living in a nearby cave for a 17-year period interrupted only by his service overseas to fight in the war. The small Douglas fir atop Siwash Rock that helped make it such a distinctive landmark for the first generations of Vancouverites did not survive the exceptionally dry summer of 1965. An article on the tree's passing in the Vancouver Sun reads more like an obituary than news story, quoting former Vancouver Member of Parliament, H. H. Stevens as saying "I've known that tree for about 68 years now and I'm sorry the tree has died because it was one of our main attractions in Stanley Park." A park superintendent felt sure that it was "virtually impossible to establish another fir up on the rock from a young plant." Less than three years later, however, while park crews were still working to restore the park's forest from the devastation of Typhoon Freda, persistent efforts were rewarded when new saplings finally began taking root. In 2017, Vancouver Park Board commissioner Catherine Evans introduced a motion to change the rock's official name to Slhx̱í7lsh. As Siwash is derived etymologically from sauvage (the French word for savage), Evans said: "We shouldn't have a name for any part of our land that is derogatory to the Indigenous people of this land." Indigenous comedian JR Redwater quipped "They say 'Siwash Rock' has to be changed because it's from an Indian word, derived from a French word, that's kinda-sorta-but-not-really a racial slur. That's like black people being offended by the Rio Negro." See also History of the Squamish people References Clague, John J.; Alison Parkinson, Vancouver Natural History Society (2006). Wilderness on the Doorstep: Discovering Nature in Stanley Park. Vancouver: Harbour Publishing. Barman, Jean (2005). Stanley Park's Secret: The Forgotten Families of Whoi Whoi, Kanaka Ranch and Brockton Point. Vancouver: Harbour Publishing. Johnson, Pauline, Legends of Vancouver. Vancouver: Thompson Stationery Co., 1911. (Project Gutenberg) Steele, Mike (1993). Vancouver's Famous Stanley Park: The Year-Round Playground. Vancouver:Heritage House. . Footnotes External links Origin of the legend surrounding the rock Siwash Rock ~1912 (Rosetti Studio - Stanley Park Collection, UBC) Chinook Jargon place names History of Vancouver Religious places of the indigenous peoples of North America Rock formations of Canada Stanley Park Squamish people Stacks of Canada