Latest News
Comox Avenue in the 1920s
CDM 989.69.8. Comox Avenue, c. 1923. Photographer: Charles Bradbury. Comox Avenue in the 1920s
It’s All There in Black and White: Prime Minister Mulroney’s Visit to Comox
Love him or hate him, there's no denying it was a big day when Canada's 18th Prime Minister visited the town of Comox. Check out details of the "social call" in this August 3, 1988 edition of the Comox District Free Press. Click for Larger Image Click for Larger Image
Fossil Tours
There's still time to get in on the summer action with our public tours. Click here to find out more about how you can be part of this adventure. Click for Details
Flower Power
It's been a stellar year for flowers at the museum - the amazing show of zinnias in our front bed definitely justifies a shout out to the wonderful work done by the City of Courtenay Parks Department. Thank you!
Museum at Campbell River Exhibit
Heading up island this summer? Don't forget to visit our neighbours at the C.R. Museum to see "North Vancouver Island at War!" This temporary exhibit is made possible in part by the Community Fund for Canada's 150th and is on display until November 12, 2017. Click Here for Details
BC Day Closure
The museum will be closed on Monday, August 7th. Wishing everyone a safe and happy BC Day holiday.
Fifth Street and Cliffe Avenue in 1920
CDM 2007.251.94, Photographer: Charles Bradbury. Looking along Cliffe Avenue at the Fifth Street intersection
July 2017 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: Cast of "Nothing But the Truth," directed by G.W. (Bill) Stubbs, 1932. Left to right: Roy Harrison, Dorothy Sutherland, Henry Rankin, Warwick Revie, Russell Rickson, Isabelle Moncrieff, Sid Williams, unknown, Ella Harrison, Jack Bowbrick, Lillian Anderson, Agnes Sutherland, Peggy Watt. Charles Sillence photograph. Page 123. Photo caption: "Movies played at the Gaiety once or twice a week, often with piano accompaniment, but the zeal for amateur theatre, music and other live productions was a hallmark of [...]
It’s All There in Black and White: The Giant Yellow “Banana”
The giant yellow "banana" that graced the Fifth Street and Cliffe Avenue intersection made its' appearance forty years ago to mixed reviews. But what a fun opportunity for newspaper headline wordplay! Check out what all the fuss was about in this article from the July 20, 1977 Comox District Free Press. Click for Larger Image Click for Larger Image
Summer Tours
No time like the present to be part of the summer fun here at the museum with one of our public fossil tours. Join in and learn about the ancient marine world that existed right beneath your feet! Click for Details
Come and see the Sleeping Giant of Arden Road!
A Sleeping Giant is about to be revealed to the Public on Arden Road in Courtenay! On Saturday, July 8th , between 2.00 pm and 5.00 pm, the Glacier Heritage Power and Equipment Club (GHPEC) will be showing off the Club’s Restoration Project, a mighty Crossley Oil Engine which powered a gravel works near Cumberland until the company was connected to Hydro. Everything about the Crossley, a fine example of British engineering built in 1928, is impressively large. It only has two cylinders but they are 12” bore and 22” stroke, set in separate cast iron engine beds on either side of a massive [...]
The 150 Ten-Spot
A new $10 bill has been produced to commemorate Canada's sesquicentennial. A round of phone calls to several banks in the Valley has confirmed that some bills have arrived and are no doubt winging their way into general circulation at this very moment. If you're interested in finding out more about the meaning and history behind the design, check out this link to the Bank of Canada webpage.
June 2017 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 celebrated wedding between fashionable young couple Harry Simms and Janet Graham. Left to right: Janet Graham, Harry Simms, Blanche Dando, Tom Simms. Charles Sillence photograph. Page 162-163. Photo caption: "Elaborate details of weddings were features of community newspapers. When Janet Eade Graham married Henry Charles (Harry) Simms on September 4, 1929, two prominent Comox Valley families joined. Thomas Graham, the bride's father, was the senior superintendent of Canadian Collieries in Cumberland, and Charles Simms, the [...]