Latest News
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
Periodical Wisdom: October 2019
All kinds of helpful hints, advertisements and practical "how-to" advice can all be found in periodicals from our archival collection. For example, if you ever wondered "Where's the beef?" we've got the answer! Learn more about the cuts of meat you may have been missing with this chart from the Farm & Home magazine of November 15, 1930. Click for Larger Image Click for Larger Image
October 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: The award-winning Comox District Men's Musical choir, June 1930. Charles Sillence photograph. CDM 984.13.1. Page 169.
Merville – 100 Years and Counting Part 10
Merville’s rural nature attracted “back-to-the-landers” in the 1970s. The free spirited ethos of the time allowed for unique styles in architecture; one example was the driftwood house built by Jim Egan and Jack Nesbit. The Comox District Free Press of September 14, 1977 featured an article about the unusual construction. Click for Larger Image Click for Larger Image Bonus Jim Egan was a writer, politician and gay activist who was honoured with a Heritage Minute in 2018. The Heritage Minute can be viewed here.
It’s All There in Black and White: 1935 Duncan Family Fire
A reminder to readers that October 6-12 is fire prevention week. The Duncan family lost a landmark as noted in this October 3, 1935 Comox District Free Press article. Firefighter Cliff Laver sustained an injury and a strange loss that confirmed the intensity of the fire. With legacy support from the Bickle Family and the Comox Valley Echo.
Lecture: Brilliant and Quirky: Pioneer Stories You’ve Not Heard Before
Time and Date: 7 pm, Tuesday, October 22, 2019 Location: Rotary Gallery of the Courtenay and District Museum Speaker: May Q. Wong 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. The dynamic May Wong presents fascinating stories on unsung people of early Victoria from various cultural communities. Click for More Info
Comox Valley Chamber Reaches Milestone
The Comox Valley Chamber of Commerce was first founded as the Board of Trade in 1913. It was incorporated on March 22, 1919 and in 1948 the name was changed to Chamber of Commerce. The first building was constructed from donated supplies and volunteer labour in 1958 on Cliffe Avenue. Once the building was completed and funding was secured from the City, students were hired to provide tourist information. The new location was perfect for the arrival of the "Deuce," the logging locomotive donated to the City of Courtenay from the Comox Logging & Railway Company. In the 1970s times were tough for the [...]
Periodical Wisdom: September 2019
It's harvest time! Who wouldn't want a brand new Massey-Harris binder? And while you're at it, how about a new tractor too? They both look great on paper but may not have been within everyone's reach as this advertisement is from The Nor'- West Farmer magazine of July 21, 1930. By then the effects of the Great Depression would be noticeable. All kinds of helpful hints, advertisements and practical "how-to" advice can all be found in periodicals from our archival collection.
Winter Hours 2019/2020
The museum is now operating on our winter hours schedule. Please note that we are open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm.
September 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: Division 2 class from the Fanny Bay School, 1939. Teacher Irene Jones is standing on the far right of the photograph with the boys. CDM 984.39.1 Page 179. Photo caption: "From 1926 until 1942, about half the students at the two-room Fanny Bay School were of Japanese descent. Their fathers worked for the Kagetsu Logging Company, which had a sizeable operation in the area. It was important to the families to preserve their culture, and the children would [...]