History Walks in Vancouver with James Johnstone

05/21/2025

Check out the interesting story in the previous post.

05/21/2025

STRATHCONA GHOST WALK, SATURDAY MAY 31, at 10:00am.
😲Now here's a story!😲
These past few weeks I have been putting the finishing touches on a house history research project for a house on the 300 block of Union Street that I have been working on for a long time. In going through some of the files the owner sent me early on in the project, I came across some pictures of some artifacts the owner had recovered from the basement. This is a receipt for a $5 installment payment received from Italian-born bootlegger Caterina "Chetti" Enfante for a garage she purchased from Paolo Zuliani located behind 429 Prior Street. Even when a project is supposedly finished, if I come across new information I have to follow the trail and discover what I can add.

Paolo Zuliani was an Italian-born smelter worker who lived with his wife, Maria Pontorollo, and daughter, Ida Rose Marie, at 251 Prior. There are a number of newspaper articles relating to this family. Two stand out as particularly interesting.

According to an article on page 26 of the May 16, 1928, Province, Paolo’s 17-year-old daughter, Ida convinced a Finnish miner named Ellis Andy of 433 Prior Street to sell her a second house he owned at 429 Prior Street for $1400. After selling the house to Ida, Ellis Andy had second thoughts and took Ida to court accusing Ida or taking advantage of him when he was drunk.

Apparently, Andy was in the habit of buying liquor from the Zulianis, who we can assume were bootleggers, and one day had gone to buy liquor but had no money. On January 19th he had signed a deed to the property in exchange for liquor. Andy stated that when he signed the deed, he was very drunk and that he thought he had signed a mortgage. After the transfer is completed. Andy testified that members of the Zuliani family informed him that he could no longer buy drinks there and the doors were closed to him.

Check out the newspaper articles. I am blown away by the fact that back in the 1920s a 17-year-old would be in a position to legally buy a house.

Anyway, there is a lot of interesting new bootlegging history included in the upcoming East End Ghost Walk on May 31st co-hosted by my ghost whispering pal, paranormal investigator Katie Ackermann. Cost is $40/person. Space is limited to 20 people. Reservations are recommended.

05/07/2025

History Walks are back this May. First Walk will be in the West End this Saturday. Details below.

08/15/2024

Come explore Vancouver's oldest neighbourhood, the historic East End... Strathcona, this Saturday.
This History Walk departs from in front of 696 East Hastings (at Heatley) at 10am and lasts about three hours.
Cost is $25 per person.
E-mail [email protected] to make a reservation or for more information.

08/08/2024

https://historywalksinvancouver.blogspot.com/2024/08/join-me-saturday-17-august-for-history.html

East End Vancouver/Strathcona History Walk - August 17 Departs: 696 East Hastings (at Heatley) at 10am. Duration: 2.5 to 3 hours dependin...

03/21/2024

HISTORY WALKS IN VANCOUVER ARE BACK for a limited Spring Season. Click on the link for the schedules for upcoming tours.

https://historywalksinvancouver.blogspot.com/2024/03/history-walks-are-back-for-limited.html

02/23/2023

My HISTORY WALKS IN VANCOUVER are BACK for a limited run this April starting April 1st and going every Saturday and Sunday morning until April 29th. Click on the LINK below for the schedule. Once at the HISTORY WALKS site, click on the red links for detailed information on the tours, where to meet, duration, where the tour ends, and what they cost.
http://historywalksinvancouver.blogspot.com/2023/02/history-walks-are-back-here-is-schedule.html

11/28/2020

Here is a bit of a history walk but not in Vancouver.
This is the second part of a very long post on the 67 restoration date markers I have found and catalogued here in Casperia. The oldest dates to the late 1400s.
http://lamiasabina.blogspot.com/2020/05/alla-ricerca-delle-pianelle-tour-of.html

As I wrote in Part 1 of this post, we live here in Casperia, a rustic hill town in the Colli Sabini, about an hours drive NNE of Rome...

02/16/2020

History Walks are back for the next four Saturdays! The first walk is scheduled for this Saturday, (See poster below). For details on the other three walks--two which will be co-hosted by my ghost whispering paranormal investigator friend Kati Ackermann--click: http://historywalksinvancouver.blogspot.com/2020/01/history-walk-schedule-for-febmarch-2020.html

01/20/2020

They're back!
https://historywalksinvancouver.blogspot.com/2020/01/history-walk-schedule-for-febmarch-2020.html

Ghost Walks with Kati Ackermann are back! In February/March of 2020 I will be offering four History Walks, two which are co-ho...

09/09/2019

My old neighbourhood is certainly haunted! This is the last walk of 2019 folks and space is limited. Please pre-register.

08/12/2019

My one and only West End History Walk until Spring 2020 is scheduled for this Saturday, August 17th.