I recall my father in the 1960s inferring that False Creek Flats were destroyed for real estate speculation by the Canadian Pacific Railway. While such a set of decisions, would have involved a few more actors than simply the ‘CPR’, these two maps from 1898 suggest that the City was being laid out to include and not destroy this inlet and its salt marshes.
The 1898 Tourist Guide Map of Vancouver includes some streets clearly situated along the shores of upper False Creek — including the now erased Crabtree Lane near what is today Charles and Vernon. And the deepest arm of the tidal inlet extended to just below today’s Russian Orthodox Holy Trinity Church between Campbell and Raymur at least half a block north of with is today Union Street (formerly Barnard Street with today’s East Georgia parallel and one block north).
In the Panoramic View of the City of Vancouver 1898, a village has formed on the north side of Upper False Creek Flats with the south side still rural. While there is industrial activity in lower False Creek, the upper parts appear relatively tranquil. There appears to be a bridge, over that deep arm of the inlet, on what is today Union Street between Campbell and Raymur.
