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Pages WEST VANCOUVER HISTORICAL SOCIETY February 1997 ARCHIVES CORNER Mary Chapman, Archives Volunteer Coordinator Captain Findlay Breaks Arm at Wheel! On February 8, 1947 an era in the history of West Vancouver came to an end with the demise of the Municipal Ferry System. Anyone aged 50 or younger will never be able to recall experiences, happy or otherwise, of this little fleet that served West Vancouver for close to 38 years with only one fatal mishap. Life on the briny may be fine for members of the Hollybum Sailing Club and that ilk but when you were a Captain of a ferry whose passengers expected safe delivery of body and soul your metal was severely tested during weeks of pea-soup-thick fogs, stormy seas, and frequent bouts of riptide-bucking through the First Narrows with waves that could go as high as seven feet. It was on such an occasion that Captain Findlay sustained a broken forearm by a sudden backlash of the steering wheel. For the first fifty years of this century the First Narrows was much narrower than it is today due to the turbulence of the Capilano River dumping large quantities of river-bed gravel at the mouth. All the water in Vancouver Harbour, the First and Second Narrows, the North Arm and the Port Moody Inlet stored in a flood or incoming tide, had to escape through this bottleneck at Prospect Point on the next succeeding ebb or outgoing tide. If the ebb-tide followed a large flood tide and there was an opposing westerly wind, a riptide with the aforementioned high waves could occur. Frequent dredging helped to ease this condition to a certain extent and with the building of the Cleveland Dam in 1950 the Capilano River was tamed; the “rip” became more manageable. But what of the ferries? â€" They have been gone for fifty years. Grouse Mountain on a New High! Continued from Page 6 Now there is also a prelude film about the mountain’s past which shows the public how the mountain has grown and developed over the years. The Outlook and all ancillary buildings on the site have recently been upgraded and many who visit will find much to remind them of the beautifiil old Village Inn - a huge fireplace and carved wooden staircase are two items which spring to mind. The History of Kew House Continued from Page downstairs, all the bedrooms faced onto the ocean with spectacular views. The upper hall leading from the staircase to the breakfast room contained a row of four exquisite stained glass windows depicting scenes from A Midsummer Nights’ Dream and the remaining room on the north side of the upper floor, in the turret above the front door, was a sewing room. When the house was completed newspapers of the day reported that Mr. Taylors’ house was the first completely air conditioned private house in Vancouver. Outside the front door a paved pathway led round the house to a huge patio facing the sea with more marvellous views of the bay and Passage Island. At that time we were very active in Vancouver society and especially involved with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Sunday Symphony Teas were frequently held at Kew House when many of the visiting world-famous conductors were invited to meet VSO sponsors. The patio, tiled in very striking soft grey, together with the living room, could hold many guests so it was ideal for such gatherings. Away from the house and close to the road which led down to the beach we had a tennis court, & parking lot and also large vegetable and flower gardens on various levels. We delighted in Together with the Vancouver Sun, the Resort is putting on free ski lessons for local people as they did years ago. Snowboarders, of course, are included in today’s programmes. Many thousands of people from all parts of the world come to visit Grouse Mountain every year and Mr. McLaughlin closed by saying that he thought Joe Uppsalla would be happy to know that people are still flocking to hike, ski and just enjoy the view of the Mountain he loved so much. -The dream lives on. the garden and did a great deal of work designing and planting out different parts of the rocky site. There were rockeries below the gardeners’ cottage with flower beds beyond it up the hill and on the east side of the house there was a fishpond with more flower beds close by. The garden was a wonderful sight with flowers in bloom in every season. I remember so well the many parties we held at the beach. The single track road which ran down to the beach from the house only had room for one car and this took all of the guests and party supplies down to the remaining beach house and large Bar-B-Q which we had built on the beach. Hawaiian parties were held every summer and friends came from all over, many by boat, tying up at the jetty. Some good friends sailed from Hawaii every year bringing loads of flower leis for the guests. It really was a magical place fiill of delight and good memories. Eventually the twice daily drives to Vancouver, especially in the days before the Upper Levels Highway was built, became too onerous and, regretfully, we sold the house. Although much of the garden and our beach area now contains a cluster of large houses, Kew House itself still stands high on the bluff overlooking the ocean and Passage Island -a landmark to many local sailors.