Vancouver: The Pioneer Years, 1774-1886

David Mattison is a librarian with the B.C. Provincial Archives and
Records Services Library.

Vancouver’s centennial in 1986 is destined to bring out the best and worst in history books. Derek Pethick is a prolific popular historian whose books up to this one have dealt primarily with Victoria and British Columbia’s early maritime history. An earlier book on the Terminal City, Vancouver Recalled (Hancock House, 1974), covered the same time period as this title but was written around a selection of historic illustrations. This book, like his work a decade ago, has its problems, but perhaps some of the blame can be laid on the publisher.

Pethick covers a broad time period without contributing anything new to Vancouver historiography. Although he has provided a convenient one-stop summary of the development of Burrard Inlet, most libraries and individuals interested in purchasing this book should already have the same information in other books.

The convenience of a broad popular history of Vancouver has been offset, however, by two points: there is no index and many quotations or statements of fact are unattributed. Nor is a bibliography available for the curious who wish to pursue some of the interesting matters raised by Pethick.

Illustrations, primarily historic photographs, are spread throughout the book. The caption writer did not look closely at one photograph, the arrival of the first train at Port Moody pulled by engine 371. Pethick gives the engine number as 373. Another photograph is impossibly captioned “A general view of the fire of June 13, 1886. Rebuilding is already underway.” Two men in the foreground are calmly examining what must be a plan; so far as is known, no photographs of the fire itself have survived.

Pethick has provided a good overview of some of the factors contributing to the development of Vancouver, but, because of the lack of citations, no one should rely upon this book beyond the anecdotal level.