Comox Valley Timeline
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COMOX VALLEY TIMELINE 5850 BCE First known human habitation Indigenous people, Bear Cove, Port Hardy 1579 Sir Francis Drake First European 1772+ Spanish and English explorers Seal and otter fur trade 1840s Whale hunting For their oils 1843 Fort Victoria built by HBC Under direction of James Douglas 1846 49th Parallel established between Oregon Treaty. Southern Vancouver Canada and US Island stays with Britain 1848 California Gold Rush 1849 Vancouver Island a British colony Inhabited by HBC employees and native (Fort Victoria, Nanaimo, Fort Rupert) Indians 1850 – 1862 George Mitchell and 9 others George stayed, applied for pre-emption in 1862, died in 1867 1853 Coal mine in Nanaimo Robert Dunsmuir 1858 Fraser River gold rush Short lived but increases population 1861-65 Civil War in United States 1862 Victoria incorporated as a city Overpopulated, encouraged settlement further north on island 1862 Grappler settlers land at Courtenay No list of names a. Pioneer cairn lists Carwithen, Bailey, Blaksley and Pidcock Aug 1862 from England James Robb and wife arrive from Not on Grappler England (originally from Scotland) First two families b. Harmstons arrive 1862-1872 Logging to get lumber for buildings Pidcock builds a sawmill 1865 Census by Cave Brown Cave 70 people in residence c. Census of 1865: 34 English, 13 Scottish, 6 Irish, 8 Canadian, 2 American, 1 Israelite (Jewish), 2 Norwegian, 1 Swedish, 1 Portugese, 2 half breeds. 41 of 70 were single, 12 married, 2 spinsters, 9 children, 6 cohabiting. There were 27 Anglicans, 23 Presbyterians, 11 Roman Catholic, 6 Methodists, 1 Lutheran, 2 Unbaptised. 1866 Colony of Vancouver Island merges Victoria is the capital but legislative with colony of British Columbia assembly is in New Westminster 1869 Railroad completed across U.S. Travel time much shorter 1869 Joseph Rodello arrived, took up land English speaking Italian (by way of New at Comox York?) 1869? Cumberland mining begins Union Coal Co. 1871 BC joins Confederation 1871 Chinese miners to Nanaimo Later to Union 1871 Wilson, Urquhart and McPhee arrive McPhee from Nova Scotia 1871 census 102 whites, 1100 natives Includes Hornby & Denman Is. 1874 Comox Wharf built Page 1 COMOX VALLEY TIMELINE 1874 First Courtenay bridge built McPhee establishes store in Courtenay 1876 Indian Reserves set aside (3) Basically, where they were already living 1877 Eric Duncan arrives from Scotland 1882-1883 Directory of Comox District (heads Comox, Hornby Is., Denman Is. of household) 100 names (Courtenay not yet separate) 71 Farmers (5 on Hornby, 15 on Denman), 2 Carpenters, 13 loggers, 4 laborers, 1 school teacher, 2 storekeepers, 3 hotel keepers, 2 clergy (1 Presb., 1 Ang.), 1 blacksmith, 1 saw miller, 2 shoemakers, 1 MPP (Wm Dingwall) 1885 CPR completed across Canada Easier route for migration 1888 Union Colliery begins mining Union now known as Cumberland 1890+ Japanese arrive Mining and trades 1893 Townsite set aside as Cumberland East of Union 1894 Dec First hospital in Cumberland 1896 Klondike gold rush Some settlers leave, most come back 1898 Cumberland incorporated as a city 1910 Road to Nanaimo goes through 1910 Telephones, automobiles 1913 Beginning of St. Joseph’s Hospital Comox 1914-18 World War I 1915, 1 Jan Courtenay incorporated as a city 1918-20 War Brides arrive 1920+ Italian miners arrive 1920-22 Soldier Settlement in Merville Mostly destroyed by fire in 1922 1921 Canadian Census Page 2 COMOX VALLEY TIMELINE With a history of human habitation dating back some 4,000 years. Town of Comox www.comox.ca Prior to the arrival of early European settlers, the eastern shore of Vancouver Island had been home to the K’ómoks people for thousands of years. Considering that knowledge in First Nations communities is passed down from generation to generation through songs, dances and stories, an absence of written records make it difficult to pinpoint exactly when they arrived here. We do know that the first Europeans came in search of gold in the mid 1850s and the first ‘official’ settlers arrived in 1862. (Of these, only two were women!) The name ‘Comox’ is derived from a term in the Coast Salish (Kwakw’ala) language that translated into “plentiful” or “rich.” Recognizing that this was, indeed, a “land of plenty,” European settlers later adapted the name to Comox. The first Comox wharf was constructed in 1874, which soon resulted in the opening of a number of commercial enterprises and inns. Soon after, a Naval Training Base was established, marking the start of Comox as a proud military town. The Town of Comox was incorporated in 1946. Today, Comox covers approximately 14-square- kilometres (5.48 square miles) and has a population of 12,000. The most seaside-like community of all of the jurisdictions within the Valley, Comox has many marinas and ocean-related