Courtenay & District Museum
207 Fourth Street V9N 1G7 Courtenay, BC, Canada

January 2021 Gift Shop News The gift shop features items created by talented local artists. New to our inventory is the work of James Wood. James' pieces begin with a base of either agate, amethyst or amazonite; he then creates and attaches mushrooms that appear to be growing out of the stone. Each piece is unique. Prices range from $70 to $400.... Make sure to check them out.

Congratulations to Heather and Craig Windley who are the lucky winners of Step into Wilderness books. Heather's name was chosen at random for sharing her favourite Comox Valley spot or outdoor pursuit. So, what was Heather's fav? "A walk or boat ride on Comox Lake with Craig Windley." To purchase your copy of our newest book, visit our gift shop, or click here: https://bit.ly/3nF6Jhw

Stepping into Wilderness: January 2021 Here is the latest installment of an image from our newest book Step into Wilderness A Pictorial History of Outdoor Exploration in and around the Comox Valley. Photo credit: Doris Macdonald, Jack Hough, Roy Macdonald, Sheelagh Corfield and Jerry Macdonald on Forbidden Plateau, Christmas 1944. CDM 993.39.12. Page 106.

Christmas Gift Ideas from Comox Valley Artisans Part 6 With Christmas arriving in just a few hours, it’s a great time to promote the local artisans whose goods we carry in our shop. Do come in and support them, and us, by buying local. ****Hot Chocolates****... Hot Chocolates produce the very tasty Elasmo Bars in milk and dark chocolate. Who wouldn’t like one of these in their stocking? The gift shop is open until 1pm on December 24th. Or you can call 250-334-0686 to arrange for pick up.

Christmas Gift Ideas from Comox Valley Artisans Part 4 With Christmas arriving in just a few hours, it’s a great time to promote the local artisans whose goods we carry in our shop. Do come in and support them, and us, by buying local. ****Knotty Handmade Creations****... Local hand knitted dishcloths by Diana Briggs from Royston. Fun designs like cats, owls, fruit, flowers and more. They are very high quality cotton and make great stocking stuffers. The gift shop is open until 1pm on December 24th. Or you can call 250-334-0686 to arrange for pick up.

Christmas Gift Ideas from Comox Valley Artisans Part 5 With Christmas arriving in just a few hours, it’s a great time to promote the local artisans whose goods we carry in our shop. Do come in and support them, and us, by buying local. ****Winking Owl Design Cards****... Very popular bright and cheerful cards by local artisan Debbie Bowles. Lots of Comox Valley scenes including winter at Mount Washington. These would make perfect Christmas cards. The gift shop is open until 1pm on December 24th. Or you can call 250-334-0686 to arrange for pick up.

Historic Holiday Recipe for Fudge Homemade fudge as a Christmas gift sounds divine! This recipe from Mrs. E. Evelyn Hilton of Royston notes that the fudge is Specially good for Overseas parcels. The recipe comes from a local cookbook with a nebulous history as it’s missing the cover and publishing information. What’s for definite is that it was full of much-loved dishes as the pages are worn and covered in splatters from repeated use. ... If anyone makes this recipe, please let us know how it turned out! Photo Credit: CDM 997.510.1

Christmas Gift Ideas from Comox Valley Artisans Part 3 With Christmas arriving in just a few hours, it’s a great time to promote the local artisans whose goods we carry in our shop. Do come in and support them, and us, by buying local. ****Royston Roasting Company****... Pick up a pound or two of Elasmosaur Roast Coffee which is custom roasted by Royston Roasting Company. We carry delicious medium roast as ground or whole beans. The gift shop is open until 1pm on December 24th. Or you can call 250-334-0686 to arrange for pick up.

Happy holidays from the Courtenay and District Museum board and staff. Be kind, be calm, be safe.

This Remembrance Day, we are proud supporters of all our veterans and first-responders who have given their lives for the Canada we enjoy today. This poppy season will look different but you can still find a poppy: https://www.legionbcyukon.ca/what-we-do/2020-poppy-campaign Also, a reminder - we will be closed on November 11th, in observance of Remembrance Day. #GetYourPoppy

Christmas Gift Ideas from Comox Valley Artisans Part 2 With Christmas arriving in just a few days, it’s a great time to promote the local artisans whose goods we carry in our shop. Do come in and support them, and us, by buying local. ****GypsyChic Stylish Artisan Jewelry****... Beautiful jewelry by Royston artisan Cheryl Webster. All jewelry is lead, nickel and plastic free. Beads and charms are purchased from artists both locally and worldwide and are then designed into unique pieces. The gift shop is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Or you can call 250-334-0686 to arrange for pick up.

We witch you a Happy Halloween!

Watershed Moments: October 2020 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.

