Getting to Victoria c. 1959: Ferries & Steamers

[Retrovision]

A couple years back I picked up this smaller all typeset (with a few line drawings) guidebook published in 1959 by New Neighbour Services (Showing its age, for one, is the phone number noted: EV 4-3812)

About Victoria ~ AND VANCOUVER ISLAND
A unique kaleidoscope of facts and fallacies about Canada's evergreen playground
Illustrated by Peggy Walton Packard, Edited by Avis Walton

Found on Page 205...

Three Ferries Serve Salt Spring and The Gulf Islands

Mv. Motor Princess makes seven round trips daily between Fulford and Swartz Bay . . . Mv. George S. Pearson, 10 round trips between Vesuvius Bay and Crofton, while the MV. Cy Peck cruises to the other Gulf Islands, Galiano, Mayne, Saturna and Pender making the full circle loop of each run daily. Take your car on the Salt Spring Island loop by ferry to Fulford, then drive to Vesuvius, then drive to Vesuvius Bay, and cross again by ferry to Crofton. If you'd like a day at sea among hundreds of enchantingly beautiful evergreen isles, cruise for eight hours among the Gulf Islands on the Cy Peck. Round trip 70c, including an hour's stopover at Ganges.

[Neil]

Good find. We've seen very little on this forum of the particulars of Coast Ferries and Gulf Islands Ferry Co. service to the Islands; I'd love to see some schedules and other background.

[Retrovision]

From the same book, Page 153:

Canadian Pacific

Recognized almost everywhere on the earth's vast surface as the worlds's greatest transportations system, Canadian Pacific plays an integral part in the daily life of Victoria.

Its ships bring hundreds of visitors from Vancouver, Seattle and Port Angeles, besides additional hundreds through the port of Nanaimo. Its freight services, via the Princess of Vancouver and the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway, provide the city with its daily necessities of life.

One of the world's outstanding hotels is the Empress, a Canadian Pacific institution in Victoria and the centre for many conventions each year. With its 10 acres of flowers and lawns, its location overlooking the inner harbour, the famous hotel is a mecca for thousands of tourists the year round.

Canadian Pacific can be truly described as a vast business empire. It owns, operates and manages a large fleet of ocean, coastal and inland water vessels. Canadian Pacific Airlines now serves five continents. C.P.R. owns a chain of large hotels across Canada and operates its own telegraph and express companies. It owns one of the world's largest mines and its youngest company is Canadian Pacific Oil and Gas Limited, recently incorporated to further develop its 11 million acres of mineral lands on the prairies.

For three years now, Canadian Pacific has operated the world's finest trains, The Canadian and The Dominion, streamlined giants with their Scenic Dome coaches, that have cut the travelling time from Montreal to Vancouver to three days.

[Retrovision]

From:
About Victoria - AND VANCOUVER ISLAND

A UNIQUE KALEIDOSCOPE OF FACTS AND FALLACIES ABOUT CANADA'S EVERGREEN PLAYGROUND

ILLUSTRATED by PEGGY WALTON PACKARD
EDITED by AVIS WALTON

Third Edition
Published 1959 by New Neighbour Services
P.O. Box 484 - Phone EV 4-3812 - Victoria, B.C., Canada

Copyright No. 128750

In the following on pages 205:

Three Ferries Serve Salt Spring and The Gulf Islands

Mv. Motor Princess makes seven roud trips daily between Fulford and Swartz Bay . . . Mv. George S. Pearson, 10 round trips daily between Vesuvius Bay and Crofton, wile the MV. Cy Peck cruises to the other Gulf Islands, Galiano, Mayne, Saturna and Peder Making the full circle of each run daily. Take your car on the Salt Spring Island loop by ferry to Fulford, then drive to Vesuvius, then drive to Vesuvius Bay, and cross again by ferry to Crofton. If you'd like a day at sea among hundreds of enchantingly beautiful evergreen isles, cruise for eight hours among the Gulf Islands on the Cy Peck. Round trip 70c, including an hour's stopover at Ganges.

From Page 153:

Canadian Pacific

Recognized almost everywhere on the earth's vast surface as the world's greatest transportation system, Canadian Pacific plays an integral part in the daily life of Victoria.

Its ships bring hundreds of visitors from Vancouver, Seattle and Port Angeles, besides additional hundreds through the port of Nanaimo. Its frieght services, via the Princess of Vancouver and the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway, provide the city with its daily necessities of life.

One of the world's outstanding hotels is the Empress, a Canadian Pacific institution in Victoria and centre for many conventions each year. With its 10 acres of flowers and lawns, its location overlooking the inner harbour, the famous hotel is a mecca for thousands of tourists the year round.

Canadian Pacific can truly described as a vast business empire. It owns, operates and manages a large fleet ocean, coastal and inland water vessels. Canadian Pacific Airlines now serves five continents. C.P.R. owns a chain of large hotels across Canada and operates its own telegraph and express companies. It owns one of the world's largest mine and its youngest company is Canadian Pacific Oil and as Limited, recently incorporated to further develop its 11 million acres of mineral lands on the prairies.

For three years now, Canadian Pacific has operated the world's finest trains, The Canadian and The Dominion, steamlined giants with their Scenic Dome coaches, that have cut the traveling time from Montreal to Vancouver to three days.

[Neil]

That summary of Gulf Islands services is probably the closest thing we've had a schedule from the Gulf Island Ferry Company.

Never seen one of those, and to a schedules freak that's a very sad fact.

[mrdot]

:)another item dateing mrdot! I remember being in a young one's art class with peggy walton packard, and the old tel. e)xchange EV evergreen # and the old vintage ferries, some of which I even worked! very evocative! :)now I better get on my horse and get over and visit my mom while I've still got her, and this new gold card perk!

[Retrovision]

Jan 25, 2011 16:45:37 GMT -8 Neil said:

That summary of Gulf Islands services is probably the closest thing we've had a schedule from the Gulf Island Ferry Company.

Never seen one of those, and to a schedules freak that's a very sad fact.

Then I'm especialy glad that I dug this up. By the way, I've tried to quote the text as close to the original as possible, right down to the "70c".

I myself was surprised to read about the Motor Princess saling to Fulford, presumably as the Pender Queen (she was converted but not reamed at that point, right?).

[Mirrlees]

Jan 25, 2011 17:51:30 GMT -8 Retrovision said:

Jan 25, 2011 16:45:37 GMT -8 Neil said:

That summary of Gulf Islands services is probably the closest thing we've had a schedule from the Gulf Island Ferry Company.

Never seen one of those, and to a schedules freak that's a very sad fact.

Then I'm especialy glad that I dug this up. By the way, I've tried to quote the text as close to the original as possible, right down to the "70c".

I myself was surprised to read about the Motor Princess saling to Fulford, presumably as the Pender Queen (she was converted but not reamed at that point, right?).

Right you are, Retro! Motor Princess was converted in 1956 so she was almost new again in '59.

[mrdot]

:)I actually served one day spare board releif on Motor Princess / Pender Queen, when it was relieving the Mayne Queen in the late 60's. She was like serving on a museum peice, with her wooden car deck, the big old steamboat style wheel, but a fine old ship, and a masterful conversion by the old Gulf islands Co. done at the old Yarrows yard in Esquimalt, and absorbed into the BC ferry fleet by wac Bennett. He had the will and the means to serve small island ports, that none of todays privitization world could ever consider! mrdot.