West of the 5th : British Columbia

Showing posts with label British Columbia. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 29, 2023

Courtenay Train Station

I like finding unexpected things. While exploring Courtenay, British Columbia, I found myself in a part of the city I had apparently never seen before. I have memories of places and stores just a few blocks away though.

In 1912, work began and land was being cleared in order to make room for a roundhouse, machine shops, and a station, as part of a stop on the Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway.

Courtesy of the Courtenay & District Museum

The Courtenay Train Station was completed in 1914 and the first passenger train arrived on August 6, 1914. The line was to continue north to Campbell River. However, World War I put a stop to all future plans. As the war ended, highways and trucking services had improved and this became the end of the line.

Though this was the end of the line, it was still an important part of life in Courtenay. Passengers, mail, farm equipment, trucks, and sometimes livestock arrived by passenger and freight trains. Trains here would use the wye (Y), instead of the more common roundhouse, just past the station to turn around and head back south towards Victoria.

2009 Prior to closure. Photo from Wikipedia

The station was given heritage status by the City of Courtenay on 2002 and when it closed permanently in 2011 it was the Northern Terminus for the Dayliner service by Via Rail.

It appears that in 2014 a deal was signed (but not ratified) to restore passenger rail service which included money earmarked for improving track safety, replacing deteriorating wooden ties, steel repairs, and bridge upgrades. There was another news article from 2022 involving one of the same groups from 2014, still seeking government support and funding to restore passenger and freight serivce.

As of August 2023 the station is still boarded up and the tracks are overgrown.

References:

https://www.courtenay.ca/EN/main/community/heritage/architecture/courtenay-train-station.html
https://www.courtenaymuseum.ca/courtenay-e-n-railway-stations-100th-anniversary/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courtenay_station
https://www.islandrail.ca/deal-signed-to-resume-e-boards-need-to-ratify/
https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/foundation-makes-case-for-431-million-island-rail-service-for-passengers-and-freight-5385573

Friday, August 18, 2023

Malaspina Galleries

We spent one of our vacation days on Gabriola Island, this is one of the Gulf Islands located in the Strait of Georgia between Vancouver Island and the Mainland. It is a short 25 minute ferry ride from Nanaimo.

Gabriola Island is know for it's scenery and it's arts & culture. As one lady said to us in passing, "everyone here thinks they're an artist." We did see some amazing art and it does have a high concentration of artists.

One of our first stops was the Malaspina Galleries, however, this is not the type of gallery you may be thinking of. It is a natural formation that has been carved into the sandstone of the cliff by the waves. An awe inspiring testament to the power of nature.

Stayed tuned for our next stop!

Thursday, August 17, 2023

Prettiest Barn Ever

I seem to be really hot and cold with this blog, so thank you for sticking around! The next few blog posts will not be from my usual stomping grounds of Alberta, but instead all the way west to Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The ocean is always a welcome sight for this landlocked, prairie girl and it is where I have some great childhood memories. This trip I brought my son for his 2nd visit to the Island, but first to the areas we visited this time. I always call it 'the Island' as if it is the only one...

On our last night there, we stayed at a charming tiny house and just down the lane was the most magical looking barn. By this point I had already passed it twice without seeing it and perhaps I noticed it on the 3rd pass because the light was just right. Or maybe it was magic, it sure felt like I had stumbled into a story book or a secret place, but maybe that it just me being excessively imaginative.

Speaking of tiny houses, here is the one we rented. In the future I could live in one like this near the ocean and be completely content.

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Parliament by Day & Night

The Parliament buildings of British Columbia are located in Victoria, next to the beautiful Inner Harbour. I could spend all day/week/month just watching the goings on of the harbour. Luckily our hotel was also on the harbour.

I can't imagine this area without all the hustle and bustle of tourists and traffic. As you can see in the daytime photo, it's colourful and busy and I am here for it. Even if you have been here before (which I have), there is always something new to see. It's interesting being here as an adult with my son compared to when I went as a kid/teen with my family. A whole different experience!

At night the view from our hotel across the harbour was outstanding! You can see Parliament all lit up and the building next to it, which was lit up for Pride, was Madame Tussauds Wax Museum when I was younger (closed in 2010). Originally though, it was the Canadian Pacific Railway Steamship Terminal, constructed in 1924 and is now on the Canadian Register of Historic Places. It currently houses the Robert Bateman Centre.

It's easy and enjoyable (and I recommend it) to walk everywhere but for something different, try the water taxi! It stops at various points in the Inner Harbour and beyond. The one we were on was green, earning it the nickname of 'pickle boat'.

Tuesday, July 9, 2019

Clayburn Village

Not only was I 'West of the 5th' last week, I was West of the 6th and 7th too! Everything happened last minute and we headed off for a short trip out to Victoria, BC stopping at various points along the way and back.

I decided to look up ghost towns (BC has some great ones) but only 1 was near where we happened to be. Turned out to not be a ghost town at all but a little village with some history. Enough history that it was designated for conservation as a Heritage Site in 1996.

Welcome to Clayburn, British Columbia, at the foot of the Sumas Mountains. Info from the village website states that Clayburn was the first 'company town' in BC.

They Clayburn Company made bricks from the high grade of clay found in the Sumas Mountains. The factory built in 1905, was dismantled/destroyed in 1931 with scaled back operations continuing at a sister factory, Kilgard, further up the mountain. Clayburn's last local brick making facility closed in 2011.

During its heyday, not only did Clayburn make standard coloured bricks but they made buff coloured and specialty bricks. This made them sought after by architects and contractors for their originality. Clayburn bricks can be seen in many prominent buildings in Vancouver and Victoria built before WWI. During the 1920's the 'new wing' of the famous Empress Hotel in Victoria was built using Clayburn bricks. (The Empress deserves it's own post, it has fascinated me since I was a kid).

Not much remains of the original Clayburn brick works now (that I could see) except what looks like part of a wall, some ovens and pieces of brick embedded in the path way. The village itself has a quaint atmosphere with nice brick houses and lovely gardens. About half the original homes, a store, the church and the schoolhouse remain. The church and school are on the historic register of Canada.