Hello everyone! Welcome to this “historific” ride into the history of UBC, to improve your knowledge of UBC. This information was obtained from UBC Archives and other sources; visit the links cited to travel further into UBC’s history and make your journey even more exciting.
We will be taking bus-UBC today, departing from bus stop 1908 (the year UBC statutorily came into existence). Our destination will be the UBC Bus loop today. Before we begin our ride, our captain has directed me to ask you which of these you think is correct: “The University of British Columbia” or “University of British Columbia”. While you ponder on this, let’s begin our ride. We will find out the correct name when we get to our destination, at the end of this article. We will begin our ride in the year 1908.
Although a proposal to build a university in BC was first made in 1877, however it wasn’t until 1908 that an Act establishing UBC was passed by the BC legislature. Following initial conflict between Vancouver Island and the Mainland on where the new university should be located[1], Point Grey was selected as the future home of UBC and Dr. Frank Wesbrook became the first President of UBC in 1913. However, early construction work at the Point Grey campus was halted following the outbreak of World War 1 and in 1915 temporary headquarters was opened for UBC at the facilities of the former McGill University College of British Columbia. Classes were first held in 1915 at the Fairview Campus and this is commonly accepted as when the University opened. Over the years, student numbers steadily increased with no commensurate increase in Universities facilities, and the end of the war did not automatically lead to the resumption of construction work at Point Grey, until students engaged in what has now come to be known as “The Great Trek”. The success of the Great Trek led to the resumption of construction activities at the Point Grey Campus which was later opened in 1925 and over the years, construction work has continued with different buildings at UBC.
The Great Trek of 1922
Richards, A. E. (1922). Cairn at Point Grey [photograph]. Albert E. Richards fonds, UBC Archives. https://flic.kr/p/tKhwLp
As earlier noted, The Great Trek occurred due to a rise in student numbers with no commensurate rise in the University facilities. “Tired of over-crowded conditions”[2] and inadequate facilities, UBC Students at the time engaged in a publicity pilgrimage to attract the government's attention to the situation and to resume construction of the Point Grey campus. The pilgrimage, named “Build the University”, saw over 1200 students bearing placards and matching from downtown Vancouver to the Point Grey campus. Consequently, a petition, signed by 56,000 people, was presented to the Speaker of the Provincial legislature and the government authorized a $1.5 million loan to resume construction at UBC. The pilgrimage took place on October 28, 1922 and only later became known as “The Great Trek”-- 25 years later! A cairn, which was dedicated at the end of the pilgrimage and still stands today, became the first completed structure on the Point Grey campus, and a Great Trekker Award was subsequently initiated in 1950 as a yearly award (until 2013) by the AMS to celebrate UBC alumna or alumnus.
The Wesbrook Diaries
Do you remember we said Dr. Wesbrook was the first president of UBC? As first president, Wesbrook had a heavy administrative workload, and to keep track of his activities during his tenure as president, Wesbrook kept a diary, in which he tracked his appointments and recorded activities, events and people he had met. These diaries filled up 23 pocket notebooks and now serve as primary research materials into the early history of UBC. Selected entries from the diaries can be viewed on the Twitter feed @Pres_FFWesbrook. The twitter entries are each dated exactly 100 years from the date they were first written in the Wesbrook Diaries. For example the tweets on December 15, 2016 were for diary entries on December 15, 1916 where Wesbrook mentioned waiting for Sir Robert Borden (Canada’s Prime Minister during world war 1) with a delegation. The December 15th tweet also mentioned enlisting UBC students for the war.
