It's been 37 years since an elasmosaur was discovered in the Puntledge River. Today, there are over a dozen different genera and several species of elasmosaurs found worldwide, and the Comox Valley elasmosaur is now considered a completely new genus and species among them.
Check out Courtenay Museum Natural History Curator, Pat Trask, as he talks about the Comox Valley elasmosaur in a recent Instagram reel by the Government of BC. The museum would like to extend a huge thank you to Hayley Antonissen and her video production team for making this happen!
People around the world have found ammonite fossils in ancient marine deposits for thousands of years. Ammonites had a many-chambered shell and are believed to be relatives of the octopus and squids that live today. Through time there were at least 10,000 and, possibly, up to 20,000 different species.
Dr. Victoria Arbour gave an engaging illustrated lecture on A New Look at the Dinosaurs of British Columbia to a full crowd in the museum’s Rotary Gallery on December 3. Her presentation centered on a dinosaur discovered on the Spateze Plateau in northern British Columbia, dated from about 68 million years ago: Ferrisaurus sustutensis, "the Iron Lizard of the Sustut River."
Dinosaurs of BC, a travelling exhibit produced by the Royal BC Museum, will be moving on to its next venue soon. The last day to see it here is Saturday, February 1, 2025.
Can you solve this century-old mystery? This article from the January 15, 1925 edition of the Comox Argus gave an eyewitness account of a shady smuggling operation at present-day 6th Street in downtown Courtenay.
A charming photo of the roadway north of Courtenay, c. 1905. The card was sent to Theed Pearse from John William Flinton, possibly between 1918 and 1926 when Flinton was the vicar of St. Andrew’s Anglican Church in Sandwick. The image was captured by Walter Gage.
The museum would like to give a shoutout to an upcoming 6-week writing workshop at the Cumberland Museum & Archives hosted by Kim Bannerman. Participants will learn how to craft strong settings, design compelling characters, and create engaging narratives, all in a supportive and fun environment.
If you were a child in the mid-20th century, what might you expect to see when you unwrapped your gifts? For this seasonal exhibit, we explore that question through beautiful pieces that span several decades, including tin toys, dolls, and sleds.
The museum will be closed from 1:00 pm on Tuesday, December 24th through Wednesday, January 1st, 2025. The museum will reopen again Thursday, January 2nd from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, and resume regular hours. We wish everyone a Happy New Year, and we’ll see you in 2025!
