Union Bay Historical Society

Union Bay Historical Society The UBHS was formed in 1990 to preserve the historical character of the 1913 Union Bay post office building. It also operates the Gaol House museum.

08/30/2026

Thank you Eli for a great summer. We will be open 12:30-4:30 Wed Sept 2- Sat Sept 5th. Then after that we will only be open by appointment or for special events.

Union Bay ChinatownSince it's founding, Union Bay has been a diverse community that is improved by the many peoples who ...
08/28/2026

Union Bay Chinatown

Since it's founding, Union Bay has been a diverse community that is improved by the many peoples who came around the world to work and live here, and one of the most historic and long-lasting was the Chinese community found in Union Bay's Chinatown. The vast majority of Chinatown's residents were men coming from the Chinese province of Guangdong looking for work they could not find at home, and some of the earliest residents of Union Bay were these workers who laid the track for the railway connecting the port to the mines in Cumberland. However, these immigrants faced prejudice and ostracization from the European community in the town, eventually settling their own area that grew to be Union Bay's Chinatown.

Chinatown grew around the mouth of Washer Creek, and although separated from the town and limited in what jobs they could take, the people living in Chinatown continued life and an attitude of "live-and-let-live" grew between Chinatown and the European population. Socialization between the two communities was rare, but the annual Chinese New Years' celebrations gave an infrequent but treasured time of cultural connection and following a devastating flood in 1912 many of Chinatown's residents found temporary housing in the homes of the White population. Many of the residents lived in the two boarding houses due to the Chinese Head Tax limiting the ability of the immigrants to bring their families with them, and those who did not lived in numerous small shacks erected around the settlement. Overtime the population of the Chinatown decreased to only about 25 in the 1950s, and in 1961 the very last resident of the community relocated to Cumberland. Soon afterwards the community hall was relocated to the site where Chinatown once stood, where it still stands there today.

To learn more about Chinatown and the other communities that founded Union Bay, come down to the Gaolhouse Museum, open 9:30-4:30 until the 29th and 12:30-4:30 from the 2nd to the 5th of September. These are the last few days this summer before we go back to being open by appointment only, so don't miss it!

07/28/2026

Saw this recent post shared by Comox Valley Transfers and thought it would be fun to share. It showcases some of the commercial fishing done along the cost. Anyone else have home videos to share. Stop by the Gaol House Museum to see our seasonal display on fishing. Open Wednesday to Sunday 9:30-4:30 during the summer.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1cgHHMurJq/?mibextid=wwXIfr

The Deep Bay CanneryIn 1917 the canning industry in British Columbia was in the highest peak it had and would ever see, ...
07/22/2026

The Deep Bay Cannery

In 1917 the canning industry in British Columbia was in the highest peak it had and would ever see, with a total of 84 canneries operating across the province. It was then when Arthur Groll opened the Deep Bay Packing Co. and built a cannery on the shores of Baynes Sound, packing the pacific salmon caught daily by local fisherman for 20 years. The plant was an important part of fishing for communities ranging from Qualicum north to Johnstone Strait, employing mainly Chinese immigrants and the wives of the Native and Japanese fishermen who caught the plant's supply of chum and coho salmon.

In 1922 a reduction plant was added to produce oil and fertilizer for market from dogfish and basking sharks, and in 1935 the plant was purchased by the new and rapidly growing BC Packers corporation. In 1937 the plant was devastated by a fire that caused upwards of $50,000 in damages, and after being put out by the Courtenay and Union Bay fire brigades had to reopen as solely a refinery. It remained in operation for a number of years thereafter, eventually closing as the profitability of the operation gradually shrunk.

Come by the Gaolhouse Museum to learn more about the fishing industry in Baynes Sound and the Deep Bay Cannery, open 9:30-4:30 Wednesday through Sunday!

Sources:

"The Friendly Port: A History of Union Bay 1880-1960" by Jeanette Glover-Geidt, 1990.

"Land of Plenty: A History of the Comox District" by D.E. Isenor, W.N. McInnis, E.G. Stephens, D.E. Watson, 1987.

"Timeline." From Tides to Tins, 2017, https://tidestotins.ca/timeline/
This website offers an in-depth and easy to follow history of canneries and the fish packing industry in BC, from the beginning to the modern day.

"BC Packers Limited -- A Short History." City of Richmond, 18th February 2026, https://www.richmond.ca/city-hall/archives/exhibits/bcpackersinsurancephotosandmaps/bcpackerslimited_ashorthistory.htm
This website gives a brief overview of BC Packers, the conglomeration of various BC packing operations that bought the Deep Bay Cannery in 1935.

