57-69 : CN Thornton Rail Yard

 I’m fairly certain this photo is the CN Thornton Rail Yard in the Port Mann Bridge area of Surrey. The quality of the photo certainly isn’t the best (there’s lots of motion blur), but I love the content : both diesel and steam locomotives and a beautiful roundhouse.

55-51 : Coal Harbour Shipping

 This is Coal Harbour in Vancouver from 1955. A cool view of the shipping and rail activity going on in the area. The only tall building in the area is the Marine Building on Burrard Street.

BO-47-2660 : Arbutus Market

 This photo was labelled “Market Basket at 16th and Arbutus” and shows a market under construction from 1947. You also get a great view of the surrounding neighbourhood.

0-29 : The Kerrisdale Arena

 The Kerrisdale Arena in Vancouver, also known as the Cyclone Taylor Arena, officially opened November 11, 1949. This photo from early 1950 shows off the new arena and the surrounding neighbourhood. Located at West 41st Avenue and East Boulevard, the skating facility was also the site of many concerts including a 1956 visit by Bill…

BO-50-109 : Queensborough

 This is the Queensborough area of New Westminster from 1950. To help you get your bearings, the photo was taken from the Queensborough side looking North-West back towards New Westminster. Ten years after this photo, the saw mills were replaced by the Queensborough Bridge.

BO-56-400 : New Post Office Vancouver

 This is a really cool image of downtown Vancouver from 1956 during construction of the new Post Office. When the post office opened in 1958, it was the largest single building in Vancouver and was the world’s largest welded steel structure which incorporated state-of-the art technology, such as ramps and elevators to move trucks between…

57-51 : Hastings-Sunrise

 This is the Hastings-Sunrise area of Vancouver from 1957. You get an excellent view of Taylor Manor, a home for the elderly, and the Provincial Industrial Home for Girls. You can also make out Empire Stadium, Hastings Racecourse and the PNE off in the distance. This is one year before the wooden roller coaster was…

BO-51-245 : Cascade Drive-In Burnaby

 This is the Cascade Drive-In, in Burnaby, from June 16, 1951. The movie theater was located in Cascade Heights at the corner of Canada Way and Curle Avenue. It was torn down in 1982 to make room for townhouses and office space. You can also see the start of construction of Burnaby General Hospital. I…