I couldn’t agree more! Thank you for this. As a resident of Vancouver Island, I’ve driven this road countless times and found this very interesting! Funny that “idiot drivers” existed even at the beginning. Haha. The constant upkeep on this road back then must’ve been tremendous with how much rain we get.
It’s fine, but if people are going to correct your pronunciation, then they should tell you how to pronounce the words. So: COW itch un SHAW ni gun (Sha WIN igun is in Quebec. Sooke is pronounced like the name Sue with a k on the end! 😃great video though. I live in Victoria and I’ve travelled the Malahat many many times.
1. 1957. My grandpa drove his beat-up Plymouth full of cement over the hill to Duncan where he had a terrazzo job, then home at night. That was when there was still a gravel section of the road near the top. That car was a mess. 2. 1963. The Skylighters had a winter dance gig in Duncan. I was the youngest member of the band and, going back home to Victoria at 1 am, several of us had to stand on the rear of the car to get it over the snowy steep climb. 3. 1966. Blew up the engine of my Dad’s Zephyr carrying my jazz trio and gear to our gig at Cowichan Bay. It was a great gig, but had to pay for repairs. Met a guy who loved to ride his motorcycle on the centerline, no lights, late at night, as fast as possible. I have many more great memories of that road and its stories. Thanks for stirring them up!
Great Video, really enjoyed it and the mispronounciations did not bother me one bit. Ask an American to pronounce any of these (including Nanaimo) and see what you get. I'm 85 and remember travelling this road in the 1940's and the terrain is recognizable in much of the video. Someone commented on the railway, and there is a train visable near the end. As proof of the safety, my maternal grandmother was killed in an accident when the Model T slid off one of the bridges just above Goldstream cut off in 1936. Six of my mothers siblings worked in Chemanius, so monthly visits required traversing this route. I recall having to pass over several wooden bridges with each visit. Now living in Brentwood, and take the ferry to avoid this dangerous route--not much has changed, only the speed at which it happens.
Thank you so much for that information, I always love stories and facts about our beautiful Island. Your history is more intriguing because you lived it and you still live here , thanks again 🙏
Greetings from Chemainus. I always avoided driving the Malahat in winter as much as possible. It used to be fun the rest of the year, but now it is so clogged with traffic all the time.
I drove the Malahat today, December 3rd in my 1930s Maple Leaf hot rod truck. Thanks for doing this. I will share it in my Shawnigan and Malahat facebook groups Cheers eh!
So glad you've derived so much use from this footage, and thank you for crediting the Canadian Automotive Museum! There's a lot to unpack around the story of the 1912 Malahat film- among other things, it's the oldest footage taken from a moving car in Canada, as far as we know.
I was born in Duncan at King's Daughters Hospital on December 31, 1963, so here is my Malahat story. I was born with a cleft palet when I was 2 days old. My dad had to drive me to St. Joseph's Hospital in Victoria, while my mom's mom held me, so I would not swallow my tongue. It must have been nerve-wracking for my father and grandma.
Crazy that I do 100kms/hr while listening to podcasts and sipping my coffee along the same route today, but I would trade it in a second if I had a time machine!
Excellent video. I remember when our family would travel from Honeymoon Bay to Victoria in the 60's and 70s in our 57 ford station wagon to go shopping in Victoria. I still live on the Island and travel the Malahat all the time. Noticed the horse logging in the video . Keep up the great work. 👍💓☮️🇨🇦☕🦫
@@flivverchannel Could you imagine being the motorcycle Highway patrol man on that road then. You would have been riding some of the classiest motorcycles in history.
I was born on Vancouver Island and had lived in Victoria for about 36 years. Always loved my folks taking us kids camping at Gordon Bay on Cowichan Lake. And the Malahat was the best part of the journey. Thanks for the look back, I love vintage film and photographs of early British Columbia. miss it
For anyone looking at this and feeling jealous of their experience using the road when it was a fun adventure: you can experience something similar! Take a bike or e-bike on the trans canada trail that runs parallel-ish to the highway! It's got some hills that are steep as hell but it's a lot of fun and feels really similar to what you see in these clips. You can go from langford to cobble hill or even continue on the trail all the way to lake cowichan. It's amazing. Thanks so much for this video btw I really enjoyed it!
Thank you for this. I found it especially interesting as my grandfather and his brothers, as the “Butterfield and Hughes” surveying company, were instrumental in laying out the Island Highway, north from the Malahat. The first stoplight north from the Malahat, down into Mill Bay, is Butterfield Road.
Thank you for doing this video! Very cool to learn of the early history, and especially to see the early footage. I recognized a couple of points along the road, like the waterfront stretch leading to Mill Bay.
Thank you for a totally fascinating glimpse into the past. Truly eye-popping footage 😮 everyone should see this. To think, some folks complain about our beautiful Malahat, oblivious to the sacrifices made by those who built it. So ungrateful! I found it very touching to see the passengers wave as they trundled past the camera, and into-what was essentially, the unknown. Amazing😊
Must have been quite the journey back then. In the early 60s when I was a older teen I worked at the White Spot and after work a bunch of us would drive up to a highway restaurant at Cobble hill for coffee. This would be late at night with no traffic. Great memories.
Yes remember being into the White Spot at that time. Where dad met the sales man for buying the farm, as I remember. Was told not to say were were there early. ahahhahahahahah Always liked The White Spot.
