In Port Alberni in the early 1900s the avenues were numbered and labelled either north or south depending on which side of Argyle Street they were on.
Avenues were renumbered in 1976, according to The Albernis Then and Now: 1912 to 2012. When that happened the directional labels were also dropped.
In 1903, if you were looking north down First Avenue with Alberni in the distance, this is what you would have seen. Scattered houses along River Road are visible, as is the corner of Watson Block building in the lower lefthand corner of the photograph.
This photo is part of the 24,000 online collection of the Alberni Valley Museum. View this one and more at https://portalberni.pastperfectonline.com.