 First Nations Mural, Tourism BC/Adrian Dorst photo
Cowichan First Nations The Cowichan First Nations, a multi-tribe branch of the Coast Salish, lived off the land and sea here for millennia. Chemainus is an anglicized version of "Tsa-mee'-nis," the name of a band that lived at the mouth of what is now the Chemainus River.
European Settlement and Industry Spanish explorers arrived in 1791 and trading began with the Hudson Bay Company in the 1820s. The first European settlers cleared land here in 1858. Four years later a water-driven sawmill was operating at the edge of Horseshoe Bay, the deep-water port on the town's south-east side that in time would be home to a succession of increasingly large lumber mills. Chinese immigrants (aka "The Bull Gang") were a major part of the local work force. A library and hospital had been established by 1904 as Henry Croft and other miners excavated iron ore from the rocky ground. Lumber remained the town's lifeblood, however. When the mill was on the verge of closing in the early 1980s, local residents turned to tourism as a last-gasp means to create jobs and effectively save the town. The award-winning mural program was the shot in the arm Chemainus needed to survive and prosper. Town Murals  Images of First Nations people, maritime adventurers, steam engines crossing trestle bridges, pioneer settlers, and town legends like the Chinese merchant and bootlegger Hong Hing adorn almost every available brick wall locally. The Chemainus Festival of Murals Society continues to invite artists to paint new wallscapes and has launched a series of reproductions of paintings by famed Vancouver Island artist Emily Carr.
Guided Tours Follow the yellow sidewalk footprints on a self-guided tour of the murals. Or join the first lady of Chemainus, Isabelle Askew (aka actress Michelle Lieffertz) on a highly entertaining walkabout that departs regularly from the centre throughout the summer. Dressed in period costume, Mrs. Askew recounts vivid tales about the murals and speaks of her own remarkable story - arriving as a young girl in Victoria on a "bride ship" from England and marrying the town's 1860s-era driving force, mill owner Thomas George Askew. Guided tours are also available via horse-drawn carriage and the Chemainus Express, a blue and orange trolley car fashioned after a steam engine. Both depart from Waterwheel Park. Local Museums For more information on the region's social history, check out the Chemainus Valley Museum in Waterwheel Park across from the Visitor Centre. Drop into the Olde School House Museum near the town's Salt Spring Island ferry dock for insights into the timber and mining history of nearby Crofton, Stop by the Visitor Centre for more information about Chemainus' culture and history.
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