I found this charming little postcard dated August 7, 1904 while trolling Vancouver Archive’s website. It’s written to a Miss L.M. Woodrow “With every good wish for your birthday, from Emily.”
Second CPR station
I loved the picture of the second CPR station that briefly sat at the foot of Granville Street, and I wanted to know a little about Emily and the postcard’s recipient, Miss L.M. Woodrow. So last night, I poured a glass of wine and started to search.
My first stop was the 1904 City Directories. I looked up the Woodrow’s address at 1188 Robson Street (Bute Street). It was owned by John Woodrow who ran Woodrow and Williams butchers at Westminster and 9th Avenue (Main and Broadway).
1188 Robson Street
Jumping ahead to 1910, the Woodrow’s are still living there, but now more of the family members are listed, including Lillian. I found Lillian Margaret Woodrow’s marriage certificate at Vital Statistics. She married a banker named Fred Middleton Jones in September 1911 when she was 28. Lillian was born in Brighton, England and moved to Vancouver when she was six.
From her death certificate I know that Lillian was born on August 8, 1883–four days after the date of the postcard. A search of the Mountain View Cemetery site shows that Emily is buried with her mother, father, and brother, while her four younger sisters have a separate stone.
Emily lived in the family home until her death in 1939. The street address disappears from the city directories in 1941.
The Second CPR station sadly had a much shorter life. Built in 1899, it was quickly deemed too small for burgeoning Vancouver, and the station was demolished in August 1914 when it was just 15 years old. The station was replaced by the current Waterfront Station, which against all odds, continues to exist.
1188 Robson Street is more of a mystery. It’s now the Happy Lemon tea shop, which according to BC Assessment was built in 1988. I would love to see the house where they Woodrows lived for decades, but so far nothing has turned up.
For more stories like this see Vancouver Exposed: Searching for the City’s Hidden History
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