Step Into Wilderness

Hot off the presses! The Comox Valley's newest history book, Step Into Wilderness, has arrived.

This book is an invitation to outdoor enthusiasts and/or history lovers to view early images and learn the back story to some local beauty spots.

The hard cover coffee table book features more than 150 photographs from our collection and is available for purchase at $39.95 plus GST.

All proceeds from Step Into Wilderness go to the Courtenay and District Museum.

It's All There in Black and White

October is Women’s History Month so it is the perfect time to share this article about the life and dance of Joy “Babe” Woodrow from the April 1, 1977 edition of the Comox District Free Press.

Joy Woodrow (1915-1977) was descended from early Comox Valley settlers. Her parents were Hughie and Birdie McKenzie and her grandfather was Johnny McKenzie, early Courtenay mayor and blacksmith.

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With legacy support from the Bickle Family and the Comox Valley Echo.

Photo of the Month

CDM #990.24.135 Women’s Field Hockey, c. 1905

Field hockey on Duncan’s field, Sandwick corner. Players include Isabel Urquhart, Bertha (Birdie) McPhee, Margaret Urquhart, Lucile Halliday, Fanny Piercy, Mary Milligan, Josephine Willemar and Adelaide Willemar. Walter Gage photograph.

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

Just For Fun

The Fanny Dunkers Ski Club kept their 1954 Halloween party planning short and sweet.

Seventy-five copies of the invitation (click to see the original) were made and distributed. The only tasks left were decorating the hall (assigned to the “older girls”) and ordering six pounds of butter from the Creamery. Done!

Source: CDM 2003.3.1 Fanny Dunkers Ski Club Ledger Sept. 23, 1948 to Dec. 3 1959.

Your Membership and Donations Make A Difference

Purchasing a membership to the Courtenay and District Museum, now in its 59th 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 from the museum’s award-winning book Watershed Moments – A Pictorial History of Courtenay and District.

Photo credit: On October 17, 1929 delegates from the North Island Women’s Institutes met at the Native Sons Hall for a District Conference. Photo: CDM Sillence Collection. Page 142-143.

Click Here for a Larger Version

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: