Tourism Challenge 2022 appeared first on ..read more

Meet The Last Surviving Stonewall Activist Interview with our very own Glenn Tkach of the Really Gay History Tour Martin Boyce is a Stonewall Riot activist, sharing his story of one of the most significant queer/trans actions in history. The Stonewall Riots were a series of spontaneous demonstrations by members of the gay community in... Read More The post Stonewall Event Hosted by Glenn Tkach appeared first on ..read more

  [By Lani Russwurm] Like many cities grappling with skyrocketing housing prices, makeshift squatter communities have become a hot button political issue in Vancouver in recent years. But throughout the city’s history, these enclaves and efforts to get rid of them are as Vancouver as the Steam Clock. This post looks at one such unofficial... Read More The post Squatting Early Vancouver Part 1: Tar Flat appeared first on ..read more

[by Glenn Tkach] Does Vancouver’s first Art Deco skyscraper look familiar? You might mistake this building for the iconic Marine Building on the corner of Hastings and Burrard Streets. But this one was here first. The Georgia Medical and Dental Building got its design from the same architects, McCarter and Nairne. They opened it in... Read More The post Vancouver’s First Art Deco Skyscraper Crumbles Down appeared first on ..read more