Yeah.....I remember looking towards Surrey on the Willingdon overpass in the evening as a 15 year old kid....those days you could almost camp on the highway after nine.
It's hard to believe that almost 100% of the landscape visible in the film, is developed now. I'd almost forgotten what the old Port Mann bridge was like to drive over too.
Starting at the 1:10 mark you see where the highway makes a slight swing to go around a tree. The story I was told is that there was a gentleman that refused to let the tree be cut down to make way for the highway. He apparently parked himself in front of it until they gave up and went around.
Charlie's tree Here’s how the story goes: It was World War 1, and Charlie Perkins and his four friends were sent to the Front. Only Charlie - a flight instructor with the Royal Flying Corps - came home. But he wasn’t going to let the memory of his friends die. On returning to Canada, Charlie created a memorial from the tree - a glorious old Douglas fir - that stood near the swimming hole the five use to play in as children. He planted ivy around the tree’s base; laid wreaths; hung flags. And with time, his heartfelt memorial became something of a local institution. But trouble lay ahead… In 1960, the Surrey leg of Highway 1 began construction and its proposed route ran right through the glade in which the tree stood. By now, Charlie was a senior but that didn’t stop him protesting. In fact, he hauled a chair out into the middle of the road, placed a gun across his knees and didn’t budge. It wasn’t long before he was joined by friends, neighbours - true Surrey citizens. Folks who valued this living epitaph enough to make a stand. And amazingly, they won! Highway 1 was built to weave around Charlie’s tree, and for many years the magnificent Douglas Fir stood at the little bend in the road between 176th Street and 200th as a testament to Charlie’s loyalty to his friends and was christened ‘Charlie’s Tree’. The tree took on an even greater significance, the story become legend as a reminder for those who fought for the freedoms that Canadians exercise each and every day. Over the years, Charlie’s Tree endured a lot. It was set ablaze and topped, but just like Charlie, the tree persevered. Visitors decorated it with flags and flowers. In the summer of 2016 the stump that was left of Charlie’s Tree fell. But in the true spirit of remembrance, the tree and the memorial will live on. A granite memorial has been erected and a young tree has been planted in Charlie’s Tree’s stump to commemorate both the lives of those who served Canadians, and to forever remember Charlie and his conviction to commemorate his friends."
@@halenlindberg Awesome....I had heard only a part of the story....the rest is pretty cool. My dad had talked about it a couple of times with his old wartime cribbage pals.
At that time this was taken, there were numerous at-grade crossings in the Fraser Valley, a grade-level railway crossing with gates near Chilliwack and and abrupt end at Cassiar Street.
I wish there was a time machine,we moved from Hamilton to coquitlam in 67,was there till early 81.the best place I have ever lived,too built up and expensive now.if I could jump in the time machine, I would gladly finish my life there in the state it was then.i thought I saw the old sand hut to the left on the lougheed at about 10-11second mark.
OMG where is all the traffic?! It's like a zombie apocalypse hit and there are only a few survivors...that's how empty the roads were compared to today....Holy!
0:17 .. can anyone tell me what bridge this is? I'm thinking it was the bridge over highway 7 or United Boulevard. This was from far before I was born, so I'm trying to remember this area from childhood
The Lower Mainland is growing out of control. Too expensive for regular people. So sad to see a humble era long gone. Shame on all those greedy pigs who drove up the prices of property. Thank you for no future in our own city.
The old Port Mann Bridge looks so much better than the new bridge. It's so sad that one of the most beautiful arch bridges got replaced with the ugliest cable stayed bridge.
Controversial maybe but I would just outright eliminate several exits and tie more of the street grid together instead start prioritizing the highway for long distance and keep the local traffic on streets.
This video is a prime example of how the government failed, and is failing, expanding highway 1. It's the same back then as it is now excluding one small section. Now it's clogged solid and accidents happening almost daily.
@@MinistryofTranBC The beginning of this eastbound clip is near the Burnaby/Coquitlam border at North Road. The first interchange seen is Brunette Avenue. At end of this clip is the 232 street offramp in *Langley*.
Eight lanes in the Burnaby thruway including 2 HOV's. Original Port Mann bridge was demolished in place for a ten lane bridge. more additional lanes added. Not quite. The highway did not see any changes until the early 1990's until the Cassiar Tunnel was constructed.
EYE 👁was Vancouver-born in 1968. Lived in Haney from 1972-78. Dad took us to & from Van lots on the 7, and first time crossing the Port Mann in 1974, 👁thought it was a brand new bridge! Seeing this now, with my very own naked eyes 👁👁, it looks a lot like what 👁remember. Surprisingly!😳😲😌☺Poor Vancouver, now is overpriced, elitist, and hardly Canadian at all😢
![ILLSLICK X YOUNGOHM - We're The same [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/yUJNkobYR0E/mqdefault.jpg)
What a fun job to edit this goldmine of retro BC images
Can't argue that Donovan! :)
I remember traveling over this bridge in 1966 - hardly any traffic on the freeway and the bridge.
Yeah.....I remember looking towards Surrey on the Willingdon overpass in the evening as a 15 year old kid....those days you could almost camp on the highway after nine.
Wow all that green space back then sad to see it all built over now.
love this series brings back my childhood road trips like nothing else wow
The lower mainland looked so beautiful back then!
It's hard to believe that almost 100% of the landscape visible in the film, is developed now. I'd almost forgotten what the old Port Mann bridge was like to drive over too.
Charlie's Tree at 1:12 WOW!
