On any clear summer day in Vancouver, crowds gather at the foot of Denman Street, waiting to cross into Stanley Park, which welcomes approximately eight million visitors every year. The park possesses an unusual history owing to its position right beside the downtown core. A seawall, a miniature railway, several beaches, and dozens of towering monuments draw visitors west toward the harbour, especially in the warmer months, and the park ranks among the largest urban parks in North America. Its dense rainforest, set against the soaring skyline of the city, offers a peaceful reprieve from the hustle and bustle of downtown.
The land known today as Stanley Park was, for centuries before European settlement, home to Indigenous peoples whose villages stood along its shores. When the city of Vancouver was incorporated in 1886, one of its first acts was to set the peninsula aside as a public park. The hollow tree, a giant western red cedar, became an early landmark soon after the park officially opened in 1888. Development slowed after a severe windstorm in 1962 flattened thousands of trees along the park's edge; unknown to residents at the time, the cleared ground would later accommodate some of the park's most popular gardens and trails.
