The area now occupied by Qualicum Beach was inhabited for millennia by First Nations' Coast Salish peoples.
"Qualicum" is an anglicized version of the Salish word "sqal-li," meaning "where the dog salmon run." Englishman Thomas Kinkade and his family were the first Europeans to settle in the area. In 1878, the Kinkades built a log home near the mouth of the Little Qualicum River in what is today the Marshall-Stevenson Federal Wildlife Preserve. (The house still stands but is not open to the public.)
The arrival of rail service in 1914 was a critical turning point in Qualicum Beach's slow evolution from a sparsely populated outpost dedicated largely to forestry. Canadian Pacific Railways extended its Victoria-Nanaimo service up-island as far as Courtenay, boosting the tourist trade dramatically. The heritage train station (at the junction of First Ave and Beach Road) continues to traffic in VIA Rail daytrippers.
Birth of a Holiday Destination
The railway spurred construction of the Qualicum Beach Hotel and the adjoining Qualicum Beach Memorial Golf Course. The Tudor-style luxury hotel was initially used as a convalescent hospital for First World War veterans before becoming a favourite west-coast vacation spot for such Hollywood stars as Shirley Temple, Errol Flynn, Bob Hope, Spencer Tracey and Bing Crosby.
A succession of Canadian Governors-General as well as the King of Siam were also guests of Brigadier General Noel Money, an avid sports fisherman who managed the hotel and was widely recognized as the town's leading citizen. The hotel continued to operate until it was sold to a developer in 1969 and replaced by private homes.
More-average visitors, meanwhile, could check into one of a series of inns, lodges and cabins constructed at the water's edge or within a short stroll of the beach. Popular community dances were held at the Log Cabin Inn (on the site of the present-day Sand Pebbles Inn). One of the oldest still-operating resorts is Buena Vista by the Sea, built in 1937.
Municipal Incorporation
Just 304 people lived full-time in Qualicum Beach when it was incorporated as a village in 1942. Many of the town's more prominent seasonal residents, among them H.R. MacMillan of the forestry giant MacMillan Blodel, lived in the prestigious Judges Row neighborhood at the east end of the golf course. Other fine properties skirt Qualicum Memorial on East and West Crescent roads. These include the town's first heritage-designated homes, the circa 1929 "Rosemuir" (246 West Crescent Rd), and "Valhalla" (210 West Crescent Rd), built in 1912.
Qualicum Beach Today
The population continued to grow at a steady pace, topping 1,000 for the first time in 1966 and reaching three times that amount when the village officially became a town in January, 1983. The average age of residents has gradually increased over the years as more and more visitors put down roots in the area.
Qualicum Beach is well-known now for its celebration of arts and culture, and for its fun, local events. The Show n' Shine car parade, craft fairs and special floral and seasonal displays at well-known Milner Gardens & Woodland attract large crowds throughout the year.
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