And now it's gone completely by some idiot who kit it with his car!
Yes!
Starting at the 1:10 mark you see where the highway makes a slight swing to go around a tree. The story I was told is that there was a gentleman that refused to let the tree be cut down to make way for the highway. He apparently parked himself in front of it until they gave up and went around.
Charlie's tree
Here’s how the story goes: It was World War 1, and Charlie Perkins and his four friends were sent to the Front. Only Charlie - a flight instructor with the Royal Flying Corps - came home.
But he wasn’t going to let the memory of his friends die. On returning to Canada, Charlie created a memorial from the tree - a glorious old Douglas fir - that stood near the swimming hole the five use to play in as children. He planted ivy around the tree’s base; laid wreaths; hung flags. And with time, his heartfelt memorial became something of a local institution. But trouble lay ahead…
In 1960, the Surrey leg of Highway 1 began construction and its proposed route ran right through the glade in which the tree stood. By now, Charlie was a senior but that didn’t stop him protesting. In fact, he hauled a chair out into the middle of the road, placed a gun across his knees and didn’t budge. It wasn’t long before he was joined by friends, neighbours - true Surrey citizens. Folks who valued this living epitaph enough to make a stand. And amazingly, they won!
Highway 1 was built to weave around Charlie’s tree, and for many years the magnificent Douglas Fir stood at the little bend in the road between 176th Street and 200th as a testament to Charlie’s loyalty to his friends and was christened ‘Charlie’s Tree’. The tree took on an even greater significance, the story become legend as a reminder for those who fought for the freedoms that Canadians exercise each and every day. Over the years, Charlie’s Tree endured a lot. It was set ablaze and topped, but just like Charlie, the tree persevered. Visitors decorated it with flags and flowers.
In the summer of 2016 the stump that was left of Charlie’s Tree fell. But in the true spirit of remembrance, the tree and the memorial will live on. A granite memorial has been erected and a young tree has been planted in Charlie’s Tree’s stump to commemorate both the lives of those who served Canadians, and to forever remember Charlie and his conviction to commemorate his friends."
lesabre, I vaguely remember something about that but it was a LONG time ago! Good for him!
@@halenlindberg Awesome....I had heard only a part of the story....the rest is pretty cool. My dad had talked about it a couple of times with his old wartime cribbage pals.
At that time this was taken, there were numerous at-grade crossings in the Fraser Valley, a grade-level railway crossing with gates near Chilliwack and and abrupt end at Cassiar Street.
They are TRAIN or railway crossings, NOT at-grade.
I wish there was a time machine,we moved from Hamilton to coquitlam in 67,was there till early 81.the best place I have ever lived,too built up and expensive now.if I could jump in the time machine, I would gladly finish my life there in the state it was then.i thought I saw the old sand hut to the left on the lougheed at about 10-11second mark.
Wow!! 70 mph speed limit. Those were the days! Only recently has the limit been put back up to that!!
OMG where is all the traffic?! It's like a zombie apocalypse hit and there are only a few survivors...that's how empty the roads were compared to today....Holy!
That's how it looks now trafficwise with the Covid-19 restrictions on at the moment!
We imported the Third World; we can't be surprised if we became the Third World.
This is so sad. All that beautiful landscape destroyed for development now!
0:17 .. can anyone tell me what bridge this is? I'm thinking it was the bridge over highway 7 or United Boulevard.
This was from far before I was born, so I'm trying to remember this area from childhood
Looks like the brunette overpass to me
The Lower Mainland is growing out of control. Too expensive for regular people. So sad to see a humble era long gone. Shame on all those greedy pigs who drove up the prices of property. Thank you for no future in our own city.
The old Port Mann Bridge looks so much better than the new bridge. It's so sad that one of the most beautiful arch bridges got replaced with the ugliest cable stayed bridge.
All the cable bridges look the same, too. No character.
Some work is still needed. The railway overpass and many other overpasses today are still too low and need higher clearance on that highway..
Yup, people still blast into the Glover Road overpass occasionally... despite the signage!
Controversial maybe but I would just outright eliminate several exits and tie more of the street grid together instead start prioritizing the highway for long distance and keep the local traffic on streets.
This video is a prime example of how the government failed, and is failing, expanding highway 1. It's the same back then as it is now excluding one small section. Now it's clogged solid and accidents happening almost daily.
Is this driving east or west?
Good morning Stuart! This is travelling east, from Coquitlam to Surrey. Very different from today!
@@MinistryofTranBC The beginning of this eastbound clip is near the Burnaby/Coquitlam border at North Road. The first interchange seen is Brunette Avenue. At end of this clip is the 232 street offramp in *Langley*.
How about 1966 road trip from Oak Street bridge to US border?
Some of it doesn't look that much different.
looks somewhat the same today
Not quite.The traffic pattern is far more complex today.
Eight lanes in the Burnaby thruway including 2 HOV's. Original Port Mann bridge was demolished in place for a ten lane bridge. more additional lanes added. Not quite. The highway did not see any changes until the early 1990's until the Cassiar Tunnel was constructed.
EYE 👁was Vancouver-born in 1968. Lived in Haney from 1972-78. Dad took us to & from Van lots on the 7, and first time crossing the Port Mann in 1974, 👁thought it was a brand new bridge! Seeing this now, with my very own naked eyes 👁👁, it looks a lot like what 👁remember. Surprisingly!😳😲😌☺Poor Vancouver, now is overpriced, elitist, and hardly Canadian at all😢