Blueridge resident Donna Sacuta explained how her research paper on the Blair Rifle Range in North Vancouver began:
When a neighbour asked, “what’s the deal with the Blair Rifle Range?” little did I know I would embark on a course of research that resulted in this document.
When I learned that the Blair Rifle Range in North Vancouver had once been used as an Unemployed Relief Camp during the Depression, my fate was sealed. Twenty years ago, before retiring from academic pursuits to raise a child, I had begun researching the Unemployment Relief Camp Program of the 1930s for a potential Master’s thesis. There was no turning back. I hope that this article will inspire other curious people to learn more about our history.
All of North Vancouver is in the traditional territory of the Coast Salish Nations, and aboriginal rights remain to be determined.
The Society acknowledges that the land of the Seymour Communities is the unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. We continue to learn and celebrate the culture, history, stories, and people of the Tsleil-Waututh.
