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

      Established in 1887, Stanley Park is a 400-hectare public park and peninsula located in Vancouver, B.C, and s urrounded by multiple bodies of water, including the Burrard Inlet, Coal Harbour and English Bay. Stanley Park is traditional territory of the Musqueam, Tsleil Waututh, and Squamish Coast Salish peoples, and has been specifically shaped by millions of years of glacial retreat and glaciation. It is composed mainly of volcanic, plutonic and sedimentary layers of rock. Two special geological features of this peninsula include Prospect Point and Siwash Rock due to the fact that they were formed as a result of a volcanic eruption from over 32 million years ago, and now hold great cultural significance to the Indigenous peoples. Furthermore, approximately south south east of the park is the 3.8 hectare isle known as Deadman's Island, which is located in Coal Harbour at a latitude and longitude of 49°17'42"N, 123°07'22"W.          

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...