Topic · 1859–1938
Before the bridge
Published
How did people cross First Narrows before the Lions Gate Bridge?
By boat. West Vancouver’s ferries ran through First Narrows to downtown Vancouver until their last trip in 1947. The only road to the North Shore went the long way round, over the low Second Narrows Bridge, opened on 7 November 1925 about 8 km to the east.
Stories on this topic
1 November 2026
What was First Narrows like before the Lions Gate Bridge?
Before 1938, First Narrows could be crossed only by boat. Ferries ran between the cliff at Prospect Point and the Capilano River's shifting sandbanks.
The record
1859–60
Captain George Henry Richards charts First Narrows and Second Narrows for the British Admiralty and gives them their names.
7 November 1925
The Second Narrows Bridge opens about 8 km east of First Narrows: a railway track with a narrow roadway on each side.
1947
The West Vancouver ferries make their last trip, eight years after the Lions Gate Bridge opened.
Sources
- S155 This Week In History: 1947 marks last trip for Vancouver/West Vancouver ferry · John Mackie, Vancouver Sun, 2015
- S224 Second Narrows Rail Bridge (article) · Wikipedia, 2026
- S114 First Narrows (Vancouver) (article) · Wikipedia, 2026