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Land, Indigenous peoples, settlers, and today’s communities.

Since time immemorial, Ancestors of the people called K’ómoks today consisting of the Pentlatch, Ieeksan (eye-ick-sun), Sasitla (sa-seet-la), Xa’xe (ha-hey) and Sathloot (sath-loot) people have been the caretakers of this land, which they called the “Land of Plenty.” This Land of Plenty stretched from what is known today as Kelsey Bay in the north, down to Hornby and Denman Island in the south, and included the watershed and estuary of the Puntledge River, also acknowledging that these boundaries and place names are colonial constructs.

The K’ómoks First Nation refer to the lands between the bays of Comox and the Beaufort mountain range as the path between, it was a travel and trade route to the Alberni corridor and a connection to the indigenous communities on the western side of the island.

Land agreements included the 1884 Settlement Act stripped these lands for its caretakers. At the Museum we acknowledge that we are a colonial created institution, and I would like to thank Charlene Everson, Emily Shopland and Violet Williams for guiding the museum in early discussion on what reconciliation could mean for our organization and how we could create actionable steps; in maintaining a positive dialogue with a forward focus, sharing contemporary K’omoks narratives, and incorporating First Nation languages where they felt it appropriate. Their time and guidance helped us gain insight and learn how to best support their voice in our museum’s walls. This is an ongoing process and we have so much more to learn.

Map • 9 Locations

Nature’s Museum

Seek the hidden objects from the collection

Explore the Nature’s Museum trail around Comox Lake. Hiding amongst the dense forest floor are treasures waiting to be uncovered, each creating a link to memories of people, communities, industry and natural disasters. As you venture on this guided trail, stop to examine each object and the tale it tells.

Map Locations

Fern Fossil
fossil, botanical (980.040.001)

If you look a little deeper and peel back the undergrowth, you will find a fern fossil. Today’s lush forest was once covered in ferns and wetlands plant matter that was compressed over millions of years and transformed into the back gold, Cumberland’s coal. The vast areas around what is today called Cumberland were rich in natural deposits. In 1860, prospectors started surveying the lands around the lake. In less than thirty years, a bustling community would surround this pristine landscape, extracting natural resources to power industries around the world.

Throughout its history as a coal mining community, eight mines were in operation from 1889 to 1967 and reached depths of more than 900 meters below the surface, forever changing the natural landscape.

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Comox Lake (2001.032.013)
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Two men posing at the beach at Comox Lake (984.068.044)

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Timbering notice for No.4 mine (984.071.006)

As you’ve wandered down the path, ruffling paper catches your eye. A long-forgotten Notice for No. 4 Mine is nailed to a tree posted near the old mine entrance. The notice describes the methods of timbering within the mines, siting Special Rule No. 126, for “Set Timber” and “Prop and Cap Piece.”

Located on the edge of Comox Lake, between Perseverance Creek, Coal Beach and Whyte’s Bay, lies Mine No.4. One of the most infamous mines in Cumberland’s dark industrial past. Opened in 1890, operations at No. 4 Mine took over from those at No.1, 2, and 3. Pulling upon the labour force of these three discontinued mines and their small communities, it was connected by the lake and the nearby rail line. With its abundance of high-quality coal, No. 4 Mine quickly became the most productive mine in Cumberland.

It was a slope mine extending deep underground to the northeast. As it was dug deeper and deeper underground, its ventilation system became inadequate, and the risk of explosions and fires grew. On August 30th, 1922, disaster struck. An explosion killed eighteen miners. On February 23rd, 1923, another killed a further thirty-three men. In the span of six months, fifty-one men’s lives were lost in the pursuit of coal. In the following years, operations continued but on a significantly reduced scale than in its glory days. After a great storm flooded the mine in 1935, it was closed.
Mine No. 4 produced 6.5 million tonnes of coal in its lifetime. Today, you can still see remnants of Mine No. 4 operations. Notably, the Fan House, which pumped oxygen into or out of the mine, was crucial to the miners' safety.