businesses and attractions. The Town of Comox is home to the Canadian Armed Forces Base (CFB) Comox 19 Wing, St. Joseph’s Hospital and the BC Ferries Little River Terminal, which serves the mainland coastal city of Powell River. City of Courtenay www.courtenay.ca Early pioneers arrived to the area we now call ‘Courtenay’ after the gold rush in the 1860s. In an effort to take some of the strain off of the City of Victoria, the governor at the time offered land for $1 an acre and a free boat ride ‘up island’ to anyone who would take it! Early pioneers arrived to discover a valley with abundant resources that was ripe for agricultural development. The City of Courtenay, incorporated in 1915, was named after Rear Admiral George William Courtenay who sailed the HM Constance along the coast of Vancouver Island over 150 years ago. Courtenay’s early economy depended largely on logging and farming. (Courtenay’s farmers sold produce to the employees of Cumberland’s coal mines.) After World War I, Courtenay enjoyed a measure of prosperity. Immigration and a post-war baby boom resulted in significant population growth .. and the resulting increased demand for new homes, schools and businesses. Courtenay continues to be a growing concern! In 1996, this little city on the Island gained the distinction of being ‘the fastest growing city in all of Canada!’ Page 3 COMOX VALLEY TIMELINE Courtenay now serves as the regional center for business, recreation and tourism for the entire Comox Valley. Both Courtenay and Comox have intertwined economies with residents using services from each area, regardless of their home location. The city covers approximately 27- square-kilometres and has a population of 22,000. Village of Cumberland www.cumberlandbc.net The 1852 discovery of coal near Comox Lake resulted in entrepreneurial-spirited miners and ‘get rich quick’ hopefuls flocking to the area. In the span of just a few years, a village was established, linked by railway to the Comox wharf, and by 1862, more than 350 men – many of them Japanese and Chinese immigrants – were working in three mines producing tens of thousands of tonnes of coal each year. The Village of Cumberland, formed in 1898, owed its very existence to ‘black gold.’ Cumberland remained an economic powerhouse for decades. The end of World War II, however, marked the end of an era for the Village. By the 1960s, coal mining in Cumberland no longer provided any opportunities for employment. The resulting population decline was tough on the local economy and families left the area in record numbers. Today, Cumberland’s historic charm and affordable housing have resulted in revitalization. The village is regaining its title as one of Vancouver Island’s ‘communities with a future.’ Cumberland is known for its small-town charm and as a great place for families. The current population is about 3,000. Cumberland boasts a variety of shops and services, a museum, antiques and collectibles, live entertainment venues and a variety of restaurants. Situated against the Beaufort Mountains, it is an excellent location to access the numerous parks and trails located just to the west. According to the Courtenay Museum and Paleontology Centre, Sir Francis Drake visited this area in 1579. This assertion is based on research by Samuel Bawlf, who in The Secret Voyage of Sir Francis Drake, 1577-1580 suggests that Drake's reference to landing in what he called New Albion (the name of the region of North America explored by Drake) was, in fact, what is now known as Comox.[1] This conclusion is not shared, however, by other historians such as Jules Verne and Samuel Johnson. What does not appear to be contested is the assertion made in the online version of the Canadian Encyclopedia that first contact in Comox between the original First Nations inhabitants and the first European visitors occurred in 1792 when HMS Discovery anchored in Comox Harbour.[2] The first European colonists arrived in the spring of 1861 intending to start farms. At that time, Governor James Douglas was encouraging settlers arriving in the Colony of Vancouver Island to establish themselves in the Cowichan Valley and the Comox Valley rather than the gold fields of the mainland as these were the two areas that had agricultural potential on the island. The first settlers were Nanaimo coal miners and Hudson's Bay Company employees, John and Page 4 COMOX VALLEY TIMELINE William Biggs, Thomas Dignan, Edwin Gough, Adam Grant Horne, Thomas Jones, Alexander McFarlane, George Mitchell, Thomas Williams and Charles York all of whom had arrived on Vancouver Island before the 1858 gold rush. Of these, only Mitchell remained by 1862 when the Grappler arrived with the Comox Expedition. Dignan went to Gabriola Island. Horne and most of the others went to Nanaimo.[3]:39–42 A small pox epidemic in 1862 decimated the native population.