Maple Tree Squares

Maple Tree Square acts as the literal birthplace of Vancouver. A small, triangular plaza holds the foundation of the city, marked by the statue of Gassy Jack Deighton. In eighteen sixty-seven, Jack stood on this spot and convinced local mill workers to build a saloon. He promised them whiskey if they built it themselves, and they finished the structure in twenty-four hours. That first wooden shack anchored the settlement that eventually grew into the city you see today.