A Glimpse into the Changes of Stanley Park and Deadman's Island

The peninsula now known as Stanley Park has been an important site for the Squamish, Tsleil‐waututh and the Musqueam Coast Salish peoples for thousands of years. For a period of time during 16,000 to 11,000 BCE, Coast Salish ancestors arrived from Asia and made a home for themselves in the Stanley Park area. For centuries after they lived off the land, utilizing the natural resources found in the surrounding forest and bay, and creating thriving communities , most notably Whoi Whoi ( X̱wáýx̱way ) and Chaythoos. A large part of the area was used as seasonal hunting ground for both marine and terrestrial animals, and since the land was in such close proximity to water, fishing became a key resource for these villages, both for food and trade. Salmon in particular were an essential resource, since they were readily available due to breeding grounds along the coast in freshwater rivers. As with all their harvesting methods, sustainability was crucial, weirs, a low dam built from reeds, sto...

Long before the land was constructed into a park, the area was home to one of the largest First Nations villages in the lower mainland, X̱wáýx̱way or Whoi Whoi, which is estimated to be over 3000 years old. The infrastructure consisted of a several buildings along the shore and a massive longhouse known as the big house, "   … was more than 60 metres long and about 20 metres wide", according to the late Chief August Jack Khatsahlano in an interview with Vancouver historian J.S. Matthews. The majority of the residence resided in the house, including Khatsahlano when he was a child, " More than 100 people in 11 families lived there."  The building itself was constructed from cedar wood found in the surrounding woodland. They utilized the nearby bay for fishing, as was incredibly common during this time, and gathered herbs and other plants from the forest to eat, as well as to craft medicine from. For instance western Hemlock shoots were a source of vitamin C and Doug...

 Though opened to the public for recreational purposes since September 7th, 1888, the establishment of Stanley Park contributed to the erasure of Musqueam, Tsleil Waututh, and Squamish First Nations culture. As a result of park road construction in 1887, much evidence of Indigenous inhabitation, debris, had discovered, but also lost; of course, existing structures in the Squamish village, Whoi Whoi (X̱wáýx̱way), were not spared from being demolished. In addition to the destruction of Indigenous structures, the majority of residents in Whoi Whoi were forced out of the area.  Although a small number of Indigenous residents continued to reside in Stanley Park during the 20th century, faced with a series of losses in legal cases against the Park Board in the 1920s, remaining residents were soon evicted. Upon the Park Board's victory at the B.C. Supreme Court in 1923, four Kwakwaka’wakw / Kwakiutl totem poles were put up near Lumberman's Arch for the purpose of indicating the ...

          Throughout the 20th century, the board of Stanley Park made many changes to the environment. For example, in 1911, grey squirrels were purchased from an American company for the sake of adding to the existing native Douglas squirrels at Stanley Park; as well, in the 1930s non-native mute swans were presented into the park. At the time, the reduction of animals, such as crows and so-called 'pests', were also seen as attempts to improve the park environment. Therefore, from 1910 through 1961, members of the Vancouver Gun Club were invited to shoot crows at the park. On the other hand, ponds were constructed in an effort to support animals, such as ducks and swans, which the board did not find unpleasant and predatory, unlike crows.   Naturally , throughout this time, resources such as fish and the nearby waters were also affected. Beaver Lake, named in 1907 due to the beavers spotted at the location, became the place which the Vancouver A...

A woman biking along the  Seawall path Recently, modern day contributions to Stanley Park has created it's reputation as one of British Columbia's biggest tourism attractions. The recreational facility attracts thousands of visitors everyday to enjoy it's natural and manmade landmarks caused by colonization. There are still natural characteristics that has been remained from pre-settlement like Siwash Rock, however the meaning of the land to settlers and Indigenous people has changed drastically. During pre-settlement, the land meant a great deal to the First Nations people as it provided natural resources for survival such as wild animals, trees, berries and plants. They had a respectable relationship with the land by being sustainable and treating the natural characteristics with care. The relationship was sadly ended when non-native settlers came along. There were lots of changes to the environment including the replacement of hemlock and spruce trees, addition to wildli...

  Overview of Stanley Park Even though thousands of visitors come to Stanley Park to  stroll through the lush green forests and pass by their infamous landmarks such as the Seawall and Brockton totem poles daily, many aren't aware of the area's Indigenous history.   Luckily, today there are still people who are willing to keep their heritage and customs alive by educating tourists and locals about their land, people and environment.  The Stanley Park Ecology Society, is a non-profit organization that works with the Vancouver board of Parks on spreading awareness about natural habitats and respect for the natural world. They have been inputing more opportunities to educate tourists and locals with seasonal walking tours that highlight Indigenous history and traditional plant usage, they are led by guides of First Nations descents which makes the experience more authentic.       Starla Bob, one of the tour guides with First Nations lineage at Stanl...