Just For Fun October 2020 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 - https://bit.ly/3jqpMKF) 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!

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.

It's All There in Black and White: October 2020 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. ... Need a larger version? https://bit.ly/2TnusGj

Come in to see our latest exhibit: Finding a Voice Now to October 19, 2020 A reminder that this travelling exhibit from Craigdarroch Castle is on display in our second floor gallery for just a few more weeks.... Make plans to drop by and have a look. https://www.courtenaymuseum.ca//our-exhibi/current-exhibit

Watershed Moments: September 2020 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: View of the river from the Courtenay Bridge, 1909. Lewis Park is on the right and the building in the back is identified as the "old slaughter house." Photo CDM Stubbs Collection. Page 63.

It's All There in Black and White: September 2020 Fitness through long distance running isn’t for everyone but 40 years ago Bent Harder was taking it all in stride. In this article from the September 26, 1980 Comox District Free Press, Debra Martin profiles Harder’s journey from short jogs to marathon training. Need a larger version?... https://bit.ly/2S3Wbv1 See more

Exclusive photos of our 85 Million Year Old Discovery on Trent River! These two photos were taken prior to the extraction, high up on a cliff wall on the Trent River. Summer 2020 has been an exciting time for staff and volunteers at the Courtenay and District Museum. Natural History Curator, Pat Trask, discovered a fossil on the Trent River that may be the fossilized remains of a juvenile elasmosaurus, a longnecked, marine reptile. This follows Trask’s brother, Mike Trask, ...having discovered the large Puntledge elasmosaur in 1988 and others having made significant discoveries. Popular fossil field trips are part of the museum’s year-round museum programming and Trask, who leads these tours, had found some pieces of the skeletal remains which had fallen from the bank over the past three years. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this project and to the Ngan Page Foundation for their 2020 donation towards natural history projects at the Courtenay and District Museum. If you’d like to learn more about this exciting discovery here are links to explore: Times Colonist - Twins find two 85-million-year-old dinosaurs 32 years apart (https://bit.ly/2FYLIip) Chek News - Dinosaur find near Cumberland could be second elasmosaur found by brothers (https://bit.ly/30bBdPh) Comox Valley Record - Fossil discovery could be Comox Valley’s second elasmosaur (https://bit.ly/3ieEcwG)

A local perspective on our latest fossil discover on the Trent River and a photo of what was preserved. We'll keep you up to date on the latest as we learn more about this exciting discovery!

The Courtenay & District Museum and our very own Pat Trask was in the news this week for an exciting reason! A new fossil was found, possibly an elasmosaur, in a very challenging location along the Trent River. Over the weekend they mounted a dramatic extraction 35 feet above the river. You can watch the video about this below. We're excited to see what we learn from these new fossils!... If you'd like to see an elasmosaur in person, come in for a visit, we're now open.

It's All There in Black and White: August 2020 A multi-talented feline made good south of the border. The Comox District Free Press of September 9, 1937 carried the story of his lucky break on the front page. Need a larger version?... https://www.courtenaymuseum.ca/its-all-there-in-black-and-/ See more

Watershed Moments: August 2020 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: Postcard showing the view over the Dyke Flats towards Courtenay, after 1926. The photo was likely hand-tinted by Spalding’s wife, Ida Merle Spalding. Joseph Frederick Spalding photograph. Photo: 999.154.2.

Drop by the museum gift shop and check out the fresh new look! The underwater theme has been retired to make way for a shabby chic vibe with lots of open space that is great for social distancing. Shelves are full of innovative gifts with an emphasis on locally made items. Lots of great gifts for yourself or your friends at fabulously good prices.... The gift shop is open the same hours as the museum: Tuesday to Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm. You can also see some of our merchandise on this Facebook page!

A Sincere Thank You to Dr. Alan Pritchard Courtenay and District Museum Board and staff extend a deep and sincere thank you to the late Allan Duncan Pritchard for his gift of a significant portion of his estate to the Courtenay and District Museum. At his bequest, this gift will support research and education related to local social history. Before he passed away, Dr. Allan Pritchard's research and provision of records played an important role in forming part of the narrativ...e for the museum's 2015 publication Watershed MomentsA Pictorial History of Courtenay and District published by Harbour Publishing. He then provided funds for the museum’s second publication Step Into WildernessA Pictorial History of Outdoor Exploration in and around the Comox Valley to be published by Harbour Publishing October 1, 2020. Allan Pritchard’s life-long scholarly interests live on to play a significant role in furthering human history studies in British Columbia. We are also grateful to his niece and nephew Sandra Neal, Ron Pritchard and families for their time and generosity in this matter. Learn more about Dr. Pritchard: https://legcy.co/3lbjBfF