This home-grown history of a Vancouver neighbourhood speaks to the need people still have, in a time of infinite possibilities, to connect deeply with the place they call home. The Story of Dunbar is a celebration of community roots and a sense of place. The documentation of Dunbar's history, complete with archival photos from private collections, will resonate with those who live in neighbourhoods with stories waiting to be told.

The Story of Dunbar draws on interviews with more than 350 local residents, including both recent arrivals and descendants of pioneers. Their personal accounts are woven together with information from diaries and other records in the City of Vancouver Archives and carefully chosen published sources to form twelve chapters that explore different aspects of community life.

The Musqueam First Nation, the early settlers, the arts, churches and schools, how people shopped and how they got around, where they lived and relaxed are all described. Read about how this "streetcar suburb" developed from forest and farmland, how it was impacted by world events, and what made it both typical and unique.

This is a story of the past century - from the settlement of the West to the development of a modern world-class city - brought to life through the experiences of people living in the neighbourhood of Dunbar. It is a reminder that history occurs in the streets of quiet out-of-the-way neighbourhoods as surely as on battlefields and in corporate boardrooms.

The "Documenting Dunbar" project was carried out under the leadership of community activists and former Dunbar Residents’ Association President Peggy Schofield. Schofield grew up in California and earned two degrees in music. In 1960 she settled with her husband in Vancouver, BC where they raised three daughters She became interested in textile arts, joining the Canadian Crafts Council and traveled to many parts of the world to study different traditions of textile production. When she became an activist for the Dunbar neighbourhood she would hold meetings and post community information at her textile arts studio Dunbar Street. After Peggy’s untimely death in 2005, the Dunbar history group she had formed pulled together to complete the project in her memory. Contributing writers, all residents, are Pam Chambers, Vivien Clarke, Shelagh Lindsey, Beryl March, Angus McIntyre, Larry Moore, Margaret Campbell More, Peggy Schofield, Helen Spiegelman and Joan Tyldesley.

Peggy Schofield's profile page

The Story of Dunbar: Voices of a Vancouver Neighbourhood