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.

Person

Resistance & ResilienceMiningLabour Movement

Albert “Ginger” Goodwin

Role: Coal miner and activist

Date of birth: 10 May 1887

Date of death: 27 Jul 1918

Cause of death: Gunshot

Age at death: 31

Albert "Ginger" Goodwin was born on May 10th 1887 in Treeton, Yorkshire, U.K. As a boy, he joined his father working in the British coal mines, and at the age of 19, Albert emigrated to Canada in 1906 to work the Canadian mines. His journey led him to Halifax, where he arrived on September 1st, 1906. Shortly thereafter, he ventured further west and eventually settled in Cumberland during the fall of 1910. During his time in Cumberland, Goodwin lived at 2725 Penrith, where he boarded with the Clark family.

After the Big Strike, blacklisted by the Canadian Collieries Co. for his leading role alongside Joe Naylor and other key antagonists, he was forced to leave Cumberland in search of work in 1914. He worked in various mines in the British Columbia mainland during this period before returning to Cumberland. In 1918, after being initially found not fit for duty and following a controversial health re-evaluation, Albert was conscripted. A conscientious objector, Albert and the union attempted to have him exempted but were unsuccessful. Albert was forced to flee. On July 27th, 1918, Constable Dan Campbell, part of the special police tasked with tracking down conscientious objectors, shot and killed Albert at Comox Lake.

Outside of mining and activism, Goodwin was also an accomplished soccer player.