07/19/2026

UBHS would like to give a Huge Shout Out to the Quarantones for their Fabulous performance today and also Thank you to Georgina, Karen and the Union Bay Community Church and everyone who attended helping us raise funds to maintain the Post Office Building!

Commercial Fishing Types (Part Two!)There are a lot of different methods used in today's commercial fishing industry, wi...
07/15/2026

Commercial Fishing Types (Part Two!)

There are a lot of different methods used in today's commercial fishing industry, with each having their own place in the patchwork of the modern trade. Below are some of the methods used in B.C. fisheries both historically and today. For more information, check out our post from July 9th!

Gillnetting is the most selective method of fishing used in BC, making use of a specific type of net called 'gillnets'. Gillnets are placed vertically in the water using weights on the bottom and floats on top and feature holes that are designed to allow fish to swim through only until the largest part of their body, at which point they will become stuck in the mesh trying to back out. The holes are large enough that smaller fish can swim through with no issue and large fish are unable to even enter, greatly increasing the selectability. Today, gillnetting is used to catch all varieties of pacific salmon as well as roe herring.

A far less selective form of fishing can be found in trawling, which is the use of a large, conical net being dragged behind a vessel (called a trawler or dragger.) The net is kept open by one of two methods: either the use of a long pole to keep the net spread (known as beam trawling) or a pair of boards known as 'otter boards' on opposite sides of the net (called otter trawling.) Trawling can be done either along the ocean floor or mid-water, although the amount of BC's seafloor that is passable for bottom-trawling is estimated to be less than 6%. Additionally, there are prominent concerns about the damage to local ecosystems bottom trawling can cause and the rate of bycatching associated with all forms of trawling.

To learn more about how our fisheries operate both then and now, come down to the Union Bay Museum, open 9:30-4:30 Wednesday through Sunday!

Sources:
"Land of Plenty: A History of the Comox District" by D.E. Isenor, W.N. McInnis, E.G. Stephens, and D.E. Watson, 1987.
"Gillnets." Marine Stewardship Council, n.d.
https://www.msc.org/.../fishing-methods-and-gear.../gillnets

"Demersal or Bottom Trawls." Marine Stewardship Council, n.d.
https://www.msc.org/.../fishing.../demersal-or-bottom-trawls

"Fishing, Commercial." KnowBC, n.d.
https://www.knowbc.com/knowbc/Books/Encyclopedia-of-BC/F/Fishing-Commercial

"Uncovering the Secrets of BC's Controversial Trawl Fishers." Amanda Follett Hosgood, 24 June 2025.
https://thetyee.ca/News/2025/06/24/Secrets-of-BC-Trawlers/
This article from The Tyee, an online BC-centred paper, goes more in depth into the ecological effects of trawl fishing as well as the industry's response, and is well worth a read if you are interested in the topic.

"Gillnet." BC Seafood Alliance, n.d.
https://bcseafoodalliance.com/harvest_method/gillnet/
This article gives a very good explanation of gillnetting and how it is done today.

Commercial Fishing Types (Part Two!)There are a lot of different methods used in today's commercial fishing industry, wi...
07/13/2026

Commercial Fishing Types (Part Two!)

There are a lot of different methods used in today's commercial fishing industry, with each having their own place in the patchwork of the modern trade. Below are some of the methods used in B.C. fisheries both historically and today. For more information, check out our post from July 9th!

Gillnetting is the most selective method of fishing used in BC, making use of a specific type of net called 'gillnets'. Gillnets are placed vertically in the water using weights on the bottom and floats on top and feature holes that are designed to allow fish to swim through only until the largest part of their body, at which point they will become stuck in the mesh trying to back out. The holes are large enough that smaller fish can swim through with no issue and large fish are unable to even enter, greatly increasing the selectability. Today, gillnetting is used to catch all varieties of pacific salmon as well as roe herring.

A far less selective form of fishing can be found in trawling, which is the use of a large, conical net being dragged behind a vessel (called a trawler or dragger.) The net is kept open by one of two methods: either the use of a long pole to keep the net spread (known as beam trawling) or a pair of boards known as 'otter boards' on opposite sides of the net (called otter trawling.) Trawling can be done either along the ocean floor or mid-water, although the amount of BC's seafloor that is passable for bottom-trawling is estimated to be less than 6%. Additionally, there are prominent concerns about the damage to local ecosystems bottom trawling can cause and the rate of bycatching associated with all forms of trawling.

