FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151  
152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   >>   >|  
I. THE CLOSING OF VIEW STREET IN 1858. It is known to few only that View Street at one time reached from Cook to Wharf Street. [Portrait: Senator Macdonald.] In the Victoria _Gazette_ of 1858 appear several items regarding this street. A public meeting was called for by certain citizens who considered themselves more aggrieved than the general public, in that they, being residents of the upper part of View Street, had on coming to business, to walk on to Fort or Yates Street to get to Government or Wharf. Without any notice the street was fenced across on Broad and also on Government. The _Gazette_ states that there was great dissatisfaction at the fencing of the vacant space on "Broadway" and Government Streets, which the paper stated was used as a cabbage patch, and there was talk of pulling the fence down. All the agitation seems to have amounted to nothing, for not only was the fence not pulled down, but J. J. Southgate, one of the earliest merchants of Victoria, erected a large wooden building on the street. By referring to the engraving this building may be seen indicated by a cross. Later on Southgate erected the present brick building which Hibben & Co. have just vacated after an occupancy of forty odd years. The _Gazette_ stated later on that the Governor had sold the lots to Mr. Southgate, and that settled the matter. That it was not intended that View Street should end at Broad is evident, as Bastion Street was then known as View Street, being so called in Mallandaine's first directory (1859.) Mr. Trounce, who owned the land through which Trounce Avenue passes, after the closing of View Street, decided to make an alleyway through his property so as to more easily let his stores. This alley has been open ever since, but used to be closed for a day each year for many years after. I might state that J. J. Southgate, who was a prominent Mason, called a meeting of "all Free Masons at his new store on Monday evening, July 12th, 1858, at 7 o'clock, to consider important matters connected with the organization of the order." T. N. Hibben & Co., who have just vacated this site after so many years, have moved only once before since going into business on the corner of Yates and Langley Streets, in 1858, by the firm name of "Hibben & Carswell." The building is that brick one lately sold. Both founders of this well-known and long-established business, together with their bookkeeper who later became
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151  
152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Street
 

Southgate

 

building

 
Hibben
 

business

 

called

 

Government

 

street

 

Gazette

 

erected


Streets

 
stated
 

vacated

 
public
 
meeting
 

Victoria

 

Trounce

 

directory

 

Mallandaine

 

Avenue


closing

 

decided

 

easily

 

property

 

Bastion

 
alleyway
 

passes

 

stores

 

evident

 

corner


Langley

 

established

 
bookkeeper
 

Carswell

 

founders

 

organization

 

connected

 

prominent

 

Masons

 

closed


important
 
matters
 

Monday

 

evening

 

general

 
residents
 

aggrieved

 
citizens
 
considered
 

notice