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Season’s Greetings from Courtenay & District Museum!
CDM 990.17.77 As the festive season approaches, the Courtenay and District Museum board and staff would like to extend wishes to all for a wonderful and safe holiday. Season's Greetings and Happy New Year to you and yours!
It’s All There in Black and White: Courtenay Cold Storage Locker Opens 1946
The Comox Valley was really coming into its own with the opening of a cold storage locker plant at the corner of Fitzgerald Avenue and 5th Street in downtown Courtenay. Over 2,000 people attended the grand opening day that was advertised in the Comox District Free Press from December 12, 1946. Click for Larger Image Click for Larger Image With legacy support from the Bickle Family and the Comox Valley Echo.
December 2019 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: Courtenay's 5th Street blanketed by snow, 1930s. Photo: 974.136.19. Page 166.
Holiday Cooking
Two delicious recipes for homemade candy treats to share! The first is for Turkish Delights and comes to you from the 1945 edition of the Purity Cook Book. The second is from the family of former Courtenay Mayor M.S. Stephens. These chocolate snowballs are made with the rather unlikely ingredient of mashed potatoes. If you decide to make this recipe take note: the centers must be completely cooled in the refrigerator (overnight would be best) before they are dipped in the chocolate coating.
Those were the Days…
When we depended on the post office to send all of our Christmas cards and gifts! Special parking restrictions applied as seen in the Comox District Free Press of December 8, 1965.
Merville – 100 Years and Counting Part 11
The area now known as Merville was logged by the Comox Logging & Railway Company. In his book Island Timber, historian and author Richard Mackie wrote: "Two other camps-4 and 5-were both short-lived, and logged most of the area that became Merville just prior to and during the First World War. Camp 4 was situated at what is now the corner of Merville Road and the west side of the Island Highway. After the war it was taken over by the Soldier Settlement Board. Camp 5, open from about 1914 to 1916, was a mile and a half down Williams Beach Road on what [...]
Periodical Wisdom: November 2019
Looking for ways to "Avoid Wars at Mealtime"? This article from the Farm & Home magazine of October 15, 1930 contains some thoughts on how to keep the peace with finicky eaters. As the author says "Every modern mother must ... combine her knowledge of dietetics with some of the tact of a seasoned diplomat." All kinds of helpful hints, advertisements and practical "how-to" advice can all be found in periodicals from our archival collection. Click for Larger Image Click for Larger Image
It’s All There in Black and White: Comox District Blackouts During WWII
Blackouts to avoid air attacks during WW II were not limited to Europe. The Comox Valley was also under threat and observed its first blackout in 1941. This article from the December 11 edition of the Comox District Free Press tells of some successes, a car accident and local first aid stations. With legacy support from the Bickle Family and the Comox Valley Echo.
November 2019 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. Click for Larger Image Click for Larger Image Photo credit: Local members of the British Columbia Women's Service Corps display plums picked for the "Jam for Britain" campaign, ca. 1941. Left to right: Pam Harvey, Mrs. Lucy Muir, Mrs. Clive, Mary Bell. Lynn Henderson photograph. Photo: 982.24.76. Page 182. Photo caption: "In 1941, the Red Cross, the Women's Institute (WI) and the Comox Valley Co-operative Producers joined forces with the people of the valley to send jam to Britain. They [...]
National Philanthropy Day
November 18, 2019 The Courtenay and District Historical Society was registered as a nonprofit society in 1961 to preserve and interpret cultural and natural heritage of the Comox Valley. Funds are derived from the generous support of the City of Courtenay, British Columbia Arts Council, Comox Valley Regional District, British Columbia Gaming Branch, and from museum generated revenues. Your donations play an important role in making special projects and future museum operations possible. November 18th is National Philanthropy Day. The CDM extends appreciation to the Comox Valley Community Foundation and to donors who have, since 1996, supported the Courtenay and District Museum Endowment Fund. [...]
Lecture: In Natures Realm
Time and Date: 7 pm, Tuesday, December 3, 2019 Location: Rotary Gallery of the Courtenay and District Museum Speaker: Michael Layland Tickets: $5 for Historical Society members; $6 for general public. Advance tickets recommended. Tickets can be purchased over the phone by calling 250-334-0686 ext 2. In Nature's Realm is a celebration of the richly diverse flora and fauna of Vancouver Island as discovered through the records of settlers, explorers and visitors, and with due respect to the wealth of Indigenous traditional knowledge of the island's ecosystems. Click for More Info This presentation is made possible with financial assistance from The Canada Council for [...]
Lecture: Survival Strathcona Style
Time and Date: 2 pm, Saturday, November 23, 2019 Location: Rotary Gallery of the Courtenay and District Museum Speaker: Catherine Gilbert and Myrna Boulding Tickets: $5 for Historical Society members; $6 for general public. Advance tickets recommended. Tickets can be purchased over the phone by calling 250-334-0686 ext 2. Learn about the backstory of the Strathcona Park Lodge - a place truly 'off the grid' and 'on the edge'. Click for More Info
Elasmosaur’s Birthday Party
Courtenay's own Puntledge River Elasmosaur is turning 80,000,031! On Saturday, November 16th from 11 am to 2 pm, the Courtenay Museum with be hosting a celebration in honour of the Elasmosaur - BC's official provincial fossil. Join us for fun and birthday treats! Click for Details