Mine Ruins – former mine site No.4 (fan house) – Comox Lake Road Cumberland BC03
No.4 Mine Ruins by Nick Bergstedt 1/2 (Read more)
Mine Ruins – former mine site No.4 (fan house) – Comox Lake Road Cumberland BC17
No.4 Mine Ruins by Nick Bergstedt 2/2 (Read more)

Large Wood Fossil
fossil, botanical (982.045.002)

This wood fossil was found on the shores of Coal Beach, which lies just a stone's throw away from No. 4 Mine. Drifting against its sandy outcrop isn't just longshore and driftwood, but memories of families escaping in search of peace and quiet. Watching the sunset behind the glacier was a welcome relief from the toils of darkness and difficulties underground. The gentle lap of the water against the shore is a stark contrast from the deafening roar of industrial life.

Following the closure of No. 4 Mine, families continued to enjoy Coal Beach. In 1960, Weldwood of Canada purchased all the colliery lands outside the Village boundary of Cumberland and buried the mine entrance.

The public turned the beach into an unofficial public picnic site that is enjoyed today.

The beach remains a popular spot for water-based recreation amongst locals and visitors while also holding important cultural, social and environmental legacies. The Cumberland Community Forest Society purchased a part of this land to ensure the protection of the Puntledge watershed.

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Cumberland high school girls on the beach (987.053.028)

Hidden under the rotting wood and rusted nails of a collapsed cabin in the forest hides a little jar of mustard. It dates back to at least 1945, and is not recommended for consumption. The discovery brings back the memories of family gatherings and picnics on the beach.

Located on the northeast corner of the lake is Whyte’s Bay. Whyte's Bay stretches around the lake shore, a small gravel beach with a low rocky headland covered in pines. In 1890, James Whyte, then the Overman at No.2 Mine, built a house on Whyte’s Bay and moved his large family out to the lake to protect them from a cholera outbreak spreading through Union (now Cumberland). Following the opening of No.4 Mine, up to thirty families moved to Whyte’s Bay. Its convenient proximity to the mine, its picturesque views, and its affordable living allowed a small community of people who lived simply to emerge. They lived by hunting, fishing, growing their own food in small gardens and working at the mine when work was available.

The children of the families there lived carefree lives; swimming in the lake during summer heat waves, sunset beach firs, and fishing excursions on the lake. The only drudgery was the school commute. Before the arrival of the railway, the kids would have to walk five kilometres into Cumberland to make class!

In 1934 the lake flooded. Causing devastation to many of the cabins and homes of the families in Whyte’s Bay. Many decided to move to Cumberland instead of relocating their houses to higher ground, and when No. 4 Mine shut in 1935, more followed in their footsteps.

However, many families continue to enjoy Whyte’s Bay as a popular spot throughout summer. Walking the driftwood-covered shoreline, you’ll spot stone piles, painted rocks, and wood carvings.

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Flooded cabins at the lake (988.062.007)

Trek through overgrown clearcut, and you’ll find this disbanded logging shackle. Once an unblemished piece of equipment, this now rusted and seized tool was used for connecting logging equipment to cables or chains.

It wasn’t just the coal that hid under the hills that lured industrialists to the Island’s lakeshores; it was the green gold of Douglas fir that covered them, too.

By 1920, BC had established itself as Canada’s largest supplier of lumber.

After attaining control of logging rights around Comox Lake, the Comox Logging and Railway Company established an array of infrastructure to support their operations. They built a rail line from the east end of the lake to Royston in 1927, and in 1929, a floating A-frame camp to log the steep banks of the lake.

By using a powerful donkey engine, the floating A-frame would pull logs from up to 1200 feet up the banks of the lake into the water. Once in the water, a tug boat would haul them to the railway line.

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A-frame crew (982.133.007)
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Logging crew at Comox Lake (986.101.014)

Log Stamper
hammer, marking (990.015.001)

This local branding tool a the logging stamps, was used to establish which company harvested the timber. This one, is the proud stamp of the Comox Logging and Railway Company. A company that dominated logging on the shores of Comox Lake.

In 1932 Lake Camp was built on the Lake, just at the mouth of the Puntledge River, and became the center of logging operations around Comox Lake.

Lake Camp prospered into a bustling community.

On shore, fifty cabins are built to house married loggers and their families. A machine and blacksmith shop, a large school and a dance hall is also built with the isolated community. While floating on the lake are bunkhouses (holding over a hundred single working men), offices, the cookhouse, the meat house, the boiler house and a woodyard.