Thank you for finding and sharing this interesting information about the early Malahat highway. My grandfather and great uncle both worked on that original road construction project. I can tell you are not from Vancouver Island, as you mispronounce Cowichan, Sooke, and Shawnigan.
Noting an improved version of the original still exists as BC 19. The 1912 film is amazing for it's time and has been well-preserved. Our friends to the north had excellent ideas and execution to build such a road in such hazardous conditions. Well done, Canada! BTW, I won't try butchering the names.
Thank you for this very interesting vid. My parents took their honeymoon through the Malahat in 1953. There were (still are) chalets there. I’ve been going across the Malahat my whole life, starting in the 60’s and still drive it about 6x a year. Now I know it’s story. Don’t worry about your pronunciation ~ we know what you mean and those are hard names for non-locals. Please keep up the great work.
Very interesting commentary on a legendary road. The archival film images are fascinating. Bravo! Congratulations on compiling this background at such a distance from the source. You should be forgiven the minor glitchs in pronunciation. At least you got Cowhichan right once 😉. Another point to note; in one of the shots you can see the E&N railroad which did traverse a similar route from Cowichan to Victoria and had been in operation for many years. But the railroad was designed for coal and timber. The devision to build a road for the citizens, not the industrial barons was another small turning point in the politics of the province.
This was a fascinating little snapshot of a stretch of highway with which I'm very familiar. I'll be sharing this with my Dad, as he has a love of Vancouver Island and of cars, and I think this will be right up his alley. Cheers!
WOW!! I just saw ONE MAN'S DREAM and learned more about Major MacFarlane's story!! Gosh--I just love history lessons especially with photos and movies. Thanks!!
Victoria resident here. Love this early footage of the Malahat (though it must have changed course at some point - I don't recognize any of the roadway!) Please add in the description who wrote and played the wonderful music!
Thanks for this. I drive this highway all the time and know a few places where you can still walk the old highway sections. Alot of hidden gems and cool old spots from that era along this route. Come see for yourself I can tell by the way you describe the places you are not from the Island. you did a good job regardless. Cheers
Lived in Lake Cowichan 81-82 and when we drove the Malahat to Sooke, we would turn off on Walker Road just past Goldstream park and head through the trees to Humpback Road. Quite a nice shortcut.
Thank you so much for this moving video. The word “Malahat” has always intrigued this cyclist. youtube took me here because of my previous meanderings. I was a novice cycle-tourist in 1971 and was cycling south, over loaded towards Duncan, when a local exclaimed something about the Malahat. I never got there. Cycle-touring is pure adventure and I happened to spot the sign for the Saltspring Island ferry. Cyclists are always attracted to ferries: I wasn't avoiding the Malahat, just missing it. Its all about following one's nose. Thank you for showing me this vintage Malahat
@@flivverchannel I pretty certain long before the construction was finished, before the first truck, some young male traversed the challenge by bicycle. He most probably boasted to his peers; the feat even recorded in local papers
Hello from Victoria. I even think I recognize the iconic bend at the top of the Malahat that looks out over the inlet. I think I'm going to drive up to Nanaimo tomorrow!😎
thanks for the video. I live in Victoria and the Malahat is still a dangerous road, but mostly because people drive too fast and don't pay attention to where they are going on the steep narrow bits. It probably would have been better to use the Sooke Lake to Shawnigan Lake route. As to the pronunciation of Cowachin.... Cow a chin, emphasis on the cow.
I remember my moms car broke down on the way back to Langford from a family dinner in Shawnigan (it was a 80s lTD crown Victoria) I don’t remember where it actually died, it was probably on the way back up tunnel hill or shortly after but we had to walk to ice cream mountain and I remember it being so dark you could barely see where you were walking. I think there was one spot that dropped off really quickly and I think my mom stopped to see where to walk, then the lights from a car going by gave us just enough light to see the drop off right in front of us. But we made it to ice cream mountain and I tried some tiger stripe ice cream and wasn’t impressed so I got something else while we waited for someone to pick us up. Thats my first memory of the Malahat. Thanks for the cool video!
I drive this road every day to and from work…it is the most beautiful commute in Canada; however it is just as dangerous as it was a hundred years ago and not really much wider
TY-great archival footage, and you might be American? Been on the Island my entire life and never heard those places described with so mis-pronunciations ...wow! Didn,t think I could still be surprised on Isle matters...lol TY.
@@flivverchannel Ah ok , the natives in Eastern Canada speak a different tongue, dialect , so your way of speaking the FN names makes sense, in Ontario ;)
Such an interesting documentary! My mother who was born in 1909 told me that ,as a young girl, she and her family would travel from Victoria to Shawinigan Lake for summer swimming. They went by horse drawn carriage over the Malahat.
Thank you for this. It would be helpful to adjust the pronunciation of Cowichan and Shawnigan - this would make the video as document more reliable. Shawinigan is in Quebec. Cowichan is an anglicization of Quwutsun, the indigenous name.
Grew up in Victoria, even back in the 60's my mother was afraid of driving the Malahat. I always assumed we'd go off the edge and plunge a thousand feet into the ocean, a parent's fear really affects kids. I ended up doing forestry work below the Malahat, brought me back to those early fears and my own active imagination. There have been some bad accidents on it (a hgh school acquaintance was killed on it 1 year after graduation) but I imagine many were bad driving or perhaps weather related. My parents also knew people that died on it or were in bad accidents.
