Latest News
New Exhibit: Broken Promises
This travelling exhibit from the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre presents stories of Japanese Canadian dispossession in the 1940s and the lasting impacts of the policies aimed at people of Japanese descent living in coastal British Columbia. This exhibit will be located in the upstairs Changing Exhibition Gallery.
A Warm Welcome
Canada celebrates Heritage Week every third week of February, and the focus this year is "Pastimes in Past Times". We invite you to consider a visit to the museum a rewarding community pastime and a chance to celebrate timeless-to-more-recent heritage.
Gift Shop News: Gotta Have a Gnome
Gotta have a gnome? If you’re searching for an unique DIY craft this month to relax and spend time with a mythological being on a rainy day, look no further than the busy Museum Gift Shop.
Sweet Valentine Treats
A sweet treat for your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day. This recipe comes to you from a mid-century fundraising cookbook. It was assembled locally from dozens of Comox Valley residents who shared their favourite homemade goodies with the community.
Answers to the Name of…
It's been 37 years since an elasmosaur was discovered in the Puntledge River. Today, there are over a dozen different genera and several species of elasmosaurs found worldwide, and the Comox Valley elasmosaur is now considered a completely new genus and species among them.
Getting the Word Out: Pat Trask and the Elasmosaur
Check out Courtenay Museum Natural History Curator, Pat Trask, as he talks about the Comox Valley elasmosaur in a recent Instagram reel by the Government of BC. The museum would like to extend a huge thank you to Hayley Antonissen and her video production team for making this happen!
Heritage – It’s Natural! Ammonites
People around the world have found ammonite fossils in ancient marine deposits for thousands of years. Ammonites had a many-chambered shell and are believed to be relatives of the octopus and squids that live today. Through time there were at least 10,000 and, possibly, up to 20,000 different species.
Victoria Arbour Lecture Wrap-Up
Dr. Victoria Arbour gave an engaging illustrated lecture on A New Look at the Dinosaurs of British Columbia to a full crowd in the museum’s Rotary Gallery on December 3. Her presentation centered on a dinosaur discovered on the Spateze Plateau in northern British Columbia, dated from about 68 million years ago: Ferrisaurus sustutensis, "the Iron Lizard of the Sustut River."
Last Chance – Dinosaurs of BC
Dinosaurs of BC, a travelling exhibit produced by the Royal BC Museum, will be moving on to its next venue soon. The last day to see it here is Saturday, February 1, 2025.
It’s All There in Black and White: Early Morning Drama
Can you solve this century-old mystery? This article from the January 15, 1925 edition of the Comox Argus gave an eyewitness account of a shady smuggling operation at present-day 6th Street in downtown Courtenay.
Welcoming In the New Year
A charming photo of the roadway north of Courtenay, c. 1905. The card was sent to Theed Pearse from John William Flinton, possibly between 1918 and 1926 when Flinton was the vicar of St. Andrew’s Anglican Church in Sandwick. The image was captured by Walter Gage.
Cumberland Museum Writing Workshop
The museum would like to give a shoutout to an upcoming 6-week writing workshop at the Cumberland Museum & Archives hosted by Kim Bannerman. Participants will learn how to craft strong settings, design compelling characters, and create engaging narratives, all in a supportive and fun environment.
Exhibit: Winter Play
If you were a child in the mid-20th century, what might you expect to see when you unwrapped your gifts? For this seasonal exhibit, we explore that question through beautiful pieces that span several decades, including tin toys, dolls, and sleds.