Minoru Park
Encyclopedia
Richmond, British Columbia
Richmond is a coastal city, incorporated in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Part of Metro Vancouver, its neighbouring communities are Vancouver and Burnaby to the north, New Westminster to the east, and Delta to the south, while the Strait of Georgia forms its western border...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. The Minoru Park's running track is often used for school competitions, such as track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
. The area is home to the Minoru Arenas, Minoru Track, Minoru Aquatic Centre and Richmond Cultural Centre (which in turn houses the Richmond Public Library
Richmond Public Library
Richmond Public Library is a public library that serves Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. The library has four branches in the city: Brighouse , Steveston, Ironwood, and Cambie...
's main branch, Richmond Art Gallery and Richmond Museum). All these facilities account for the bulk of community services offered by the city.
Minoru is one of the first major aviation hubs in Western Canada.
History
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
's Epsom Derby
Epsom Derby
The Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
-winning Irish thoroughbred racehorse, Minoru
Minoru (horse)
Minoru was a Thoroughbred racehorse who won two British Classic Races. He was bred by Lord Wavertree at his stud farm in Tully, Kildare town in County Kildare which today is the Irish National Stud....
, the area started out as a horse-racing track on August 21, 1909, to an audience of 7,000. (Minoru never raced in Richmond, however.)
Almost one year later, on March 25, 1910, the first-ever Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
airplane
Fixed-wing aircraft
A fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft capable of flight using wings that generate lift due to the vehicle's forward airspeed. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft in which wings rotate about a fixed mast and ornithopters in which lift is generated by flapping wings.A powered...
flight west of Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
took off from Minoru Racetrack, with 3,500 witnesses on hand. The plane was manned by Charles K. Hamilton; he flew it from Minoru to New Westminster and back. This event is often credited for the Vancouver International Airport
Vancouver International Airport
Vancouver International Airport is located on Sea Island in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, about from Downtown Vancouver. In 2010 it was the second busiest airport in Canada by aircraft movements and passengers , behind Toronto Pearson International Airport, with non-stop flights daily to...
being located in Richmond rather than another municipality in Metro Vancouver.
Another year later, on April 28, 1911, William Templeton
William Templeton
William Templeton , butcher, was the sixth Mayor of Vancouver, British Columbia, serving only one term in 1897. He committed suicide after losing his seat to James Garden.- External links :*...
flew a homemade biplane at Minoru. This was the first plane to be both built in and flown over Metro Vancouver. Templeton would later become the first manager of Vancouver International Airport.
On May 24, 1912, the first parachute jump in Canada was made in Minoru Park by Charles Saunders
Charles Saunders
Charles Saunders may refer to:*Charles Saunders , British admiral*Charles Saunders , British administrator*Charles Saunders , real tennis world champion, 1890–1895...
.
American Alys Bryant became the first woman in Canada to make a solo flight, taking off from Minoru Park on July 31, 1913.
In early August 1919, the first-ever flight in Canada to cross the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
took off from Minoru Park. It was manned by Vancouver's Ernest Charles Hoy
Ernest Charles Hoy
-Websites:...
, who flew the plane from Richmond to Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
. The trip took 16 hours and 42 minutes. It was also the first airmail delivery across the Rocky Mountains.
Minoru Park, which was shut down during the First World War, re-opened in 1920 as Brighouse Park, named after Richmond and Vancouver pioneer and farmer Samuel Brighouse.
One of the more interesting incidents that took place at Minoru Park involves Vancouver's most frequently elected mayor, L. D. Taylor
L. D. Taylor
Louis Denison Taylor was elected the 14th mayor of Vancouver, British Columbia, he was elected seven times between 1910 and 1934, serving a total of 11 years....
. In 1928, he was on board the first flight from Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
to Metro Vancouver. The plane landed at Minoru Park, and a crowd was waiting there because of Taylor's appearance. Taylor stepped out of the plane and as he was walking towards the crowd, he was struck by the plane's propeller. He suffered a fractured skull, but was up and about only weeks later. A local aviation pioneer commented, "It sliced off the top of his head, you know, and knocked him unconscious. They said if he'd had an ounce more brains he'd have been a dead man."
Richmond and Lulu Island
Lulu Island
Lulu Island is the name of the largest island in the estuary of the Fraser River. The island makes up most of the City of Richmond, a major suburb of Vancouver, British Columbia...
's first-ever church, Minoru Chapel
Minoru Chapel
Minoru Chapel is a small white wooden chapel that is now housed within Richmond, British Columbia's Minoru Park. The chapel was built in 1891 and was originally run by the Methodist Church, and later by the United Church. It was originally built on the corner of River Road and No. 3 Road...
, originally built in 1891, was also moved and rebuilt at Minoru Park in 1967, and later designated a heritage building http://www.vancouverhistory.ca/chronology1967.htm. In 1968, it was converted to an interdenominational chapel housing mainly weddings and funerals; it remains in this state today.
Present-day Minoru Park
Today, Minoru Park is home to the city's cultural and community services:Richmond Cultural Centre
Richmond Public Library
Richmond Public Library is a public library that serves Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. The library has four branches in the city: Brighouse , Steveston, Ironwood, and Cambie...
. It also hosts arts and crafts clubs on the second floor, as well as other community societies. Many of the Richmond Art Gallery's displays originate from those arts and crafts clubs.
