My great-great-grandfather George Robinson was hired by the HBC to recruit the 24 families from the Black Country near Leeds. He was the manager of the first mine from 1854 to 1859. He had a falling out with the HBC and moved to Victoria by 1860 when he opened a photographic studio and painless dentistry. For a hobby he would take his camera to Esquimalt and photograph Royal Navy ships at anchor. Dad had his negatives stored in a metal box in the basement before he donated them to the provincial archive. He encouraged other family members to move to Nanaimo and his nephew, Mark Bate was Nanaimo's first mayor. I think he was mayor at the time of the explosion.
Great timing for this video !! In the news this week about how the old coal mine in Nanaimo is currently giving city and construction crews headaches with issues underground Another great video !!!
One will find that coal was barely a thing for electricity production in BC. The electric trams and lighting in Victoria and Vancouver were hydroelectric from the early times. Coal was used primarily for heating and gas production, and of course rail and shipping.
The vancouver island land grants is one of the most infuriating parts if our history, absolutely shafted every citizen on the grounds of public land ownership
Land grants allowed railways to be built. In BC the CPR had a 20-mile-wide strip of land on either side of the right-of-way granted to it, an earlier and far larger concession than the E&N grant.
great video, at 1:40 the picture of the Hudson Bay Store is located 200 km north of Fort St James in the community of Manson Creek. It's still there due to effort of the people live up there.
Excellent summary of this tragic accident. The memorial plaque is in an out of the way corner of town, so few people learn about it. Although, some of the gravestones in the old Nanaimo Cemetery on Bowen Rd. also reference the disaster.
You can't do a story on Trail, without including Rossland. Plus Greenwood and Phoenix. If you are in the area, the Number 7 mine is at the end of The City Of Paris road. There are still has some cabins standing and the old mine shaft. ( yes BC used to have a town called the City of Paris ) Plus Grand Forks. Midway, and Rock Creek. You could post a video a week, for a full year and still not cover all the forgotten towns.
It’s fair to point out that the explosion, injuries and deaths reported here was not connected with a Dunsmuir mine. It was an HBC-turned-VCML mine. Not that the Dunsmuir’s Wellington or Cumberland collieries were accident free, as there were several deaths there too over the years.
Very interesting video, Thank you for all your hard work. Even though I grew up in BC and am in the area at area at the moment I never heard about 5his disaster until now. Oh, that lighthouse you see in some of the photos is still there. Although I don't know how original it is. If anyone is visiting the area, they can still see some remnants from those mining days a short boat ride away on Newcastle Island. 😊 It's a beautiful provincial park, with a shuttle boat taking people across from old town Nanaimo in the warmer months. Now that winter is approaching, you can still take a water taxi, or the foot ferry to Protection Island and walk across to Newcastle with a set of rubber boots at low tide. IMHO it's one of the nicest attractions in the area.
By lighthouse do you mean the bastion building? It housed canon behind those small upper "windows" and was for the defense of the harbour. It went through a major restoration a couple of years ago and is quite original.
Don’t forget the E&N charter, considered a part of fulfilling the terms of BC joining confederation with Canada, was initially awarded to another party. The terms were not good enough for financing to be secured, so the government went, hat in hand and sweetening the pot, to the other bidder, Robert Dunsmuir.
Anything to do with coal on the Island will lead you to Craigdarroch Castle built by Scottish coal baronial Robert Dunsmuir. I great spot to check out in Victoria.
I used to know a gentleman that worked this mine & told me how he used to hear the Gabriola ferry going overhead. He told me of one flooding in the mine & he went back to release the ponies & because of this he was pulled out by hanging onto a ponies tail.
This was a very interesting and informative story. I was born in Victoria BC and had no idea. I have many questions. And will search out the source of this story to find out more. Any contacts would be greatly appreciated 😀
Lord Dunsmuir treated his workers terribly, especially his Chinese workers. I wish this video was not just a ‘history book’ showing but had some investigative stuff about the terrible conditions and the treatment of workers.
