Nanaimo History:

The name Nanaimo comes from the Coast Salish people who inhabited the the area. They called themselves the “Snuneymuxw” which means “a great and mighty people.” First called Colvile Town, the name was changed to Nanaimo, which is an adaptation of Snuneymuxw. In the mid 1800s, the Hudson’s Bay Company began to mine the vast coal deposits near the harbour. Many of Nanaimo’s neighbourhoods are named after the coal mines such as Newcastle and Wellington.

The harbour was well protected by a Bastion built in 1853, which also served as a warehouse and the company clerk's office. The cannons were never fired by the Bastion crew.

Nanaimo had both Chinese and Japanese communities starting in the 1860's. Chinatown was destroyed in a fire in September 1960 and the Japanese community was dismantled around 1942. The Japanese operated herring and salmon salteries on Newcastle Island and a small shipyard.

In addition to the mines and fur trade, Nanaimo had a stone quarry on Newcastle Island that was developed to provide stone for the construction of the U.S. Mint building in San Francisco.

In addition Nanaimo had a logging and saw mill industry.