Street Index Map of City of Vancouver and Surrounding Municipalities including the City of New Westminster

Detailed Depression-era city plan of Vancouver.

At the time this map was published, Vancouver was a hotbed of unrest as a result of the global economic collapse known today the Great Depression. The city was considered the “Mecca of the Unemployed” and was a prime destination for many single, jobless men heading west by train. A common cynical joke was that it was the only place in Canada where you would starve to death before you froze to death.

Ongoing unrest boiled violently at several points throughout the 1930’s, especially in the train yards and along the waterfront. However, no such conflict is referenced anywhere on this map, published by a local map company in the first half of the decade. Street names can be seen in tiny print adjacent to labels identifying prominent buildings, industries, and civic locations of interest like parks, schools, and hospitals. The image extends from West Vancouver to the North Arm of the Frasier River and includes the city of New Westminster in the lower right.

The map folds into its original blue paper covers, which contain fascinating contemporary advertisements for real estate agents, shipping companies and the city’s electric railway. A bookseller’s stamp for Mitchell & Foley can be seen on the front.