It is interesting to see how different it is now. When I first remember the that drive. Some of the trees were new and one could easily see over them. Now not so. The basic rock formations still visible so for references . I Love seeing the old roads/ highways listening to people talk about them, most don't realize how those back then were a big change. To know ones past is to learn of ones future.
@@flivverchannel Yes, I would love to have someone who would like the walk some of the short old roads/highways. It is an ambition of mine. Funny how some have much better asphalt then what is put down now.
Watching from Nanaimo (mid Vancouver Island, just over an hour north of the malahat) the fact that Victoria was indifferent to the road but enjoyed it and lay claim to it once it was built is unbelievably Victorian of them. Hilarious to know some things never change
cool I lived at the top of the malahat. near mill bay. now in Duncan but couldn't tell ya how many thousand times I've driven the highway. but by all right I drive on the same highway today and everyday. it's cool to see it .
@flivverchannel well the road you see from then is the old road and unfortunately had been cut up a bit over the years but there are a few spots near goldstreem that are exactly the same but nee road. . I can do a drive to Langford and get the videos you would need. I guess lol. the old road you see runs along the lower section by the water and you can see that by the shot of the train above the road as it's now below the highway. that train also is a topic to cover and is a big reason the loging was accomplished here. but went out of service. the line is still here and cuts out property right in half. lol also the malahat technecly only goes from golstream to mill bay but the road went all the way to Crofton basically where I am currently. I'm not sure exactly how I can get a few videos to you but I'm sure you do . let me know and I can potentially do that. I'd like to be part of history. I seen videos from the BC gov that did a drive to from Langford to literally my property oddly enough but in the first years of the new ish highway. . super cool stuff. it's not changed to much in a hundred years .
@@flivverchannel absolutely. I actually have to drive from Duncan to Langford next week so I'd be able to get those done . but that's the new highway. lol I can sort out the lower old road , the one that started in Langford (glodstreem ) the first right and all that is still the same . just asphalt blatantly lol .. but the rock cut and streem on the right is the same . and this time of year is all wet and mossy . almost feels old.
Hey, thanks for this. Some neat history here. And its crazy to see the cars and know where they nust be, but to see the landscape so differently. I'm sure someone has probably mentioned the pronunciation, and that minor point is the only criticism. Please tell your Brother in Law "Thank you" for doing his draft, and thank you for putting it up for all to see!
In the late sixties and into the seventies, my grandfather was part of the Malahat patrol. They would patrol the Malahat and reported any accidents they came across by way of the CB radio. The base trailer they worked out of was parked at what was the Malahat Chalet.
Fascinating video! Im a life long island resident since 1981. Just this past weekend I met a nice lady off Aspen Rd (north of Goldstream Park) who owned a property that has been in her family since 1912. I imagine lots were sold to help pay for the construction.
My great grandfather came to victoria from germany back in the late 60s, his job at the time was car sales here, a family bought a car from him one day and unfortunately drove it off one of the corners on the Malahat the same day.
Amazing. I’ve never heard the history of the malahat. Funny to think it was an election issue back in the day and arguably became the most critical route on the island. If only the people that preached for its completion could see it today!
@flivverchannel it's not easy. Blasting and, of course, along the mountain edge, but the views are outstanding! Finally, they have barriers in place to prevent more accidents. When the train was running, it would often have passengers from all over the world riding for the view particularly of Ferguson Arm seen from the top of the Malahat.
fun Malahat story -- a Canadian Soldier ..nicknamed "robot man" ( named that because he was like a mindless automaton) -- he was driving a 6x6 heavy military truck towing a large Howitzer Artillery Canon over the Malahat arrived at the other side and the Artillery was missing -- it had come loose went flying off the mountain and was lost -- he had no clue it was gone -- I didn't hear if it was found but probably was -- he was working at a 7/11 store for years and years after that
Thanks for sharing. It’s neat to see some of the geography that’s still there today. In retrospect, the Sooke lk route would have been the better choice. The chosen route is still funnels down to a short section of two lanes through Goldstream Park that handles tens of thousands of vehicles per day and causes back ups for kilometres. The Malahat rd is often closed due to accidents or weather and effectively isolates Victoria from the rest of the island causing logistical problems
They may have had left hand drive, but seems they were driving in centre of road. Coming down and meeting a car, one would be white knuckled on the edge of the road, lol.
I saw photos of flivvers going through tbe Fraser canyon on corderoy roads suspended from the rock walls of the canyon. My granddad always took the train. He considered tbe road to be too dangerous. Wish I had his photos.
THANKS THIS INTERESTING AND I M VICTORIA BC ANDI HAVE BEEN UP MALAHAT AND SUMMINT YEARS AGO ITS SCENIC DRIVE TODAY AND I WONDER IF THERE THE MALAHAT DINNER ON OR NEAR THE SUMMIT AND VIEW IS SPEECHLESS
Love this video! Went to Gold Creek area on my tour of Vcr. Island. It was almost a ghost town and I wondered why? It is still quite recent that some of these passes were built and many areas like Lake Cowichan are still in their infancy, at least to the white population. First Nation can probably tell us much more about it?
Not sure if some of these sections of road are still part of the present day Malahat? The present day Malahat does not run along the coast. From Cobble Hill it starts through the mountain pass to the summit, and comes out on the other side in Langford. one thing that hasn't changed, is it is still a very scenic drive. Especially the part as you go through Gold Steam!
