Maple Tree Squares
Historic street junction and birthplace of a city, marked by the toppled statue of its saloon-keeper founder.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to Maple Tree Squares in Vancouver opens with a bronze statue crashing to the cobblestones during a 2022 protest, then rewinds to 1867, when a talkative saloon-keeper named John Deighton, known as Gassy Jack, rowed up Burrard Inlet with his Squamish wife and struck a deal with sawmill workers beside a lone maple tree. You'll hear how his makeshift bar gave the surrounding shanty settlement its name, Gastown, and how the man behind the legend didn't quite match it. Stand near the maple that gave the square its name while you listen.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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