Vancouver in the 70s: chronicle of city's formative years

It's the decade that saw the formation of Greenpeace, the birth of the modernVancouver Canucks,and a legendary Led Zeppelin lunch-time concert atEric Hamber Secondary (or so they say).

• Did Led Zeppelin play a Vancouver high school in 1970?

The 1970s were a vibranttime in Vancouver, and according research librarian Kate Bird,it's also when the city began to forge the identity that it carries today.

She chronicles the decade in her new book, Vancouver in the Seventies.

"The kind of thesis in the book is about how the decade of the 70s is one of such change for the city and we wanted to show that progression from hippies and protesting at the beginning, to all the infrastructure changes that happened in the city," she said.

Bird says Vancouver's arts scene took off in the 1970s. It became a destination for big acts like The Doors and Led Zeppelin, while churning out renowned artists including Chilliwack and Prism. Independent arts clubs, like the Western Front, also came into their own.

• 1971 Gastown riots over Vancouver smoke-in

Major developments for the city included the Pacific Centre, the Sears Tower (now known as Harbour Centre), the SeaBus, and the origins of Granville Island.

"It was just beginning to change in that way," she said."By the end of the decade, the city was poised to host the world at Expo '86," she said.

Bird worked with the Vancouver Sun for 25 years,managing images and archives. She says she noticed a breadth of fascinating historic pictures stemming from the 70s.

"It was a boom decade when we had over a dozen staff photographers at the Sun alone they shot more than 4000 assignments every year," she said.

"I've worked with this collection for so long and I just loved it I wanted the real world to see it.

"This is just a drop in the bucket of what there is," she added.

Bird honed the collection down from thousands of pictures to under 200. She'll be launching the book officially on Friday,October 14 at the Fox Cabaret.

And beginning Thursday, October 13, the Museum of Vancouverwillexhibitphotographs from the book.

With files from CBC'sOur Vancouver and On the Coast

To listen to the full interview, click on the audio labelled:Vancouver in the Seventies: an explosion of culture