The Qualicum Beach Museum chronicles the 150-year history of the town's growth from pioneer outpost to full-fledged community. It also taps much deeper into the area's ancient past with a remarkable set of fossils collected by museum curator Graham Beard in association with the Vancouver Island Paleontology Museum Society.
Qualicum History
The second floor of the museum is dedicated to relatively recent history. A large mural depicts early pioneer life, the small-scale logging industry and the town's first golden age in the 1920s when the Qualicum Beach Hotel was hosting film stars like Bob Hope and Spencer Tracey. Recreations of a school room (complete with period graduation photos) and dressmaker's shop are here along with memorabilia one of the town's early doctors and its leading citizen, Brigadier General Noel Money.
Paleontology and Fossil Collections
On the ground floor is one of western Canada's finest paleontology collections. The main attractions are a pair of 70,000 year-old skeletons. One is a cave bear from the Ukraine. The other is a female walrus nicknamed Wandering Rosie (after the scientific name of the species, Obobenus rosmarus) that was found on a local beach by an oyster fisherman.
Powerhouse
Also open for tours is the adjacent Powerhouse. Here the town's first electricity was generated in 1929. While the original diesel engine is gone, a similar period replacement was found, installed and continues to be periodically fired up. The museum is located at the junction of Beach and Sunningdale Roads across from the heritage train station. The museum complex is open daily except Mondays from May to September. When possible, Beard is happy to open the museum by appointment. Fossil lovers will be awed by this former biology instructor's knowledge and enthusiasm for the collection and local, natural history. Contact him through the Visitor Centre.