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 to...