Lumberman's Arch (Vancouver)

 arch, monument

Lumberman’s Arch is a popular meeting place and a landmark on the North side of Stanley Park, West of Brockton Point.

The arch is a structure made from a single red cedar log propped up by two others, constructed in 1952 (dedicated on July 15, 1952) in the place of the original larger Bowie Arch, which was built by lumber workers in 1912 as organized labour's contribution to the celebration of a visit by the Duke of Connaught, the Governor General of Canada on September 18, 1912.

The original arch was located at Pender Street near Hamilton Street and it was constructed entirely of fir, and was reportedly held together only by it's own weight as no nails, bolts or fasteners were used. After the royal visit in 1912 the arch was moved to Stanley Park in 1913, and it was dedicated in 1915 to its designer, Captain G.P. Bowie, who was killed at Ypres on July 7, 1915. The Bowie Arch was dismantled in 1947 after years of deterioration.

The current arch is situated on the site of the former Xwáýxway ("place of the mask") First Nations village and was likely a communal meeting place in Coast Salish culture.