In 1850 Snuneymuxw Chief Che-wich-i-kan, often referred to as Coal Tyee, took a canoe laden with coal to Victoria. It was of excellent quality. The chief lived in what is now known as Nanaimo. The area's coal deposits were the first known large deposits on the west coast of the Americas. The coal industry provided steady employment in the mines for the next 70 years. Men, women and families came from all parts of the globe in search of a better life, including Robert Riddell (1861-1944), who left Scotland in 1920 and settled in Nanaimo for "better conditions," according to his immigration arrival form.
Robert and some of his children and their families came to Nanaimo just as coal production began to decline and the world turned to petroleum for fuel. Layoffs became common. By the 1940s timber supplanted coal's place in the area economy.
 |
Western Fuel Company No. 1 Mine, Nanaimo; photograph held by the
Chung Collection, University of British Columbia and courtesy of
Mid Island News |
_______________
"Western Fuel Company No. 1 Mine, Nanaimo,"Chung Collection, University of British Columbia
No comments:
Post a Comment