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Time Traveller: A 'Butcher's Picnic' at the Hotel North Vancouver

The famed luxury hotel on Esplanade also had a beach and boat dock and hosted events such as hot-air balloon flights in the early-1900s
butchers-picnic

The Hotel North Vancouver was opened in 1902 on Esplanade as a luxurious getaway for people from the North Shore and beyond. It had a bandstand, hot air balloon flights, tight-rope walking, a boat dock, and a swimming beach.

Additionally, having one of the few grass fields in North Vancouver, it was a popular spot for picnickers, drawing crowds when the weather was fine.

Depicted here ca. 1905, in a photograph taken by G.G. Nye, are a band of butchers, artfully preparing food to be eaten later in the day at a “Butcher’s Picnic.”

Visit the MONOVA website for more information about the history of the North Shore and to plan your visit to MONOVA: Museum of North Vancouver, now open at 115 West Esplanade in The Shipyards.

Currently, MONOVA: Archives of North Vancouver, at 3203 Institute Road in Lynn Valley, is open for drop-ins on Monday and by appointment Tuesday-Friday, 12:30-4 p.m. Contact: [email protected]

Navigate culture on the North Shore by using the North Shore Culture Compass.