Its spirited community dynamic set Lake Camp aside from all other logging camps. While others operated predominantly with only single bachelor, Lake Camp was a thriving multicultural community, with a vast array of characters, both old, young, local and international.

Cumberland General Hospital Record of Patients, 1927-1941
Cumberland General Hospital record of patients, 1927-1941 (994.016.023)

"Nobody wanted to work at Cruickshank."

Sam Telosky, in, Richard Mackie, Mountain Timber, (2009).

Scroll through the pages, and you’ll face some gruelling injuries endured by logging men.

Cruickshank Camp had an infamous reputation amongst the loggers, and its reputation as being a tough, dangerous and isolated camp still lingers today.

Memories around Lake Camp were of warm nostalgia with raccoons stealing from the kitchen, children running to school, and community dances in the hall. The Cruickshank Camp recollections lacked the same fondness.

In 1937 the floating portion of Lake Camp was hauled up Lake to the mouth of the Cruickshank River (the far end from Cumberland). The single men followed, but the married men and their families did not. The lack of community life, alongside the Camp’s infrastructure not being as modern as other logging camps, meant its workers were more transient in nature.

Life at Cruickshank was lonely and gruelling. There were no community dances, no meeting at the pub after a hard day felling. Day in, day out. Because of its tough nature, experienced workers sought work elsewhere, at logging camps with better amenities, like those in Ladysmith. The workforce of Cruickshank reverted back to representing the ‘Hiring Hall’ style and, as a result, attracted ‘greener’ workers with little to no experience.

Accidents were more prone at Cruickshank Camp, with four deaths in the space of three years between 1940 and 1943.

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Sling moving log with 5 men standing (993.034.001)
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Comox Logging and Railway Co. first aid teams (991.019.006)

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Elementary school room damage from earthquake (983.081.034)

While little evidence can be seen today around the lake, an old brick lying among the reminisce shoreline reminds you of the old cabins that would have stood on here but were washed away by mother nature. On the quiet Sunday morning of 23rd of June, 1946 a 7.3 magnitude earthquake shook the Valley and beyond.

The earthquake triggered a wave, said to be thirty feet high, swept across the lake on the southwest end, furthest from Cumberland. The Cruickshank Logging Camp felt its full force. Donkey engines were thrown from the Camp’s wharf, and all but two mooring piles were torn from the harbour and washed ashore. A twenty-foot motorboat was flung forty-five feet inland and wedged into bushes.

It’s rumoured that one worker was on the wharf when the wave rolled in and sprinted in a panic for higher ground, just avoiding the disaster. He only suffered a wet foot or two after successfully making it off the wharf and up the bank.

The earthquake completely reshaped the landscape surrounding the lake. The water rose. Cabins that lined its shores were washed away, beaches submerged, and trees that formerly lined its banks canted over.

Although we often think of industries such as mining, logging and hydropower, as irrevocably changing the environment, it is important to remember that natural disasters can have equally devastating results. Earthquakes, tornados, and wildfires can destroy ecosystems in one fell swoop.

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Road damage from earthquake (983.081.035)

Ski Buttons
button, membership (2021.004.003)

I was a member of the Fanny Dunker Ski Club as a kid. Yeah. That's the place that you went to ski. So, There was no Mount Washington. And in the day, you used to have to walk to the base of the rope tow. They could only go up so far with the buses and the cars. It was only a rope tow when I was a kid. But, you know, we used to go up every weekend to ski lessons... there really wasn't much... but you had lots of fun. It's really all you needed.

Debara Jackson (2023).

The rays of the sun glint of a shining piece of metal catching your eye. It’s a dirt-covered pin, and with a little vigour to wipe it clean, you discover it’s a token from Forbidden Plateau Ski Hill. People started to hike up Mount Beecher from Bevan as early as the 1920s in search of those sweet turns. Shortly after, Ben Hughes, publisher of the Courtenay-Comox Argus newspaper, dubbed the area as the infamous ‘Forbidden Plateau’ following an interview with local, Clinton Wood, who suggested naming it with a ‘bit of mystery’ to add to its allure.