Latest News
September 2020 Just For Fun
Mrs. C.E. Humphry’s 1897 book Manners for Men generates some smiles as it details accepted behaviour in Victorian-era England in a variety of settings. The following excerpt about how to eat dessert at dinner-parties shows how times have changed. “With regard to the dessert fruits, &c., there are a few puzzles to be found among them for the inexperienced. Grapes present one of these. They are taken up singly, and afterwards the skin and seeds have to be expelled as unobtrusively as possible. It is a matter of great difficulty to accomplish this by any other method than using the hand, therefore this is [...]
September 2020 Watershed Moments
Here is the latest newsletter installment of an image from the museum’s award-winning book Watershed Moments – A Pictorial History of Courtenay and District. Photo credit: View of the river from the Courtenay Bridge, 1909. Lewis Park is on the right and the building in the back is identified as the "old slaughter house." Photo CDM Stubbs Collection. Page 63.
It’s All There in Black and White: A Personal Challenge for Ben Harder
Fitness through long distance running isn’t for everyone but 40 years ago Bent Harder was taking it all in stride. In this article from the September 26, 1980 Comox District Free Press, Debra Martin profiles Harder’s journey from short jogs to marathon training. Click for Larger Image Click for Larger Image With legacy support from the Bickle Family and the Comox Valley Echo.
August 2020 Just For Fun
Some silly flirtations you might want to try from the 1916 Fun Magic and Mystery book No. 43 published by I. & M. Ottenheimer. Eye Flirtation Winking the right - I love you Winking the left - I hate you Winking both eyes - Yes Winking both eyes at once - We are watched Winking right eye twice - I am engaged Winking left eye twice - I am married Dropping the eyelids - May I kiss you? Raising the eyebrows - Kiss me Closing left eye slowly - Try and love me? Closing the right eye slowly - You are beautiful. Hat Flirtation [...]
August 2020 Gift Shop News
Drop by the museum gift shop and check out the fresh new look! The underwater theme has been retired to make way for a shabby chic vibe with lots of open space that is great for social distancing. Shelves are full of innovative gifts with an emphasis on locally made items. Lots of great gifts for yourself or your friends at fabulously good prices. The gift shop is open the same hours as the museum: Tuesday to Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm. You can also see some of our merchandise on the museum Facebook page.
Step Into Wilderness Pre-Sale Opportunity
The Courtenay and District Museum staff and volunteers are happy to announce that Harbour Publishing will release Step Into Wilderness - A Pictorial History of Outdoor Exploration in and around the Comox Valley in early October. This is a full colour hardcopy book with narrative built around 150 images from family albums, professional photography and journals, diaries, news accounts, maps and ephemera. From shores to peaks, Step Into Wilderness recounts moments of ingenuity and hardship as well as fun and enjoyment in and around the Comox Valley. The book will retail for $39.95 plus GST. From now until September 30, the museum is offering [...]
It’s All There in Black and White: The Comox Valley’s Famous Feline
A multi-talented feline made good south of the border. The Comox District Free Press of September 9, 1937 carried the story of his lucky break on the front page. With legacy support from the Bickle Family and the Comox Valley Echo.
August 2020 Watershed Moments
Here is the latest newsletter installment of an image from the museum’s award-winning book Watershed Moments – A Pictorial History of Courtenay and District. Photo credit: Postcard showing the view over the Dyke Flats towards Courtenay, after 1926. The photo was likely hand-tinted by Spalding’s wife, Ida Merle Spalding. Joseph Frederick Spalding photograph. Photo: 999.154.2.
A Sincere Thank You
Courtenay and District Museum Board and staff extend a deep and sincere thank you to the late Allan Duncan Pritchard for his gift of a significant portion of his estate to the Courtenay and District Museum. At his bequest, this gift will support research and education related to local social history. Before he passed away, Dr. Allan Pritchard's research and provision of records played an important role in forming part of the narrative for the museum's 2015 publication Watershed Moments—A Pictorial History of Courtenay and District published by Harbour Publishing. He then provided funds for the museum’s second publication Step Into Wilderness — A [...]
Current Exhibit: Finding a Voice
983.781 Emily Elinor Dunsmuir by Ernest Castelein. Dated 1924. Courtesy of Craigdarroch Castle Now to October 19, 2020 Elinor was a granddaughter of the Dunsmuir patriarch Robert and his wife, Joan; the sixth child of eldest son James and his wife, Laura. Elinor grew up with everything but was a square peg in British Columbia society of the day. Click for Details
Join Us for Summer Fossil Tours
Photo by Ernst Vegt Join the Courtenay Museum for one of our signature fossil tours, led by Natural History Curator, Pat Trask. Explore the beautiful riverbeds of the Comox Valley for eighty million year old marine fossils! COVID-19 safety protocols are in place and tours are limited to small groups. Please click here for more information or phone 250-334-0686 to book a tour.
Step Into Wilderness: A Pictorial History of Outdoor Exploration in and around the Comox Valley
A photographic history of early wilderness exploration in the Comox Valley and surroundings, from Qualicum to Campbell River. The Courtenay Museum team and volunteers have just completed several years of research and writing in preparation for an October 2020 release from Harbour Publishing of Step Into Wilderness—A Pictorial History of Outdoor Exploration in and around the Comox Valley. This full colour hardback contains 150 images, maps and ephemera and highlights stories from the Comox Valley and surrounding areas. Step Into Wilderness is the second publication with Harbour Publishing and follows up the popular Watershed Moments-A Pictorial History of Courtenay and District published in [...]
Welcome Back!
The Courtenay and District Museum team have re-opened the museum doors with public and museum team safety in mind. First things first, we created a safety plan based upon provincial requirements. Working with this information and with information from our colleagues and associations, the museum team created safety protocols for distancing, occupancy limits and sanitizing and implemented these protocols in gallery areas. We also cleaned spaces, moved exhibits and collections, overhauled the gift shop and worked with contractors and city staff to redo floors and surfaces. This is what's new at our museum: An occupancy limit of ten at a time. Hand sanitizing [...]