Chemainus 1

After our arrival at Mill Bay on the Ferry from Brentwood our first stop was at Chemainus. Chemainus was originally founded and thrived for many years as a logging and mill town. When the mill closed and the town was faced with extinction the residents decided to save it by converting it into a place that tourists might like to visit. They did this by decorating the town's buildings with a large number (39) of murals depicting aspects of the area's history. Chemainus is now a very attractive town with lots of things to do and see. We'll have a look at some over the next few days. Today's photo above is a wood relief of an early logging machine called a donkey spool that was used to haul logs from where they were felled to where they could be transported. Click here to visit an interesting site about early logging, donkey spools and to find out where the term "skid road" came from.