| Vancouver Is Ashes: The Great Fire of 1886 Contributor(s): Smith, Lisa (Author) |
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ISBN: 1553803205 ISBN-13: 9781553803201 Publisher: Ronsdale Press OUR PRICE: $19.76 Product Type: Paperback Published: March 2014 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | Canada - Post-confederation (1867-) - History | Social History - History | Modern - 19th Century |
| Dewey: 971.133 |
| Physical Information: 0.53" H x 6.33" W x 8.95" (0.83 lbs) 200 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Literary Nonfiction. History. On the morning of June 13, 1886, a rogue wind fanned the flames of a small clearing fire--and within five hours, the newly incorporated city of Vancouver, British Columbia, had been reduced to smoldering ash. VANCOUVER IS ASHES: THE GREAT FIRE OF 1886 is the first detailed exploration of what happened on that pivotal, yet seldom revisited day in the history of Canada's third-largest city. Lisa Anne Smith tells the story with numerous archival photographs. She uses eye-witness accounts to describe flames sweeping down wooden sidewalks faster than a man could run, houses that were constructed of freshly milled lumber, which virtually exploded in the onslaught, as well as hair-breadth escapes of Vancouver citizens from all walks of life. She records how two businessmen lying face-down in a patch of gravel bid each other goodbye, while a young married couple cling to a makeshift raft, and a mother and her children cower in fear beneath a stable blanket in a shallow ditch. Strange, often unlikely stories emerge in the aftermath, such as the pile of ice discovered amidst the burned out wreckage and the near-miraculous survival of a downtown hotel. Ramifications of the catastrophe that continued into the days, months and years following are examined, resulting in some surprisingly positive, as well as negative conclusions. Part of the proceeds from sales of VANCOUVER IS ASHES are being donated to the Vancouver Firefighters' Charitable Society. |
Contributor Bio(s): Smith, Lisa: - Lisa Anne Smith was born in Burnaby, B.C. and has been an avid fan of B.C. history for much of her life. She is a longtime education docent at the Museum of Vancouver and is a member of Native Daughters of B.C., owners/operators of Old Hastings Mill Store Museum, Vancouver's oldest building. Over the last five years, she has done extensive research in the archives on Vancouver's great fire of 1886, which is now seeing publication with Ronsdale Press as Vancouver Is Ashes in 2014. Her published books include Our Friend Joe: The Joe Fortes Story (Ronsdale Press, 2012) and Travels with St. Roch: A Book for Kids (2001). Lisa lives in Vancouver with her husband, two grown children, and Sunny, the world's least intelligent but most loveable golden retriever. |
