From prospectors to politicians, promoters to profiteers, New Westminster’s known them all. It is Western Canada’s oldest city, aptly named by Queen Victoria as the first capital of the new colony of British Columbia. On the mighty Fraser River, it has survived gold rushes, loss of capital status, fire, flood, the Depression, and two world wars. This collection of illuminating black and white photographs, artwork, and text shows how its tenacious citizens have thrived. It follows the city’s festivals, traditions, organizations, people, and neighbourhoods. The city has both witnessed and been the centre of the fascinating events that shaped B.C. This multifaceted photographic history album depicts almost 150 years of the City of New Westminster.

From prospectors to politicians, promoters to profiteers, New Westminster’s known them all. It is Western Canada’s oldest city, aptly named by Queen Victoria as the first capital of the new colony of British Columbia. On the mighty Fraser River, it has survived gold rushes, loss of capital status, fire, flood, the Depression, and two world wars. This collection of illuminating black and white photographs, artwork, and text shows how its tenacious citizens have thrived. It follows the city’s festivals, traditions, organizations, people, and neighbourhoods. The city has both witnessed and been the centre of the fascinating events that shaped B.C. This multifaceted photographic history album depicts almost 150 years of the City of New Westminster.