Eve Lazarus's Blog: Every Place has a Story, page 5

Yarrawonga Mulwala Bridge turns 100

The Bridge:

I love the Yarrawonga Mulwala bridge. It’s flawed and quirky and it turned one hundred this weekend. The anniversary celebrations were at the lake this morning, where temperatures were already well into the 30s by 11:00 am.

And even in the absence of King Charles (he sent his regrets) and Australian Prime Minister Albanese (who probably didn’t), the anniversary had a huge turnout.

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Beneath Dark Waters: The Legacy of the Empress of Ireland

I’m excited to tell you that my new book—Beneath Dark Waters: The Legacy of the Empress of Ireland Shipwreck is finished and will be on book shelves in April.

In August 2019, I was sitting on a Zodiac in the middle of the St. Lawrence River piloted by a French Canadian marine biologist.

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The Base at Jericho Beach

I’ve been to Jericho Beach dozens of times over the years and often bike along the path that snakes through Spanish Banks, Jericho and spits out onto Point Grey Road. It wasn’t until recently that I found out the area was once part of the largest military training base in Western Canada.

Flying Boats:

The base was built for flying boats and seaplanes in 1920 and included four large hangars and a military storage building.

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The Ratdale Apartments on West Broadway

Deidre Keohane (Deirdriu Ni Cheochain) moved into the Birkdale Apartments on West Broadway with her boyfriend Marty Lacroix in 1980.

Birkdale Apartments:

The Birkdale Apartments first appears in the city directories in 1922, and at some point became the Burkdale Apartments on the front of the building. Not long after moving in, 22-year-old Deidre, an art school grad and Marty, a dancer with Paula Ross, took a can of spray paint to the name, replacing Burk with Rat and the Ratdale was born.

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A postcard from the Wigwam Inn

One of my favourite parts about writing this blog is getting comments from people that add to the story, and often take it in a whole new and unexpected direction. I get really excited when someone sends me a 100-year-old postcard or a photo of Vancouver that’s never been seen outside the family album.

Maria Brunskog saw my story on the Wigwam Inn at Indian Arm and sent me this postcard.

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The Westwood Racing Circuit (1959-1990)

Before it was a housing development and golf course, Westwood Plateau was a 1,400 acre-odd parcel of land that included a racetrack.

All photos by Bruce Stewart in 1970.

Two of the streets in the development – Deer’s Leap Place and Carousel Court – were named for the track’s most challenging sections.

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The Mission Pleasure Faire of 1971

The Dewdney Trunk Road Pleasure Faire was held over three days in September 1971, on land that was designated to become a federal penitentiary in Mission, BC.

All photos by Bruce Stewart

The Deluxe group—Alan Clapp, Dan Clemens, Ian Ridgway and Ray Clark—applied for the permit, and Clemens and Ridgway spent the summer deconstructing barns and designing and building a 60-acre village.

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The PNE: Then and Now

I went to the PNE last week, the first time in more than 15 years. I’m not going to lie, it was pretty underwhelming.

For this post, I thought I’d draw from comments left on my August 17 blog and on my Facebook page Every Place has a Story.

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The 1972 Dollarton Pleasure Faire

The Dollarton Pleasure Faire was held in the summer of ’72 at the Maplewood Mudflats in North Vancouver. It was a celebration of alternative living, an acknowledgement that its days were numbered, and it was timed to clash with the annual PNE.

At least as far back as the 1940s, squatters were part of a long tradition of settlements such as Crabtown in North Burnaby, and Finn Slough in Steveston.

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The PNE in the ’70s: A photo essay by Bruce Stewart

The PNE kicks off today (Saturday August 17) and runs until September 2.

In 1992, I worked at the Vancouver Sun and that year I spent most of my August shifts at the PNE.

One day I’d write about the rodeo clown who had broken every bone in his body at least once.

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