Geography 1101 Essay: Maple Tree Square's Cultural Landscape

This essay provides a comprehensive analysis of Maple Tree Square, a cultural landscape located in Gastown, Vancouver. The essay begins with a detailed description of the square's physical features, including its buildings, trees, concrete slabs, and historical elements like the steam clock and Gassy Jack statue. It then delves into the historical development of the square, tracing its origins back to 1867 and the establishment of a saloon by John Deighton. The essay highlights key events such as the labor dispute at Hasting's Mill and the Great Vancouver Fire of 1886, emphasizing the square's role as a center for business and social activities. The core of the essay examines how the Maple Tree Square reflects the culture, values, and beliefs of the people of Vancouver. It discusses the square's impact on tourism, its role as a meeting place, and its influence on political and economic activities. The essay also explores the influence of the square's unique features, such as the statue of Gassy Jack, on the drinking behavior and architectural styles of the city. The conclusion reiterates the square's significance as a site of authentic beauty, historical importance, and cultural influence.

Running head: Maple Tree Square 1
Maple Tree Square
Student’s name
Institutional affiliation
Due date

Maple Tree Square 2
Maple Tree Square
In human geography, Castree, Demeritt, Liverman, & Rhoads, (2016) defines cultural
landscapes as natural landscapes that have been modified by human actives over time. According
to Barnes, (2018), cultural landscapes are therefore born out of human ideas beliefs, buildings
and daily practices. The Maple Tree Square is one such site that is located in Gastown at the
heart of Vancouver in the Canadian province of British Colombia. The Square is located at the
intersection of Alexander and Carall streets and it has a long history that dates back to the 19th
century. This essay focuses on its description, historical development and how the landscape
reflects on the culture, values and beliefs of the people and the society at large.
Description
Maple Tree Square sits at the intersection of four roads; Water, Powell, Carall and
Alexander. The area has various prominent
buildings such as Byrnes block and Hotel Europe as
well as other offices and restaurants. The area also has
a few maple trees that stands to date which often
litters the square with fallen leaves and twigs. The
floor is covered with brown concrete slabs. A circular chain loosely fastened on small concrete
poles runs through the circumference and there are a
few potted flowers that adds to its authentic
beauty. The square has a steam powered watch
and a few historical images. The square is not
large enough to accommodate many people,
however, it provides ample space for simple shows,

Maple Tree Square 3
exhibitions, sporting activities, entertainment, photography and other leisure activities. The
square is brightly lit at night which provides a warm sight shining on the erected statue of Gassy
Jack who the town is named after (Antons, & Logan, 2017).
Historical development
The history of Maple Tree Square began in 1867. It is believed that John Deighton
paddled from New Westminister to Vancouver to open a saloon. Deighton contracted a few mill
workers to help build them the saloon and promised them that they would drink whisky to their
fill in return. Within 24 hours, the saloon had been constructed and it was running. Several
businesses started to rise in the area which led to a population surge. The increase in population
and business activities led to a few social problems. Residents assembled under an old maple tree
for the city council inaugural meeting. Consecutive meetings and performances followed suit in
the same area which led to increased popularity of the area (Mitchell, 2017).
In 1886, a few immigrant workers had a 10 hour workdays strike at Hasting’s Mill
making it the first labor dispute in the town. Alexander, the then mill manager held a
reconciliatory meetings with the workers under the maple tree. However, in June the same year,
the new police chief tore away the benches that were there to reduce loitering. Various other
activities and major functions increased popularity of the area which led to opening up of even
more businesses and eventually Gastown came to be owing its name to Jack Deighton. The
square became the center of business activities in the town to this day. Many buildings have also
been constructed although some of the initial ones were destroyed in the Great Vancouver Fire of
1886.

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Renovations have were made in the late 20th century to preserve the distinct historical
cultural landscape. These include cobblestone streets to replace the paved asphalt streets that
previously existed. A steam clock was also erected up the street and several attempts to make the
square a historic site did not bear fruits until 2009.
Influence on culture, values and beliefs
The history and development of the Maple Tree Square has had various social, economic
and political impacts in Vancouver. These impacts have been felt in various fields such as
commerce, political, tourism and cultural heritage, beliefs and values as well as the aspirations of
the people of Vancouver. To begin with, the people take great pride in the square as they often
gather to socialize and pass leisure time. A great number of people prefer to meet and drink beer
or coffee in the coffee shops and bars around the Square.
The Square has boosted local and international tourism (Cuerrier, Turner, Gomes,
Garibaldi, & Downing, 2015). It is not surprising to find people who travel from various parts of
Canada and the neighboring countries to come see the Square and some of the historical features
such as the statue of Gassy Jack. Taking photos is also an activity liked by many due to the
historical importance of the Square, the landscape and the beliefs that people have about the
square being the heart of the town. Besides, the big hotels and ancient buildings also attract
people making tourism to be a major preoccupation in the town as well as a means of livelihood.
The historical significance of the Square of being a meeting center is still highly regarded
to date as meetings, exhibitions and shows are continuously held at the square. The square covers
both formal and informal meetings as friends also meet to socialize at the square, in the coffee
shops and in the pubs. Traders and investors also visit the square quite often to analyze public

