A Brief History of the Empress Hotel
It was 1919, and, by all accounts, it was a wild party. The Prince of Wales and his companions - only invited guests were allowed in the doors - were whooping it up in the Palm Court of the Empress Hotel.

If they'd come a hundred years earlier, they'd have been partying on a mud flat. Where the Empress Hotel now stands was a great big mud puddle, with a bridge - the street is now called the Causeway - in front, connecting the two parts of Victoria. As the tide washed in and out, the mud flats were not exactly a place to admire.

So why go to the trouble to build a hotel here? It seems the Canadian Pacific Railway wanted to drum up business among the wealthy by bringing its steamships into the Inner Harbour, but there was no place for the well-to-do to stay. To attract them, it was decided a luxury hotel would fill the bill, so engineers were hired in 1904 to fill in the flats, creating nine acres of land.

To build the hotel 2,855 50-foot (15.2m) Douglas fir logs were encased in concrete pilings and hammered down to bedrock for the hotel's foundation to rest upon. Nevertheless, over the years the hotel has sunk 11.8 inches (30cm), and the tide still washes under parts of it.

Famous architect, Francis Rattenbury (the tale of his marriage, affair and murder is another story) who designed the hotel was also the architect for the Legislature Buildings and the Canadian Pacific terminal - now the Wax Museum - where the ships docked. The rest of the nine acres were made into a beautiful garden. The Empress - named after Queen Victoria who was also Empress of India - first opened its doors in 1908.

The Prince of Wales wasn't the only celebrity guest. Among many celebrities there was Princess Margaret who stayed here in 1952. John Wayne stopped on his way up to Campbell River for fishing. Such was his status that a putting green was erected for his use when in residence. Rudyard Kipling was a guest on numerous occasions, and the downstairs restaurant is named after him.

Perhaps the most eccentric people to stay at the hotel were the dowagers - wealthy elderly ladies who took over whole floors or suites and lived permanently in the hotel for the grand sum of $1 per day. In the evenings they dressed in their finery and descended the staircase for dinner. Lady Swettenham, the wife of the British Governor of Jamaica, was one of these ladies. She never gave to charity, but gave away bars of Empress Hotel soap, feeling that the name alone was enough to satisfy anyone. Mrs. Rogers, of local Roger's Chocolate fame, also lived here after her husband, Charles, died. The last dowager left as late as 1988 when the restoration of the hotel took place.

Over the years the hotel changed, and new wings were added. The gardens in back first disappeared for a parking lot in 1960, hardwood floors were covered with carpeting, and antique furniture went into storage as the latest styles were taken up. By the 1980's it was time for a re-think. Luxury was in. Back came the hardwood floors, a new lobby was built, antique furniture came out of storage, and rooms were renovated. Forty-five million dollars later, the tea lobby was once again in prime condition for its 100,000 yearly guests to partake of afternoon tea in the grand style. The Crystal Ballroom's chandeliers and beveled mirror ceiling shone anew.

The Bengal Lounge - rub the marble elephant for good luck - has the flavour of a gentlemen's club with its leather sofas, tiger skin on the wall and East Indian flavour. It's interesting to note it is the spot of the first bar in the city of Victoria after prohibition ended - Victoria was dry from the 1930's till the 1950's. Don't miss the embroidered work framed and hanging in the short hallway entrance. The King and Queen of Siam gave it to the hotel as a thank you in the 1950's.

The Palm Court - also known as the "Whispering Gallery" due to its acoustics - where the Prince of Wales' party took place, was a favourite gathering spot for ladies to play cards. Here a grand dome of beautiful stained glass, a marble floor of many hues and an original sideboard with great gilded mirror reflect those carefree and glorious times of elegance.

A Short History of Early Victoria
In 1778 Captain James Cook arrived at Vancouver Island. However, it was a midshipman, George Vancouver, on one of Cook's ships, who had the honour of having the island named after him. It seems George III, then King of England, offered £50,000 to anyone who could find a Northwest Passage, and Captain Cook took him up on it, discovering, instead, Vancouver Island.

