Mapple Tree Square

Your arrival at the intersection of Maple Tree Square, marks your entrance at the very heart of Vancouver’s birthplace. Let’s go back in time for a moment. You’re standing where it all began, in the center of Gastown. Vancouver’s oldest district was named after John Deighton, known as Gassy Jack, who founded the city’s very first saloon here in 1867, around which life gradually developed. According to the legend, this ship’s captain came from England in a rowboat, accompanied by his wife and a barrel of whiskey. When they arrived, the territory was occupied mainly by men working in the lumber industry, on the shores of Burrad Bay, where Vancouver’s harbor is located. Deighton is said to have offered the men alcohol in exchange for their help in building a pub. The story says that the very next day, the Globe Saloon was ready to welcome its first clients. John Deighton was nicknamed Gassy Jack, because he was famous for his chatter. The area soon became known as Gassy’s town, quickly shortened to Gastown. In 1870, the British Columbia government, having caught wind of the rapid growth of this part of their colony, sent a land surveyor with the mission of founding a town there. Gastown was renamed Grandville, in honor of the Secretary of State for the Colonies, Lord Granville. In 1886, with the introduction of railways, the decision was made to transform Grandville into a major megalopolis. And thus the name was changed, as it was still too close to Gastown, which was no longer desired. The name was then switched again to Vancouver, thinking that Montrealers and Torontonians would be able to locate the new city, since everyone already knew where Vancouver Island was located. Yes, if you thought the island was named after the city, you now know that it’s actually the exact opposite! Two months later, a spectacular fire turned most of the city into ashes, in just 27 minutes. If the place is now called Maple Tree Square, it’s because of the large maple tree that used to stand there. It was under this historic tree that the inaugural meeting of Vancouver’s very first city council was held in 1886, as there weren’t any standing buildings left, as a result of the fire. You can see the plaque engraved on the base of the statue, depicting the event. Now you understand the symbolic and historical significance of the site. Don’t look for the maple tree, the place has only kept its name. According to the story, the barrel on which the founding father of the city is perched covers the tree’s roots. After the fire, the town quickly recovered from its wounds and rebuilt itself in a more modern fashion, with better access to water and electricity. The pink-and-white Byrnes Block building is Vancouver’s oldest surviving building. It stands behind the statue as a perfect reminder of the past.