In 1905, maritime traffic in Vancouver never stopped; ships arrived in the city every day. British Columbia’s waterways allowed Vancouver to maintain links with isolated communities along the coastCoast - A coast is an area where the land meets the sea. Côte - Une..., as well as those of the interior where the province’s fertile land was found. Sailing vessels and steamboats plied the channels along the coastCoast - A coast is an area where the land meets the sea. Côte - Une... and the Fraser River. Boats were therefore a vital link in British Columbia’s transportation network.
The ships of the Union Steamship Company and the trains of the Canadian Pacific Railway worked together to serve the canneries, forestry companies and mines all along the coastCoast - A coast is an area where the land meets the sea. Côte - Une..., as well as Canada’s other western provinces. Without the sea, British Columbia would not have been the same. CommerceCommerce - Commerce means buying and selling items, goods, and services. Commerce - Le commerce consiste... was flourishing and since natural resourcesResources are anything taken from the earth or nature that people need, use, and are "valued".... were abundant, everything could be exported. By 1890, even sailboats were being built, including parts like the spars made from Douglas Fur trees, for famous boats like the Bluenose that is today found on our 10 cent coins. But steamships with steel hulls, like the Empress, quickly replaced sailboats because they were more solid for ocean crossings.
Tourism had also taken off and visitors would come from around the world to discover this magnificent region. But it was mostly Chinese immigrants who arrived each day. The ships that carried them made the crossing between China and Vancouver in three weeks. These ships looked like huge sail and steam boats. You had to be there to see this never-ending ballet of boats of all kinds that sailed throughout the year.
AuthorAuthor - A person who writes something Auteur - Une personne qui écrit quelque chose: Service national du Récit de l’univers social