To learn more about how our fisheries operate both then and now, come down to the Union Bay Museum, open 9:30-4:30 Wednesday through Sunday!

Sources:
"Land of Plenty: A History of the Comox District" by D.E. Isenor, W.N. McInnis, E.G. Stephens, and D.E. Watson, 1987.

"Gillnets." Marine Stewardship Council, n.d.
https://www.msc.org/what-we-are-doing/our-approach/fishing-methods-and-gear-types/gillnets

"Demersal or Bottom Trawls." Marine Stewardship Council, n.d.
https://www.msc.org/what-we-are-doing/our-approach/fishing-methods-and-gear-types/demersal-or-bottom-trawls

"Fishing, Commercial." KnowBC, n.d.
https://www.knowbc.com/knowbc/Books/Encyclopedia-of-BC/F/Fishing-Commercial

"Uncovering the Secrets of BC's Controversial Trawl Fishers." Amanda Follett Hosgood, 24 June 2025.
https://thetyee.ca/News/2025/06/24/Secrets-of-BC-Trawlers/
This article from The Tyee, an online BC-centred paper, goes more in depth into the ecological effects of trawl fishing as well as the industry's response, and is well worth a read if you are interested in the topic.

"Gillnet." BC Seafood Alliance, n.d.
https://bcseafoodalliance.com/harvest_method/gillnet/
This article gives a very good explanation of gillnetting and how it is done today.

Commercial Fishing TypesOne of BC’s most historic industries is our local fisheries and fishing industry, with 19 commer...
07/09/2026

Commercial Fishing Types

One of BC’s most historic industries is our local fisheries and fishing industry, with 19 commercial fisheries across the province and over 1,900 registered fishing vessels plying the coast in 2024. However, the methods used by commercial anglers to snag their catches varies wildly between different fishers, target species, and locations, with numerous different approaches to fishing being used to great effect in local waters.

One of the most effective methods of fishing is seining, or the use of seine nets, which are massive nets that enclose themselves around entire schools of fish at a time. There are two types of seining used in BC, drag seining which uses nets set from the shore usually by the mouth of a river and enclosed manually, and purse seining, which uses rings, bridles, and an eponymous “purse” line to automatically create an inescapable pouch for fish on ships made for seining called, fittingly, seiners. While purse seining is far more common today, there is some use of drag seining as an experimental selective fishing method in eulachon fisheries.

Trolling also has a long history in local fishing, with the vast majority of commercial fishing in Union Bay being done from trollers historically. Trolling involves the dragging of one or multiple lines behind a ship (called a troller), with early trolling being done on a small scale by hand from row boats and the invention of gas engines for ships allowing modern operations to use mechanical winches and gas engines to lead multiple lines simultaneously and for far longer. Fish caught via trolling are often more valuable than those caught using other methods, due to the lack of a net meaning net scarring is an impossibility and the ability for trollers to clean and ice catch’s immediately.

Come by the Gaolhouse Museum to learn more about these vessels and the history of commercial fishing in Union Bay! Open Wednesday through Sunday, 9:30-4:30!

Sources:
"The Friendly Port: A History of Union Bay 1880-1960." By Janette Glover-Geidt, 1990.

"Seine." BC Seafood Association, 2026, https://bcseafoodalliance.com/harvest_method/seine/

"Fishing, Commercial." KnowBC, n.d., https://www.knowbc.com/knowbc/Books/Encyclopedia-of-BC/F/Fishing-Commercial
This website has good descriptions of all the numerous methods of commercial fishing used in BC, as well as photos.

"Pacific Region Licenses." Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 12th February 2026, https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/stats/stats-eng.htm
This website provides government data surrounding BC's fisheries, including quantities of commercial licenses given, amounts of commercial vessels operating, economic data, and more.

"Fishing History." Museum at Campbell River, n.d., https://crmuseum.ca/learn/fishing-history/

If you didn’t get the opportunity to stop by the art show opening tonight and meet some of the artist stop by this weeke...
04/11/2026

If you didn’t get the opportunity to stop by the art show opening tonight and meet some of the artist stop by this weekend. It’s open both Saturday and Sunday from 1:00-4:00pm. There are some lovely pieces and some are for sale with all proceeds going to the local artists. You can also pick up your burger and beverage fundraiser tickets.
Experience Comox Valley Comox Valley Arts

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5527 Island Highway
Union Bay, BC
V0R3B0

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