A bustling scene on one of western Canada's oldest streets in Victoria, British Columbia.
"A Bustling Street Scene on Government Street"
Library of Congress (2016803337)
Government Street of Victoria, BC is one of the oldest streets on Canada's west coast and is a street that most locals and tourists know well. This photo was taken at a time when the city's second automobile began zooming about the city's streets. A time when the not-yet-famous poet Robert W. Service had moved to town after accepting a banking position and a suite above the Bank of Commerce (now Victoria's Bard & Banker Pub). A time when architect Francis Rattenbury's Parliament Buildings had already been gracing the city's harbour for five years, and the development of his Empress Hotel design was well underway. Victoria's breakwater design was being decided upon and the Westcoast Pacific Cable Line was now complete, successfully connecting Canada to Australia and the British Empire beyond from the Bamfield Cable Station on the west coast of Vancouver Island.