Latest News
February 2019 Gift Shop News
Callling Local Artisans! The museum gift shop is looking for 2-3 new artisans willing to sell their items on a consignment basis. Items should be: locally crafted giftware suitable for the local and tourist market size appropriate (not too big or heavy) retailing for a maximum $50. Please note that the split for items sold under consignment is 60% to the artist and 40% to the museum. If you are interested, email details and photos of your wares to gmiller@courtenaymuseum.ca.
Heritage Week 2019
Photo credit: CDM 972.55.18 The ladies tug of war was reported to be a very amusing innovation. And talk about “the tie that binds”…they’re using actual rope! This year's BC Heritage Week (February 18-24) theme is "The Tie That Binds." One way to interpret that theme is "those who play together, stay together." Whether it was a picnic or dance party, celebrating together connected people. A notable example from the Valley's past was the May 24, 1916 festivities at Comox Goose Spit prepared by the 102nd Battalion. The Courtenay Review newspaper of May 25 recounted that the soldiers decorated the grounds, provided [...]
Lecture: Henry & Self
Time and Date: 7 pm, Tuesday, March 5, 2019 Location: Rotary Gallery of the Courtenay and District Museum Speaker: Kathryn Bridge Tickets: $5 for Historical Society members; $6 for general public (plus GST). Advance tickets strongly recommended as lectures frequently sell out. Tickets can be purchased over the phone by calling 250-334-0686 ext 5. In recognition of International Women's Day, author Kathryn Bridge speaks about the life of Sarah Crease, a remarkable woman who lived through nearly a century of British colonial history. Continue Reading This presentation is made possible with financial assistance from The Canada Council for the Arts through The Writers' Union [...]
January 2019 Watershed Moments
Here is the latest newsletter installment of an image and quote from the museum's award-winning book Watershed Moments - A Pictorial History of Courtenay and District. Photo credit: The Island Realty Company, ca. 1911. Left to right: Unknown, Billy (William) Miller, P. Leo Anderton. CDM 991.164.1. Pages 72-73. Photo caption: "In 1911, Peter Leo Anderton was one of the young businessmen who saw great potential in the new commercial district forming on the west side of the Courtenay River. Always known as P.Leo, he began as a notary public, working from his home, and then added insurance as well as real estate sales. He [...]
January 2019 Gift Shop News
Thank you to everyone who has supported the museum gift shop and made it another fabulous year financially. Gift shop proceeds support important museum programs. An extra big thanks to all the members who took advantage of the 25% discount offered throughout the month of December. We are pleased to provide this as a perk to your membership. The decision to carry work created by a range of unique local artists has been a success and will continue as we move ahead. Looking forward to another great year in 2019!
It’s All There in Black and White: The Leung’s Building
The Leung's building was under construction 70 years ago as noted in the January 20, 1949 Comox District Free Press. With legacy support from the Bickle Family and the Comox Valley Echo.
Periodical Wisdom: January 2019
Let's start the new year with an introduction. That's the "proper" way to make social introductions courtesy of the March 1931 edition of McCall's magazine. Periodicals and magazines from the archives can provide some great advice on a variety of topics. Stay tuned to this feature in our monthly newsletter for tips on things like special winter beauty problems, gardening advice and household chores. Click for Larger Image Click for Larger Image
Happy New Year!
We hope you enjoy this example of an 1899 New Year's card. It was sent by Charles Laing Forrest to his son James (1867-1937). James and wife Ann (aka Tottie) settled in the Comox Valley in 1918 and ran the Forrest Dairy on Headquarters Road in the 1920s and 30s. They had four children: Ann, Charlie, Peggy and Bunty.
Merville – 100 Years and Counting
CDM 2004.42.1 "In late November of 1918 Mr. MacDonald of the Land Settlement Board and professor B.A. Boving of the University of British Columbia visited the Comox Valley with a view to investigating the feasibility of the Provincial Government taking over a large area of land located north of Grantham. Thousands of acres belonging to the Comox Logging and Railway Company had been logged off and were available… By the end of May, 1919 seventy-five veterans were engaged in clearing and building on the home sites...". From Land of Plenty, A History of the Comox District, p. 107. This quote sets the [...]
Periodical Wisdom: December 2018
Women's magazines and periodicals from the past offer some great advice on things like how to economize, care for your baby's teeth or even the proper way to make social introductions. We've scoured the archives for some examples to share with you. This month's write-up is an article is from The Christmas Peoples Home Journal of December 1917 and offers ways to celebrate "Summer in December."
Christmas Closure
The museum will be closed from December 23 through to January 1. Regular winter hours resume Wednesday, January 2, 2019.
December 2018 Watershed Moments
Here is the latest newsletter installment of an image and quote from the museum's award-winning book Watershed Moments - A Pictorial History of Courtenay and District. Photo credit: The Comox Co-operative Creamery building, 1927. CDM 986.73.3. Pages 84-85. Photo caption: "...the Creamery became a one-stop shop for dairy products, grains and farm supplies for Courtenay and the valley, and its milk, butter, cheese and ice cream were sold throughout British Columbia. By 1920, 2,700 cows were contributing to the co-op." Page 86.
Holiday Cooking from 1922
This year the newsletter includes two recipes to delight your taste buds. The Bestway Cookery Gift Book from 1922 is the source for the spin on turkey prep and A Calendar of Dinners with 615 Recipes including the Story of Crisco from 1916 provides a Christmas Dinner menu as well as a plum pudding recipe that (you guessed it) features Crisco as a key ingredient.