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opinion and current trends in town. Among the most relevant social gatherings conducted here is
the Vancouver annual jazz festival that brings people together for entertainment. To add on the
list are people who attend the square daily or over the weekends to just spend their leisure time
with friends and relatives. The fact that the site is well lit at night has made it to be known to
many as the center of night life in Vancouver. Many people loiter around the site at night which
has increased the number of homeless people especially near the steam clock citing. Increased
number of homeless people have elicited various reactions from the locals where some people
argue that homeless people have led to increase in insecurity. Traders however take the
advantage and run their businesses around the clock to maximize profits.
According to Bishop, Miao, Kim, Borschneck, Hergott, & Janik (2019), the Maple Tree
Square is also a business hub that has seen many businesses spring up ever since it was
established. For so many years before the 1970s, the areas used to be the center of economic
activities in Vancouver before other areas sprang up. The fact that the area was the initial spot
where the town began has always given the area a central advantage from which the town
expanded. The economic activities have also influenced population distribution and other social
factors.
Politically, the area has been believed to be the center of public opinion and politicians
wishing to control public opinion on local politics have often had agents I he area to influence
beliefs and the thinking of people to increase their relevance. Increased population growth has
also heightened political pressures. It is also common for politicians to politicize development
and this has not spared the site. Among the various political pressures that the area has withstood
is the recognition of the area as a national historical site, journey that started in 1971 which it
only got to be completed in 2009 after almost 4 decades. Efforts to control the growth of the

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neighboring regions such as Chinatown can also be added to the list of many political pressures
that have come up as a result of the square.
The unique and authentic features of the landscape also affects the culture of the people
as well as their beliefs and aspirations. The maple trees, potted flowers, steam clock, portraits
and John’s statue influence the activities of the people. The bronze statue of a drunk Deighton
mounted on a whisky barrel has influenced drinking behavior of many people in Vancouver. The
historical ;legacy of Deighton’s salon constructed by mill workers in return for whisky is also a
push factor for the setting up of many pubs, restaurants and hotels in the town. Drinking alcohol
has become a main leisure activity for many people in the town due to this influence.
The architectural uniqueness of the initial buildings has also influenced the construction
of recent buildings in the area which has made the town to be a perfect mix of different
architectural designs (Dickinson, Johnston, & Zaiontz, 2015). This has also inspired local
residents and those in the neighboring towns to have a great taste for uniqueness, value for
culture and preservation of cultural beliefs and norms.
In conclusion, it is quite clear that Maple Tree Square is adored by many for its authentic
beauty, uniqueness and historical significance. Its strategic location makes it influence so many
aspects of the people’s culture and beliefs such as tourism, preservation of history, value for art
and uniqueness, economic activities and unique architectural designs.

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REFERENCES
Antons, C., & Logan, W. (Eds.). (2017). Intellectual property, cultural property and intangible
cultural heritage. Routledge.
Barnes, T. J. (2018). A hundred-year classic: Peter Haggett’s Locational Analysis in Human
Geography (1965). Geografiska Annaler: Series B, Human Geography, 100(3), 294-299.
Bishop, S., Miao, A., Kim, A., Borschneck, S., Hergott, T., & Janik, A. (2019). UBC Vancouver
Campus Cultural and Heritage Tree Inventory.
Castree, N., Demeritt, D., Liverman, D., & Rhoads, B. (Eds.). (2016). A companion to
environmental geography. John Wiley & Sons.
Cuerrier, A., Turner, N. J., Gomes, T. C., Garibaldi, A., & Downing, A. (2015). Cultural
keystone places: conservation and restoration in cultural landscapes. Journal of
Ethnobiology, 35(3), 427-449.
Dickinson, P., Johnston, K., & Zaiontz, K. (2015). Vancouver after 2010: An
Introduction. Canadian Theatre Review, 164, 5-9.
Mitchell, W. T. J. (2017). Canadian Photography and the Exhaustion of Landscape. Beyond"
Understanding Canada": Transnational Perspectives on Canadian Literature, 131.