I don't know how much of the present-day road is on the original route. If we could figure that out and get some location-matched footage, that would be neat!
Pretty sure some of it is present day Finlayson, starting where everybody stops to watch the salmon run. In fact, I think I recognize some of it from having driven that road a bunch of times.
My grandpa told me if you were coming from Victoria and you saw lights you kept going but if you were going to Victoria and saw lights you pulled off the road and waited as the road was really only big enough for one car especially on the turns
Imagine that, a YT video that has substance and is informative with no click-bait title or fake drama. Thank You!
😅
I couldn’t agree more! Thank you for this. As a resident of Vancouver Island, I’ve driven this road countless times and found this very interesting! Funny that “idiot drivers” existed even at the beginning. Haha. The constant upkeep on this road back then must’ve been tremendous with how much rain we get.
@@pwnerpinistic Thank you for the support. I can't imagine how difficult it was to maintain that road then...
I was a records manager at the Ministry of Transportation and had the privilege of accessing the records. This is an excellent film.
@@lesliesanderson1300thank you!
🇨🇦He tried with pronunciation!!! How about “thank you for a great, informative content about a Canadian road”. Watching in Victoria BC ❤️🇨🇦
Thanks! My pronunciation was terrible. I will try to do better...
@@flivverchannel no prob only us islanders will notice😉
It’s fine, but if people are going to correct your pronunciation, then they should tell you how to pronounce the words. So: COW itch un
SHAW ni gun (Sha WIN igun is in Quebec. Sooke is pronounced like the name Sue with a k on the end! 😃great video though. I live in Victoria and I’ve travelled the Malahat many many times.
@@fionaevans7502 Thanks!
@@flivverchannel All good - how could you know? Really cool to see Vancouver Island content! Thanks for sharing. Watching in Victoria BC.
1. 1957. My grandpa drove his beat-up Plymouth full of cement over the hill to Duncan where he had a terrazzo job, then home at night. That was when there was still a gravel section of the road near the top. That car was a mess.
2. 1963. The Skylighters had a winter dance gig in Duncan. I was the youngest member of the band and, going back home to Victoria at 1 am, several of us had to stand on the rear of the car to get it over the snowy steep climb.
3. 1966. Blew up the engine of my Dad’s Zephyr carrying my jazz trio and gear to our gig at Cowichan Bay. It was a great gig, but had to pay for repairs. Met a guy who loved to ride his motorcycle on the centerline, no lights, late at night, as fast as possible.
I have many more great memories of that road and its stories. Thanks for stirring them up!
Thank YOU for sharing them with us!
Love your stories. Thanks for putting them out there!
@@shirleylangton7967it is our pleasure. Thanks.
Great Video, really enjoyed it and the mispronounciations did not bother me one bit. Ask an American to pronounce any of these (including Nanaimo) and see what you get. I'm 85 and remember travelling this road in the 1940's and the terrain is recognizable in much of the video. Someone commented on the railway, and there is a train visable near the end. As proof of the safety, my maternal grandmother was killed in an accident when the Model T slid off one of the bridges just above Goldstream cut off in 1936. Six of my mothers siblings worked in Chemanius, so monthly visits required traversing this route. I recall having to pass over several wooden bridges with each visit. Now living in Brentwood, and take the ferry to avoid this dangerous route--not much has changed, only the speed at which it happens.
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for that information, I always love stories and facts about our beautiful Island. Your history is more intriguing because you lived it and you still live here , thanks again 🙏
@@MrBee-jt3yd you are so very welcome
Greetings from Chemainus. I always avoided driving the Malahat in winter as much as possible. It used to be fun the rest of the year, but now it is so clogged with traffic all the time.
@@nadennight Greetings from Paris Ontario Canada.
Great video! My family used to own the Malahat Chalet in the mid 90’s
Interesting! Thanks for sharing.
Very cool footage! I love seeing historical stuff from the Island. My Nana was born in Alberni in 1922, still kicking too.
That's wonderful!
I drove the Malahat today, December 3rd in my 1930s Maple Leaf hot rod truck.
Thanks for doing this.
I will share it in my Shawnigan and Malahat facebook groups
Cheers eh!
Cool. I'll look for it, eh!
So glad you've derived so much use from this footage, and thank you for crediting the Canadian Automotive Museum!
There's a lot to unpack around the story of the 1912 Malahat film- among other things, it's the oldest footage taken from a moving car in Canada, as far as we know.
Thanks for making this amazing footage available in the first place! Truly fascinating!
What he said. 👆😎
I was born in Duncan at King's Daughters Hospital on December 31, 1963, so here is my Malahat story. I was born with a cleft palet when I was 2 days old. My dad had to drive me to St. Joseph's Hospital in Victoria, while my mom's mom held me, so I would not swallow my tongue. It must have been nerve-wracking for my father and grandma.
Thanks for sharing.
Crazy that I do 100kms/hr while listening to podcasts and sipping my coffee along the same route today, but I would trade it in a second if I had a time machine!
Wouldn't it be something to go back in time and see it?
Thank you, I love these kind of old historical films!!!❤
Us too!
Thank you! The Malahat is a beast at times but seeing this it could be worse. Much respect from Victoria
Thanks!
Excellent video.
