What are the opening hours?

Tuesday 10am - 3:30pm Wednesday 10am - 3:30pm Thursday 10am - 3:30pm Friday 10am - 3:30pm Saturday 10am - 3:30pm

Shawnigan Lake Museum

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Shawnigan Lake Museum

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Learn about the history of Shawnigan Lake, the Kinsol Trestle, E.J. Hughes, and the E & N Railway Admission by donation. Everyone is welcome.

History is fun at the Shawnigan Lake Museum - Hands on and interactive with a surround sound theatre. Executive Director: Lori Treloar SLHS President: Michael Battler

11/02/2026

Can you name this artifact?

The are a few clues in the photo that can help you!

Answer will be posted tomorrow.

11/01/2026

Interested in playing a board game?

The Shawnigan Lake Museum Community Living Room hosts close to twenty different table top games that you and your family members can use on your next visit to the Museum.

Many of these games are crafted by Michaud Toys from Jarvis, Ontario.
"Rooted in the tradition of fine woodworking, the Michaud Family, "the late Mom & Dad", their two sons & team members continue the legacy of four generations of fine craftsmanship...Using only the best available domestic hardwoods."

Just ask one of our friendly staff for assistance and we will be happy to supply you with the playing pieces and official rules.

See you soon!

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OPEN
Tues - Sat, 10 - 3:30
Beat the heat! We’re air conditioned!

Please park:
• at the lot down the street, west (towards the lake of the Museum,
• on the south side of Shawnigan-Mill Bay Rd
• on Shawnigan Lake Rd
• in the Community Centre parking lot.

Please avoid using Aitken & Fraser lot unless you are a customer

Admission by donation
https://www.shawniganlakemuseum.com/

Send a review:
https://g.page/r/Celk60O2gAxfEBM/review

10/31/2026

Please share if you like this post.

OPEN
Tues - Sat, 10 - 3:30
Please park:
• at the lot down the street, west (towards the lake of the Museum,
• on the south side of Shawnigan-Mill Bay Rd
• on Shawnigan Lake Rd
• in the Community Centre parking lot.

Please avoid using Aitken & Fraser lot unless you are a customer

Admission by donation
https://www.shawniganlakemuseum.com/

Send a review:
https://g.page/r/Celk60O2gAxfEBM/review

10/30/2026

Memories from the 1990s

Flamingos help mark special day

The Shawnigan Lake RCMP was in a state of siege this week and it has put officers in the pink
-- as in flamingos.

During a routine call for police checks the Citizen discovered there was an unusual sighting on the front lawn of the Shawnigan Lake police dispatch on March 18.

RCMP and Citizen crime reporters joined forces to uncover the origin of about twenty cutout pink flamingos and little pink piggies with yellow tennis shoes that were on the lawn.

It was quickly determined that police were not in any great risk by the onslaught of colorful animals; however, the little critters were very stubborn in holding their ground.

Staff reporters were awed by the attacker's guerrilla war tactics of keeping very still to avoiddetection.

"We looked all over the place but couldn"t see any signs of the attackers at first." said a Citizenreporter.

"However, what I thought was a mirage stemming from my lunch hour martinis, wore in fact, the rebels."

"I'd seen some real wild guerillas while covering the war in 'Nam but this was outrageous!" he said. "These guys were absolutely motionless – and they didn't even resemble any of the guerillas I'd seen in the jungle or the zoo for that matter!"

Fortunately, police managed to avoid further incidents due to the single-handed heroism of one brave Sergeant Ron Smith.

He managed to appease the pink flamingos and little piggies by meeting with their leader. As it turns out, the little critters only wanted to wish Sgt. Smith a happy 49th birthday.

Once the animals had their chance they left peacefully.

10/29/2026

S.L.A.A. Hall/Old Community Hall—Past to Present

By Brownie Gibson (1966)

Towards the end of the first decade of the 20th century, the budding community began to feel the need of a place to meet for social functions and organization meetings. Out of this desire grew the Shawnigan Lake Athletic Association which built the first S.L.A.A. Hall in 1910. At that time the present idea of Halls under the Societies Act was not in use. First money raised towards the financing the hall came from garden parties at the hotel, but it was realized that this would be a “long hard row to hoe.”