Anyone who grew up in a coal mining community knows the feeling of the mine siren going off. My experience was on the east coast in the ‘60’s but it means tragedy.
Always been a bit on the hard side . A skid row of sorts . The population is about the same as anywhere. I've never liked the place since way back , Expo .
This is greatly appreciated. It is not often my hometown is showing up on UA-cam.
Thanks for the information. I live in Nanaimo and this is the first time I have heard this story
Hope you enjoyed it!
There is a museum on Museum Way and Commercial St
My great-great-grandfather George Robinson was hired by the HBC to recruit the 24 families from the Black Country near Leeds. He was the manager of the first mine from 1854 to 1859. He had a falling out with the HBC and moved to Victoria by 1860 when he opened a photographic studio and painless dentistry. For a hobby he would take his camera to Esquimalt and photograph Royal Navy ships at anchor. Dad had his negatives stored in a metal box in the basement before he donated them to the provincial archive. He encouraged other family members to move to Nanaimo and his nephew, Mark Bate was Nanaimo's first mayor. I think he was mayor at the time of the explosion.
Great timing for this video !!
In the news this week about how the old coal mine in Nanaimo is currently giving city and construction crews headaches with issues underground
Another great video !!!
It sure is. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for putting out this video. Nanaimoites should know this story
One will find that coal was barely a thing for electricity production in BC. The electric trams and lighting in Victoria and Vancouver were hydroelectric from the early times. Coal was used primarily for heating and gas production, and of course rail and shipping.
Im always in awe of the absolutely giant coal moutain they have pilled up at the G3 terminal for the CN trains in North Vancouver
Another great video. Best social studies teacher ever! Keep it going you’ll be a tenured UA-cam professor!
Thank you!
You are very welcome
Really important info....I plan to visit the memorial and pay tribute because of this
I love this channel
Thank you so much
This channel is great
Awesome video. As a safety professional and Nanaimo resident, this is very valuable. Thanks!
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Thanks for doing this. This is story that needs to be remembered.
The vancouver island land grants is one of the most infuriating parts if our history, absolutely shafted every citizen on the grounds of public land ownership
Dunsmeir should have been stripped of his assets.
Land grants allowed railways to be built. In BC the CPR had a 20-mile-wide strip of land on either side of the right-of-way granted to it, an earlier and far larger concession than the E&N grant.
@@lmiddlemanits still providing money to CP Rail
great video, at 1:40 the picture of the Hudson Bay Store is located 200 km north of Fort St James in the community of Manson Creek. It's still there due to effort of the people live up there.
You beat me to it..🙂
i have been to Manson,!
No way, when I saw it I was thinking "hey that looks like the place I saw up near for St james..."
Small world.
this event is new to me.never heard of this before.im 67
Excellent summary of this tragic accident. The memorial plaque is in an out of the way corner of town, so few people learn about it. Although, some of the gravestones in the old Nanaimo Cemetery on Bowen Rd. also reference the disaster.
Awesome video. Thanks for the insight.
Thanks for producing this video. I learned some new things.
Great video. ❤
Thank you!
Great video. Please cover the story of Trail BC
Thank you! I will add Trail to my list of future projects
You can't do a story on Trail, without including Rossland.
Plus Greenwood and Phoenix. If you are in the area, the Number 7 mine is at the end of The City Of Paris road. There are still has some cabins standing and the old mine shaft. ( yes BC used to have a town called the City of Paris )
Plus Grand Forks.
Midway, and Rock Creek.
You could post a video a week, for a full year and still not cover all the forgotten towns.
It’s fair to point out that the explosion, injuries and deaths reported here was not connected with a Dunsmuir mine. It was an HBC-turned-VCML mine. Not that the Dunsmuir’s Wellington or Cumberland collieries were accident free, as there were several deaths there too over the years.
Great video
Very interesting video, Thank you for all your hard work.
Even though I grew up in BC and am in the area at area at the moment I never heard about 5his disaster until now.
Oh, that lighthouse you see in some of the photos is still there. Although I don't know how original it is.
