Latest News
New Video: Oyster River Gardens
In the early 1930s, brothers Guy and Darrell Smith began developing land in the Oyster River area as a show garden and seed farm. This story, briefly mentioned in the Courtenay and District Museum’s book Step Into Wilderness, deserved more attention.
July 2025 Gift Shop News
The Museum Gift Shop is happy to announce brand new colours of our popular elasmosaur t-shirts. We teamed up with our long-time collaborators at Hitec Screen Printing to locally print these fabulous shirts, available in heather green or heather navy in adult sizes ($35.99), and turquoise or olive green in youth sizes ($25.99).
BC Paleontological Symposium
The 15th BC Paleontological Symposium will take place this August 22 to 26 at the Florence Filberg Centre in downtown Courtenay. The Vancouver Island Paleontological Society, a charter member of The British Columbia Paleontological Alliance, is hosting this year with the support of the Courtenay and District Museum.
Gearing Up for Fossil Tours
Summer’s here! Don’t miss your chance to book your spot on a world famous fossil tour guided by our Natural History Curator, Pat Trask. Tours will run from now until the fall, with public tours for families and school programming available for classes and youth groups. These tour options are the perfect outing for all ages, newcomers and returning enthusiasts.
Vaux’s Swifts 2025 Highlights
Tune in to watch the highlight reel from the Vaux’s swifts return to the Courtenay Museum’s brick chimney. After this stop, they continued their migration from Central America to Northern BC and Alaska.
June 2025 Gift Shop News
We're excited to announce new wet and needle felting artwork by Local Artist, Cheryl Webster, now available in the Museum Gift Shop. Cheryl started Hummingbird Felting Studio in Royston earlier this year to explore her newfound passion for felting, and she continues to wow us with her beautiful work.
Canada Day Open House
The Courtenay and District Museum will celebrate Canada Day with an open house from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm on Tuesday, July 1. Guests are welcome to enjoy live music by Alan Jossul, enter to win a door prize, and try their hand at kids’ crafts.
A Facelift for the Rotary Gallery
Thanks to the Rotary Club of Courtenay, the Courtenay Museum’s Rotary Gallery has received some fabulous new upgrades and features, such as a full set of new ceiling light fixtures, a brand new sink and cabinets in the adjacent kitchen, and a fresh coat of wall paint.
National Indigenous Peoples Day
June 21 marks National Indigenous Peoples Day, and the Comox Valley will have no shortage of activities to celebrate this important day.
Miners Memorial 40th Anniversary
This June marks the 40th anniversary Miners Memorial in Cumberland. The Cumberland Museum & Archives will also host a series of events from Friday, June 13 to Sunday, June 15 including talks, a community picnic and an in-museum tour over the weekend.
Traskasaura: a Brand New Genus and Species
It’s official! At long last, what was known as the Puntledge River elasmosaur now has its own scientific name: Traskasaura sandrae, named in its scientific paper published on May 23, 2025 in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, by Dr. F. Robin O’Keefe.
June 2025 Heritage Sights
The unique brick and sandstone Courtenay Post Office was built during 1925. Forty thousand faced bricks from Redcliffe, Alberta were used, as well as 100,000 common bricks from Victoria. These bricks certainly became a talking point in June 1946 when the building was damaged by a 7.3 earthquake!
In Memoriam: Mike Trask
The Courtenay and District Historical Society lost a supporter with the death of Mike Trask on May 15, 2025. Mike Trask’s name will be forever linked with the 1988 discovery of the Puntledge River elasmosaur. It was with this find that the full potential of fossil resources in the Comox Valley started to be revealed.