Union Bay, British Columbia
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Union Bay is south of Hart Creek on the east coast of central
Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...
,
British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
. This
Comox Valley The Comox Valley is a region on the east coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, that includes the city of Courtenay, British Columbia, Courtenay, the town of Comox, British Columbia, Comox, the village of Cumberland, British Columb ...
community on BC Highway 19A is by road about north of
Nanaimo Nanaimo ( ) is a city on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. As of the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census, it had a population of 99,863, and it is known as "The Harbour City." The city was previously known as the "H ...
, and south of Courtenay.


First Nations

Prior to the 1780s
smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...
epidemic, at least 3,000 Pentlatch people lived in more than 90 large villages and small settlements throughout the area. Taking advantage of the decimation, the
Lekwiltok Laich-kwil-tach (also spelled Ligwilda'xw), is the Anglicization of the Kwak'wala autonomy by the "Southern Kwakiutl" people of Quadra Island and Campbell River in British Columbia, Canada. There are today two main groups (of perhaps five origi ...
(Euclataws), from an unaffected northern region, attacked with muskets, massacring and driving the
K'ómoks The K’ómoks or K'omoks, usually known in English as the Comox people, are an indigenous group of Coast Salishan-speaking people in Comox, British Columbia and in Toba Inlet and the Malaspina Peninsula areas of the British Columbia mainland ac ...
south. However, the 1862 smallpox equally ravaged the Lekwiltok. The 1946 Vancouver Island earthquake not only toppled chimneys in Union Bay, but also unearthed wooden posts in the sand and mud north, evidencing a former Pentlatch presence. During 2019–2020, excavations for a residential estate at the mouth of Hart (formerly Washer) Creek unearthed a number of Pentlatch human remains. The present K'ómoks First Nation comprises descendants of both the Pentlatch and K'ómoks peoples.


Railways

When coal deposits were confirmed in today's
Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...
area, the plan was a railway line to a wharf at today's Royston. When
Robert Dunsmuir Robert Dunsmuir (August 31, 1825April 12, 1889) was a Scottish-Canadian coal mine developer, owner and operator, railway developer, industrialist and politician in British Columbia. He was recognized as a National Historic Person by the governm ...
acquired the operation in 1887, and formed the Union Colliery Co., the track surveyors were redirected farther down the coast to today's Union Bay. The deep-water bay was better suited than Royston's shallow harbour. The
standard-gauge railway A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in Ea ...
line, which included a long
howe truss A Howe truss is a truss bridge consisting of chords, verticals, and diagonals whose vertical members are in tension and whose diagonal members are in compression. The Howe truss was invented by William Howe in 1840, and was widely used as a bridg ...
across the Trent River, was completed in 1889. In 1898, the bridge collapsed, plunging a
mixed train A mixed train or mixed consist is a train that contains both passenger and freight cars or wagons. Although common in the early days of railways, by the 20th century they were largely confined to branch lines with little traffic. Typically, servic ...
over into the river. Seven died and two were seriously injured. The twice weekly passenger service soon became daily. From 1929, only passenger services for shift workers remained, which buses replaced in 1946. Special trains remained initially for the annual picnic. In May 1914, the railhead for the northward extension of the E&N Railway reached Union Bay. Prior to the construction, a horse team took two days to travel from Parksville to Union Bay. In 1965, a Dayliner passenger train smashed into a freight car north, injuring four. In 1979, when a
CAT The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...
machine inadvertently damaged track at Mile 129 (a mile south), police warning lights alerted a northbound Dayliner passenger train to stop before a likely derailment. Union Bay was a flag stop when Via Rail on Vancouver Island ceased in 2011. Adjacent stops were about south to Buckley Bay, and north to Courtenay. At the railway crossing on McLeod Rd, not even a signpost marked the flag stop location in its final years.


Former wharves

Opened in 1889, the wharves were the largest constructed in BC. At the principal wharf, four colliers could be loaded simultaneously. The other wharf handled general freight, and coal if required. In due course, the Dunsmuirs had their own fleet transporting coal to
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
. In 1910,
Sir William Mackenzie Sir William Mackenzie (October 17, 1849 – December 5, 1923) was a Canadian railway contractor and entrepreneur. Born near Peterborough, Canada West (now Ontario), Mackenzie became a teacher and politician before entering business as the ow ...
purchased all the Dunsmuir mines through his Canadian Collieries (Dunsmuir). During the two world wars Union Bay made a significant contribution in supplying fuel for allied freighters. Throughout the decades, the port was known for its warmth and hospitality.
Blue Funnel Line Alfred Holt and Company, trading as Blue Funnel Line, was a UK shipping company that was founded in 1866 and operated merchant ships for 122 years. It was one of the UK's larger shipowning and operating companies, and as such had a significan ...
steamers regularly called to replenish their coal. The final sailing ship to call and load coal was the ''Pamir'' in 1946. The final freighter was the M.S. ''
Hikawa Maru is a Japanese ocean liner that Yokohama Dock Company built for '' Nippon Yūsen Kabushiki Kaisha'' ("NYK Line"). She was launched on 30 September 1929 and made her maiden voyage from Kobe to Seattle on 13 May 1930. She is permanently berthed as ...
'' in 1951, but coal barges continued calling during that decade. Owned by Weldwood (now called West Fraser Timber), the long abandoned coal wharf, with trees protruding through the trestle deck, was demolished in 1966.


