Nanaimo: The Harbor City (attempt 2)

December 4, 2024 By: Robert (Borealis) Dowe- Douglas

Location: 70 Rosehill Street

Mark Butorac
HIST 3991: Environmental History

Borealis (Robert) Douglas

12/4/2024

 

 

 

 

Nanaimo: The Harbor City

 

 

As the title of this paper suggests Nanaimo is a city on the south east coast of Vancouver island which it boasts at the continuation of the Trans-Canada Highway 001 through its BC Ferries Port at Departure Bay perhaps 5 minutes north of my actual location as well as having two other ferry terminals and a large shipping port. Personally I live in north central Nanaimo on Stewart Avenue which is in reality just the Trans-Canada Highway under one of many names as it traverses Nanaimo’s lengthy sprawl along the coast.

The History of Nanaimo Of course starts with the creation of Vancouver island which can be thanked to geological forces originating from the plate tectonics that Vancouver Island happens to be next to and these faults are also an extension of the famous “Ring of Fire” that creates volcanic activity all around the Pacific Plate so Vancouver Island having an origin in Volcanic activity is a given. The same Volcanic rocks that Make up Vancouver island also extent from Haida Gwaii and Alaska down to the coastal ranges that make up Washington and Western Oregon.[1] This led to the development of minerals such as Coal that would influence the development of Nanaimo’s economic and environmental history post contact.

This island is primarily a temperate rainforest, with the typical trees like Douglas Fir, Red Cedar and Arbutus trees making up the majority of the native flora, Rainfall is significant but even more so during the rainy season of October to march, Vancouver island rarely gets below freezing down in the south part where Nanaimo is situated and thus we get rain and fog in leu of an actual white snowy winter, however an Elder Lady named Della I talked to from the locals of Gabriola Island (an island off the coast of Nanaimo) stated that if the snow manages to fall below a certain point on Mt Benson (The mountain on the western side of Nanaimo) then we will see snowfall in the lowlands.[2]
The areas Indigenous inhabitants would be a denomination of Salish peoples that according to Wikipedia would be called Island Halkomelemt, however I have also encountered peoples of the Snaw-naw-as Nation in the northern part of Nanaimo called Lantzville, the Chemainus Band south of Nanaimo, and the Nanaimo band on the waters around Duke Point and Cedar. A simple google maps search will show that around Nanaimo today there are many reservations and lands that are under indigenous jurisdiction.

Citing a well researched YouTube channel called the History Of BC, I bring your attention to a video History of the Nanaimo Mine Explosion Posted only a month ago as of the date of this paper.
The Purpose of the Video talks about the mine explosion that happened here in the 1900’s however it does explain a great deal of background knowledge relevant to this paper. After Contact Coal was discovered in 1850 leading to the extraction of it from Nanaimo to fuel power and rail efforts on the island.  Before 1860 Nanaimo was known as Colvile Town which was named after a HBC governor of that name.[3]
Throughout the development of the land, many Invasive species as taken route, such as the English Ivy, The Himalayan Black Berry, Scottish broom, and English Holly. The City of Nanaimo has an entire segment of their website devoted to these invasive species[4] These Species have has an enormous impact on the island as even a short walk to the oceanside will show acres of Ivys on trees and thick bushes of Himalayan Black berries which as an aside I will add are horrible to try and navigate through on account that they are more akin to thorny vines then an actual bush. Plants like these and the natural expedited growth are primary reasons why Tree Trimming Operations that work for BC Hydro and Telus as an example to clear off the growth and undergrowth from Power lines and telecommunication lines are a multi million dollar industry. My friend Ben Gimbel who is a Powerline technician told me that “Once you complete your contract at the end of the year it is almost time to start the new contract at the place you started the old contract the next year”[5] This is him explaining that the trees and brush you trimmed at the start of the contract will be ready for a trim when you start your new contract meaning there is no shortage of jobs to do.
Modern Nanaimo now is trying to devote time and resources to the growing homeless problem but building affordable housing and get the homeless out of the parks and streets of the city. While I was working as a TCP on one shift I saw the hazard these people present in simply living on the street with their encampments and the impact it has on protected areas since these are places that authorities don’t often patrol. In contrast to home town of Dawson Creek which I had considered doing this paper on, Nanaimo has a homeless population because the environment allows them to exist here all year round. In Dawson Creek Temperatures can reach deadly lows of -57C like it did in 2023 around new years, people can’t survive that without shelter. Nanaimo with the fact that I personally have yet to experience it below 4C so far means that the Town and its Environment are green all year round, there is no winter here that someone from up north like I am can relate to and thus it provides safe enough environment that allows homeless populations to exist here.
Finally a paper about Vancouver Island and its Neighbor Vancouver wouldn’t be complete without acknowledging the impact of the Salmon populations in history and the modern steps taken to preserve them. Salmon formed a foundational staple for Indigenous peoples in southern BC and as well here on the Island. The Migration of the salmon population altered the living behaviors of the populations then and same as they do now. Nanaimo has a more sedentary population for sure as it’s a requirement of modern  society to not migrate, but the steps people take to not harm the salmon are nonetheless extensive. Up in Dawson Creek the people there and the watersheds drain into the arctic and Hudson bay, This is because of the Continental Divide that separates North Eastern BC from the rest of the province, while everything else including Vancouver island flows into the Pacific. You find all throughout Nanaimo on creek crossings and even storm drain covers that they always make an effort to remind people not to pollute because everything drains into the waterways and can impact the salmon populations. Over In the Costo Parking lot there was one such manhole cover that at a very basic statement has a painted symbol of a salmon to remind people that what they dump into the sewers affects the environment.

[1] 1. Geological history of the Victoria Region, accessed December 4, 2024, https://victoriaworldheritage.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Brief-22.-Feb-22.pdf.

 

[2] Bailey Della. Personal Interview with Author. December 2nd 2024

[3] History of BC, “History of the Nanaimo Mine Explosion,” YouTube, October 12, 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpPPbU5hW7k.

 

[4] “Invasive Plant Management,” Invasive Species, accessed December 4, 2024, https://www.nanaimo.ca/green-initiatives/natural-environment-and-ecosystems/invasive-species.

 

[5] Gimble Ben, NB Tree Service, Interview with Author. October 17th 2024

 

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