@Pres_FFWesbrook. Twitter, 15 Dec. 2016, https://twitter.com/Pres_FFWesbrook/status/809470141079687169
The Students’ hangout- The Dolphin
The Dolphin was the first original student hangout on or around UBC. It was earlier known as the Marine Pergola Tea Room and Service Station. The spot opened in the 1920s, during the early years of the University, as a road-side stop and was popular as the “ideal place for students to relax with tea or coffee, meet a professor after classes, or host private dance parties”[3]. So popular was the Dolphin that rumors of its closure in 1936 caused great sorrow amongst students. The spot later witnessed a series of changes in ownership and rebranding until it was eventually named as “The Dolphin”. The Dolphin operated till the 1960s. Most of what is left of it now is its parking lot which is currently located at the tail end of Agronomy Road and administered as part of the Pacific Spirit Regional Park[4].
No doubt we all love the beautiful buildings in UBC, maybe you love the architecture of the IKBLC building or the design of the AMS nest, or you are probably fascinated by other buildings. Oh! I love the Allard Law Building. Have you ever wondered when these buildings were built or how much was involved in their construction? Records of all these are in the University Archives. Let's take only a short ride through some few historic buildings. At the end of our ride, make sure to stop at the University Archives to check out recent buildings.
The first UBC building
The first building on record on the Fairview Campus is the Physics Building (No doubt the “Physics-ians” have been studying our space for a long time). The building was constructed in 1911 at a cost of $16,545 and was first used for chemistry, biology and physics. Alterations were made to the building in 1916 and it was later demolished in 1955.
The oldest surviving building
Constructed in 1912, the Cecil Green Park House (formerly known as “Kanakla” which is a West Coast native word for “house on the cliff”[5]) is the first building on the now Point Grey campus of UBC. In 1989, renovation and restoration works were carried out on the building and the Cecil Green park, following which it is now being rented for ceremonies, events and meetings, and was used as a film location for the 1989 movie “Cousins”. The building is the oldest surviving building on campus, as all buildings existing on the previous Fairview campus have been demolished.
Cecil Green Park House (n. d.) https://cecilgreenpark.ubc.ca/facilities/
The Ladner Clock Tower
While I did not want to be biased in talking about the IKBLC (home of the CLC!), since I wasn’t discussing recent constructions, however, I am tempted not to ignore the UBC clock tower, known as the Leon Ladner Clock Tower. Oh my God! I love the Tower, especially when its picture is nicely taken with the IKBLC building, it is in fact, my Zoom meeting virtual background. I love explaining when people ask me about the picture in my background. The Leon Ladner Bell Tower is 140 feet high. It was constructed in 1969, in memory of the pioneers of BC, specifically Thomas Ellis and William Henry Ladner. It is named after Dr. Leon Ladner, who donated $150,000 for the construction of the tower. Although separately built, the Tower, strategically combined with the IKBLC building, has become some signature pictures of UBC.
UBC has a strong sense of identity. I have set out the history of some UBC symbols and emblems for self-identification. From UBC official colours, to the coat of arms, motto, mace, and then our sport identity.
UBC colours
Did you know that the official colours of UBC are blue and gold? While the colour “white” is also common in UBC designs and posters, it is however not an “official colour”. The official colours were adopted in 1916 in line with the University's coat of arms, which was earlier adopted in 1915.
UBC Coat of Arms
UBC Coat of Arms (crest) was designed in line with BC’s Coat of Arms which itself has a setting sun at the base, three wavy blue lines representing the sea in the middle, and a Union Jack on top. On its part, the UBC crest maintained the sun and wavy blue lines in their position but replaced the Union Jack with an open book with the words “Tuum Est” (UBC’s motto) inscribed on the book.
University Crest. (n.d.) University Archives, https://flic.kr/p/CNvNSD
Tuum Est
The UBC motto (“Tuum Est”) itself has been subject to different, but similar, views. Some say to mean “it’s yours’, or “The University is yours”, and others say it means “It’s up to you”. But to that I would say the meaning, “it’s up to you” because the University “it’s yours”.
