Downtown Vancouver (Images of America: Washington) [Paperback]

Pat Jollota (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 16, 2004

Named for a British sea explorer, Vancouver was conceived in the early 1800s when Lewis and Clark camped at the waterfront and deemed the area ripe for settlement. The Hudson s Bay Company soon established its fur-trading empire here, and Fort Vancouver became the commercial center of the area. In 1849 American troops set up Columbia Barracks nearby, establishing the area as a military stronghold. In 1857 the city of Vancouver was incorporated, and gradually became an important industrial and residential city. Vancouver is now a big city, and along with nearby Portland, Oregon, is home to high-tech, maritime, lumber, and manufacturing industries.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Author Pat Jollota, who spent 22 years as curator of the Clark County Historical Museum, has compiled this amazing collection of images of Vancouver s beginning and early downtown. Jollota, who serves on Vancouver s city council, is also the author of the historic book Naming Clark County, as well as a collection of Clark County ghost stories, Darkness Next Door.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing (November 16, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738529591
• ISBN-13: 978-0738529592
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,316,768 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'd rate it six stars if I could, fantastic book, only wish it were larger, July 8, 2007

By 

Scott W. Pecora "snatchsquach" (Vancouver, Washington United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Downtown Vancouver (Images of America: Washington) (Paperback)

As almost a life long resident of Vancouver, having moved here in 1965 this is "Home". I remember when this town was so much smaller and still see a lot of the remnants of its history. Only complaint is I wish it were twice as large in volume/content and just double the price. I've ordered the volumes on Camas and Washougal, and wait eagerly as I'm currently living in Camas in a home built in 1908 by owners of the paper mill of that period. I only hope the rest of the series is half the quality of this book.

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book on history of my hometown!, July 13, 2008

By 

Mrs. Kilo Delta (Northwest, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Downtown Vancouver (Images of America: Washington) (Paperback)

This was a GREAT book. It tells us why Esther Short Park was named so (got some interesting stuff about Esther!), as well as the naming of some of our better known streets (Fourth Plain and Mill Plain... I always wondered about those). Also contains a lot of history on Officers' Row and the fort, and its inhabitants. I knew nothing about Mother Joseph before reading this book, and now I know how she influenced the building of Vancouver. Of particular interest to me, the book gives a lot of the little reasons why Portland ended up growing so much bigger than Vancouver, even though Vancouver is older.

This book has a few tidbits about people in Vancouver that remind me how very much that they weren't just names in a history book. When the law declared that the St. James Church belonged to the Army and not to the Catholic Church (the book didn't give the year, but with searching online, found out this was in the 1890s), a young Army officer went to the church to help the priest move out, and I laughed out loud when I read how the angry priest reacted to the officer's offer of help. I also liked the bit about the practical joke a pilot made at the dedication festival for Pearson Field in 1925.

My husband and I only noticed one thing that could have been a glaring typo. It was in reference to a photo (on page 25) telling us where Pearson Field would later be.... however, the book said the photo was taken in the 1970s. We're guessing it had been actually taken in the 1870s, as Pearson Field was dedicated in 1925 and it has never changed locations. If it had been taken in the 1970s, we would have seen Pearson Field in the photo.

Like the other reviewer said, I wish there were more in this book. However, what is there is nicely laid out. Each section begins with a page of history in text, followed by pages of photos with descriptive captions.

The Fort Vancouver library system has this book, by the way. ^_^