Vancouver West

1858 – 1900

The Gold Rush.

The 1858 Fraser Valley Gold Rush brought an influx of settlers to what is now called BC and Vancouver. This led to the development of the townsite of Granville in 1870 (as Vancouver was known at the time). Around the same time in 1869, colonial authorities designated 37 acres near the mouth of False Creek as an Indian Reserve, an area known to Indigenous people as Sen̓áḵw (also spelled Snauq), which was later expanded to 80 acres in 1877 by federal and provincial governments.

In 1885, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) chose Granville as its final western terminus, and in turn was deeded land just south of False Creek, including the area now known as Kitsilano to as far west as Trafalgar St. By 1886, CPR had built a bridge over False Creek and Granville changed its name to Vancouver.

August Jack Khahtsahlano

August Jack Khahtsahlano lived in Sen̓áḵw before being forcibly removed by the Canadian Government.

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Around this time, son of Khay-tulk and Qwhy-wat, August Jack Khahtsahlano was born in 1877 at Sch’ílhus (Chaythoos) in what is now called Stanley Park. Khay-tulk died around 1881 and Qwhy-wat married Shenáwtsut (Chinalset), also known as Jericho Charlie. The family divided their time between Chaythoos and Sen̓áḵw on the shores of False Creek on Reserve land. They permanently located to Sen̓áḵw around 1887, after the demolition of Chaythoos for the construction of Stanley Park.
While the Gold Rush had brought an influx of settlers to the area, it would be the 20th century when Kitsilano, Kerrisdale, Point Grey (at first a separate municipality) and Shaughnessy developed into what they are today.

1900 – 1945

The railroad years.

In 1904, the CPR began to sell residential land near Burrard Inlet, called Greer’s Beach after an early settler, to new arrivals. They wanted a new name for the area in their marketing, however. After consulting with an amateur anthropologist, they chose Kitsilano, after August Jack Khahtsahlano’s grandfather, Khatsahlanogh.

The CPR’s aggressive marketing of Kitsilano worked, and more and more settlers arrived in the area; by 1909, a streetcar ran to Kitsilano. In fact, many of the craftsman-style homes you can see in the neighbourhood today date from around 1910 to 1911. At this time, the area had a distinctly blue-collar feel, with these houses being built for labourers, and in 1908 Vancouver’s first Sikh Gurdwara was built for the workers at the False Creek Sawmill.

CPR then set their sights on attracting even more affluent settlers to Vancouver West. In 1907, they began to promote Shaughnessy as an alternative to the West End, which is where many wealthy residents had settled first. This strategy also worked, and Shaughnessy would become the site of mansions and stately homes.

Kerrisdale station

Kerrisdale station, seen here in 1911, was named by local resident Mrs. William McKinnon after her family’s home in Kerrydale, Scotland.

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Meanwhile a little further south in 1905, another railway, the British Columbia Electric Railway, asked local resident Mrs. William McKinnon what to name their interurban stop at what was then called Wilson Road (now West 41st Ave.). She chose Kerry’s Dale, after her family’s home in Kerrydale, Scotland. The name soon became Kerrisdale, as it is today. Though the interurban line no longer exists, the Arbutus Greenway follows much of its route.

As settlers arrived throughout the early 20th century, First Nations’ land became more and more coveted, eventually leading to the Indian Act of 1911, which made it possible to push Indigenous people off their lands. In 1913, the BC government paid $225,000 to the Indigenous people living at Sen̓áḵw for land estimated to be worth $7 million at the time and forcibly evicted them from the area by barge, after which the BC government burned the village to the ground.

Throughout the 1910s and into the Second World War, Kitsilano and Vancouver West would become home to many groups of people. These included Sikhs, as mentioned, and Japanese immigrants, who worked in the mills and lumber factories in the area. In 1929, the municipalities of Point Grey and South Vancouver amalgamated with the City of Vancouver, defining the modern borders of the city.

