|
John Atkin is a civic historian and author who organizes and conduct tours for groups and individuals. John has explored Vancouver like few others have and offers an interesting and offbeat insight to the city's architecture, history and neighbourhoods. He has created, and conducts, a number of unique and popular walking tours throughout the City of Vancouver.
John brings an insight of urban planning and development, a love of architecture, and the fascination of the curious to all his tours.
John's walking tours take approximately 2 hours - depending on the group size and route - and are organized year round. Tours cost 10 dollars per person
Custom tours can also be organized for groups or individuals, contact John for information. Please note for groups smaller than five, there's a 100 dollar minimum charge.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEWS:
Chinatown Tunnels:
Exploring a Dead End at the Vancouver Historical Society Thursday, February 23, 2012 – 7:30 at the Museum of Vancouver
Everyone’s heard about the tunnels underneath Chinatown.
Guidebooks tell us they are there; newspapers, books and movies have
confirmed their existence. So where are they? In this presentation John
Atkin looks at the origin of the tunnel myth, from early San Francisco
tour guide’s stories and “eyewitness”
accounts, to the tunnels as a side show attraction and early film. He
will look at why the myth persists even today.
More info on the Historical Society here.
---
Talking Neon: The Vancouver Heritage Foundation has launched a new evening lecture
series.
I’m up on February 21st, at 7pm.
Here’s the blurb:
Join author and civic historian John Atkin at Hycroft for
“It’s All About the Light” a talk about
neon, lighting, and the city. Timed to coincide with the
MOV’s Neon Vancouver | Ugly Vancouver exhibition, Atkin sheds
light on the invention and science of neon and Vancouver’s
extraordinary love affair with this light source. From its peak in the
1950s, Atkin traces the reasons and implications of neon’s
decline across North America and looks at the recent renaissance of
lighting in urban design.
Here’s more information and the registration link.
---
The Changing City is out and in bookstores. You can check the website for a sneak preview and links to the blog which keeps you up to date with recent developments. Also check out our other blogs on the site.
Interested in Walking Tours in London? The itinerary for our 2011 tour gives you some idea of what we get up to.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cemetery Walks
sponsored by Mountain
View Cemetery
New dates and tours to be announced shortly! For more info and details on the tours check out vancouver.ca/cemetery
How to Research Your House is a great workshop at the Archives that I have the pleasure to conduct along with Archives staff the next one will be presented in early 2012. Presented by the Vancouver Heritage Foundation. Check out their site.
---------
Check out the Heritage
Foundation's Places That Matter project: 125 commemorative
plaques for the 125th birthday of the city. And the public was invited
to vote for their favorites
here. Plaques are now being installed.
---------
Exploring a Dead End: the
Chinatown Tunnel Myth
A lecture for the Vancouver Historical Society February 23, 2012
I'll be presenting a talk exploring the origin of the tunnel myth in Vancouver and around North America and examine why it is just that, a myth. Check the VHS web site for more info.
---------
UBC
Continuing Studies Course: The next
course starts March 24, 2012.
The course is called "Four Stops Along the Interurban" The
construction of the Interurban railway in 1891played a key role in the
development of Vancouver and the region. Along its route through
Vancouver, real estate agents quickly set up shop to sell lots, houses
and small farms to eager buyers. In this course well take a look at how
the area around four of the original stations on the route to New
Westminster have developed over time.
Check the Continuing Education site for more information on upcoming courses.
[ top of the page ]
NEW>
My occasional blog
about things that float to the top of my desk
---------------------
i'm very excited to be the "historian in residence"
at the Roundhouse Community Centre. We'll be
working on a number of projects at the Roundhouse including walks,
lectures and history exhibits.
---------------------
Did
you
know Blood Alley in Gastown is named for nothing? There were no butcher
shops in the alley, or fights and murder contributing to "rivers of
blood"; it was a name plucked out of the air by planners in the 1970s
during the alley's renovation. more...
------------------
Our recent travels took us to Istanbul.
We've been to Oman and Dubai. Here are some photos.
------------------
In April 1935 Ray Woods, a stunt man from St Louis, jumped from the
centre of the Burrard Bridge in front of an estimated crowd of 20,000
people.
This was Mr. Woods 161st bridge dive, afterwards he went back
to his room at the Hotel Devonshire.
------------------
Vancouver was incorporated as a city in April 1886, in June it was
burned to the ground in a spectacular fire.
------------------
A common error is to assume the new city boundary of 1886 was Heatley
Ave since it was once called Boundary Road, but it only meant it was
the boundary between two district lots. Nanaimo was the city limits
until 1911.
------------------
Vancouver Mayor Fred Cope (the City's third mayor) drowned in a river
while looking for gold in the Klondike.
------------------
The largest recorded earthquake to impact the west coast of
BC was in 1946 - a 7.3 magnitude earthquake.
The boundaries of the City of Vancouver are not simple, check out their
complicated description
from the Vancouver Charter
------------------
