Cumberland Walking Tour Series

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Saturday, July 18th, 2015
July 18, 1pm July 24, 5pm Aug 14, 5pm Aug 15, 4pm Aug 17, 5pm

On Saturday, July 18th and Saturday, August 15th Dawn Copeman will lead the Old Townsites tour featuring Cumberland’s unique cultural histories. In April 1942 Cumberland’s nearly 600 residents of Japanese descent were banished from the coast and sent to internment camps. The decline of the Chinese community was more gradual as the coal mines shut down in the post-war era.

The mostly abandoned Chinatown was finally razed in 1968 leaving only Jumbo’s cabin by the side of Comox Lake Rd. This tour tells the stories of the Chinese and Japanese settlements while walking through the majestic forests on the edge of town where they once stood. Friday, July 24th and Friday, August 14th Meaghan Cursons will lead the Village walking tour: a lively and engaging walk through town filled with facts, rumours, tragedies and tales from Cumberland’s colourful history. From the great fires and great strikes, to lavish garden parties, wartime injustices and small pox isolation houses - the Village walking Tour puts the legend in "Legendary Cumberland."

Kim Bannerman's 2011 gothic murder mystery Bucket of Blood reaches its exciting conclusion on August 17, 1898 (the same day as the Trent River railway trestle disaster). On Monday, August 17th, 117 years to the day, Bannerman will lead a walking tour that explores the alleys, side streets, and buildings featured in the novel, while delving into the history and folklore that inspired her writing.

You don't have to have read the book (or its sequel Mark of the Magpie) to enjoy the tour, but you'll likely want to when it’s done.