The Interesting Origins of 10 Vancouver Streets
Vancouver's history is full of interesting people and places, but where do the street names of Vancouver originate from? Let's travel back to circa 1900 to see how big of an influencer (prior to Klout) you had to be to get a street named after you.
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Cambie Street
Cambie Street originates back to Henry John Cambie, a first divisional engineer for the Canadian Pacific Railway and a notable pioneer resident of Vancouver. He advocated for the development of the city's infrastructure and was a prominent figure in building Christ Church Cathedral. Vancouver owes a lot to Mr. Cambie.
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Sasamat Street
According to records, Sasamat Street may have been named after an early First Nations village, on the site of Ioco near Port Moody. The Halkomelem name can be translated as "lazy people," but it is unknown as to why they were named so.
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Discovery Street
Discovery Street was named in 1951 after Captain George Vancouver's ship "Discovery". Vancouver is known for chartering regions of the northwestern Pacific Coast, including modern day Alaska, British Columbia, Washington and Oregon.
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Si Lu Drive
Musqueam Band housing officer, Glen Guerin, submitted the street name "Si Lu" to the Street Naming Committee in 1985. He told the committee that the name means "grandparents" in their language, and thought it was appropriate because "some of [their] immediate ancestors [were] buried in a small cemetery adjacent to [the street to be named]."
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York Avenue
To commemorate the Duke and Duchess of York's 1901 visit to Vancouver, the CPR named the untitled street running between Chestnut and Trafalgar (then known as Yew and Balsam) after them. The Duke and Duchess would later become King George V and Queen Mary.
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Marguerite Street
This street was named after the Honourable Marguerite Kathleen Shaughnessy, daughter of Lord Thomas Shaughnessy, who was a railway administrator. He also had a hand in naming the CPR coastal liner "SS Princess Marguerite" after his daughter. Needless to say, the Shaughnessy name is notable in Vancouver.
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Carrall Street
Carrall Street roots back to Robert William Weir Carrall, a doctor and politician. In 1870, he was sent to Ottawa as a delegate to discuss British Columbia's union with Canada. He among many others, found success as British Columbia joined confederation in 1871.
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Frances Street
Sister Frances, Franny Dalrymple Redmond was Vancouver's first public heath nurse. She and Reverend H.G. Fienness Clinton opened up one of the city's first hospitals, St. Lukes, in 1888. Here she directed BC's original training school for nurses and Vancouver's first social service center. Go Sister Frances!
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Robson Street
Robson Street is probably the most popular thoroughfare in Vancouver and is now recognized for many retail attractions. But many don't know it was named after the Honourable John Robson, who was a politician and journalist. He served as British Columbia's premier from 1889-92, and founded the "British Columbian" editorial.
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Hastings Street
Vice Admiral George Fowler Hastings was a Royal Navy officer during the First Opium War and Crimean War but it was his role as commander-in-chief on the Pacific Station that has made his name very recognizable throughout the Lower Mainland. Hastings Street, Hastings Park, the Hastings-Sunrise Neighbourhood and even the Hastings Arm all honour George F. Hastings.
