Chemainus Murals

Two nights ago I stayed in Chemainus, a town on Vancouver Island between Victoria and Nanaimo. The town has a long logging history, and a multicultural one as well. When timber jobs were lost in the 1980s, Chemainus residents put their heads together and tried to devise a new look for the town. They came up with a program to paint murals all over the sides of buildings...there are about 40 in all. Chemainus is now a major tourist destination, with motels and latte joints all round, and tourists snapping pictures of the beautifully done murals. It's a fine place. This is a signature mural depicting the three tribes of Native Canadians that live in the area.

Like many other places on the west coast, Chemainus saw an influx of Chinese and Japanese during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Chinese were active in logging and retail; the Japanese were also involved in commercial enterprises until WW II, when the Canadian government did the same thing as the Americans; they deported most west coast Japanese inland, and many did not return. This mural, painted by a Chinese Canadian, honors the town's Chinese heritage. Blow up the pic and you can read the narrative.

The Solara is parked in front of a mural depicting stevedores at the town dock in the late 1800s.

The Hong Hing waterfront store, in operation 1915-1950.

This is part of a montage showing typical street scenes in the town from the late 19th to mid 20th centuries. Here a mountie band is playing in the 1930s.