Former coal infrastructure

In 1896, the colliery erected a "Luhrig"
coal washer Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as stratum, rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen ...
, and completed 100 beehive
coke oven Coke is a grey, hard, and porous coal-based fuel with a high carbon content and few impurities, made by heating coal or oil in the absence of air—a destructive distillation process. It is an important industrial product, used mainly in iron ...
s, using imported
fire brick A fire brick, firebrick, or refractory is a block of ceramic material used in lining furnaces, kilns, fireboxes, and fireplaces. A refractory brick is built primarily to withstand high temperature, but will also usually have a low thermal con ...
s. When fired in the ovens, the washer output produced a high quality coke. The
coal gas Coal gas is a flammable gaseous fuel made from coal and supplied to the user via a piped distribution system. It is produced when coal is heated strongly in the absence of air. Town gas is a more general term referring to manufactured gaseous ...
byproduct powered boilers operating in the locality, which included a
brickyard A brickyard or brickfield is a place or yard where bricks are made, fired, and stored, or sometimes sold or otherwise distributed from. Brick makers work in a brick yard. A brick yard may be constructed near natural sources of clay or on o ...
. During 1966–1968, all the structures were demolished. Abandoned for decades, many of the ovens had already collapsed. Vandals had smashed the windows of offices, storage sheds, the powerhouse, and the machine shops that maintained the railway rolling stock.


Former hotels & retail

By 1888, the bay was known as Union Bay. The community initially assumed the name of Union Wharf (or the eastern portion of Union), but by 1893, Union Bay was used interchangeably, before gaining predominance. George Howe, who built the Nelson Hotel in 1893, erected a store on the beach in 1886. Jack Fraser became a business partner in 1900. They opened the new Howe & Fraser general store in 1908. Howe sold his interest to Charles R. Bishop, becoming Fraser & Bishop in 1913. Bishop sold to Alf Horne becoming Fraser & Horne in 1917. Sidney Ryall bought the enterprise in 1948, while the surviving Horne family established a food market nearby. Edna Peters took over the store in 1951, and closed it in 1968. The demolition of the totally vandalized building was temporarily halted in 1976. A 1922 fire destroyed the Wilson Hotel, a clothing store, a butcher, and four residences. The subsequent Willis Hotel (1924) was renamed the Islander Hotel in 1962. A 1955 fire destroyed the Nelson Hotel.


Henry Wagner (criminal)

Henry Wagner, known as the "Flying Dutchman", robbed coastal communities, escaping to his hideaway by motorboat. One night in March 1913, while Wagner was burglarizing the Fraser & Bishop general store, two local police officers, Constables Westaway and Ross, confronted the pirate and his partner. A gunfight ensued, during which Westaway was fatally wounded. Ross managed to tackle Wagner and apprehend him after a long and bloody fight. At their
Nanaimo Nanaimo ( ) is a city on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. As of the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census, it had a population of 99,863, and it is known as "The Harbour City." The city was previously known as the "H ...
trial, Wagner was sentenced to be hanged that August, and his accomplice, William Julian, received five years.


Heritage Row

The elementary school (1915), church (1906), post office (1913), and gaolhouse (1901), form "Heritage Row" along the highway. In 1896, the initial school met in a company house. In 1899, the first schoolhouse opened. Around 1909, a second classroom was added. Replaced in 1915, later additions were a third classroom in 1922, and two more in 1953. In 2006, the school closed. The next year, the Union Bay Improvement District (UBID) bought the property, which became subject to a legal action regarding its future use. The Union Bay Historical Society, formed in 1989, bought, restored, and now operates the post office. The former gaolhouse, moved to the same property, is now a gift shop/museum. The gaolhouse closed in the 1950s. The post office is the older of only two wooden examples operating in Canada. The Union Bay United Church is still used for Sunday services.


Later settlement

The Union Bay Water Association, formed in 1953, bought the village water system from the Canadian Collieries (Dunsmuir). That year, renamed the UBID, incorporation occurred in 1960. In 1962, the 100-ton community hall was moved from the shoreline across the highway to the present location, once the site of a small Chinatown. By this time, offering the 200 inhabitants few job opportunities, Union Bay was considered a lifeless place counting on a pulp and paper mill proposal, one of a series of industrial projects that never eventuated. The UBID assumed responsibility for fire protection and street lighting in 1972. Nowadays, the former heavy industry has given way to the aquaculture sector, mainly harvesting oysters. The location is a popular retirement community. The main street features a boat launch, coffee shop, market/café, and heritage buildings. In 2020, Union Bay Estates (UBE), formerly known as Kensington Island Properties, broke ground at Hart Creek on a new subdivision to house at least 7,000 people (3,000 residences), with a proposed marina, hotels, and commercial district. The project had been on-again and off-again for more than 20 years. In the 1990s, the company had bought the land from Weldwood, which had extensively logged in the general area. A sales office/café/deli will feature images of the coal port history on the building exterior. The risk that toxic
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, buried during the coal port era, could be released, contaminating the marine ecosystem of the
Baynes Sound Baynes Sound is the channel between Denman Island and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The sound is a narrow western offshoot of the Strait of Georgia that separates Vancouver Island from the mainland of British Columbia. The area is act ...
area, makes the development of a marina problematic. The government includes the Union Bay coal hills among the priority contaminated sites in BC. In 2017, UBE disposed of 28 acres of contaminated land to the government for $1. West Fraser Timber, the lessee, and the BC government, are carrying out remediation work on local coal hills. A 2020 referendum gave rise to the dissolution of the UBID, with governance assumed by the
Comox Valley Regional District The Comox Valley Regional District is a regional district in British Columbia, Canada. It was created on February 15, 2008, encompassing the southeastern portions of the former Regional District of Comox-Strathcona, and centred about the Como ...
.


Footnotes


References

* {{authority control Unincorporated settlements in British Columbia Populated places in the Comox Valley Regional District Populated places on the British Columbia Coast Designated places in British Columbia