Minoru Aquatic Centre
The Minoru Aquatic Centre houses two lap pools — Minoru (25 metres) and Centennial (30 metres) — and one teach/kids pool. The facility houses a small weight room, a co-ed saunaSauna
A sauna is a small room or house designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these and auxiliary facilities....
and two hot tub
Hot tub
A hot tub is a large tub or small pool full of heated water and used for soaking, relaxation, massage, or hydrotherapy. In most cases, they have jets for massage purposes. Hot tubs are usually located outdoors, and are often sheltered for protection from the elements, as well as for privacy....
s. Most of the swimming lessons offered by the city take place here, as well as the water-based first aid
First aid
First aid is the provision of initial care for an illness or injury. It is usually performed by non-expert, but trained personnel to a sick or injured person until definitive medical treatment can be accessed. Certain self-limiting illnesses or minor injuries may not require further medical care...
training for residents. Swim competitions no longer take place here since Watermania was completed. In addition, some films and TV shows are known to shoot some of their scenes here (for example, the Smallville
Smallville
Smallville is the hometown of Superman in comic books published by DC Comics. While growing up in Smallville, the young Clark Kent attended Smallville High with best friends Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross...
episode "Cool").
Swimming lessons offered include the Canadian Red Cross
Canadian Red Cross
The Canadian Red Cross Society is a Canadian humanitarian charitable organization and one of 186 national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies....
's Red Cross Swim Kids program (levels 1 to 10) and the Royal Life Saving Society of Canada
Royal Life Saving Society of Canada
The Royal Life Saving Society Canada operates throughout Canada as the Lifesaving Society. The Society works to prevent drowning and water-related injury through its training programs, Water Smart public education, water-incident research, safety management and lifesaving sport...
's Bronze program (Bronze Medallion and Bronze Cross).
Minoru Arenas
Richmond Sockeyes
The Richmond Sockeyes are a Junior "B" Ice Hockey team based in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Tom Shaw Conference of the Pacific International Junior Hockey League...
. The building houses two skating rink
Ice rink
An ice rink is a frozen body of water and/or hardened chemicals where people can skate or play winter sports. Besides recreational ice skating, some of its uses include ice hockey, figure skating and curling as well as exhibitions, contests and ice shows...
s: one for general skates and hockey practices, and the other for hockey games and tournaments, complete with spectator stands. Annually during Christmas time, the latter is decorated to a "Christmas Wonderland" theme, and free skating time is offered in exchange for a donation to the food bank.
In November 2006, the UBC Thunderbirds
UBC Thunderbirds
The UBC Thunderbirds are the athletic teams that represent the University of British Columbia in the University Endowment Lands just outside the city limits of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. They are one of the most successful teams in the CIS, though a few of their teams are members of the U.S...
hockey team from the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
moved to Minoru Arenas, using it as one of their temporary home arenas while their new stadium, the UBC Winter Sports Centre
UBC Winter Sports Centre
The Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre is a LEED Silver certified indoor arena in Canada, on the campus of the University of British Columbia. Located in the University Endowment Lands, it is just outside the city limits of Vancouver, British Columbia...
, is being constructed.
Latrace Field
Located in Minoru Park, Latrace Field is home to the Richmond AutoBody Budgies Senior Men's Baseball Club, as well the Lower Mainland Baseball League.Clement Track
Clement Track (formally Minoru Track, renamed after Doug and Diane Clement, local track and field people) was built on the site of the former horse-racing track. Today, it is used mostly for running competitions and for general recreational use when not used for sporting tournaments. There are two school events annually: the Richmond School District's Track and Field Meet, where schools from the school district (SD38) come to compete, and the St.Joseph Elementary School vs. St.Paul Elementary School track meet, two private schools. The length of the Minoru Track is 400 metres.Minoru Park
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
courts. Some of the former park land has been developed for low-income housing and condominiums. The Richmond Rugby Football Club also plays here and have been active in Richmond for over 50 years.
Geography
Minoru Park's approximate road boundaries are Gilbert Road to the west, Westminster Highway to the north, Minoru Boulevard to the east and Granville Avenue to the south.The Minoru Park area is surrounded by other Richmond landmarks. To its east is Richmond Centre
Richmond Centre (mall)
Richmond Centre is a shopping mall in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. Officially, it is located on No. 3 Road but it stretches as far west as Minoru Boulevard, and as far north as Westminster Highway...
, the city's largest mall. The southeast part of the part is close to the Richmond City Hall. To its west is the Richmond Hospital, the main hospital of the city, and Gateway Theatre, which houses most of the city's performing arts productions and clubs.
The provincial headquarters of Worksafe B.C., the workers' compensation board, is located to Minoru's northwest. The main hall of the Richmond Fire Department is located near the park's southwest part. Richmond's main Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
detachment is located across from the Richmond Cultural Centre, on Minoru's east side.
Transportation
Minoru is easily accessible from Vancouver International Airport, via the Dinsmore BridgeDinsmore Bridge
Dinsmore Bridge is a bridge in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. Built in 1969, it connects Sea Island to Lulu Island, the main island of the city. It is an extension of Gilbert Road on Lulu Island; on Sea Island, it meets up with Russ Baker Way...
. It can also be reached via public transit because of its proximity to Richmond Centre, which is home to almost all transit routes in the city, including the Canada Line
Canada Line
Canada Line is a rapid transit line in the Metro Vancouver region of British Columbia, Canada. Opened in August 2009, it is the third line in TransLink's SkyTrain metro network, servicing Vancouver, Richmond, and the Vancouver International Airport...
rapid transit.