We have watched with great interest the changes that have taken place in the play area of Sapperton Park. The entire park has been looking pretty good and is extensively used, but the play area, spray pool, seating locations, and a lot more has added a visually exciting place to visit and enjoy.
This piece of land that sat unused for many years, has an interesting history. It was a garden site used by local Chinese gardeners, and was eventually identified as a possible location of a sports field, initially for lacrosse, and this became a reality in 1907.
For some, memories will include a grandstand, an early softball diamond, an adventure playground, a very wet soccer field, children’s wading pools, a large pile of sand for kids to play in, a central area for many Sapperton Days, and a time when an occasional air ambulance used its expansive green field as a landing site.
How many people reading this will remember the drinking fountain near the sidewalk along East Columbia Street? Over the years many have wondered where it went – anyone know?
The section of the park that now holds the newest play area was, for many years, quite densely forested with large trees, heavy underbrush, and a couple of trails running through it. This was one of a number of areas in Sapperton where energetic adventurous youth could enjoy some exploring fun in the bush reasonably close to home.
The land that eventually became Sapperton Park was centrally located in this northern end of town with the various buildings and stores of “downtown Sapperton” situated along East Columbia Street basically from Brunette Avenue to just beyond Braid Street. A prime cluster of these would be situated in the blocks near Sapperton Park.
Across East Columbia was the Royal Columbian Hospital, sited there long before the park in 1889, and across Sherbrooke Street, Knox Presbyterian Church has looked out over this park site since it opened to its congregation in 1891.
And now, a striking new Sapperton Park play area for yet another generation of young people is open to add to their memories.
