Nanaimo

Nanaimo is on the east coast of Vancouver Island. The two major ferry terminals are Departure Bay in the north of Nanaimo, where the ferries leave for Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver and Duke Point to the south of Nanaimo, which connects with Tsawwassen. The Gabriola Island ferry runs from the harbour area trundling back and forth between Gabriola and Nanaimo. There are also two smaller ferries not run by BC Ferries, which run to Newcastle Island and Protection Island, both islands in the harbour. 

I arrived at Duke Point and caught a taxi to my hotel on the north side of the city. The major highway in Nanaimo cuts the place in two. I could walk back into the centre along this road which goes over the Millstone River where the river meets the incoming tide. I headed right along Wallace Street towards the Old City Quarter where there is a mixture of new and old buildings, housing shops, cafes, restaurants, and small businesses in proximity. There is something for all, especially if you are interested in fashion, clothing, yarn, shoes, specialty foods, or books.

I continued along Wallace Street towards the Vault Cafe and then turned left onto Commercial Street, which leads into the downtown area of the city. Here there is a wonderful arcade of shops including a second-hand bookshop, an extensive used-CD shop, and an excellent place for breakfast, brunch, and lunch. These three businesses are opposite the Nanaimo Museum. 

When I visited, there was no one else in the museum. This meant that I received a guided tour of the Coal Mine exhibit. My family on both my mum’s and dad’s sides were coal miners, so these types of features always fascinate me. Nanaimo’s coal deposits were the first known large deposits on the west coast of the Americas, and the type of coal was ideal for steam production. In search of a better life, men and women travelled from many countries including the UK, China, and Italy to start anew in Nanaimo. Every day, men would descend in steel cages hundreds of metres below Nanaimo to drill, blast, and shovel coal and rock into waiting carts hauled by mules. After the miners cleaned and sorted the coal, they shipped it to Vancouver, San Francisco, Victoria, Chile, Hawaii, and Alaska.

Accidents, strikes, and layoffs were commonplace in the lives of Nanaimo miners. Although advancements in equipment and safety procedures reduced the number of serious accidents, it did not eliminate them. During its time as Nanaimo’s key industry, coal mining produced over fifty million tons of coal. There are still extensive coal deposits under the city today and I hope they remain there.

The Hub City section of the museum looks at the city’s history. This exhibit highlights the commercial development of Nanaimo, Chinatown, and a feature on heritage homes. Today, Nanaimo is the “Harbour City,” but in the early days it was “Hub City,” because of the distinctive fan-shaped street pattern of the downtown area, reminiscent of the spokes or hub of a wheel.

The items on show include signs from Nanaimo businesses and a counter and food display from a general convenience store where I could spot many foods from my youth, which I had not seen in years. Architectural features and archival photos provide a glimpse into some of Nanaimo’s prominent homes. The striking display of stained glass and photos show people and places associated with everyday life in the city. Artifacts from the museum’s rich Chinese collection have pride of place.

The Timber! display explores the historical impact of the forestry industry on the region. In 1852, they needed lumber to build houses, the Bastion, and other structures. This created a need for sawmills. The Hudson’s Bay Company operated a sawmill at Millstream, which provided lumber for the area and had to expand in order to meet demand. While the original site closed down in 1905, other sawmills operated from that point on, some more successful than others. When coal mining declined as Nanaimo’s major employer, men transitioned towards industrial logging in the Nanaimo Lakes area. Until the 1990s, logging, saw-milling, and log hauling employed large numbers of men and women.