Was Gassy Jack’s Statue Toppled By His Courageous Wife?

09 Apr 2024

The man stood on a barrel, a rope around his neck. Cheers rang out as the rope tightened. Man and barrel teetered, then quickly crashed dramatically to the ground. “Gassy” Jack Deighton, Gastown’s namesake, was...

The Man Who Named Vancouver’s Streets… and Barely Escaped With His Life

04 Mar 2024

Leg-In-Boot Square, Blood Alley, Bucketwheel… Vancouver has some eccentric street names and many more conventional ones. It will probably come as no surprise to learn that 276 streets are named after men (in contrast, only...

Unearthing Vancouver’s Chilling History in Gastown

04 Oct 2023

As the autumn leaves fall gently on the cobblestone streets, Vancouver undergoes a transformation. Beyond the costumes and pumpkin-spiced treats, a darker allure emerges. Welcome to Gastown, where the echoes of the past reverberate through...

Truth & Reconciliation Day: Spotlight on Luke Marston

29 Sep 2023

The Truth and Reconciliation Day, on September 30th, is celebrated as a day for Canadians to acknowledge the harm caused by the residential schools and to honour the Indigenous survivors of these schools. As a...

Casting Call: 2023 Lost Souls of Gastown Storytellers

18 Mar 2023

Vancouver actors! Were you put on this earth to entertain people? Do you love Vancouver and its history? Are you charming, witty, and full of life? Would you enjoy pouring your heart and soul into...

Squatting Early Vancouver Part 2: Cut Throat Johnny’s

01 Jun 2022

[By Lani Russwurm] This is the second post in our Squatting Early Vancouver Series. Don’t miss out on part 1 about the Tar Flat neighourhood. When the Canadian Pacific Railway arrived in Vancouver in the...

Tourism Challenge 2022

16 May 2022

Are you participating in the 2022 Tourism Challenge? Each week, on Monday morning, we release a batch of tickets for the Lost Souls of Gastown. You can book tickets using the promo code in your...

Stonewall Event Hosted by Glenn Tkach

20 Apr 2022

Meet The Last Surviving Stonewall Activist Interview with our very own Glenn Tkach of the Really Gay History Tour Martin Boyce is a Stonewall Riot activist, sharing his story of one of the most significant...

Mugshot of Tar Flat resident William Rutt, aka, Billy the Rat, 11 January 1902. He was sentenced for stealing blankets from an Indigenous woman. City of Vancouver Archives #480-456.

Squatting Early Vancouver Part 1: Tar Flat

30 Mar 2022

[By Lani Russwurm] Like many cities grappling with skyrocketing housing prices, makeshift squatter communities have become a hot button political issue in Vancouver in recent years. But throughout the city’s history, these enclaves and...

Georgia Medical and Detnal Building, ca. 1950 - City of Vancouver Archives: AM1517-S1-: 2008-022.040

Vancouver’s First Art Deco Skyscraper Crumbles Down

20 Jan 2022

[by Glenn Tkach] Does Vancouver’s first Art Deco skyscraper look familiar? You might mistake this building for the iconic Marine Building on the corner of Hastings and Burrard Streets. But this one was here first....

Forbidden Vancouver Blog

Was Gassy Jack’s Statue Toppled By His Courageous Wife?

The Man Who Named Vancouver’s Streets… and Barely Escaped With His Life

Unearthing Vancouver’s Chilling History in Gastown

Truth & Reconciliation Day: Spotlight on Luke Marston

Casting Call: 2023 Lost Souls of Gastown Storytellers

Squatting Early Vancouver Part 2: Cut Throat Johnny’s

Tourism Challenge 2022

Stonewall Event Hosted by Glenn Tkach

Squatting Early Vancouver Part 1: Tar Flat

Vancouver’s First Art Deco Skyscraper Crumbles Down

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