I remember when our family would travel from Honeymoon Bay to Victoria in the 60's and 70s in our 57 ford station wagon to go shopping in Victoria. I still live on the Island and travel the Malahat all the time. Noticed the horse logging in the video . Keep up the great work.
👍💓☮️🇨🇦☕🦫
Thanks for the Beaver emoji! And thanks for watching.
@@flivverchannel
Could you imagine being the motorcycle Highway patrol man on that road then. You would have been riding some of the classiest motorcycles in history.
@victorchance1510 it would've been wild, trying to guide an early motorcycle along that road!
Would have been fun, lots of chewies and rooster tails.
@@victorchance1510 hmm, snacks while driving!
I was born on Vancouver Island and had lived in Victoria for about 36 years. Always loved my folks taking us kids camping at Gordon Bay on Cowichan Lake. And the Malahat was the best part of the journey. Thanks for the look back, I love vintage film and photographs of early British Columbia. miss it
Thanks for sharing.
For anyone looking at this and feeling jealous of their experience using the road when it was a fun adventure: you can experience something similar! Take a bike or e-bike on the trans canada trail that runs parallel-ish to the highway! It's got some hills that are steep as hell but it's a lot of fun and feels really similar to what you see in these clips. You can go from langford to cobble hill or even continue on the trail all the way to lake cowichan. It's amazing.
Thanks so much for this video btw I really enjoyed it!
Cool idea, and great recommendation. Thanks!
This was really interesting! Thanks! From Vancouver Island
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you for this. I found it especially interesting as my grandfather and his brothers, as the “Butterfield and Hughes” surveying company, were instrumental in laying out the Island Highway, north from the Malahat. The first stoplight north from the Malahat, down into Mill Bay, is Butterfield Road.
👍
As a Victoria home towner who now lives in Duncan I've travelled that route for over 60 years. Way cool to see it long before I ever did. Thanks.
Fascinating old film footage, isn't it? Rare.
Thanks to you and your brother in law for sharing this with us. Amazing video!
Our pleasure Rick! I'll encourage Harry to write some more.
I grew up in Shawnigan. Thanks, I appreciate this!
Our pleasure! Thanks for your good wishes.
This was very nicely done great job! I really enjoyed it!
Thank you very much!
Really enjoyed the film and learning more about local history. Thank you 😊
Thanks for watching and commenting. Cheers!
Thank you from Vancouver Island!!
Our pleasure!
Great historical video❤ Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for this beautiful documentary.
Our pleasure!
You earned my subscription. Thank you this was awesome! Hugs from Esquimalt
Welcome to Flivver Channel ! More automobile history from the pre-war period and more shed repairs and on road Shenanigans to come
really cool!! Thank-you for this video!!
Our pleasure. Cheers!
Wow thank you for sharing this!
Our pleasure. Glad you liked it
Thank you for doing this video! Very cool to learn of the early history, and especially to see the early footage. I recognized a couple of points along the road, like the waterfront stretch leading to Mill Bay.
Neat that you can ID some of the locations! I have not driven the Malahat - but hope to someday.
Thank you for a totally fascinating glimpse into the past. Truly eye-popping footage 😮 everyone should see this.
To think, some folks complain about our beautiful Malahat, oblivious to the sacrifices made by those who built it.
So ungrateful!
I found it very touching to see the passengers wave as they trundled past the camera, and into-what was essentially, the unknown.
Amazing😊
I really appreciate your comment. So glad you enjoyed it. Cheers!
Must have been quite the journey back then. In the early 60s when I was a older teen I worked at the White Spot and after work a bunch of us would drive up to a highway restaurant at Cobble hill for coffee. This would be late at night with no traffic. Great memories.
Neat. Thanks.
Yes remember being into the White Spot at that time. Where dad met the sales man for buying the farm, as I remember.
Was told not to say were were there early. ahahhahahahahah
Always liked The White Spot.
@@edwardcarberry1095😊
The duchess was very brave back then to do that trip. I get a bit nervous in places today, especially if it is raining hard. Great content, thanks.
You're not kidding! Those roads would've been sketchy.
Ya. Check out videos of the#1 Fraser Canyon from the same time. Now that is harrowing.
@@kevinoneill41 I will! Thanks
Thank you for finding and sharing this interesting information about the early Malahat highway. My grandfather and great uncle both worked on that original road construction project. I can tell you are not from Vancouver Island, as you mispronounce Cowichan, Sooke, and Shawnigan.
So true. Ontarian here. The pronunciation was a struggle for me.
The mispronounced words are irksome indeed.
@@flivverchannelto be fair, they are not the easiest names to pronounce! Thanks for the trip back in time! ❤️
Good on you to post this great video. We knew what you meant, regardless of your pronunciation
@@terryk1260thank you for the understanding. And thanks for watching!
Noting an improved version of the original still exists as BC 19. The 1912 film is amazing for it's time and has been well-preserved. Our friends to the north had excellent ideas and execution to build such a road in such hazardous conditions. Well done, Canada! BTW, I won't try butchering the names.
Interesting. Thanks!
Thank you for this very interesting vid. My parents took their honeymoon through the Malahat in 1953. There were (still are) chalets there. I’ve been going across the Malahat my whole life, starting in the 60’s and still drive it about 6x a year. Now I know it’s story. Don’t worry about your pronunciation ~ we know what you mean and those are hard names for non-locals. Please keep up the great work.
