viHistory.ca
Connecting Records and Resources
This photograph shows Broad Street, c. 1891, looking south from Yates Street,
towards View and Fort. The Driard Hotel is the tall building in the centre of
the picture. Further along the east side of the street are Bowman's stables
and the premises of Mann & Heron, saddlers. The 1892 Victoria Directory
(excerpt below) gives the names of the men who were employed by these firms.
On the other side of the street we see a portion of a building known as the Green Block. This section of Broad Street included the offices of W. H. Mason, realtor; the sales office of the Singer Sewing Machine Company, the local YMCA and the Balmoral Restaurant. The Green Block was located adjacent to Trounce Alley, as another 1891 photo shows.
The directory gives the names of people working on this side of the street.
And the census provides even more information about them. For example, the
realtor, William Mason, was 50 years old at the time. He resided in James
Bay with his 44 year old wife, Fanny, and 15 year old son, Henry. [Click
here
to see this search.]
Excerpt from 1892 Victoria Directory, p. 434: Broad Steet, east side
Excerpt from 1892 Victoria Directory, p. 433: Broad Steet, west side
