Courtenay & District Museum




  • Book Reading: Dame Who's Come a Long Way
  • Capes Escape
  • Sponsoring the Museum
  • 2008-2009 Sponsors
  • Ancient Vampire Unearthed
  • Photo of the Month
  • Museum Funding




  • Phone:
    250-334-0686

    Email:
    museum@island.net

    Website:
    www.courtenaymuseum.ca

    Mailing Address:
    207 Fourth Street,
    Courtenay BC,
    V9N 1G7





    Tuesday to Saturday
    10am - 5pm

    Sunday and Monday:
    Closed





    President
    John Wilson

    Vice President
    Daryl Wright

    Past President
    April Shopland

    Secretary/Treasurer
    Elizabeth Braithwaite

    Directors
    Ruth Masters
    Rick Ross
    Jim Haggart
    Ross Dingwall

    Member of...

    British Columbia Museums Association

    Canadian Museums
    Association

    Archives Association of
    British Columbia

    Heritage Society of British Columbia




     

    Book Reading: Dame Who's Come a Long Way

    To celebrate still being on the right side of the grass and the publication of a book documenting her life, there is to be a gathering for Ruth Masters at the Florence Filberg Centre in Courtenay, Saturday, 21st February at 2:00 pm. Ruth will be reading from "Us Dames Have Come a Long Way" along with author, Hazel Lennox, plus The (fabulous) Ms. Adventures will be rendering a few ditties. Signed copies of "Us Dames Have Come a Long Way" will be available for sale.

    If you are the proud possessor of any 'Ruthabilia' i.e. Hero Spoon, A Tough Lady's Mirror, a genuine imitation vinyl bookmark, dog/cat tags, etc please bring it along.

    Speakers: Ruth Masters and Hazel Lennox
    When: 2pm, 21st February, 2009
    Where: Florence Filberg Centre, Courtenay
    Cost: Free

    Back to Top


     

    The Courtenay Museum has a new kind of escape for visitors to the Comox Valley with creation of Capes Escape, a 1700 sq. ft vacation rental which is part of the Courtenay and District Museum visitor services.

    Stay at the Capes Escape vacation rental and enjoy a peaceful setting in this beautiful 1930s heritage home nestled on seven wooded acres which was fully upgraded in 2008, sleeps six and is equipped with wireless internet, DVD, phone and cable TV. Full kitchen with all new appliances and washer and dryer. Bedding and linens included.

    Click here for photos and more information
    Click here for availability and to book

    Back to Top


     

    Sponsoring the Museum

    It is with great pleasure that we announce the success and continuation of our sponsorship initiative to support museum programming and extension. The Courtenay Museum is an exciting destination that interprets cultural and natural heritage of the Comox Valley through exhibitions, lectures, special events and programmes. The museum hosts over 35,000 local, national and international visitors a year.

    Upcoming events in 2009 will include celebrations, tours, lectures and exhibits. As well, we will continue to provide ongoing programming and field trips to students in the Comox Valley.  

    Many of the museum's programmes would not be possible without strong sponsorship from our donors and funders. We respectfully request your one-year sponsorship in order to continue to carry out these worthwhile programmes.  

    The levels of sponsorship are:

    • $1,500 Dogwood
    • $1,000 Garry Oak
    • $750 Arbutus
    • $500 Fir
    • Up to $500 Seedling

    Sponsors at the Dogwood level will have their logo or name featured on the museum's newsletter, website and on any publications the museum produces. Additionally, the Courtenay and District Museum is a charitable organization, so contributions are tax deductible.

    Your contributions can also be made on a monthly basis. All sponsors above the $500 level will receive a museum membership and a complimentary copy of the coffee table book The Comox Valley by Paula Wild.

    We hope you will consider being a part of this worthwhile initiative as we promote and interpret the exciting natural and cultural heritage of the Comox Valley. Please feel free to contact us at 250-334-0686 if you have any questions or desire further information.

    Back to Top


     

    2008-2009 Sponsors

    Dogwood
    Judy and Stan Hagen                 
    Daryl and Evelyn Wright - Francis Jeweller's Ltd.
    The Rotary Club of Courtenay Foundation

    Arbutus
    Comox Valley Echo
    Marjorie Thorpe                 
    The Bickle Family
    Lorna Gunn

    Fir
    Elizabeth Braithwaite

    Seedling
    Dove and Mike Hendren                  
    Ruth Masters                 
    Deborah Griffiths                 
    John and Joan Wilson                 
    Ed LaFleur
    George E. Sprogis
    Doug and Donna Kerr

    Back to Top


     

    Ancient Vampire Unearthed in Courtenay

    Scientists hail discovery of first fossil of previously unknown creature.

    The remains of the 80-million-year-old creature were found by local fossil hunter Rick Ross on a highway construction site.

    And now a world-renowned expert from Japan has been to the Courtenay and District Museum and Palaeontology Centre to confirm the fossilized lower jaw is of a creature scientists have never seen before - an ancestor of the fearsome 'Vampire Squid from Hell.'

    It is a previously unknown species of vampyromorph - a weird creature that still inhabits the deepest oceans of the world. It is something like a squid or octopus but much more scary, with Batman-style wings between each tentacle, glowing phosphorescent eyes and the ability to eject luminescent slime from its tentacles to warn off enemies. A photograph of the fossil was originally emailed to Dr. Kazushige Tanabe at the University of Tokyo in Japan, who is an international authority on the subject. "He was very excited about it," Ross recalls.  So enthusiastic, in fact, that he booked a plane ticket to fly to inspect it first-hand, and now a scientific paper about the discovery has been published in the international Journal of Paleontology.

    Fossil discoverer and co-author Rick Ross will give local people a chance to learn more about the discovery and its identification at a lecture to be held at the Courtenay Museum on Thursday, February 19th at 7pm.

    Courtenay Museum's assistant curator Pat Trask said the Comox Valley has become increasingly known for its prehistoric discoveries, with the museum itself encouraging further interest with daily fossil-hunting talks and tours for the public in summer. The museum's collection includes 6,000 specimens, including the now famous Elasmosaur.   Ross - who has been collecting fossils for 25 years - commented: "You never know what you're going to turn up next." For more info call the museum at 250-334-0686.

    Speaker: Rick Ross
    When: 7:00 pm, 19th February, 2009
    Where: Courtenay & District Museum
    Cost: $5 for museum members and $6 for non members. Tickets available at the door.

    Back to Top


     

    Photo of the Month


    CDM #990.24.309
    Courtenay Hotel bar, c. 1905

    You can view more photos like this on our website. Click here to visit our holdings.

    Back to Top


     

    Museum Funding

    The Courtenay and District Historical Society was registered as a nonprofit society in 1962 to preserve and interpret cultural and natural heritage of the Comox Valley. It has functioned as an independent society since that time. Funds are derived from the generous support of the City of Courtenay, British Columbia Arts Council, Comox Valley Regional District, Comox Valley Charitable Bingo Foundation, and from museum generated revenues and donations.

    Proud sponsors of the Courtenay & District Museum:


     

    The City of Courtenay

    NSERC

    BC Arts Councils

    BC Hydro

    Regional District Comox-Strathcona

    Back to Top