Thank you so much for forgiving my mispronunciations. Glad you found the video interesting.
Very interesting commentary on a legendary road. The archival film images are fascinating. Bravo! Congratulations on compiling this background at such a distance from the source. You should be forgiven the minor glitchs in pronunciation. At least you got Cowhichan right once 😉. Another point to note; in one of the shots you can see the E&N railroad which did traverse a similar route from Cowichan to Victoria and had been in operation for many years. But the railroad was designed for coal and timber. The devision to build a road for the citizens, not the industrial barons was another small turning point in the politics of the province.
Thanks for your understanding, regarding my terrible pronunciations. That railway footage is kinda a highlight 🙂
This was a fascinating little snapshot of a stretch of highway with which I'm very familiar. I'll be sharing this with my Dad, as he has a love of Vancouver Island and of cars, and I think this will be right up his alley. Cheers!
Wonderful. Cheers!
Excellent! Really enjoyed the "history lesson".
Dr. Lerner did a great job researching and writing this. It's fascinating. Thanks for watching.
WOW!! I just saw ONE MAN'S DREAM and learned more about Major MacFarlane's story!! Gosh--I just love history lessons especially with photos and movies. Thanks!!
Cool.
Thank You for this compilation.
Our pleasure!
I’m watching this a few days after they repaved it again. Now it’s the smoothest it’s even been 😄
😎
Victoria resident here. Love this early footage of the Malahat (though it must have changed course at some point - I don't recognize any of the roadway!) Please add in the description who wrote and played the wonderful music!
The music is from the UA-cam library. I will look up who the artist is
Thanks for this.
I drive this highway all the time and know a few places where you can still walk the old highway sections.
Alot of hidden gems and cool old spots from that era along this route.
Come see for yourself I can tell by the way you describe the places you are not from the Island.
you did a good job regardless.
Cheers
Hiking the old sections would be so interesting!
Lived in Lake Cowichan 81-82 and when we drove the Malahat to Sooke, we would turn off on Walker Road just past Goldstream park and head through the trees to Humpback Road. Quite a nice shortcut.
Neat!
I grew up on this road, living north and having extended family in the capital. I still love driving the Malahat with my own kids
Thanks for watching and for sharing! What is the road like these days? I imagine it is nothing like 1912?
Thank you so much for this moving video. The word “Malahat” has always intrigued this cyclist. youtube took me here because of my previous meanderings.
I was a novice cycle-tourist in 1971 and was cycling south, over loaded towards Duncan, when a local exclaimed something about the Malahat. I never got there. Cycle-touring is pure adventure and I happened to spot the sign for the Saltspring Island ferry. Cyclists are always attracted to ferries: I wasn't avoiding the Malahat, just missing it. Its all about following one's nose. Thank you for showing me this vintage Malahat
Neat. I hadn't considered this from a cycling perspective. Thanks for sharing.
@@flivverchannel I pretty certain long before the construction was finished, before the first truck, some young male traversed the challenge by bicycle. He most probably boasted to his peers; the feat even recorded in local papers
That this exists is pretty cool. Mispronunciations aside (we know lol) it's great information!
Thank you for the pass on the mispronunciations. I really appreciate it. I am really getting beat up about it here
Thanks for an informative video. Interesting to see what it was like in the beginning, especially since I drive it at least once a month.
The not-so-humble beginnings of this incredible history. Thanks for watching.
Hello from Victoria. I even think I recognize the iconic bend at the top of the Malahat that looks out over the inlet. I think I'm going to drive up to Nanaimo tomorrow!😎
Safe travels 😎
thanks for the video. I live in Victoria and the Malahat is still a dangerous road, but mostly because people drive too fast and don't pay attention to where they are going on the steep narrow bits. It probably would have been better to use the Sooke Lake to Shawnigan Lake route. As to the pronunciation of Cowachin.... Cow a chin, emphasis on the cow.
I've never driven it, but hope to someday. Thanks for watching.
I remember my moms car broke down on the way back to Langford from a family dinner in Shawnigan (it was a 80s lTD crown Victoria) I don’t remember where it actually died, it was probably on the way back up tunnel hill or shortly after but we had to walk to ice cream mountain and I remember it being so dark you could barely see where you were walking. I think there was one spot that dropped off really quickly and I think my mom stopped to see where to walk, then the lights from a car going by gave us just enough light to see the drop off right in front of us. But we made it to ice cream mountain and I tried some tiger stripe ice cream and wasn’t impressed so I got something else while we waited for someone to pick us up. Thats my first memory of the Malahat. Thanks for the cool video!
Thank you for sharing this wonderful memory
I drive this road every day to and from work…it is the most beautiful commute in Canada; however it is just as dangerous as it was a hundred years ago and not really much wider
😐
Where you see the road along the water, would that today be near Mill Bay?
yes it is, the tents you see near the small bridge is in Goldstream park.
Thanks for adding this modern context.
Looking forward to seeing this.
Hope it didn't disappoint.
I live in the Cowichan Valley. Thanks for posting
And thank you for watching, and for forgiving my terrible pronunciations.
@flivverchannel not bad actually. I've heard way worse. Cheerd
@@Creativecavemanagain cheers 🥂🍻
TY-great archival footage, and you might be American? Been on the Island my entire life and never heard those places described with so mis-pronunciations ...wow! Didn,t think I could still be surprised on Isle matters...lol TY.
