In the beginning Q.E. Park was a city landmark known affectionately as Little Mountain (its summit was just over 501 feet). Its surface had been scarred at the turn of the century when it was quarried for rock used in the building of Vancouver's first roadways. In 1919 the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) first offered this real estate to the Vancouver Park Board but no action was taken. By 1929 the Board had reconsidered and acquired the property. By then, it had become an abandoned eyesore, even though it was the site for two holding reservoirs for the City's drinking water.



                                           

In 1930 the park's floral future was suggested when the B.C. Tulip Association had the notion of transforming the quarry into sunken gardens. By the end of the 1930s the quarry had been turned over to the Vancouver Park Board for park and recreation purposes and was dedicated as such by King George VI and his consort, Queen Elizabeth (the present Queen's mother) on their famous 1939 visit to Vancouver. Since that time, park staff have transformed the overgrown hillsides into Canada's first civic arboretum, helped by a generous donation from the Canadian Pulp and Paper Association. Examples of all the native trees found across Canada were planted along with many exotic species to create the beautiful landscape that is Queen Elizabeth Park today.

Over the years other features have been added to this most popular park including Pitch 'n Putt Golf (1963), a restaurant (1974), the popular Photo Session sculpture by J. Seward Johnson, Jr. and, most recently, the Lions Clock (1995) on the entry plaza in front of the Bloedel Floral Conservatory.