MacLean Park

This park is named after Canada’s first mayor, the Scottish born Malcom Alexander Maclean. Mclean came to Vancouver at the ripe age of forty-two in 1886, three months before the city became Vancouver. When he arrived there were “but a hundred habitable buildings “with a population of only six hundred. These numbers would expand rapidly in the comings months, but at the time of the first election it would still be miniscule. He made a fast impression, and was convinced into running for mayor by strikers at Hastings sawmill who were hesitant about the new mayor breaking the strike with cheep Chinese labor. Malcom won by 17 votes (although it has since been confirmed that there were in fact 100 votes cast by those ineligible to vote), and was Vancouver’s mayor for a two short one-year terms, where he secured a fire truck to protect from rather flammable colonial town, and helped rebuild quickly rebuild portions of the city when the fire truck was inevitably delivered late.

Although MacLean’s lineage stretches back to the beginning of Vancouver the park in his name is a relatively new creation. It was originally constructed in the early 60’s as part of the award winning Strathcona rehabilitation project.

Bibliography

“Malcolm Alexander MacLean.” Retrived from: http://www.vancouverhistory.ca/archives_macLean.htm

“Strathcona residents: our history.” Retrived from: http://strathcona-residents.org/our-history