WALKING IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS Bud Logan
Parksville & Qualicum Beach
Photos Bud Logan
The Parksville/Qualicum Beach area was
not in operation anymore, and now the old station
originally inhabited by the Coast Salish. They lived on
is a potters’ guild and the old water tower has been
the ocean shores against a backdrop of an old-growth
restored and is looking great.
rain forest, it looked a lot different here then.
The town was already a vacation destination for tour-
The first settlers arrived in the 1800s and by the year
ists in the early 1900s, and this has only grown, with
1900, there were a number of families living in Parks-
the region now becoming a retirement area. This adds
ville, with a population around 250. The original set-
to the slower, friendlier pace that life is lived here.
tling families were the Craigs, Hirsts, Raths, and the Gaetjens. Quite a few of the other settlers who came after were related to these families. In 1884, they built a log church and it is still in use today. It’s a wonderful old building. For a few years in the early ’80s, I lived just behind the church, on Church Road. The old graves were from a place in history. Quite fascinating. The Parksville area has lots to do and see; there is so much history here and it is celebrated at the Craig Heritage Park & Museum. This a pretty awesome little museum loaded with the area history. For example, did you know that the early settlers would use snow shoes on their horses because the snow would get so deep? Well me neither, but this and so much more can be learned at this museum. There a number of heritage buildings on the site that were brought here from their original settings, this is a must-see when you are in the area–it’s just south of town on the Old Island Hwy. In 1910, the railway was advanced to Parksville along with a big increase with logging, and settlers began moving in—the town grew pretty fast. The railway is 8 | C O M PA S S M A G A Z I N E | I s s u e 2 6
The natural wonders are incredible here: you are only minutes from Raftrevor Park, Englishman River Falls Park, Little Qualicum Falls Park, and Cathedral Grove Park. All these parks have so much to offer, and there are many hiking trails at each of them, trails that are awesome journeys to hidden falls, birds everywhere and at times of the year, they burst in colour with wildflower displays. Qualicum Beach is right next door to Parksville and is known as the Garden Village. The town has been a repeat winner in the Communities in Bloom competition. You can see why as you stroll through town. There are flowers and hanging baskets everywhere and it is always so clean. It’s a beautiful little community. On the outskirts of town, 2 km up the West Island Hwy, you will find the former estate of the Milners. The gardens here are absolutely incredible, so grand are they that the Canadian Geographic Traveller Magazine named the gardens 1 of the 10 top Canadian public gardens in Canada in 2008. W W W. C O M PA S S M A G A Z I N E . C A