(hanging my Ontarian head in shame) No, I am not American. My mispronunciations are becoming legend.
@@flivverchannel Ah ok , the natives in Eastern Canada speak a different tongue, dialect , so your way of speaking the FN names makes sense, in Ontario ;)
Really enjoyed this, thanks😊
You are welcome. We enjoyed making it for you.
It's scary being on this road sometimes, even with all the new stuff they added. Can't imagine what it was like when it looked like this 10:46
It must have been so dangerous, in those primitive cars.
Such an interesting documentary! My mother who was born in 1909 told me that ,as a young girl, she and her family would travel from Victoria to Shawinigan Lake for summer swimming. They went by horse drawn carriage over the Malahat.
Imagine that! I wish we could time travel..
Thank you for this. It would be helpful to adjust the pronunciation of Cowichan and Shawnigan - this would make the video as document more reliable. Shawinigan is in Quebec. Cowichan is an anglicization of Quwutsun, the indigenous name.
Yes, I feel bad about the mispronunciations.
Grew up in Victoria, even back in the 60's my mother was afraid of driving the Malahat. I always assumed we'd go off the edge and plunge a thousand feet into the ocean, a parent's fear really affects kids. I ended up doing forestry work below the Malahat, brought me back to those early fears and my own active imagination. There have been some bad accidents on it (a hgh school acquaintance was killed on it 1 year after graduation) but I imagine many were bad driving or perhaps weather related. My parents also knew people that died on it or were in bad accidents.
It seems to be an unforgiving landscape. Thanks for sharing.
I drove over the malahat twice yesterday sure has improved from this Such a cool video thanks for sharing it
Glad you enjoyed it. Cheers!
It is interesting to see how different it is now. When I first remember the that drive. Some of the trees were new and one could easily see over them. Now not so. The basic rock formations still visible so for references . I Love seeing the old roads/ highways listening to people talk about them, most don't realize how those back then were a big change.
To know ones past is to learn of ones future.
"To know ones past is to learn of ones future." Great quote! Yours?
@@flivverchannel Sorry to say? I don't know??
Maybe 60 years old? Maybe someone will answer your good question.
Thank you for the compliment.
@@edwardcarberry1095cheers 🍻
@@flivverchannel Yes, I would love to have someone who would like the walk some of the short old roads/highways. It is an ambition of mine. Funny how some have much better asphalt then what is put down now.
We still have roads that look like that one here in western North Carolina.... especially after our recent floods....
Your floods were devastating. Hoping everyone a quick recovery
Watching from Nanaimo (mid Vancouver Island, just over an hour north of the malahat) the fact that Victoria was indifferent to the road but enjoyed it and lay claim to it once it was built is unbelievably Victorian of them. Hilarious to know some things never change
"The more that things change, the more they stay the same." Cheers!
cool I lived at the top of the malahat.
near mill bay.
now in Duncan but couldn't tell ya how many thousand times I've driven the highway.
but by all right I drive on the same highway today and everyday.
it's cool to see it .
Know where I can find footage of a drive on the Malahat in present-day? I would love to do a follow-up video, comparing 1912 to present day.
@flivverchannel well the road you see from then is the old road and unfortunately had been cut up a bit over the years but there are a few spots near goldstreem that are exactly the same but nee road. .
I can do a drive to Langford and get the videos you would need. I guess lol.
the old road you see runs along the lower section by the water and you can see that by the shot of the train above the road as it's now below the highway.
that train also is a topic to cover and is a big reason the loging was accomplished here. but went out of service. the line is still here and cuts out property right in half. lol also the malahat technecly only goes from golstream to mill bay but the road went all the way to Crofton basically where I am currently.
I'm not sure exactly how I can get a few videos to you but I'm sure you do .
let me know and I can potentially do that. I'd like to be part of history.
I seen videos from the BC gov that did a drive to from Langford to literally my property oddly enough but in the first years of the new ish highway. . super cool stuff. it's not changed to much in a hundred years .
@@bluewater7211email me at flivverchannel@gmail.com and we can 'talk' about this offline. I would love your help.
@@flivverchannel absolutely. I actually have to drive from Duncan to Langford next week so I'd be able to get those done .
but that's the new highway. lol
I can sort out the lower old road , the one that started in Langford (glodstreem ) the first right and all that is still the same . just asphalt blatantly lol .. but the rock cut and streem on the right is the same . and this time of year is all wet and mossy . almost feels old.
WHAHHHHT!! amazing footage!!
Cool huh? When I discovered this, I had to share. I know how rare it is. Thanks for the kudos.
Awesome video
Thanks. Glad you liked it. Cheers!
Hey, thanks for this. Some neat history here. And its crazy to see the cars and know where they nust be, but to see the landscape so differently. I'm sure someone has probably mentioned the pronunciation, and that minor point is the only criticism.
Please tell your Brother in Law "Thank you" for doing his draft, and thank you for putting it up for all to see!
You are very welcome!
In the late sixties and into the seventies, my grandfather was part of the Malahat patrol. They would patrol the Malahat and reported any accidents they came across by way of the CB radio. The base trailer they worked out of was parked at what was the Malahat Chalet.
Interesting! Thanks for sharing
Fascinating video! Im a life long island resident since 1981. Just this past weekend I met a nice lady off Aspen Rd (north of Goldstream Park) who owned a property that has been in her family since 1912. I imagine lots were sold to help pay for the construction.