Accordingly, they resorted to a shareholders association under the Companies Act as the only way to achieve the purpose. None of the shareholders ever expected or received dividends. Tribute must be paid to the group of local and Victoria residents who conceived the idea and carried it through. The whole scheme was made possible at the outset by the generous gift of the site by Mrs. A. Koenig.

The construction of the building was done by day labour under the general supervision of E.W. Blake. Charles Morris, with free advice from interested architects, carried out the work. The financing ran parallel with construction, shares being sold on a “pay as you go” style. After the residents of the Lake and district had contributed all they could, Victoria was canvassed and the merchants and others responded splendidly.

Read the whole article(with history up to the 1990s here):
https://www.shawniganlakemuseum.com/post/s-l-a-a-hall-past-to-present

10/28/2026

THE CITIZEN

SUNDAY, OCT. 16, 1988 15
Community
Railway pioneer savors steam and the glory days of industry

By PATRICK HIND

The lure of steam has claimed many a young man over the years – that hissing breathing monster that rattled its way throughout our land.

In the west, steam was harnessed to haul logs from the abundant growth of the coastal forests.

Many of these railways were often hidden from view among our many valleys, only to be seen where they reached a lake or tidewater, where their harvest was hauled to the many mills that dotted our land.

One such man who has seen the boom and decline of the once numerous railways of our region is George Rolfe, a quiet, unassuming man with an unending passion for that beast of burden, the steam locomotive.

Rolfe worked in many locations on this Island. He started his career with steam at the former Shawnigan Lake Lumber Company where he hauled logs to the lake from McGee's swamp. He fired a Climax geared locomotive at that time.

However, Rolfe was to become a "boomer" and found himself at Rock Bay, where he fired locomotives for the B.C. Mills Timber and Trading Company.

"I just wish they still had steam. I'd be there running them again."

-- George Rolfe

The depression of the 1930's saw Rolfe going to the prairies to seek work. But in 1935 he came back to B.C. and found work in the Cowichan Valley at Camps 8 and 10 of the Victoria Lumber and Manufacturing Company.

He worked there until 1940 when he was sent to F***y Bay by the same company. It was here that Rolfe gained his engineer's papers and at last had the chance to cross over to the right side of the cab.

But Rolfe, being the "boomer" he was, decided the Cowichan Valley had far more to offer and he came back to work for Hillcrest Lumber Company, first at their original mill at Wheatley and later at Mesachie Lake.

In 1944 though he went to work for the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway and worked out of the former Duncan roundhouse, long since gone. Rolfe fired for the E & N and was there when the railway changed from steam to diesel power in 1948.

However, the lure of steam was too much, and by 1952 Rolfe was back. This time he worked for MacMillan Bloedel at Copper Canyon and later at Franklin River.

But it was in 1953 that Rolfe decided he'd had enough of "booming" around and he went to work at Crofton, where he operated a 28-ton Shay locomotive, which ironically is still active at

Caption (bottom left):

MAN OF STEAM George Rolfe grew up working with steam locomotives. Even when the E and N Railway turned to diesel, Rolfe clung to the romance of old technology.

10/27/2026

DUNDAS ROAD

Major Thomas George Dundas was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on May 14, 1853.

He and his wife (Mary) and three children emigrated to Canada in 1882 and eventually settled in the Shawnigan area.

His military title of Major comes from his service in the British Army. He did not see any big conflict during his service— it appears it was the “family career”.....more

Read the whole story here:
https://www.shawniganlakemuseum.com/post/dundas-road

10/26/2026

ONLY 4 SPOTS LEFT!

REGISTER:
https://tinyurl.com/3856fpxd

10/25/2026

Do You Remember?

High water at Shawnigan Lake in November 2009

Address

1775 Shawnigan-Mill Bay Road
Shawnigan Lake, BC
V8H3B7

Opening Hours

Tuesday	10am - 3:30pm
Wednesday	10am - 3:30pm
Thursday	10am - 3:30pm
Friday	10am - 3:30pm
Saturday	10am - 3:30pm

Telephone

+12507438675

Website

http://shawniganlakemuseum.com/

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