In 1842, the Hudson Bay Co., looking for economic opportunities in the area, established Fort Victoria by trading blankets to the native population in exchange for the labour of building the fort, finished in 1843. The original site is now Bastion Square. Many of the early inhabitants of the Fort were Highlanders from Scotland - the first head of the fort was a man named Charlie Ross. Robert Staines was the first teacher and preacher for the new settlement. His wife was expected to turn all the young girls in the fort into proper Victorian ladies.

In the 1850's the British established a naval base at Esquimalt, a section of Greater Victoria. In 1858 the SS Commodore, a US paddle steamer, disembarked 450 people, twice the number of residents of Fort Victoria.

Over the next seven months 30,000 miners arrived, primed for the gold rush in the interior of BC. They pitched their tents in what is now called the Old Town area of Victoria. Many stores catering to the miners' needs set up shop, and fortunes were made and lost at the turn of a card in the gold miners' camp. Mud streets, opium dens, gambling and bordellos existed side by side. Selling opium was legal and a license cost $250 (See a copy of the license at Market Square in a window).

The times were pretty wild in spite of the police force soon established. By 1860, 4000 Chinese arrived from San Francisco, many to work on the railroads. Fan Tan Alley was their provenance. Its narrow dimensions made security easy and helped to keep out evil spirits.

In 1862 Victoria was incorporated as a city, and, in 1871, British Columbia became a province of the country of Canada. Victoria was made the capital city. It was on its way to becoming a favourite tourist destination.

Essential Information
Empress Hotel History Tours: Bird's Eye View Walking tours (250-592-9255) run from May 1st through mid October. Tickets can be purchased in the Empress Hotel at the Dining Reservations desk (250-389-2727 or, toll free at 1-800-644-6611). Cost $7. Tours start at 10am by the Canadian Pacific Store next to the Empress Tea Lobby and last 1¼ hours.

For an early history of the city tour, take a Victoria Bobby Old Town Walking Tour. The tour lasts 1¼ hours. The tours start at Victoria Visitor Information Centre on the Inner Harbour at 812 Wharf St. at 11am, or from Ocean Pointe Resort, 45 Songhees Rd at 1pm. Cost $10.

June Events
Jazzfest International (June 23-July 2) features more than 60 performances of jazz, blues and world music with more than 250 musicians. Performances are held in downtown Victoria, and some are free. For more information, contact 250-388-4423 or 1-888-671-2112.

Folkfest is held June 25-July 2 at Ship's Point in the Inner Harbour. There are dozens of free performances that focus on professional and amateur multicultural entertainment, food and festivities.

Oak Bay Tea Party happens at Willows Beach in Oak Bay on June 3rd and 4th. Oak Bay is a neighborhood area of Greater Victoria easily and quickly reached by bus. Food, free entertainment and a midway.

Playing at the National Geographic Imax Theatre: Amazon. Coming June 2 is Extreme, a film that takes you to the edge, as world class athletes take you to the extremes of human achievement.

The Royal BC Museum is sponsoring several events.
"Walking through History", a 3 hour tour covering 5 city blocks of heritage sites. Conducted by a museum historian on June 14 from 1-4pm, it's followed by high tea. ($27.50 per person).

Adventures in Archaeology is a behind-the-scenes museum tour dealing with the science of archaeology. On June 21st from 1-4pm. ($27.50 per person).

Victoria at Low Tide is a two hour evening session held at the Museum from 7-9pm on June 15 and June 18 (cost: $15). A three hour field trip the following days - 9am till 12 noon, cost $65 includes the evening lecture, transportation and refreshments and explores the marine ecology of the area.

Quirky Stuff
The statistics are out! British Columbia has the highest incidence of UFO sightings in all of Canada. Unfortunately, the statistics don't show if any of these took place in Victoria or environs. However, you can always choose a campground for your accommodation and keep your eyes on the evening sky, just in case.

©2000 by Barbara Ballard. Reproduction of this work in whole or in part, including images, and reproduction in electronic media, without documented permission from the author is prohibited. Photos courtesy of Empress Hotel and Victoria Tourism

Questions?
If you want more information about this area you can email the author or check out our North America Insiders page.