Past & Present: Carrall Street, 1877/2017

Angus Fraser and his brother Simon (not that Simon Fraser) ran logging operations that cleared much of what’s now Vancouver. Angus built this house in the 1870s (either 1873 or 1877 depending on the source) on Carrall Street between Cordova and Trounce Alley. (Presumably that’s Angus and his wife in the photo). It was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1886. The building there now went up in 1900 during the Klondike Gold Rush as the second iteration of the Bodega Saloon (replacing a wooden version built in 1887), and the upstairs was known as the Oakland Rooming House. When he wasn’t teaching locals how to swim in English Bay, the legendary Joe Fortes tended bar here. Today the building houses LynnSteven clothing boutique and Artspeak Gallery. The Klondike Gold Rush had a profound influence on how old Gastown took shape. Take The Forbidden Vancouver Tour to find out more! Photo of Angus Fraser’s house, 1877, City of Vancouver Archives #Bu P28