January2002 West Vancouver Historical Society Pape 3 SCRAPBOOK By:AnneWn,on This page contains scraps of West Vancouver's past -from personal memories, magazine or newspaper articles, or from stories told by parents and grandparents;also from letters or (dories which have been passed dawn through families. We welcome any of your contributions. Local events are not necessarily made by a few founders only, but by everyone who has lived in West Vtncouver and enjoyed being a part of our community. Please share your memories with us. This is a very personal, and important, way to preserve our history. Our first memory is taken from The West Van News of August 4th, 1937. "MR. AND MRS. JOHN LAWSON CELEBRATE THEIR GOLDEN WEDDING Gathered with members of the family Mr. and Mrs. John Lawson of 2227 Bellevue Avenue, are this week celebrating their golden wedding anniversary. Unforunately, the indifferent health of Mrs. Lawson prevented a community gathering and friends had to be content with sendng their greetings by post or by tel- ephone. On the evening of the anniversary date Reeve and Mrs. J. B. Leyland called on Mr. and Mrs. Lawson and on behalf of friends throughout the municipality presented them with a "purse" and a card of "Golden Greeting", expressing best wishes for their continued health and happiness. Married in Kamloops, B.C., where Mr. Lawson was employed by the C.RR., they lived there many years, later moving to Revelstoke and finally coming to West Vancou- ver in 1905. At that time the only way of crossing the Narrows was by rowboat or scow. Mr. Lawson built a substantial home with a well, known as "Lawson Orchard", at 17th Street and Waterfront, and there with few excep- tions visitors to the district would come to picnic. Mr. Lawson was Reeve of the Municipality in 1913 - 1914, and went overseas with the C.E.F. Their only son, Duncan, also a member of the C.E.F., was killen in action. Mrs. W. Pitman of Prince George and Miss Gertie, the two daughters of these worthy pioneers, have, like their parents, had much to do with the early life of the district, and the family as a whole are highly esteemed for the helpful service and interest they have always shown in this municipality. The "Masonic Lodge" of West Vancouver, of which Mr. Lawson is a member, presented the couple with a beautiful mantel clock." Doris Lewis has kindly provided us with the following material - INTRODUCTION West Vancouver, through its Parks Department, publishes an "Information Map & Parks Guide". It is excellent, but it has one omission that may sadden the long time resident - it does not include Hollybum as a district. In the belief that the name Hollybum should not disappear from the history of West Vancouver, this article is written. THE "PRE-HOLLYBURN" F,R A The first recorded land claim in West Vancouver was made in 1872 by James Blake. In present day terms it stretched along the shore from 16 Street to 18 Street, and north to Haywood Avenue. There is no indication that Blake either lived on or developed the land, but in 1889, he sold or transferred his claim to some-one who did - Navvy Jack Thomas. Thomas must have been squatting on the property for some years, inasmuch as Thomas Grafton, the lighthouse keeper, in 1887 included him in a list of six men resident in West Vancouver. As Thomas is generally accepted as the first white resident, he must have been present before that. There was at that time no road at all in what is now West Vancouver, so that these first residents must have relied on boats for communication. Though solitary, it is not likely that Navvy Jack was lonely. He had an Indian wife, for whom he built a house by the creek through his property, and he obviously kept very busy. He cleared 50 acres of land, he planted an orchard, he dug gravel from a pit on his land, and, on request, he hired out with his boat as a ferry. It is interest- ing to speculate who might have hired his boat, and how they contacted him to do so. Navvy Jack Thomas almost certainly left to go gold-mining in Barkoville (Gatmde Lawson was to see his grave there while on holiday). Free spirits may want to believe that he left because of the encroachments of civilization. In 1891, he found himself living in a municipality as the newly incorporated North Vancou- ver extended from De^ Cove to Eagle Harbour. And, in 1892, there was a road across his property - then Keith Road, now Marine Drive. JOHN LAWSON - DEVELOPER It is a fair distinction, I think, to say that Blake and Keith were land peculators and that John Lawson was a land developer. Speculators buy land and wait for time and event to make a profit. A developer buys land and by his own actions, makes its resale profitable. Lawson lived on his propaty, and worked both as a business man and a public servant to make it a good place to live. He exemplified "enlightened self-interest". Lawson had purchased 160 acres, which he immediately proceeded to clear. His first intent was to build a golf course, an indication perhaps of the clientelle he hoped to attract He himself said that high costs and high taxes killed that project but he was left with some advantageously placed acreage to put on the housing market.