No doubt. Glad to meet you!
Really nice video
Thanks. Glad you liked it!
This is rad!
Glad you liked it!
Thank you. More please
You are welcome. More to come! Stay tuned.
Born and raised in Nanaimo!! Fantastic.
Thanks for watching!
You're proud of that? Lol what a loser
My great grandfather came to victoria from germany back in the late 60s, his job at the time was car sales here, a family bought a car from him one day and unfortunately drove it off one of the corners on the Malahat the same day.
Oh dear, that's awful.
Thank you for that.
My pleasure! Cheers.
Wild seeing the Malahat in its original form
Isn't it something?
My god, I travelled that road many many times..dangerous road…
Imagine what it was like in 1912!
Amazing. I’ve never heard the history of the malahat. Funny to think it was an election issue back in the day and arguably became the most critical route on the island. If only the people that preached for its completion could see it today!
Indeed! Thanks for watching
I just drove down from namaimo to Victoria a few days ago....the roadwork never ends
I suspect that the topography there is very challenging for the road crews
@flivverchannel it's not easy. Blasting and, of course, along the mountain edge, but the views are outstanding!
Finally, they have barriers in place to prevent more accidents. When the train was running, it would often have passengers from all over the world riding for the view particularly of Ferguson Arm seen from the top of the Malahat.
Solid. Commenting to hopefully boost this video
Thanks for the boost!
This is great
Glad you enjoyed it. Cheers
fun Malahat story -- a Canadian Soldier ..nicknamed "robot man" ( named that because he was like a mindless automaton) -- he was driving a 6x6 heavy military truck towing a large Howitzer Artillery Canon over the Malahat arrived at the other side and the Artillery was missing -- it had come loose went flying off the mountain and was lost -- he had no clue it was gone -- I didn't hear if it was found but probably was -- he was working at a 7/11 store for years and years after that
😯🫢
What a great video thanks.
Thanks! It was our pleasure.
Great video. cow-i-chan and shaw-ni-gan still, great video
Yeah, sorry about the mispronounced place names. Glad you enjoyed it anyway.
I dunno I think we should change it to “Schwinnigan” and “Kwichin”
@@neonsally 😅
very cool to see the footage !
Glad you liked it
Amazing what car is in your background
My 1926 Ford Model T. Lots about it on @flivverchannel
I'm looking forward to the side-by-side video comparison: then & now
Very cool.
😊
Thanks for sharing. It’s neat to see some of the geography that’s still there today. In retrospect, the Sooke lk route would have been the better choice. The chosen route is still funnels down to a short section of two lanes through Goldstream Park that handles tens of thousands of vehicles per day and causes back ups for kilometres. The Malahat rd is often closed due to accidents or weather and effectively isolates Victoria from the rest of the island causing logistical problems
Interesting. Thanks!
Well done video. We are not from Canada but we still found it interesting ....
It seems I mispronounced the placenames very badly. 😒 Glad you enjoyed it anyway!
My brother-in-law did a fantastic job on the research and writing, didn't he?
The film is a good example of how traffic drove on the left in British Columbia at that time. It didn't change on Vancouver Island until Jan 1, 1922.
They may have had left hand drive, but seems they were driving in centre of road. Coming down and meeting a car, one would be white knuckled on the edge of the road, lol.
Interesting! I did not know this. Thanks for letting me know
White Knuckles indeed
I saw photos of flivvers going through tbe Fraser canyon on corderoy roads suspended from the rock walls of the canyon. My granddad always took the train. He considered tbe road to be too dangerous. Wish I had his photos.
Interesting! Thanks for watching.
THANKS THIS INTERESTING AND I M VICTORIA BC ANDI HAVE BEEN UP MALAHAT AND SUMMINT YEARS AGO ITS SCENIC DRIVE TODAY AND I WONDER IF THERE THE MALAHAT DINNER ON OR NEAR THE SUMMIT AND VIEW IS SPEECHLESS
What year did you summit?
Love this video! Went to Gold Creek area on my tour of Vcr. Island. It was almost a ghost town and I wondered why? It is still quite recent that some of these passes were built and many areas like Lake Cowichan are still in their infancy, at least to the white population. First Nation can probably tell us much more about it?
Thanks for watching and commenting.
Not sure if some of these sections of road are still part of the present day Malahat? The present day Malahat does not run along the coast. From Cobble Hill it starts through the mountain pass to the summit, and comes out on the other side in Langford. one thing that hasn't changed, is it is still a very scenic drive. Especially the part as you go through Gold Steam!
I don't know how much of the present-day road is on the original route. If we could figure that out and get some location-matched footage, that would be neat!
Pretty sure some of it is present day Finlayson, starting where everybody stops to watch the salmon run. In fact, I think I recognize some of it from having driven that road a bunch of times.
@@ClaytonMacleodso interesting. Thanks!
Finlayson Arm Road, to be specific.
Great video 👍
Thanks 👍
My grandpa told me if you were coming from Victoria and you saw lights you kept going but if you were going to Victoria and saw lights you pulled off the road and waited as the road was really only big enough for one car especially on the turns
Sage advice, I am sure. Thanks for watching.
My best friend lives on 10 acres on the Malahat. I've shot some great drone footage of the area.
I'd love to see it! I can be reached at flivverchannel@gmail.com