Saanich Neighbourhoods
The neighbourhood virtual exhibits are designed to provide an overview of the history of Saanich from the era of early settlement to the end of the 20th century.
A great source of information for both long-time residents and newcomers, each instalment focuses on an area of Saanich, and highlights some of the key people, organizations, and events that played a role in shaping the community we know today. Check this page regularly to see the latest instalment of these online neighbourhood exhibits!
New exhibit! Royal Oak [PDF - 2 MB]
Gordon Head (Part 1) [PDF - 6 MB]
Gordon Head (Part 2) [PDF - 10 MB]
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Mayors of Saanich: the First 100 Years
Beginning in 1906 with the incorporation of the District of Saanich, until our centennial in 2006, Saanich has had 23 community-minded reeves and mayors. Visit our online gallery to see their photos, and to learn a bit about their lives and service.
Mayors of Saanich: the First Hundred Years [PDF - 4 MB]
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Sports and Recreation in the Archives
The mild climate and natural beauty of Saanich make it an ideal place to have fun in the great outdoors. Explore this photo gallery as we look back at just a few of the activities that people have enjoyed throughout the years!
Sports & Recreation in the Archives [PDF - 5 MB]
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Animals in the Archives
Explore this fun photo gallery that looks back through Saanich history to show how animals have helped us at work, connected us to the land, and enriched our lives.
Animals in the Archives [PDF - 6 MB]
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Travel Through Time
Some Saanich residents were world travelers, while some preferred to stay close to home.
They journeyed by car, train or ship to places in Canada and the United States, and to locations in the United Kingdom and Europe, collecting photographs and postcards as mementos of their travels.
Our virtual exhibit invites you to get away from it all with some of our residents from the past.
Travel Through Time [PDF - 7 MB]
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Diverse Saanich
Diversity has existed in the Saanich region since long before the first Europeans arrived, and for nearly 200 years immigrants from around the world have chosen to make this area their home.
In Saanich, we strive to live in harmony with one another and recognize that our differences are what make our community strong.
Learn more about our shared history by exploring our online exhibit.
Diverse Saanich: Early Settlement of Saanich Peninsula [PDF - 6 MB]
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Anne Alice Girling (1880 – 1953)
Annie Girling’s more than 900 photographs show life in Saanich and Victoria from 1912 to the 1940s. Girling was born in Suffolk, England in 1880. In her early twenties she studied photography in London and produced many accomplished botanical studies, landscapes and portraits. She came to Canada with her family in 1912 and settled on the shores of Swan Lake in Saanich on land that would later become part of the Swan Lake-Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary. Girling's images document the family's experience in their new environment. In 2008, Mr. Lindsay Lambert generously donated the collection of glass plate and film negatives to Saanich Archives. Descendants of the Girling family worked with the Archives to identify the images.