Union Bay, British Columbia
| Union Bay | |
|---|---|
 Union Bay
|
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| Coordinates: 49°35′05″N 124°53′10″W / 49.58472°N 124.88611°WCoordinates: 49°35′05″N 124°53′10″W / 49.58472°N 124.88611°W | |
| Country |
 Canada
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| Province |
 British Columbia
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| Regional District | Comox Valley |
| Founded | 1887 |
| Elevation | 3 m (10 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 1,200 |
| Postal code | V0R 3B0 |
| Area code(s) | 250, 778 |
| Website | www.union-bay.ca/ |
Union Bay in British Columbia, Canada is a small community approximately 15 kilometres (9 mi) south of Courtenay, British Columbia, the largest city in the Comox Valley. Union Bay is populated by about 1200 people and is an unincorporated site within the Comox Valley Regional District. The main drag along Highway 19A features a boatlaunch, sports/coffee shop, bistro and market/cafe. Also along the highway are the heritage Gaolhouse museum, Post Office, church, and now closed school that is currently used as the District Improvement Offices. The community has a rich history that is intertwined with that of Cumberland, British Columbia.
Union Bay was first established as "Union Wharf" back in 1887. The community was developed as a port for the thriving coal mines at Union to the Northwest (later reincorporated as Cumberland). Originally the Union Coal Co. had intended to ship coal out from Royston to the north of what is currently Union Bay, but Robert Dunsmuir bought out the company.
Dunsmuir's sons decided that a port at Royston would be too shallow for their needs. The deep water near Hart Creek (in present-day Union Bay) was perfect for the deep sea vessels that would ship the superior quality coal across the globe. A large wharf nearly 600 ft (200 m) long was constructed, along with a rail network connecting the mines to the port in 1887-1888. Many of the masted freighters of the early days were so large that they had to be escorted by tug up Baynes Sound between Denman Island and Vancouver Island. The most famous of these ships was the Pamir.
Several structures were built on the colliery's lands including a shipping wharf, a coal washer, machine shops, and coke ovens. The community of Union Bay developed to support all of this industry and even had a small Chinatown. Workers from India were brought in to build the wharf. They lived in the big boarding house at the head of the bay. Scottish bricklayers arrived with a boatload of bricks from their homeland and assembled the coke ovens which were worked by the Japanese. There were five Japanese families. They had homes on the north side of Washer Creek. Chinese labourers laid the railway between Union Bay and Cumberland and then became trimmers on the coal ships where they would work 12-hour shifts. About 100 Chinese men lived in jerry-built shacks where the community hall is today.
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Wikipedia