Aqua Vitae: A History of the Saloons and Hotel Bars of Victoria, 1851-1917
In April 1858 the Fraser River Gold Rush hit, and the sleepy hamlet of Victoria on Vancouver Island got an economic boost. The population nearly doubled overnight, and suddenly locals were rubbing shoulders with prospectors on their way to the gold-fields of the interior, as well as the regular band of sailors, sealers, whalers and other seafarers who made up Victoria.

In those days, a saloon could be found on practically every corner of the city. They were as numerous as coffee shops are today, and alcohol was cheaper and easier to come by than clean drinking water. Between 1851 and 1917 there were hundreds of saloons and hotel bars that dispensed alcohol on a regular basis and they did it twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

This book introduces you to the cast of colorful characters that regularly inhabited those saloons and hotel bars in their heyday. Read about how a young Emily Carr was saved from possible death by the quick actions of an employee of the Bee-hive saloon. Discover the gruesome secret uncovered by a startled worker who was prying up the floorboards of the Omineca saloon. Find out the circumstances surrounding the murder of Mike Powers, the proprietor of the Garrick’s Head, a pub that still does a thriving business today.

From the raunchy saloons that lined Victoria’s notorious Johnson street to the lavish high-class hotel-bars like the Driard and the Empress, this book shares the true stories, both humorous and tragic, from the days of swinging doors, smoky bars and five-cent beers.
1123512003
Aqua Vitae: A History of the Saloons and Hotel Bars of Victoria, 1851-1917
In April 1858 the Fraser River Gold Rush hit, and the sleepy hamlet of Victoria on Vancouver Island got an economic boost. The population nearly doubled overnight, and suddenly locals were rubbing shoulders with prospectors on their way to the gold-fields of the interior, as well as the regular band of sailors, sealers, whalers and other seafarers who made up Victoria.

In those days, a saloon could be found on practically every corner of the city. They were as numerous as coffee shops are today, and alcohol was cheaper and easier to come by than clean drinking water. Between 1851 and 1917 there were hundreds of saloons and hotel bars that dispensed alcohol on a regular basis and they did it twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

This book introduces you to the cast of colorful characters that regularly inhabited those saloons and hotel bars in their heyday. Read about how a young Emily Carr was saved from possible death by the quick actions of an employee of the Bee-hive saloon. Discover the gruesome secret uncovered by a startled worker who was prying up the floorboards of the Omineca saloon. Find out the circumstances surrounding the murder of Mike Powers, the proprietor of the Garrick’s Head, a pub that still does a thriving business today.

From the raunchy saloons that lined Victoria’s notorious Johnson street to the lavish high-class hotel-bars like the Driard and the Empress, this book shares the true stories, both humorous and tragic, from the days of swinging doors, smoky bars and five-cent beers.
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Aqua Vitae: A History of the Saloons and Hotel Bars of Victoria, 1851-1917

Aqua Vitae: A History of the Saloons and Hotel Bars of Victoria, 1851-1917

by Glen A. Mofford
Aqua Vitae: A History of the Saloons and Hotel Bars of Victoria, 1851-1917

Aqua Vitae: A History of the Saloons and Hotel Bars of Victoria, 1851-1917

by Glen A. Mofford

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$19.95 
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Overview

In April 1858 the Fraser River Gold Rush hit, and the sleepy hamlet of Victoria on Vancouver Island got an economic boost. The population nearly doubled overnight, and suddenly locals were rubbing shoulders with prospectors on their way to the gold-fields of the interior, as well as the regular band of sailors, sealers, whalers and other seafarers who made up Victoria.

In those days, a saloon could be found on practically every corner of the city. They were as numerous as coffee shops are today, and alcohol was cheaper and easier to come by than clean drinking water. Between 1851 and 1917 there were hundreds of saloons and hotel bars that dispensed alcohol on a regular basis and they did it twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

This book introduces you to the cast of colorful characters that regularly inhabited those saloons and hotel bars in their heyday. Read about how a young Emily Carr was saved from possible death by the quick actions of an employee of the Bee-hive saloon. Discover the gruesome secret uncovered by a startled worker who was prying up the floorboards of the Omineca saloon. Find out the circumstances surrounding the murder of Mike Powers, the proprietor of the Garrick’s Head, a pub that still does a thriving business today.

From the raunchy saloons that lined Victoria’s notorious Johnson street to the lavish high-class hotel-bars like the Driard and the Empress, this book shares the true stories, both humorous and tragic, from the days of swinging doors, smoky bars and five-cent beers.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781771511896
Publisher: Heritage Group Distribution
Publication date: 11/08/2016
Pages: 280
Product dimensions: 5.50(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Glen A. Mofford is the author of Aqua Vitae (2016) and Along the E&N (2019). A graduate of Simon Fraser University, he was a historian and a writer with a passion for sharing the social history of BC's hotels and their drinking establishments, which he wrote about for more than ten years. He passed away in February 2022. 

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 The Pioneer Saloons and Hotel Bars, 1851-59 7

Ship Inn Saloon

Bayley's Hotel

Phoenix Hotel and Saloon

Victoria Hotel

Boomerang Inn

Royal Hotel

California Saloon

What Cheer House

Metropolitan to Colonial Hotel

Chapter 2 The Rough Edge of Town, 1860-69 41

Adelphi Saloon

Brown Jug Saloon and Inn

Australian House

Confederate Saloon

Pony Saloon

Park Hotel

Bee Hive Hotel and Saloon

White Horse Hotel and Saloon

American Hotel

Garrick's Head Saloon

Chapter 3 Strictly First-Class 89

St. Nicholas Hotel

Oriental Hotel

Driard Hotel

Dominion Hotel

Clarence Hotel

Dallas Hotel

Victoria Hotel (III)

King Edward Hotel

Empress Hotel

Chapter 4 The Golden Age, 1870-99 139

Rock Bay Hotel

Ship Inn (IV)

Belmont Saloon

Occidental Hotel

Grand Pacific Hotel

Four Saloons: Klondike, Horseshoe, Steele's, and Bismarck

Regent Saloon

Leland House

Chapter 5 Restriction to Prohibition, 1900-17 185

Western Hotel

Canada Hotel Bar and Grill

Balmoral Hotel

Lion Brewery Tap Saloon

Westholme Hotel

Prince George Hotel

Kaiserhof to Blanshard Hotel

Conclusion: The Bottom of the Glass 233

Appendix: Timeline of Significant Events 237

Bibliography 243

Endnotes 247

Acknowledgements 261

Index 263

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