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.
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