Around this time, the Kitsilano Showboat was established in 1935, four years after the nearby Kitsilano Pool opened. This outdoor theatre still stands today and hosts various shows while being volunteer-led and the pool continues to be a popular summer spot to cool off. And doing its part for the war effort, Kits Beach was even used as a training ground for D-Day practice.

1946 – 1999

Post-war prosperity and the counter-cultural movement.

After the end of the Second World War, Kitsilano became an even more desirable place to live. Though it may be hard to believe now, many areas were affordable and newcomers flocked to the area. In particular, refugees from Greece arrived in Kitsilano in an area still known as Greektown today, home to the annual Greek Day festival. St. George's Greek Orthodox Cathedral was completed in 1971 and continues to be a centre for the community.

In the 1960s, some of the groups that were attracted to the area’s affordable accommodations included hippies, artists, peace activists and others. The neighbourhood’s craftsman homes were split into multiple units to house many people and businesses catering to them sprang up. Though almost none of the remain, one that does is The Naam, a vegetarian restaurant on West 4th Ave. – once nicknamed “Rainbow Road,” in reference to its counter-cultural residents and vibe.

That counter-cultural spirit also led to a series of meetings at 2775 Courtenay St. in West Point Grey during the late 1960s and early 1970s. These would eventually result in the creation of Greenpeace. The organization would later move to an office at 2009 West 4th Ave. in Kitsilano, which is now a commercial building.
As interest in the city and Canada’s history began to grow approaching Canada’s centennial, the Centennial Museum opened in 1968 (a year after the centennial in 1967) in Vanier Park, to commemorate this landmark. It would later be renamed the Museum of Vancouver and hosts exhibits related to the city and its history.

Also during this time, the Squamish Nation prepared to launch a court case to reclaim their lands at Sen̓áḵw. This culminated in 1977, when Chiefs and Council filed their Omnibus Trust Action against the Government of Canada. The case would take many decades before it was decided, however.

The area would eventually see more professionals and white-collar workers move in, which led to the arrival of other businesses. These included clothing stores, coffee shops, yoga studios and more. In 1998, Chip Wilson founded Lululemon, a yoga and athletic clothing company, and opened its first store in Kitsilano at 2101 West 4th Ave. in November 2000. The store is still there today and has been recently renovated. Plus, the Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival was founded in 1991 and continues to bring performances to Vanier Park each summer.

2000 – Today

Towards reconciliation.

The decades of court actions by the Squamish Nation finally resulted in a 2003 decision by the Federal Court of Canada to return 10.48 acres of the original 80 acres of Reserve land at Sen̓áḵw to the Squamish Nation. It was now in their hands what to do with it.

In 2011, the Khatsahlano street festival, named in honour of August Jack Khatsahlano, was launched by the Kitsilano West 4th Avenue Business Association. It continues today and features local vendors, music, food and more.

After working on a design that incorporated historical Indigenous architecture and culture with modern materials and amenities, construction on the first phase of Sen̓áḵw began in September 2022. When complete, the area will offer homes available to all, improved transportation infrastructure, plus shops, services, restaurants and more in the area at the foot of the Burrard Street Bridge.

Change is also coming to the rest of Vancouver West with the construction of the Broadway Subway Millenium Line SkyTrain extension. The Broadway Plan will bring increased density to much of Kitsilano and nearby areas, adding many homes, both rental and condo, plus townhomes, duplexes, triplexes and more.

Similarly, the Jericho Lands in Point Grey will be redeveloped in the coming years in consultation with the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. While plans are currently still being formed, eventually it is expected to host many residential towers, ample green space and more along a possible extension of the Millenium SkyTrain line to UBC.

Although it may seem sleepier than other areas in Vancouver, the neighbourhoods making up Vancouver West have changed and evolved to a great degree over the course of their history. While new developments and plans will add many new residents to the area, the laid-back vibes and lifestyle it's known for are likely to remain.