Latest News
It’s All There in Black and White: Kim Cattrall
Internationally known actor, writer and producer Kim Cattrall celebrates her 60th birthday on August 21st. The Comox District Free Press was following the career of this home town girl from way back as evidenced by this forty-year-old excerpt from the August 20, 1976 edition of the paper. With legacy support from the Bickle Family and the Comox Valley Echo.
August Watershed Moments
Here now is an image and quote from the museum's award-winning book Watershed Moments - A Pictorial History of Courtenay and District. Photo credit: CDM 986.15.17 Photo caption: Amidst the wreckage of the 1920 railway explosion. Page 101. "On August 18, 1920, however, after pulling a train of fifteen loaded cars up a steady slope, #4 Engine stalled. The crew of #3 Engine came to the rescue and pulled the loaded train to a level spot. As soon as #3 uncoupled and pulled away, #4's boiler exploded, sending large pieces of boilerplate into the air before landing 120 feet from the wheels. (A later [...]
Gift Shop News: July 2016
From the fertile imagination of Ding Ding Dilly Crafts comes these charming replicas of the museum's African lungfish, Slugzilla. Available in our shop for only $13 each.
Capes Escape Roof Fundraiser
The Courtenay Museum has started a crowdfunding campaign to raise the roof at Capes Escape. We're aiming for a fall redo of the roof of this great historic home and have teamed up with FundRazr and InvestLocalBC to crowdfund some matching dollars. In the 1990s, Katherine Capes, one of the first female archaeologists in Canada and a founder of our fifty-five-year-old society, donated her home and seven acres as a legacy in perpetuity to the museum. Everything is in great shape on the house--except the roof! The estimates we've received take us to a total of $10,000. We're asking donors to help us with [...]
July Watershed Moments
Here now is an image and quote from the museum's award-winning book Watershed Moments - A Pictorial History of Courtenay and District. Click for a Larger Image Photo credit: CDM 990.24.107 Photo caption: Dairy farmer Frank Childs with his family. Left to right: Frank, Mary Jane, Edith and Jane, ca. 1905. Walter Gage photograph. Page 89. "Jane loved horses, and as a young girl would often be seen riding throughout the valley. She especially loved riding along with her father as they shot deer and quail for the family dinner. She was a "crack shot," as was her son Robert. Robert was so proficient [...]
It’s All There in Black and White: Sweep for Bombs
An intriguing flashback from the Comox District Free Press July 11, 1973 edition. With legacy support from the Bickle Family and the Comox Valley Echo. Click for Larger Image Click for Larger Image
June Watershed Moments
Here now is an image and quote from the museum's award-winning book Watershed Moments - A Pictorial History of Courtenay and District. Click for a Larger Image Photo credit: CDM 2009.11.1 Photo caption: Out for a ride, ca. 1890. On horseback left to right: Ernest Halliday, Lilly Kirby, David Jones, Elizabeth Grieve, Berkeley Grieve, Jane Finley, H. Kirby, M. Halliday, William Halliday, Caroline Kirby. Page 121. "Living It Up...Even while people faced major world events, such as the Great War (1914-1918), life in the Comox Valley required living it up. Dance, theatre, music, the arts and, most important, humour, were and continue to be, [...]
Our Summer Hours
Open Seven Days a Week The Courtenay and District Museum is now on its summer operating schedule and is open Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 5:00 and Sundays from 12:00 to 4:00 until Labour Day. As always, members visit free.
Fossil Tours this Summer
Public tours are up and running! Click here to find out more about how you can be part of this adventure.
Winner of BC Historical Federation Historical Writing Competition
Celebrating books that make significant contributions to the historical literature of British Columbia The British Columbia Historical Federation (BCHF) is pleased to announce the winners for the Annual Historical Writing Competition. The prizes were awarded on Saturday, May 28, 2016 at the Revelstoke Mountain Resort in Revelstoke, BC at the BCHF Annual Conference. Congratulations to all the winners. The Honourable Judith Guichon, OBC, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia presented the BC Lieutenant Governor's Medal for historical writing and $2,500 to Ronald A. Greene for Carlo Gentile, Gold Rush Photographer, 1863-1866 by Ronald A. Greene (Greene Frogge Press). 2nd prize, $1500. Ferries & Fjords: The [...]
Silhouette Exhibit
A private collector has graciously loaned us a sampling of her silhouette items for a short term display running the month of July. Silhouettes are the coloured pictures that are painted on the back side of glass. You might also know them as reverse painting on glass. They were most common from the 1920s through the early 1950s and were often given out as business promotional gifts or sold at dime stores. A variety of subjects (silhouettes are much more than just head profiles) and forms have been chosen for this display so please do make a point of dropping in to enjoy this [...]
Canada Day Open House
Our annual Canada Day open house is fast approaching! Drop by the Courtenay and District Museum after the parade and help celebrate our country's birthday. There will be free admission, balloons and door prize draws between 12 noon and 4 pm. Special activities will include cupcake walks for all ages and a hands-on craft for kids. Musical entertainment will be provided by the talented Alan Jossul. Canada Day is a great chance to explore history with us at the museum.
It’s All There in Black and White: Thunder in the Comox Valley
When you're stuck for a conversation starter you can always talk about the weather! A storm of note from the Comox District Free Press May 28, 1936 edition. With legacy support from the Bickle Family and the Comox Valley Echo.