Latest News
Thank You Volunteers!
Volunteer Appreciation Week April 18-24 What a strange year it has been! We are grateful to our volunteers who continued to support the museum in 2020, sometimes in very creative ways! Their dedication and assistance allowed our organization to weather the unprecedented ups-and-downs of a global pandemic, while continuing to support our community and preserve its stories for future generations. In a historic year that was both unpredictable and (let's face it) frightening, their commitment has been invaluable. We're thankful for the talents and hard work people share with us at the Courtenay and District Museum and we look forward to welcoming back our [...]
April 2021 Stepping into Wilderness
Here now is an image from the museum’s newest book Step into Wilderness – A Pictorial History of Outdoor Exploration in and around the Comox Valley. Photo credit: Annie Sutherland was left to raise five children on her own after World War I. She supported her young family through informal nursing, cleaning and cooking, like at this board of trade trek into the mountains. Photo: 2000.119.4. Page 63. Quote: "Over the years, the board of trade, today known as the Comox Valley Chamber of Commerce, has supported business on all levels, from roads and infrastructure to tourism and economic development. In 1922 alone, Comox [...]
It’s All There in Black and White: Comox Valley Environmental Concerns from 1972
In honour of Earth Day on April 22, a column by naturalist Jack Hames from the Comox District Free Press of September 27, 1972. In this article, Hames shares some thoughts on birds, bats and bugs as well as man's "earth poisoning policies". With legacy support from the Bickle Family and the Comox Valley Echo.
Rabbits in the Garden
A mountain cottontail or Nuttall's cottontail (Sylvilagus nuttallii) The Easter bunny is a familiar symbol of springtime, and you might notice rabbits starting to appear in your backyard, but these animals haven't always lived on Vancouver Island. They may look cute and fluffy but they're an invasive species that can cause a lot of damage -- so how did feral rabbits end up in the Comox Valley? British Columbia is home to a few native species of wild rabbits including White-tailed Jackrabbits and Nuttall’s cottontails. However, the rabbits spotted today on Vancouver Island are neither of these species but instead are descended [...]
March 2021 Just For Fun
An item from the museum collection you don't see much anymore… a wall hanging with a match striking surface on a genial fellow's shoe. CDM 990.17.88
It’s All There in Black and White: The Origins of Lazo Marsh
Spring is almost here! What a great time to connect with the outdoors and wildlife like that found at Lazo marsh. This 40 year old article from the Comox District Free Press March 25, 1981 edition provides some of the back story to the area locals know as Radford's swamp. Click for Larger Image Click for Larger Image Click for Larger Image Click for Larger Image With legacy support from the Bickle Family and the Comox Valley Echo.
Women’s History Month 2021: Agnes Deans Cameron
By Christine Dickinson The first school in the Comox Valley opened on Mission Hill in 1871. The first teacher was S. F. Crawford, who divided his time between farming and being a schoolmaster. After 10 years, Crawford moved on to open the school on Denman Island. Crawford’s successor in 1882 was Agnes Deans Cameron, a young woman, who came with good recommendations, high ideals and strong opinions. She had been the first girl to graduate from Victoria High School, and was a fully qualified teacher at 16. At just 18 years old, Aggie Cameron already had two years of teaching behind her at the [...]
March 2021 Stepping into Wilderness
Here now is an image from the museum’s newest book Step into Wilderness – A Pictorial History of Outdoor Exploration in and around the Comox Valley. Photo credit: Jane and Jimmie Paterson with Bob Sutherland at Kye Bay 1920s. Photo: CDM Sutherland Collection. Page 140.
BC Heritage Week, February 15-21, 2021
A message from Heritage BC: Where do you find heritage? Do you find it in the buildings that make your community unique or do you hear it in the special stories your family tells? Perhaps you experience it at cultural festivals and in the taste of many cuisines. Or maybe you find it on your favourite hikes and when you stop to admire scenes of rivers, fields and hills. Or you think of the generations of people who came before you or the newcomers to your community. Look around you and you will find heritage everywhere. #BCHeritageWeek / #MyBCis / #MyCanadais More Information [...]
Scrapbooking 1890s Style
This beautiful Valentine’s Day card is from Minnie Berkeley’s scrapbook which was donated to the archives over 45 years ago. Minnie was 14 years old when she started compiling her book in 1894. She filled the pages with pressed flowers, inspirational messages and fun snippets like cartoons and calling cards. Scrapbooking as a hobby continues today. Museum and archive enthusiasts share an affinity with these memory keeping crafters.
It’s All There in Black and White: Unification of the Canadian Armed Forces in Comox
February 1, 1968 marked the unification of the Canadian Armed Forces. In the Comox Valley, the event was marked in a “special” way as seen in this front page story from the February 7, 1968 Comox District Free Press. Click for Larger Image Click for Larger Image Click for Larger Image Click for Larger Image With legacy support from the Bickle Family and the Comox Valley Echo.
World Thinking Day
G.W. (Bill) Stubbs had his Grade 8 students perform a novel task: keep a record of their school days through a kind of “week in review” writing assignment. This amusing story from May 13, 1946 was written by Doreen McQuillan. It’s related to Girl Guides and presented this month in honour of February’s World Thinking Day. ...."Thursday was a big day, for although away from school I saw Lady Baden Powell which I should say was more educational if anything is! Two chartered buses pulled out at ten A.M. with about one hundred Guides and Brownies from all over the district. The bus being [...]
February 2021 Stepping into Wilderness
Here now is an image from the museum’s newest book Step into Wilderness – A Pictorial History of Outdoor Exploration in and around the Comox Valley. Photo credit: Cecil (Cougar) Smith (left) playing with cougar kittens, 1938. Smith was a cougar hunter and made a living by hunting from the bounty offered by the provincial government, which was later rescinded. S.B.W. (Dusty) d’Esterre photograph. Photo: 989.183.77. Page 185.