 |
 |
|
|
|
Elasmosaur's Birthday Party Courtenay's own Puntledge River Elasmosaur is turning 80,000,031!
On Saturday, November 16th from 11 am to 2 pm, the Courtenay Museum with be hosting a celebration in honour of the Elasmosaur - BC's official provincial fossil.
Join us for fun and birthday treats!
Click for Details
Lecture: Time and Date: 2 pm, Saturday, November 23, 2019
Learn about the backstory of the Strathcona Park Lodge - a place truly 'off the grid' and 'on the edge'.
Click for More Info
Lecture: Time and Date: 7 pm, Tuesday, December 3, 2019
In Nature's Realm is a celebration of the richly diverse flora and fauna of Vancouver Island as discovered through the records of settlers, explorers and visitors, and with due respect to the wealth of Indigenous traditional knowledge of the island's ecosystems.
Click for More Info
This presentation is made possible with financial assistance from The Canada Council for the Arts through The Writers' Union of Canada.
National Philanthropy Day
The Courtenay and District Historical Society was registered as a nonprofit society in 1961 to preserve and interpret cultural and natural heritage of the Comox Valley. Funds are derived from the generous support of the City of Courtenay, British Columbia Arts Council, Comox Valley Regional District, British Columbia Gaming Branch, and from museum generated revenues.
Your donations play an important role in making special projects and future museum operations possible. November 18th is National Philanthropy Day. The CDM extends appreciation to the Comox Valley Community Foundation and to donors who have, since 1996, supported the Courtenay and District Museum Endowment Fund. If you would like to make an online donation to this fund go to Canada Helps and click for Courtenay and District Historical Society, or contact us. Thank you for your support!
Your Membership and Donations Make A Difference
Purchasing a membership to the Courtenay and District Museum, now in its 58th year, supports heritage preservation in the Comox Valley through special events, lectures, education programmes, research and exhibitions. Your membership benefits these award winning programmes on a year round basis and we appreciate it!
Becoming a member provides you with discounts in the gift shop and on lectures and an opportunity to support one of the most active regional museums in British Columbia. Thank you for your support.
Click here to Join
Click Here to Make a Donation
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: Local members of the British Columbia Women's Service Corps display plums picked for the "Jam for Britain" campaign, ca. 1941. Left to right: Pam Harvey, Mrs. Lucy Muir, Mrs. Clive, Mary Bell. Lynn Henderson photograph. Photo: 982.24.76. Page 182.
Photo caption: "In 1941, the Red Cross, the Women's Institute (WI) and the Comox Valley Co-operative Producers joined forces with the people of the valley to send jam to Britain. They borrowed a jam kettle from the Creamery and asked the public to take surplus fruit and sugar to the old cannery, where Mrs. McPhee, Mrs. Harmston and the ladies of the WI made plum and blackberry jam. Children raised money to purchase sugar and went on blackberry-picking expeditions by the busload. The Courtenay Rotary Club arranged the buses and helped with packing. That year, they shipped three tons of jam. In the following two years, when the harvest was leaner, two tons." Page 182.
Click Here for a Larger Version
It's All There in Black and White
Blackouts to avoid air attacks during WW II were not limited to Europe. The Comox Valley was also under threat and observed its first blackout in 1941.
This article from the December 11 edition of the Comox District Free Press tells of some successes, a car accident and local first aid stations.
Read More
With legacy support from the Bickle Family and the Comox Valley Echo.
Special for Museum Members
It's time for our Members Only Christmas Sale!
Staff have been searching out unique gift items and stocking shelves to make this the best sale yet.
From December 1st through to the 24th members will receive a 25% discount on most items in our gift store.
Click Here for Details
Photo of the Month
CDM #989.69.9
You can view more photos like this on our website. Click here to visit our holdings.
Periodical Wisdom
Looking for ways to "Avoid Wars at Mealtime"? This article from the Farm & Home magazine of October 15, 1930 contains some thoughts on how to keep the peace with finicky eaters. As the author says "Every modern mother must ... combine her knowledge of dietetics with some of the tact of a seasoned diplomat."
All kinds of helpful hints, advertisements and practical "how-to" advice can all be found in periodicals from our archival collection.
Read More
Merville - 100 Years and Counting
The area now known as Merville was logged by the Comox Logging & Railway Company.
In his book Island Timber, historian and author Richard Mackie wrote: "Two other camps-4 and 5-were both short-lived, and logged most of the area that became Merville just prior to and during the First World War. Camp 4 was situated at what is now the corner of Merville Road and the west side of the Island Highway. After the war it was taken over by the Soldier Settlement Board. Camp 5, open from about 1914 to 1916, was a mile and a half down Williams Beach Road on what became Reid's Farm."
Bonus Photo
Museum Funding
The Courtenay and District Historical Society was registered as a nonprofit society in 1961 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, British Columbia Gaming Branch, and from museum generated revenues and donations.
Proud sponsors of the Courtenay & District Museum:
|
|
