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Page 4 WEST VANCOUVER HISTORICAL SOCIETY November 1997 SOCIETY NEWS â€" Current Affairs and News of General Interest to Members LETTERS TO THE EDITOlM SPECIAL EVENTS ACTIVITIES Due to lack of space, letters may be edited but will always be quoted verbatim. Statements made and views expressed are the writer's own and do not necesssarily reflect those of the History-onics team. Dear Editor: Your "Feature Presentation Report" in the April issue prompts this letter. The article states that John Lawson organized a ferry service, built a pier at Hollybum and until a school was built services were held in his home. This is not entirely correct. No one will dispute John Lawson’s place in the history of West Vancouver, however there were others who contributed greatly to the history of West \^couver. One of those was my grandfather, \^iam C. Thompson, John Lawson’s brother in law. He was soon involved in buying and selling real estate. To sell their properties John and William realized a regular ferry service was needed to bring prospective buyers from Vancouver. They first tried using a chartered vessel (or vessels) but soon realized that to control the ferries they must own them. The result was the formation of the West Vancouver Transportation Co. Feb. 25, 1910. with a capital stock of fifty thousand dollars ($50,000.00) in shares of one dollar ($1.00) each. Shareholders were John Lawson, W.C. Thompson, John Sinclair and Robert McPherson. The first company vessel was the 34 passenger “West Vancouver”, followed a year later by the 40 passenger “Sea Foam”. The first (Captain and Engineer proved unsatisfactory and were replaced by Capt. A. A. Findlay and Engineer Harry Thompson (W.C.’s 2nd son). The service ran at a loss of approximately four hundred ($400.00) per month for some time before being purchased by the newly formed West Vancouver Council. There is no doubt that John campaigned for a pier to be built at Hollyburn, however the pier was not built by John, but by the Federal Government which in 1908 allocated money for the construction.” The following is an extract from my from my grandfather W.C. Thompson’s autobiography: “By this time the mission of Lawson’s was growing and getting too big for the room so we often had them come up to our house. It was not finished but we made seats in the big room on boxes and boards and often had good crowds. About 1913 they bought a large tent 24' x 50 ft and set it up on a wooden floor and used it a short time. That winter we had a heavy fall of wet snow and it crushed down the tent and buried it and was never any more good. We gathered up enough money to buy lumber and shingles and put up a shell and used it in an unfinished state until we could gather 12 children and start a school which we did and rented the building to the school board for $20.00 per month. Then we finished the building and a school board was elected and I was a member.” i Sincerely; Don Thompson HERITAGE WEEKEND - September 20-21 The weatherman was kind to us at our booth at Ambleside. Sponsors for the Heritage Weekend Information Booth were the Heritage Advisory Commission, the Museum and Archives and the West Vancouver Historical Society, combining to promote an understanding of the history and growth of West Vancouver. The exhibit was in a tent at the lawn beside the Ferry Building. The display involved historical photographs, our packaged notecards, decals, T-shirts from the Gift Shop as well as numerous brochures, newsletters and various information sheets. We had 500+ visitors who were very interested and impressed. Open house was held at the Gertrude Lawson House where the Museum and Archives displayed the Fire Fighters exhibit and trucks; a popular exhibit that brought in about 105 visitors. Port Day was at Waterfront Park, North Vancouver, on Sunday Sept. 21. All exhibitors set up their displays on the park grounds in tents of a variety of sizes. The Historical Society was fortunate in sharing a tent with North Vancouver City and Deep Cove Society. Our tent was set up in a busy area, so we had a very well attended display - too numerous to count. There were many activities, (too many to list in our limited space) actually covering the whole North Shore... and we must say a loud THANK YOU to all those who gave their time and energy to plan, carry, setup, nail-up, pack-up, as well as time spent conversing with interested visitors. A big job well done! CHRISTMAS PARTY at Spuraway Lodge Thursday, December 11 - 7:30 PM Yes, we will have our Christmas Party at Spuraway Lodge, 235 Keith Road, West Vancouver., and yes, we will have the fireplace glowing, the lighted Christmas tree sparkling and the decorations in place to create that special atmosphere. Joan Skipper, management liaison with Spuraway, will be away at Christmas (Mediterranean Cruise) so Betty Brolly, who is also a Spuraway resident, will assist in her place. “Santa’s helper” will again be Deborah Tuyttens, who now has the title “Museum Curator”. Last year Deborah did a super job and we’re happy to have her assistance. The rest of our Happy Gang are polishing their buttons and shoes and tuning up their Carol voices. Don’t forget to bring some Munchies or Goodies, and of course something for the FOODBANK PARKING: Drive east on Keith Road to the wooden sign “SPURAWAY LODGE” 235 Keith Road. Turn left (north) at the entrance sign and drive up to the lodge to drop off passengers, then return to Keith Road to park on either side of the road. A flashlight would be advisable. We expect the weather to be perfect - that is no rain! See Ijfeu Laureen Jones - Director, Special Events