In the Trenches

On a visit to Port Moody, we decided to visit the Railway Museum. The railway was an integral part of bringing BC into Canada and connecting not only east to west but also BC to the major trading and financial centres of Toronto and Montreal. 

Visiting old train stations provides a glimpse into the past and one few of us can truly understand. Train travel now isn't the same as train travel then. Then it was less hurried, more glamourous, an adventure awaited. 

Out back of the museum, the staff had re-created an army trench. This totally fascinated me. I love experiential learning. It is the best way for people to truly understand. This re-created trench provides experiential learning for the grade school children in Port Moody but also for anyone visiting the Railway Museum. 

People don't have to imagine what life in the trenches was like. They can experience it first hand. 

A Glimpse Into the Past

While on Vancouver Island, I had the chance to visit Chemainus. Chemainus is a former logging town which started in 1858. By 1863, a saw mill was built and forestry became the major industry. Migrant workers from China came to work in the mills and help to mill the wood to be shipped worldwide by boat. 

The town thrived successfully until the forestry resources started to wane and eventually the town was at risk of becoming an abandoned ghost town. In the early 1980s, the town received a government grant to revitalize the downtown core, which it did, using art as a way of telling the story of Chemainus. Today, the town is a popular tourist destination and well known for its 53 murals. 

A visit to Chemainus provides a wonderful glimpse into this once thriving logging town.