UBC Mace
Both UBC-V and UBC-O have unique maces. The mace is the symbol of authority of the Chancellor. UBC-V mace was carved out of a block of yew and includes a “stylized thunderbird on the thick upper portion”[6]. Copper was also used in the design of the mace, with the UBC Coat of arms crested at the top of the mace. The UBC Vancouver mace was first used at the October 1959 congregation. On the other hand, the UBC-O mace was uniquely carved from a single piece of alder wood and in the shape of a paddle. It “features three symbolic spirit icons — a mother bear with her two cubs, the image of the mountains, and water”[7] plus the UBC-O logo and the University coat of arms. The UBC-O mace was first displayed at the 2009 spring convocation ceremonies. The maces are displayed only on ceremonial occasions, usually during the annual Congregation ceremonies. (Insert image of UBC-V mace)
The Thunderbirds
Thunderbirds is the nickname of UBC athletic teams. The name was adopted in 1934 by the Ubyssey following a contest in which students were invited to make name suggestions. Selected to signify the power and fighting spirit of UBC athletic teams, Thunderbird is a mysterious and revered bird. Myths have it that the bird can engage in warfare with earth’s most fierce beasts and with its lightning eyes, thunderous wings, and strong heels, it is able to pick up whales out of the ocean.
In Nigeria, there is something called “jara” (meaning “extra”). When we buy an item and we want an addition to it, we ask for “jara”. I wanted to give you some jara in our discussion, by telling you about some trees in UBC, the 2010 Olympic & Paralympic games and a time when cows were “in” UBC.
Graduating Class Tree
Do you know that it is the custom of every graduating class of UBC to plant a tree upon graduation? The tree “serve(s) as a tangible reminder of the class in years to come.”[8] This custom was started by the graduating class of 1919 and continues to be observed by all subsequent graduating classes.[9] These trees are planted at the different spots on campus. See their locations here.
We hosted the Olympics and Paralympics
Did you know? UBC was one of the host venues for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. During the Vancouver 2010 Games, the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre hosted the ice hockey games for the 2010 Olympics and the sledge hockey game for the 2010 Paralympics[10]. The UBC Robson Square was used as the site of the International Media Centre.
Cows grazing in front of UBC Library
Have you seen the image of cows grazing in front of the UBC Main Library? Maybe our Land and Food Systems Faculty may want to introduce a course for four-legged creatures soon, for us to behold this amazing sight - because in reality the image of the cows is an example of early ‘photoshop’! Apparently, the image is a fusion of two separate images of the UBC library and another image of a group of cows grazing on an open field. Here is the original image of the cows grazing on the open field.
Cows grazing in front of Library [composite].
(original photos from 1937, composite creation date unknown). UBC Historical Photograph Collection. https://flic.kr/p/qW71Js
Finally, we made it! We are at our destination - the UBC Bus loop. Yay! It has been a long ride. The Bus driver informed me there was traffic on the road, so we had to slow down a bit. Do you remember our earlier question on the correct name for UBC? I will let you cheat only this one time. Kindly take a look at the wall of the Bus loop, you will see “The University of British Columbia” written on the wall. Yeah, the correct name, according to section 3(1)(a) of the University Act, is “The University of British Columbia”. Thank you for riding with me today. I encourage you to take active part in UBC’s current activities, as this will shape its next century as a great citadel of learning. (Insert this image)
Kindly check these and other amazing posts about UBC on our blog:
- See (1890) https://archives.library.ubc.ca/general-history/a-brief-history-of-ubc/
- See (1922) https://archives.library.ubc.ca/general-history/a-brief-history-of-ubc/
- https://archives.library.ubc.ca/2020/12/01/point-greys-original-student-hang-out-the-dolphins/
- Ibid
- https://cecilgreenpark.ubc.ca/facilities/history/
- https://archives.library.ubc.ca/heraldry-congregation-graduation/the-university-mace/
- Ibid
- https://archives.library.ubc.ca/buildings-grounds/graduating-class-tree-plantings/
- Ibid
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunderbird_Sports_Centre