If anyone is visiting the area, they can still see some remnants from those mining days a short boat ride away on Newcastle Island. 😊
It's a beautiful provincial park, with a shuttle boat taking people across from old town Nanaimo in the warmer months.
Now that winter is approaching, you can still take a water taxi, or the foot ferry to Protection Island and walk across to Newcastle with a set of rubber boots at low tide.
IMHO it's one of the nicest attractions in the area.
By lighthouse do you mean the bastion building? It housed canon behind those small upper "windows" and was for the defense of the harbour. It went through a major restoration a couple of years ago and is quite original.
Great channel
Thanks 🙏🏼
Don’t forget the E&N charter, considered a part of fulfilling the terms of BC joining confederation with Canada, was initially awarded to another party. The terms were not good enough for financing to be secured, so the government went, hat in hand and sweetening the pot, to the other bidder, Robert Dunsmuir.
Anything to do with coal on the Island will lead you to Craigdarroch Castle built by Scottish coal baronial Robert Dunsmuir. I great spot to check out in Victoria.
Pretty sure at least one of those miners is buried in the cemetery on Gabriola Island.
Probably. My family lived there when they first came to Canada, and they would have come for the coal mining.
I used to know a gentleman that worked this mine & told me how he used to hear the Gabriola ferry going overhead. He told me of one flooding in the mine & he went back to release the ponies & because of this he was pulled out by hanging onto a ponies tail.
This was a very interesting and informative story. I was born in Victoria BC and had no idea. I have many questions. And will search out the source of this story to find out more. Any contacts would be greatly appreciated 😀
The mine went to both Protection and Newcastle Island , with the latter being the most haunted Island in the Pacific Ocean 😮
That would make an interesting video one day. Thanks for sharing.
Is that house really supposed to be haunted James?
I am anchored 300 yards away from it.
I wish I was in town on Halloween to visit it.
This is so well done. With your permission I'd like to use some of these pictures and footage for my own documentary on the disaster.
Thank you. Please use whatever you need. I would love to see your project when completed
Thank you so much! I'll be sure to credit you and share when it's finished.
dang the drone shot missed my boat lol
There was a strike years after that, it was due to unsafe working conditions and poor pay.
My relative Andrew Hunter was the youngest to die in the disaster, pretty cool to see his name in this video
Lord Dunsmuir treated his workers terribly, especially his Chinese workers. I wish this video was not just a ‘history book’ showing but had some investigative stuff about the terrible conditions and the treatment of workers.
Anyone who grew up in a coal mining community knows the feeling of the mine siren going off. My experience was on the east coast in the ‘60’s but it means tragedy.
Downtown Nanaimo is actually built on top of a mine shaft
That's why they stopped the new construction DT,this was just a week ago. They've been redoing the fountain,roads,bust area etc.
They deleted my comment it was stopped here in Naniamo last week,they've been redoing DT Naniamo.
This video is good, but really only touches on the rich history of mining in Nanaimo.
Dunsmuir was not a miner. He was an exploiter of miners.
You just described 100% of all mining companies even today.
Unfortunately the industry writes my paycheques ( although not directly )
Aaaahhh...coal mining would have been the reason my Welsh ancestors came here...That last mine was still active when I was young.
smoked lots of weed as a teen at Morden!!!
4:12 Where what that? I doubt it was staged so the fireball must have been caught by a security camera. Very sobering sight.
Nanaimo is only known as a pit stop/junkie paradise, these days to anyone who is local. Definitely not known for its small town atmosphere or beauty.
Lived there in the 77 - 80 era ,lots of pubs,bit of fighting,a bit crazy,seen worse 🙄
Always been a bit on the hard side . A skid row of sorts . The population is about the same as anywhere. I've never liked the place since way back , Expo .
Nanaimo is not a small town…..lol
Well, the people certainly have a small town mentality. Provincial, and a mistrust of outsiders.
People are the same everywhere.
They can't even give some sort of name to the chinese workers so you just get to be number 1 and number 2 ...rude
Terrible event yes....but it pales to the disaster of David Eby.....
Oh give it a break.