Navigating Nanaimo: Maps and Charts of the Harbour City

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Saturday, March 22nd, 2014
10:00 AM to 5:00 PM

From an early Spanish chart to contemporary maps, recording Nanaimo on paper is the theme of the Nanaimo Museum�s next exhibition. �Examining old maps and charts of the city is fascinating� said museum curator David Hill-Turner. �For example, they show railways and mines that are no longer there.�

Nanaimo�s most detailed maps show places none of us have seen: the vast tunnel network under the city, all drawn to scale. �The exhibition�s centre-piece is the coal works map� he said. �The seven meter long map documents all the works from the Southfield Mine (the Cedar landfill) north to Brechin Point and east beyond Protection Island.�

In addition to Nanaimo, the exhibition will also examine the E&N Railway land grant. To attract private development of the railway, an offer that included over 1.5 million acres of land was offered to bidders. While often considered a �giveaway�, the grant was important to attracting development and settlers.

Detailed maps would not be possible without surveying and cartographic tools. A display of equipment from the 1880s to the 1920s will complement the exhibition of maps and charts.