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TIME TRAVELLER: Here's North Vancouver in an era before social distancing

This image from 1944 shows a large crowd of men at quitting time at Burrard Dry Dock. According to notes on the back of the original photograph, they are "hustling to catch a ferry,” and the crowd includes all trades and numbers approximately 11,000.
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This image from 1944 shows a large crowd of men at quitting time at Burrard Dry Dock.

According to notes on the back of the original photograph, they are "hustling to catch a ferry,” and the crowd includes all trades and numbers approximately 11,000.

It appears that in fact, the men are collecting pay packets before heading to the ferry; a large office in the background has a sign indicating when different shifts should report on pay day. Numbers along the railing may indicate employee badge numbers.

The Time Traveller feature offers a weekly glimpse into the North Shore's past, courtesy of North Vancouver Museum and Archives.

Want to know more about the history of the North Shore? Visit nvma.ca or drop into the Archives of North Vancouver at 3203 Institute Rd. in Lynn Valley.