Deep Cove Heritage Society Archives

A couple of years back I interviewed Charles Van Sandwyk in his Deep Cove cottage. Charles is an amazing artist and writer, probably more famous outside of Canada than in it, who creates these incredible paintings and etchings of magical Wind in the Willows-type characters. His cottage looks like it came straight from one of his paintings.

Charles, a South African who has lived in Deep Cove since he was 12, is just one of dozens of interesting characters featured in Echoes Across Seymour.

It’s a couple of years overdue, but Echoes Across Seymour finally came out this fall and it’s well worth the wait.

The hard cover book is chock full of colour photos, maps and personalities from the eastern tip of North Vancouver—a staggering 19 different communities including Deep Cove, Dollarton and Indian River that make up the area east of the Seymour River.

The book takes off where the 1989 publication: Echoes Across the Inlet left off—covering the period from the 1950s to the present day.

It’s a labour of love, wrapped up in a truly professional looking product, spearheaded by Janet Pavlik, and collated and written by a dedicated bunch of volunteers including Vickie Boughen, coordinator of the Deep Cove Heritage Society.

While there are dozens of stories from people in the area, it was fun to read about some of the more high profile residents.

Ross Rebagliati, who won an Olympic Gold for snowboarding started as a kid skiing Seymour, while Michael Conway Baker, composed more than 150 works from his studio off Riverside Drive, and former Canadian Airlines staffer Sandra Wilson invented Robeez Footwear in her Blueridge basement.

The funky village of Deep Cove is a magnet for creative types, attracting singers Joelle Rabu and Keith Bennett, and writers Bill Gaston, Trevor Carolan, Crawford Killian and Peter C. Newman at different times over the years.

While the people are in there, I missed hearing their voices. The book would have really sparkled from more quotes, personal memories and first person stories. I know the Deep Cove Heritage Society has them, because one of the really great off-shoots of this project, and a big reason why it took years longer than anticipated, is that Pavlik and Pat Morrice interviewed, recorded and transcribed interviews with more than 60 old-timers who have shared their family histories and memories. Volunteers also managed to collect and scan more than 3,700 photos gathered from the scrapbooks of early residents of the area.

Echoes Across Seymour, by Janet Pavlik, Desmond Smith and Eileen Smith is published by Harbour Publishing and retails at $39.95.

Originally 2nd Street — Gallant Avenue ca.1920

For the past couple of years Janet Pavlik has led the research for a sequel to Echoes Across the Inlet, a book published in 1986 by the Deep Cove Heritage Society. The book covers the early years of the Mount Seymour/Deep Cove area and members felt there was enough interest to produce a second one that starts in the 1950s where the first book left off.

Volunteers have now scanned over 3,700 photos gathered mostly from the scrapbooks of early residents of the area. Pavlik and Pat Morrice have interviewed, recorded and transcribed interviews of more than 60 old-timers who have shared their family histories and memories.

The society has a collection of fascinating old postcards with scenes dating back as far as 1911 and photos of different sizes for sale at reasonable prices. Vickie Boughen, the coordinator, says the most popular photo is a 1950s shot looking down Gallant Avenue—it was 2nd Street then—and displayed in the lobby. “People come in and say ‘that’s the view that I remember,’ and that photo really catches people’s imagination,” she says.

The office shares its space with the Deep Cove Shaw Theatre and art gallery and is on the same site as the first home in the area, built in 1919 by the Moore family. It’s also opposite the heritage Panorama market, built around 1920.

Boughen also has the odd visitor bearing interesting artifacts. Recently a local brought in one of the original chairs from the Wigwam Inn at Indian River to be photographed. The chair quite possibly dates back to 1910 when Alvo von Alvensleben opened up a Luftkurot ( fresh-air resort). In those pre-war days, four different sternwheelers ferried guests up and down from Vancouver. Guests included American millionaires John D. Rockefeller and John Jacob Astor, the year before he died on the Titanic.

The book is still a work in progress and taking much longer than anyone expected, but the intention is to cover the 19 individual neighbourhoods that make up the area east of the Seymour River. Boughen says that the plan is to eventually flip the photos and the interviews onto the Internet.

In the meantime, anyone researching their home’s history will benefit from a visit to the office. Keep in mind that the office is only staffed part-time, so call ahead 604-929-5744 or check www.deepcoveheritage.com before heading out there.

The most requested photograph from the Deep Cove Heritage Society's archives — Gallant Avenue 1950s

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